The Godfather

Starring:Marlon Brando, Al Pacino, James Caan, Richard S. Castellano, Robert Duvall, Sterling Hayden, John Marley, Richard Conte, Al Lettieri, Diane Keaton, Abe Vigoda, Talia Shire, Gianni Russo, John Cazale, Rudy Bond, Al Martino, Morgana King, Lenny Montana, John Martino, Salvatore Corsitto
Director: Francis Ford Coppola
Studio: Paramount
Product Type: DVD

Editorial Review:
Amazon.com essential video
Generally acknowledged as a bona fide classic, this Francis Ford Coppola film is one of those rare experiences that feels perfectly right from beginning to end--almost as if everyone involved had been born to participate in it. Based on Mario Puzo's bestselling novel about a Mafia dynasty, Coppola's Godfather extracted and enhanced the most universal themes of immigrant experience in America: the plotting-out of hopes and dreams for one's successors, the raising of children to carry on the good work, etc. In the midst of generational strife during the Vietnam years, the film somehow struck a chord with a nation fascinated by the metamorphosis of a rebellious son (Al Pacino) into the keeper of his father's dream. Marlon Brando played against Puzo's own conception of patriarch Vito Corleone, and time has certainly proven the actor correct. The rest of the cast, particularly James Caan, John Cazale, and Robert Duvall as the rest of Vito's male brood--all coping with how to take the mantle of responsibility from their father--is seamless and wonderful. --Tom Keogh

The Godfather DVD Collection
Average customer rating:

Oh my gosh...people...5 stars...5stars...5stars...

Great Father's Day Gift

Wonderful Collection

epic entertainment

godfather dvd collection

The Godfather DVD Collection
Starring: Brando , Pacino , De Niro , and Francis Ford Coppola
Manufacturer: Paramount
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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Accessories:

The Godfather (1972 Film)

The Godfather (Widescreen Edition)

ASIN: B00003CXAA
Release Date: 2001-10-09

Product Description

Some of the greatest masterpieces in cinema history, "The Godfather Collection" is the saga of the generations of successive power within the Corleone crime family, told in three films of staggering magnitude and vision, masterfully exploring themes of power, tradition, revenge and love. "The Godfather" (1972, 175 min.) - Adapted from Mario Puzo's best-selling novel, Francis Ford Coppola's epic masterpiece features Marlon Brando in his Oscar-winning role as the patriarch of the Corleones. Director Coppola paints a chilling portrait of the Sicilian clan's rise and near fall from power in America, masterfully balancing the story between the Corleone's family life and the ugly crime business in which they are engaged. Winner of three Academy Awards, including Best Picture. "The Godfather, Part II" (1974, 200 min.) - This brilliant sequel continues the saga of two generation of successive power within the Corleone family. Coppola tells two stories: the roots and rise of a young Don Vito (Robert De Niro), and the ascension of Michael (Al Pacino) as the new Don. Winner of six Academy Awards, including Best Picture. "The Godfather, Part III" (1990, 170 min.) - Now in his 60's, Michael Corleone is dominated by two passions: freeing his family from crime, and finding a suitable successor. That successor could be fiery Vincent (Andy Garcia), but he may also be the spark that turns Michael's hope of business legitimacy into an inferno of mob violence. This special collection also includes an additional disc containing over 3 hours of bonus material.

System Requirements:
Starring: Marlon Brando, Al Pacino, James Caan, Robert Duvall, Diane Keaton, Talia Shire, Robert DeNiro, Lee Strasberg, Andy Garcia, and Sofia Coppola.
Directed By: Francis Ford Coppola.
Running Time: 545 Min., Color.
This film is presented in "Widescreen" format.
Copyright 2001 Paramount Pictures.

Format: DVD MOVIE

Amazon.com essential video

Throughout his long, wandering, often distinguished career Francis Ford Coppola has made many films that are good and fine, many more that are flawed but undeniably interesting, and a handful of duds that are worth viewing if only because his personality is so flagrantly absent. Yet he is and always shall be known as the man who directed the Godfather films, a series that has dominated and defined their creator in a way perhaps no other director can understand. Coppola has never been able to leave them alone, whether returning after 15 years to make a trilogy of the diptych, or re-editing the first two films into chronological order for a separate video release as The Godfather Saga. The films are our very own Shakespearean cycle: they tell a tale of a vicious mobster and his extended personal and professional families (once the stuff of righteous moral comeuppance), and they dared to present themselves with an epic sweep and an unapologetically tragic tone. Murder, it turned out, was a serious business. The first film remains a towering achievement, brilliantly cast and conceived. The entry of Michael Corleone into the family business, the transition of power from his father, the ruthless dispatch of his enemies--all this is told with an assurance that is breathtaking to behold. And it turned out to be merely prologue; two years later The Godfather, Part II balanced Michael's ever-greater acquisition of power and influence during the fall of Cuba with the story of his father's own youthful rise from immigrant slums. The stakes were higher, the story's construction more elaborate, and the isolated despair at the end wholly earned. (Has there ever been a cinematic performance greater than Al Pacino's Michael, so smart and ambitious, marching through the years into what he knows is his own doom with eyes open and hungry?) The Godfather, Part III was mostly written off as an attempted cash-in, but it is a wholly worthy conclusion, less slow than autumnally patient and almost merciless in the way it brings Michael's past sins crashing down around him even as he tries to redeem himself. --Bruce Reid

Customer Reviews:

Oh my gosh...people...5 stars...5stars...5stars..........2007-07-04

What clown complains about picture quality on a film that was shot in the 70's??? Come on...guys and gals...these movies are amazing and all you have to say is the picture had nicks and hairs and imperfections...This is not 300 or finding Nemo, this is not a film that was shot on a digital camera...in 2007! Get with the times and enjoy this classic film.

As Michael leaves the restroom, he pulls the trigger...pumping rounds into the people responsible for his fathers failed assassination...and all you can do is gripe about picture quality and ish.

Perfectly written, amazingly shot, these films will go down in history as one of the greatest cinematic achievement of all time.

So I beg of you, and deplore you to shut up and enjoy these films in their original, grainy and imperfect formats...you might just enjoy them that way.

Great Father's Day Gift.......2007-07-03

I bought this for my husband as a Father's Day gift, and he loved it. We previously owned the VHS collection, but now we have added the DVDs to our plethera of movies.

Wonderful Collection.......2007-06-27

It's a great set for the price. I haven't seen the movies in years, the quality is great and the special features are also very good!

epic entertainment.......2007-06-22

My wife and I will sometimes watch all the movies in this set right in a row! I love the bonus materials dvd that comes with. It has additional scenes, a locations featurette, a Corleone family tree, a making of documentary, and all kinds of interviews with most of the actors. Don't hesitate to buy! It's worth it at allmost any price!

godfather dvd collection.......2007-06-14

I replaced videos. I am enjoying the set!

Average customer rating:

The Godfather
The Godfather
One Of The Best!
IMHO, closer to the reality
The movie that started the modern American mafia genera

The Godfather (Widescreen Edition)
Starring: Marlon Brando , Al Pacino , James Caan , Richard S. Castellano , and Robert Duvall
Director: Francis Ford Coppola
Manufacturer: Paramount
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B0001NBNB6
Release Date: 2004-05-11

Amazon.com essential video

Generally acknowledged as a bona fide classic, this Francis Ford Coppola film is one of those rare experiences that feels perfectly right from beginning to end--almost as if everyone involved had been born to participate in it. Based on Mario Puzo's bestselling novel about a Mafia dynasty, Coppola's Godfather extracted and enhanced the most universal themes of immigrant experience in America: the plotting-out of hopes and dreams for one's successors, the raising of children to carry on the good work, etc. In the midst of generational strife during the Vietnam years, the film somehow struck a chord with a nation fascinated by the metamorphosis of a rebellious son (Al Pacino) into the keeper of his father's dream. Marlon Brando played against Puzo's own conception of patriarch Vito Corleone, and time has certainly proven the actor correct. The rest of the cast, particularly James Caan, John Cazale, and Robert Duvall as the rest of Vito's male brood--all coping with how to take the mantle of responsibility from their father--is seamless and wonderful. --Tom Keogh

Customer Reviews:

The Godfather.......2007-07-05

Long before "The Sopranos," a young Coppola transformed our understanding of the relationship between organized crime and corporate American profiteering with this operatic ode based on Mario Puzo's acclaimed novel. Moody and violent, with Gordon Willis's Technicolor photography adding a sepia-toned period look, "Godfather" combines a bullets-blazing mobster film with a gripping family saga. And what a cast: Pacino, Robert Duvall, James Caan, and Diane Keaton are all superlative. Brando, of course, achieved yet another level of cinematic fame with his iconic portrayal of the title character. Coppola fought with Paramount to achieve his personal vision, but ultimately triumphed, winning the 1972 Oscar for Best Picture.

The Godfather.......2007-06-21

The greatest movie ever. It can teach you all you need to know about life in 180 minutes. There you go, life in 3 hours

One Of The Best!.......2007-05-15

What can I say, this is a fantastic epic! In my opinion, it is one of the best movies of all time. A+++

IMHO, closer to the reality.......2007-04-15

It's sad to see the mafia or cosa nostra portrayed as a couple hundred thugs in New York hustling up money. The mafia is a worldwide organization and in the overall evaluation performs many good deeds and must benefit others more than it harms (Aquinas - "The greatest good for the greatest number"). The governmental systems in all countries always leave people behind and there must be some underground that picks up these people and helps them survive. Also, it seems to prove useful to have an underground which is at least somewhat prepared to fuel revolutions. Frequently, the mafia within a given country can prove a great asset to its government since they are usually privy to intelligence that escapes the ears of the government's agencies.

Everyone knows this movie, I would point out that I really liked the development of the expansion of the Cosa Nostra and in the sequels the international expansion.

The movie that started the modern American mafia genera.......2007-04-14

The Godfather set the American Mafia movie genera. A good plot line with a tight scrip, superb direction and well acted. There are many murders, after all this is about gangsters but why it's rated "R" is beyond me. It's way less gruesome with less disturbing violence than Casino and many modern MA films are much more violent.

The power plays, honour and business scheming between the Mafia families give the framework of the film with personal trial and tribulations providing more depth for the character development that echo throughout the genera ever since and make The Godfather repeatedly watchable.

I wanted a copy for a present and after spending months looking for a copy in the retail shops without success, I found this widescreen version at a great price on Amazon within seconds and, I ended up keeping it.

The Godfather, Part II (Two-Disc Widescreen Edition)

Average customer rating:

The Hardening of the Idealist
Wonderful sequel to the Godfather
Great sequel
A Good Follow up
Quality

The Godfather, Part II (Two-Disc Widescreen Edition)
Starring: Al Pacino , Robert Duvall , Diane Keaton , Robert De Niro , and John Cazale
Director: Francis Ford Coppola
Manufacturer: Paramount
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B0007Y08MY
Release Date: 2005-05-24

Amazon.com essential video

Francis Ford Coppola took some of the deep background from the life of Mafia chief Vito Corleone--the patriarch of Mario Puzo's bestselling novel The Godfather--and built around it a stunning sequel to his Oscar-winning, 1972 hit film. Robert De Niro plays Vito as a young Sicilian immigrant in turn-of-the-century New York City's Little Italy. Coppola weaves in and out of the story of Vito's transformation into a powerful crime figure, contrasting that evolution against efforts by son Michael Corleone to spread the family's business into pre-Castro Cuba. As memorable as the first film is, The Godfather II is an amazingly intricate, symmetrical tragedy that touches upon several chapters of 20th-century history and makes a strong case that our destinies are written long before we're born. This was De Niro's first introduction to a lot of filmgoers, and he makes an enormous impression. But even with him and a number of truly brilliant actors (including maestro Lee Strasberg), this is ultimately Pacino's film and a masterful performance. --Tom Keogh

Description

This brilliant companion piece to the original film continues the saga of two generations of successive power within the Corleone family. Coppola tells two stories in Part II: the roots and rise of a young Don Vito, played with uncanny ability by Robert De Niro, and the ascension of Michael (Pacino) as the new Don.

Customer Reviews:

The Hardening of the Idealist.......2007-04-01

Most critics and the Motion Picture Academy agree. Godfather 2 is a worthy sequel to the blockbuster movie, The Godfather.

If you think that the Godfather saga is only about Organized Crime, you are wrong. It is about Family dynamics in a Sicillian family who's business just happens to be Organized Crime.

Michael is the quintessential Idealist. Whereas his father was a pragmatist bound in honor, and his brothers were respectivly a loose cannon and a milquetoast, Michaels idealism turned out to be his downfall. Whereas a pragmatist can be flexible, an idealist always insists that he is right all the time, and he runs his life in such a manner. When your life involves the Underworld, all your ideals will morph you into a pillar of granite. This is what Godfather 2 is all about.

In it we see two stories running paralell tracks. The first story is of Don Vito choosing to be a strongarm to protect his Family, his friends and his honor. Then we see Michael trying to do the same thing, but his ideals get in the way and he chooses to abandon them. He drive his friends and family away from himself by his sheer heartlessness and ruthlessness. In the end of Godfather 2, he has no honor, for he kills everyone in his way. Even his own brother, Fredo! We see in the end him sitting alone on a bench with an icy stare. But after all, he believes that all his actions were not only neccesary, but RIGHT!!! Michael tells Tom Hagen: "I dont feel that I have to kill everybody! Only my enemies." Yet to Michael, in the end, all those who do not agree with him are enemies!

To see Michael deal with his sins and attempt to buy his redemption, you must purchase Godfather 3 from Amazon.com!

Wonderful sequel to the Godfather.......2007-03-30

This is as fantastic a movie as the first part. The Metamorphosis of Michael Corleone which started in the first part reaches its completion in this sequel. He is so besotted with power that he does not want any one opposing him be it his wife, brother, or anyone. This movie shows us how life can change a "War-hero" to a power-drunk godfather.

Great sequel.......2007-03-12

Even better than the original - because it probes deeper into the personalities, especially of Michael Corleone (Al Pacino) and his obsession with family and loyalty and snubbing out his enemies. He is quiet, educated, and coldly calculating. The movie traces his dealings in the 1950s-60s, set mainly in Nevada. Interspersed with these developments is the story of the rise of his father Don Vito Corleone in Little Italy in NYC in the 1920s, with Robert De Niro doing a brilliant job in that role. Both stories are excellently told. Despite my never quite understanding America's obsession with the mafia and its ilk, it's not hard to conclude that this is a major movie achievement.

A Good Follow up.......2007-03-10

a good movie that explains the first one a little more

Quality .......2007-02-26

I'd read that Godfather II was a worthy sequel, so I was desperately hoping that this would be true - and, oh, how it was! Although the movie was only filmed two years after the Godfather, about 7 years have gone by in the timeline of the story. The Corleone family, under the guidance of their new leader Michael, have moved to Las Vegas to make money from gambling. At the same time, the film also steps back into the past to show how Vito Corleone, Michael's deceased father and former Don, came to America and made his fortune.

As with the first film, the performances are incredible. The standout actors are Al Pacino as Michael and Robert De Niro as the young Vito Corleone. Both radiate power and dynamism the entire time they are on screen. De Niro looks regal (as befits the older man played by Marlon Brando in the first movie) whilst Pacino smoulders, somehow looking much more mature than the Michael from the first film, with his eyes practically burning holes in the TV screen. Some of the most moving shots were when Michael's face faded into Vito's, seeming to represent how the two characters were inextricably linked through time.

To watch the continuing transformation to Michael's character is both heartbreaking and fascinating. At the start of the film we see how the Corleone family are falling apart - Connie has become wild and cold-hearted to punish Michael for her husband's murder, Fredo is as hopeless (although well-meaning) as ever and Kay has pretty much stopped hoping Michael will ever turn into the 'good' man she hoped he would. Michael is also about to make some important business decisions, which cause tension and rivalry with other businessmen who don't want him to succeed. This all creates a power keg of anger, violence and emotion that explodes across the next few hours with shattering consequences. I thought it was a masterstroke to intertwine the present day happenings with the old story of Vito growing up. The history of the family explains and enlightens so much.

There are too many great performances by secondary characters to mention. Robert Duvall is sensational in his reprisal of the role of Tom Hagen. Diane Keaton completely nails the part of Kay - even when she reveals something completely shocking to Michael it is believable and her gaunt face seems to show all that has gone before.

The ending is completely satisfying, if indescribably tragic. I was torn between hating Michael (particularly after he ordered a murder in the last minutes of the film that completely shocked me and showed how he has changed irredeemably) and yet I wanted to sob for him and for the loss of what his life might have been. The final few minutes bring the stories of Michael and Vito together and leave you feeling like you've been punched in the stomach.

Overall, the Godfather II is just as iconic as the Godfather. It's great to watch a sequel that continues the story so well and is faithful to the characters. I have never seen a pair of films that so hauntingly and movingly trace the destruction of one man's soul and conscience.

The Godfather, Part III (Widescreen Edition)

Average customer rating:

The One To See
It should have ended with Godfather 2
The Sins of the Fathers...
By far the best, the mafia and the future
Not really all that bad

The Godfather, Part III (Widescreen Edition)
Starring: Al Pacino , Diane Keaton , Talia Shire , Andy Garcia , and Eli Wallach
Director: Francis Ford Coppola
Manufacturer: Paramount
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B0007Y08NI
Release Date: 2005-05-24

Amazon.com essential video

Sixteen years after Francis Ford Coppola won his second Oscar for The Godfather II (his first was for the 1972 Godfather), the director and star Al Pacino attempted to revive the concept one more time. Despite an elaborate plot that involves Michael Corleone seeking redemption through the Vatican while simultaneously preparing his nephew (Andy Garcia) to take over the Corleone family, the film fails to take shape as a truly meaningful experience in the way the preceding movies do. Still, Pacino is very moving as an elder Michael, filled with regret and trying hard to make amends with his wife (Diane Keaton) and grown children (one of whom is played, and not all that well, by the director's daughter, Sofia Coppola). --Tom Keogh

Description

In this third film in the epic Corleone trilogy, Al Pacino reprises the role of powerful family leader Michael Corleone. Now in his 60's, Michael is dominated by two passions: freeing his family from crime and finding a suitable successor. That successor could be fiery Vincent (Andy Garcia)... but he may also be the spark that turns Michael's hope of business legitimacy into an inferno of mob violence.

Customer Reviews:

The One To See.......2007-04-05

I'm sort of a late-comer to the Godfather movies and while I enjoyed part 1, enjoyed part 2 a little more, I was blown away by part 3. It's also the one I've seen the most. Of course, this it at the beginning of the era in Al Pacino's career where I think he did his very best work: GIII, Glengarry Glen Ross, Scent of a Woman, and Carlito's Way. To me, this Godfather movie serves as a far better character study because it allows the reflection and depth that only an older Michael can show. And better than ever does he display the anger that gives way to frustration that is simmering beneath the surface. No, I suppose it isn't much like 1 and 2. Pacino's range here is riveting, from his heart attack to his confession to Cardinal Lamberto, which almost brought tears to my eyes. To all the awful things he says he's done, the Cardinal simply replies to a man who thinks he is beneath forgiveness, "Gone. It is gone." Michael sinks to the ground in tears because of a sugar attack and asks for orange juice - a mighty man brought to his knees by old age, diabetes, and sin. Extremely powerful, coupled with the grace and gentleness of the Cardinal. Very powerful. The raw, fierce display of emotion at the end when tragedy hits harder than ever was fitting. While I enjoyed 1 and 2, no way I could get wrapped up in them like this.

The plot is actually rather simple. To start, Michael takes care of what I call "old business." He reconciles with those he has made rich, essentially trying to go out on top and sincerely get away from crime. So what he does is by way of a back-against-the-wall Archbishop, Michael agrees to take on and relieve a Vatican holding company of an exhorbitant debt. But in exchange Michael wants majority control over the company's board of directors. Fine. Well... until, because the company is both very old and very European, the deal brings in a host of shady, threatening, and powerful people, such as Don Lucchesi and Don Altobello. It is not in the interest of these people that Michael should get control. The new Pope (interestingly, an Italian who chooses the name John Paul I) attempts to "clean house" and among many other things, get the company out of shady hands. So the Pope finds himself on the wrong side of some of these characters, and the Mafia is indeed implicated in the death of the fictional John Paul I. The real-life John Paul I only held the office from August 26 to September 28, 1978, when he died suddenly. Wild rumors had spread about a poisoned coffee. Francis kind of takes some of that and runs with it a bit. It's quite a unique story, actually.

In reality, this movie is about things coming full circle, people paying for what they've done, and as Michael says, the new overthrows the old. There is a scene in the back of a car where Michael's face distinctly passes in and out of deep shadow as the car travels down the road, sort of representative of his life. Had Scorcese done this it would have been 50 times more gruesome and had others done it it would have probably involved the Illuminati and who knows what else, but Francis finds the perfect balance between story, fictional realism, and the violence, which is necessary but not at all shocking or overly brutal.

It should have ended with Godfather 2.......2007-03-01

I don't hate this movie, it has several strong points, but in truth I can't say it's a great end to the Godfather series. I've come to the conclusion that Godfather II should have been the last Michael Corleone film. That's because every time I watch it I get chills during those last few moments, a piece of perfect and haunting cinema history. Somehow those last seconds sum up everything Michael might have had and everything he might have been - they are utterly heartbreaking. And they are enough. The message didn't need to be carried into a third film explaining about Michael's regrets - from the end of part 2 we already knew! Michael has had his brother killed and is emotionally dead, so we don't really need to see his physical death and deterioration in Part 3.

So what did I like about Part 3? Several scenes stick in my mind. When Vincent killed Joe Zaza there was a flash of Vito / Sonny / Michael from the old days. When Michael told Kay he'd always loved her and she said it back, I couldn't hold back the tears, although it did feel a little contrived since Kay had remarried and we weren't given a sense of who her new husband was. The ending was the best bit, symbolic and achingly sad. Al Pacino's final moments were heartbreaking, as I knew they would be.

The performances are generally good, particularly from Al Pacino, although his character unfortunately no longer requires him to use his remarkable quiet voiced anger that he displayed so chillingly in the first two films. I thought Andy Garcia was only OK as Vincent, his character wasn't really fleshed out enough to be truly compelling. Talia Shire's character, Connie, seemed to be a completely different woman, and it was strange how Michael suddenly let her sit in on business meetings. The main problem I had was that Mary, Michael's daughter, and Vincent, did not have any chemistry between them so it was impossible to see how they had fallen in love. Their romance was unrealistic because they never acted 'in love', there were no intense glances as there were between Apollonia and Michael in Godfather 1, for example. The whole 'forbidden romance between cousins' plot seemed unneccesary and a bit of a strange choice. I also would have liked more closure on Michael's first marriage to Apollonia, it wasn't clear if he ever told Kay before or how she found out or how she (or their children) felt about it, they didn't even seem surprised which didn't seem quite right.

Overall, the Godfather III is a difficult movie to review. It isn't a classic like part 1 and 2, but it's not terrible either. I just question whether it was ever needed in the first place. Perhaps 'Part 3' should have been left up to our imaginations, with Al Pacino's dark-eyed intensity from the final scenes of Godfather 2 forever etched in our minds.

The Sins of the Fathers..........2007-01-10

I consider this movie a fitting endpiece to the saga of the Corleone Family. I think it is the best and most deeply moving piece of the Trilogy.

It is about the end game of the quintessential idealist, Michael Corleone.
Whereas his father (Marlin Brando) was the honor bound pragmatist, his brother Sonny was the violent loose cannon, his brother Freco was the gutless whiner, Michael was moved by his ideals and what he considered was right.

In Godfather 1, we see him throwing away his ideals for Family protection, and in Godfather 2, we see him turned to stone by his own actions. This is stressed in the Birthday party scene at the end of Godfather 2.

In Godfather 3, we see a sick and dying Godfather haunted by the once idealistic Michael Corleone he was. The idealism is returning to him, and of neccesity there had to be recompence for the earlier sins he did. Yet the Sins of the Father affected all of his attempted repentance. He paid the ultimate price at the end by the death of his daughter being part of the neccesary attonement. And after all that, in the end, he has visions of dancing with the most important women in his life, all which he threw away by his behavior. He died totally alone and unloved.

My favorite caracter was Joe Montagna (Joey Zasa) When Vince blew him away, I cheered! Could that caracter be based on John Gotti? Hmmmmm...

By far the best, the mafia and the future.......2007-01-10

The third part is nearly the most interesting because we finally have
these Corleones in the modern world. They have sold their casinos and
gambling institutions, they have never been in drugs or prostitution
and the new Godfather, Michael Corleone, wants to get respectable,
recognized by the catholic church and world influential. So he tries to
donate big quantities of money to the Vatican bank in exchange of a
majority share in the Vatican's real estate institution. He fails at
first but goes on and tries to find the invisible ways into the
labyrinth. So he makes friends with as many people as possible in the
financial, religious and political circles around the church. He finds
out he has to go to Sicilia to get in touch with an important cardinal
who is actually elected Pope, but does not last more than a few months.
They have special teas that make you sleep very long in the Vatican.
But this third part shows a great evolution of the Sicilian-American
and Italian-American communities in the US. Violence is becoming less
and less easy in the US. They have to respect the law and law-enforcing
institutions are too strong and powerful for them to be neglected or
under-evaluated. Then there is a shift in that mafia violence. The
Corleones going to Sicilia, among other things to take part in the
first operatic production of Michael's own son who is an opera tenor,
violence catches them up and Sicilia becomes the theatre of what they
can't do in the US any more. And once again Michael goes through and is
well protected by the men of his nephew who he has just appointed his
successor, and also by chance. The final gun directed at him cannot be
prevented from firing, though the assassin will be shot back on the
spot by the new Don Corleone, but Michael is once again lucky and the
bullet does not reach him. For more details rush to the DVD. Thus the
third part ends in drama, even melodrama. But it is definitely clearer
than the second that is too long and too complex and entangled. We seem
though to be living the last powerful years of this family that has to
accept the challenge of becoming legal and respectable. In other words
the world is changing and the mafia along with it.

Dr Jacques COULARDEAU, University of Paris Dauphine & University of
Paris 1 Pantheon Sorbonne

Not really all that bad.......2006-09-18

"You know, Michael; now that you're so respectable, I think you're more dangerous than ever. I liked you better when you were just a common Mafia hood."

I have finally seen all three entries in The Godfather trilogy. Part III is widely considered a bad film and has been named one of the worst sequels of all time. But after finally seeing all three movies I can justly say that this movie is not deserving of the bad rep it gets.

In the final installment of the Godfather Trilogy, an aging Don Michael Corleone seeks to legitimize his crime family's interests and remove himself from the violent underworld but is kept back by the ambitions of the young. While he attempts to link the Corleone's finances with the Vatican, Michael must deal with the machinations of a hungrier gangster seeking to upset the existing Mafioso order and a young protégé's love affair with his daughter.

This movie was probably not necessary but its here and although it is leagues behind Parts I and II, its still a great movie. I think that's it greatest fault too, that its predecessor's were so great that it couldn't help but be inferior. Al Pacino gives us an aged Michael Corleone but, at least to me, he wasn't as believable as he was in the previous two. Here he was Al Pacino and lacked the intensity and, well, believability of the character he showed previously. Maybe that's because of the character's age and he's so different than what we have perceived him as in the other two movies. But, you eventually accept him again as Michael and Pacino gives another stellar performance. Talia Shire returns as Connie, Michael's sister only this time she tries to pull some strings and get into things. Shire's performance is good but the problem is that this is unbelievable for the character. In the previous two Godfather films she was there, not involved in the business in any way and suddenly here she's thrown herself into the fray. Andy Garcia plays Vinnie, Sonny's illegitimate son. He plays Pacino Sonny's role in the original Godfather and it seems he's trying to imitate James Caan's presence instead of being his son. It works in the long run but it feels like he could have done something more with the character. Diane Keaton is Michael's ex-wife Kay. She doesn't really do much until near the end of the movie and seems like she is only there to further the ending of the movie. Her role is very detached from what she did in Parts I and II where she was Michael's loving wife whom he was trying to hold on to. Here, she's married to another man and doesn't have an impact on Michael until, as I said, the ending and even there her role isn't vital. Sofia Coppola is Mary Corleone, Michael's daughter, and she completely slaughters the character. Did she know that this film wasn't a comedy? She doesn't speak in the movie, she awkwardly yells and is reminiscent of the stereotypical bad actor that reads their lines monotonously. And George Hamilton takes over Robert Duvall's role as B.J. Harrison. George Hamilton? Whoever the hell decided to replace Duvall after he refused to reprise his role should be shot but then to go and cast George Hamilton was just wrong. He sticks out and I was waiting for him to rip open a bad of Baked Ritz crackers and start munching on them. I'm sorry but I just couldn't take him seriously. The rest of the cast does their job well and their really isn't a weak link outside of Sofia.

I personally didn't think the music was as good as it was in the previous two installments. There wasn't anything memorable outside of the "Godfather Waltz". That's not to say it was bad, because it wasn't. The music perfectly complemented each scene it was used in. It's just that it wasn't as good as previous efforts.

I don't think this should have been called The Godfather Part III, it should have been titled The Godfather: The Musical because after every few scenes another musical piece would pop up. This, accompanied with the editing, made it feel like a TV movie. At the end of 97% of each scene the transition was a fade to black. I was honestly expecting a commercial to pop up one of these times. There were just too many musical pieces in the film as well. We get a long one at the beginning, a few shorter ones scattered throughout the middle and another long one at the end. The whole final movement of the film in which two intrigues are inter cut with Anthony performing in an opera are supposed to be suspenseful, but they're not. They're so confusing that we don't even know where the hell one of the intrigues is taking place. Is it in Rome? Sicily? London? I don't know.

The whole of the movie is a tad convoluted and hard to believe. Michael is trying to go legit with...the Vatican? This only adds to the confusion of the movie. This entry is easier to grasp and understand what's going on than Part II was but you are left scratching your head at some points. This will definitely require a second viewing just as Part II does. Another problem is that this feels like a sequel unlike Part II, which felt like a natural continuation of the original. You're also just thrown into this world without so much as an introduction or a re acquaintance to some characters so you're left to figure it out on your own which can be pretty annoying when you're trying to do that and follow the complex storyline all at once. But one of the biggest eyebrow raisers is the incest plotline. That's right. Vinnie and Mary are first cousins but are in love with each other. The movie even acknowledges that this is wrong but it's still kept. At the it is supposed to hit us hard due to the circumstances but it just doesn't because you didn't believe in it in the first place because it is wrong. That plotline was unneeded and came out of left field. That was probably the worst addition to this film next to Sofia herself.

But what really brings this movie together is its spectacular ending. The whole scene on the steps is superbly shot and you really feel the raw surge of emotion that's going on in that scene. You feel for Michael because of everything he did to try and right his wrongs thus far. But directly after that is the death of Michael Corleone which is tragic yet fulfilling. He is 77 years old and retired to Sicily, alone and distraught when he dies from a stroke. Before he dies he thinks of the women he loved and ultimately lost due to his choices in life. We feel for this character and when he dies, at least with me, a surge of emotion came over because you think back to the journey we went through with this man and here is the end of a legacy. The whole way it is shot and presented struck a chord with me and was the highlight of the movie Michael is alone with nobody left because they are either dead or have left him. It's a sad way to go but perfectly executed here. The music that accompanies it is superb as well. It isn't an original piece conducted for the movie but it works amazingly well. It adds so much to the scene and is a great listen on its own. I cannot say enough good things about this ending. Its just superb and a truly great way to end this monumental series.

The Godfather Part III is a great movie. It isn't up to snuff with its predecessors but it can't be expected to be. It is wholly undeserving of the bad rep it gets because underneath, there is a great movie that has just gotten flack for being inferior and a sequel. Despite some rough edges and lacking in areas that the original two excelled in, The Godfather Part III is very worthy of bearing the Godfather name.

Average customer rating:

Edited for DVD....
Bella Maria by PK Reyes
If you have never seen it, you have missed out!
You will want to watch it over and over again
Made for Tv stuff but pleasent

Bella Mafia

Manufacturer: Paradiso
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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

The Last Don II
Mario Puzo's The Last Don
Boss of Bosses
Mobsters
Gotti

ASIN: B0007ZFSQ4

Product Description

Import Version -- Audio-English --------- Plot Summary: When Sofia marries into a Mafia family, she doesn't know what she's getting into. When her husband, all her brothers-in-law, and her father-in-law are murdered by a rival family, Sofia, her mother-in-law and her sisters-in-law swear to get revenge upon the family.

Customer Reviews:

Edited for DVD...........2007-05-25

I love Vanessa Redgrave, so I'd watch anything she is in, which got me to this made for TV mini-series. This imported DVD version is the only available version. (There was a video edition...). The DVD looks and sounds great, and the film is highly entertaining, but it is odd that with the popularity of Mob films, and the star power in this one, that no American studio has issued the complete version....This one is missing about 35 minutes....

Bella Maria by PK Reyes.......2007-05-13

This one is another good one, when all the men are killed off by a Rival Family, the women take over and take revenge. Lots of twists and never a moment of boredom. Thank you Amazon for having this available for our enjoyment!

If you have never seen it, you have missed out!.......2006-12-27

I love this Movie! Ever since it first came out I remember always watching it over and over. You wont be disappointed!

You will want to watch it over and over again.......2006-05-07

Great story and sad too. These ladies did a great job!. You must add it to your collection.

Made for Tv stuff but pleasent.......2006-04-21

A family is crushed but the murder of it's male members, including the deaths of two children. Now the widows of these men and this family must unite to find the killer or killers and get revenge for the lives taken.

This is a predictable movie but watchable if you have nothing better to do.

Average customer rating:

Peter Paige in a Black Comedy
perfect transaction
best educational comedy for select straights'
"People might get the wrong idea"
an Inept display of "acceptable behavior".

Say Uncle
Starring: Anthony Clark , Lisa Edelstein , Kathy Najimy , Jim Ortlieb , and Melanie Lynskey
Director: Peter Paige
Manufacturer: Tla
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Comedy | Genres | DVD | Video

Gay & Lesbian | Comedy | Genres | DVD | Video

Black Comedy | Comedy | Genres | DVD | Video

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

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Similar Items:

Another Gay Movie
Adam & Steve (2005)
The Mostly Unfabulous Social Life of Ethan Green
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Poster Boy

ASIN: B000GPIPGU
Release Date: 2006-09-05

Customer Reviews:

Peter Paige in a Black Comedy.......2007-01-15

"SAY UNCLE"

Peter Paige in a black comedy

Amos Lassen and Cinema Pride

We love Peter Paige. He was our alter ego in "Queer as Folk" as Emmett, the gay guy who never stopped being himself no matter the situation. He continues that in "Say Uncle" (TLA Releasing) his big screen debut film. Not only does he star in the film but he directed it as well and it is an auspicious foray into the world of filmmaking.
Paige plays Paul, a gay artist who has centered his life on his godson. When the family moves away taking the boy with them, Paul is beside himself. He begins spending time at a local playground but some of the parents find it alarming that a single man would want to spend so much time looking at the children and controversy ensues. Naturally the parents band together against Paul and are led by the always fabulous Kathy Najimy.
We do not have many comedies about gay pedophiles and admittedly the idea does not strike me as a good one. But surprisingly this is a very tender and funny movie. Paige is, as usual, superb as he reinforces the feeling that I had about him when I saw him on TV.
As a hapless loner after his godson and family move to Japan, Paige shows the gamut of emotion as he is labeled as a pedophile. Coming out of that depression, he decides to relive his happy times with his godson by visiting the local playground and he is warned to be careful by his boyfriend Russell (Anthony Clark of TV's "Last Comic Standing). Not only is Paul endangering himself but he is hurting the chance of a relationship with a guy who is sincerely interested in him. Russell warns him that "people might get the wrong idea". Paul responds by pretending that he has no idea of the idea that is mentioned, brushes the sand off of a little girl and takes another to the bathroom. As expected a group of local mothers led by Maggie (Najimy) steps in to do something.
I sometimes felt that "Say Uncle" was dealing with the issue of the persecution of gay people but instead I realized that this is where the movie lost itself. I could not understand the nature of homophobia here as it was muddled. Even with its faults, I loved this movie. There were great lines and a lot of wit. It could have been so much better but even as it is I felt as I had seen a really good movie and, of course, I recommend it. Some reviewers have been very hard on this movie. I can't understand why.
As I stated earlier, Paige gives a bravura performance but it could have been so much more and I think that the script is at fault here. Aside from the character of Paul, the other characters are poorly defined and those of us that know that Najimy is really out friend will have a hard time seeing her as an opponent.

perfect transaction.......2007-01-11

I got the item sooner than expected and it was in perfect condition.

best educational comedy for select straights'.......2006-12-18

this is a definite 'think about it' comedy from a gay person's point of view. it puts the typical uneducated select straight in his or her place on views of gays and children. sadly it shows how the majority of society (select straights') control by personal assumptions and/ or opinions. lives CAN BE permanatly changed. look at religion and politics in the u.s. concerning gays.

"People might get the wrong idea".......2006-10-10

Paul (Peter Paige) is one of the innocent, self consciously nerdy people, who just don't want to listen. An artist and somewhat of a recluse, Paul is gay and well meaning, but he has a rather unhealthy attachment to the schoolyard and aggressive interest in other people's children. When his godson's family moves to Japan, Paul goes ballistic, bursting in on the distressed new owners of his godson's home and loitering in the local playground.

Paul isn't a pedophile, he just loves kids, but he doesn't really comprehend the ramifications of his actions. His best friend, Russell (Anthony Clark) - who at one stage tells Paul that he loves him - advises caution, because people will talk and he could get into deep trouble. After all, helping a little girl go potty in a toy store and brushing down children's bottoms whilst playing in the sandpit does come across as a bit creepy.

It doesn't take long for us to realize that Paul is playing with fire, the problem is while we are supposed to sympathize with him, in reality, he comes off as remarkably self-centered and juvenile and also frustrating. Following a brief period of denial, Paul soon trades gloominess and despair for fixation, and decides to work as a stock boy in a toy store and then offer his baby-sitting services as a "manny" who knows what children really want.

Leave it up to concerned local mother Maggie (Kathy Najimy) to lead the moral majority and decide - for no good reason - that Paul fits the classic profile of a child predator. Together with some of the other mothers she begins a type neighborhood watch in the form of a witch-hunt to "bring Paul in" before he actually commits any crime.

Because Paul is gay and kindly and sort of innocent, we are supposed to see him as the victim, and to a certain extent he is. Still, if you were a parent wouldn't you be concerned if an unknown single man approached kids in the park and started playing in the sandbox with them? If so, you may not find Paul, and his deranged Peter Pan complex, and his anger at the big, bad world of grown-up people quite as charming as Paige does.

Besides the obvious reticence to actually empathize with Paul, Say Uncle does do a good job of presenting a hot-button issue where mothers of young kids can often rush to judgment, becoming hysterical over this issue for no good reason.

Peter Paige wrote, directed and cast himself in the lead and while the film presents the results of two people's misconceptions about each other quite well, the results are still often wobbly, somewhat misconstrued and wildly out of balance. The moral subtleness of Paul and Maggie's dilemma just doesn't come across as well as it could and rather than trying to deal with gay persecution and social mistrust, Say Uncle mostly comes off as a wishy-washy study of one man's wildly inappropriate behavior. Mike Leonard October 06.

an Inept display of "acceptable behavior"........2006-10-02

Don't waste your money on this one. I wouldn't even recommend renting it. For starters, the soundtract alone is pure torture and borderlines on psychotic. It had to be composed by someone on a bad meth-anphetamine trip. The movie depicts a starring character who looks like an escaped mental patient, has a rather provocative photo of a naked child in his office, paints a nude portrait of himself for a child, and hangs around playgrounds to be close to children. All in all, there are a lot of things being passed off in this film as "acceptable behavior" with a little explaining, that I personally think is a bit bizarre and way to the extremes. The whole thing makes little sense, seems to promote actions that any normal adult should know better and fails to promote a psychological evaluation for someone who obviously doesn't.
Way too easily explained behavior for parents in the real world to accept. If you are a hardcore pedaphile, you will love this film and be excited about it's content. The rest of us? Not so fast. Acting is pretty good, photography is good, plot sucks!

Best Picture Collection (American Beauty / Braveheart / Forrest Gump / Gladiator / The Godfather / Titanic / Terms of Endearment)

Average customer rating:

Outstanding
Buy it Used, if possible.
Collection of modern best picture winners that actually made money

Best Picture Collection (American Beauty / Braveheart / Forrest Gump / Gladiator / The Godfather / Titanic / Terms of Endearment)
Starring: Best Picture Collection
Manufacturer: Paramount
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Action & Adventure | Genres | DVD | Video

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( B ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video

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Best Picture Oscar Collection (18-Pack)
Studio Classics - Best Picture Collection (Sunrise / How Green Was My Valley / Gentleman's Agreement / All About Eve)
The Godfather, Part II (Two-Disc Widescreen Edition)
The Godfather, Part III (Widescreen Edition)
The Green Mile

ASIN: B000L43PLQ
Release Date: 2007-02-06

Amazon.com

Braveheart
Mel Gibson's Oscar-winning 1995 Braveheart is an impassioned epic about William Wallace, the 13th-century Scottish leader of a popular revolt against England's tyrannical Edward I (Patrick McGoohan). Gibson cannily plays Wallace as a man trying to stay out of history's way until events force his hand, an attribute that instantly resonates with several of the actor's best-known roles, especially Mad Max. The subsequent camaraderie and courage Wallace shares in the field with fellow warriors is pure enough and inspiring enough to bring envy to a viewer, and even as things go wrong for Wallace in the second half, the film does not easily cave in to a somber tone. One of the most impressive elements is the originality with which Gibson films battle scenes, featuring hundreds of extras wielding medieval weapons. After Eisenstein's Alexander Nevsky, Orson Welles's Chimes at Midnight, and even Kenneth Branagh's Henry V, you might think there is little new that could be done ! in creating scenes of ancient combat; yet Gibson does it. --Tom Keogh

American Beauty
From its first gliding aerial shot of a generic suburban street, American Beauty moves with a mesmerizing confidence and acuity epitomized by Kevin Spacey's calm narration. Spacey is Lester Burnham, a harried Everyman whose midlife awakening is the spine of the story, and his very first lines hook us with their teasing fatalism--like Sunset Boulevard's Joe Gillis, Burnham tells us his story from beyond the grave. It's an audacious start for a film that justifies that audacity. Weaving social satire, domestic tragedy, and whodunit into a single package, Alan Ball's first theatrical script dares to blur generic lines and keep us off balance, winking seamlessly from dark, scabrous comedy to deeply moving drama. The Burnham family joins the cinematic short list of great dysfunctional American families, as Lester is pitted against his manic, materialistic realtor wife, Carolyn (Annette Bening, making the most of a mostly unsympathetic role) and his sullen, contemptuous tee! naged daughter, Jane (Thora Birch, utterly convincing in her edgy balance of self-absorption and wistful longing). Into their lives come two catalytic outsiders. A young cheerleader (Mena Suvari) jolts Lester into a sexual epiphany that blooms into a second adolescence. And an eerily calm young neighbor (Wes Bentley) transforms both Lester and Jane with his canny influence. Credit another big-screen newcomer, English theatrical director Sam Mendes, with expertly juggling these potentially disjunctive elements into a superb ensemble piece that achieves a stylized pace without lapsing into transparent self-indulgence. Mendes has shrewdly insured his success with a solid crew of stage veterans, yet he's also made an inspired discovery in Bentley, whose Ricky Fitts becomes a fulcrum for both plot and theme. Cinematographer Conrad Hall's sumptuous visual design further elevates the film, infusing the beige interiors of the Burnhams' lives with vivid bursts of deep crimson, the c! olor of roses--and of blood. --Sam Sutherland

Gladiator
A big-budget summer epic with money to burn and a scale worthy of its golden Hollywood predecessors, Ridley Scott's Gladiator is a rousing, grisly, action-packed epic that takes moviemaking back to the Roman Empire via computer-generated visual effects. While not as fluid as the computer work done for, say, Titanic, it's an impressive achievement that will leave you marveling at the glory that was Rome, when you're not marveling at the glory that is Russell Crowe. Starring as the heroic general Maximus, Crowe firmly cements his star status both in terms of screen presence and acting chops, carrying the film on his decidedly non-computer-generated shoulders as he goes from brave general to wounded fugitive to stoic slave to gladiator hero. Gladiator's plot is a whirlwind of faux-Shakespearean machinations of death, betrayal, power plays, and secret identities (with lots of faux-Shakespearean dialogue ladled on to keep the proceedings appropriately "classical"), ! but it's all briskly shot, edited, and paced with a contemporary sensibility. Even the action scenes, somewhat muted but graphic in terms of implied violence and liberal bloodletting, are shot with a veracity that brings to mind--believe it or not--Saving Private Ryan, even if everyone is wearing a toga. As Crowe's nemesis, the evil emperor Commodus, Joaquin Phoenix chews scenery with authority, whether he's damning Maximus's popularity with the Roman mobs or lusting after his sister Lucilla (beautiful but distant Connie Nielsen); Oliver Reed, in his last role, hits the perfect notes of camp and gravitas as the slave owner who rescues Maximus from death and turns him into a coliseum star. Director Scott's visual flair is abundantly in evidence, with breathtaking shots and beautiful (albeit digital) landscapes, but it's Crowe's star power that will keep you in thrall--he's a true gladiator, worthy of his legendary status. Hail the conquering hero! --Mark Englehart

Terms of Endearment
Larry McMurtry's novel becomes a somewhat lumpy film as directed by James L. Brooks (As Good As It Gets). Nevertheless, it is entirely winning, with Shirley MacLaine and Debra Winger playing a combative mother and daughter who see each other through various ups and downs in love and loss, and most especially through a terminal illness endured by Winger's character. Jack Nicholson deservedly won an Oscar for his supporting role as a free-spirited astronaut who backs away from a romance with MacLaine and then returns in the clutch. As he always does, Brooks keeps things from getting too soapy with his intense concentration on the soulful evolution of his characters. --Tom Keogh

The Godfather
Generally acknowledged as a bona fide classic, this Francis Ford Coppola film is one of those rare experiences that feels perfectly right from beginning to end--almost as if everyone involved had been born to participate in it. Based on Mario Puzo's bestselling novel about a Mafia dynasty, Coppola's Godfather extracted and enhanced the most universal themes of immigrant experience in America: the plotting-out of hopes and dreams for one's successors, the raising of children to carry on the good work, etc. In the midst of generational strife during the Vietnam years, the film somehow struck a chord with a nation fascinated by the metamorphosis of a rebellious son (Al Pacino) into the keeper of his father's dream. Marlon Brando played against Puzo's own conception of patriarch Vito Corleone, and time has certainly proven the actor correct. The rest of the cast, particularly James Caan, John Cazale, and Robert Duvall as the rest of Vito's male brood--all coping with how ! to take the mantle of responsibility from their father--is seamless and wonderful. --Tom Keogh

Titanic
When the theatrical release of James Cameron's Titanic was delayed from July to December of 1997, media pundits speculated that Cameron's $200-million disaster epic would cause the director's downfall, signal the end of the blockbuster era, and sink Paramount Pictures as quickly as the ill-fated luxury liner had sunk on that fateful night of April 14, 1912. Titanic would surpass the $1-billion mark in global box-office receipts, win 11 Academy Awards including Best Picture and Director, launch the best-selling movie soundtrack of all time, and make a global superstar of Leonardo DiCaprio. A bona fide pop-cultural phenomenon, the film has all the ingredients of a blockbuster (romance, passion, luxury, grand scale, a snidely villain, and an epic, life-threatening crisis), but Cameron's alchemy of these ingredients proved more popular than anyone could have predicted. His stroke of genius was to combine absolute authenticity with a pair of fictional lovers whose tragic f! ate would draw viewers into the heart-wrenching reality of the Titanic disaster. As starving artist Jack Dawson and soon-to-be-married socialite Rose DeWitt Bukater, DiCaprio and Kate Winslet won the hearts of viewers around the world, and their brief, but never forgotten, love affair provides the humanity that Cameron needed to turn Titanic into a moving emotional experience. Although some of the computer-generated visual effects look artificial, others--such as the climactic splitting of the ship's sinking hull--are state-of-the-art marvels of cinematic ingenuity. It's an event film and a monument to Cameron's risk-taking audacity, blending the tragic irony of the Titanic disaster with just enough narrative invention to give the historical event its fullest and most timeless dramatic impact. --Jeff Shannon

Forrest Gump
The Academy Award winner for Best Picture, Best Director Robert Zemeckis, and Best Actor Tom Hanks, this unlikely story of a slow-witted but good-hearted man somehow at the center of the pivotal events of the 20th century is a funny and heartwarming epic. Hanks plays the title character, a shy Southern boy in love with his childhood best friend (Robin Wright) who finds that his ability to run fast takes him places. As an All-Star football player he meets John F. Kennedy; as a soldier in Vietnam he's a war hero; and as a world champion Ping-Pong player he's hailed by Richard Nixon. Becoming a successful shrimp-boat captain, he still yearns for the love of his life, who takes a quite different and much sadder path in life. The visual effects incorporating Hanks into existing newsreel footage is both funny and impressive, but the heart of the film lies in its sweet love story and in the triumphant performance of Hanks as an unassuming soul who savors the most from his life and times. --Robert Lane

Description

This giftset includes 7 movies that have all won an oscar for Best Picture. The boxset includes American Beauty, Braveheart, Forrest Gump, Gladiator, The Godfather, Titanic, and Terms of Endearment.

Customer Reviews:

Outstanding.......2007-06-16

This package of Best Pictures is definitely a great buy. You can not beat the price for this package of first rate movies that any two would easily cost. Not to be missed.

Buy it Used, if possible........2007-03-07

A great buy for 20 bucks used! Bare boned releases with few extras except Forrest Gump, which is the 2 disc version. All of the films are 16 X 9 enhanced for widescreen EXCEPT Titanic! Very annoying!!

Collection of modern best picture winners that actually made money.......2007-02-01

It's rare these days for the Oscar winner for Best Picture to be something that actually drew a sizable audience. This is a pretty good collection of seven more modern movies that did just that.

"The Godfather", the oldest of the bunch (1972), holds up the best over time. In cinematography, casting, acting, and plot it is simply perfect. "Terms of Endearment" (1983) is a different kind of mother/daughter story than you usually see on screen - the kind where the mother holds the daughter in only "medium esteem". "Forrest Gump" (1994) just defies categorization. Forrest is a zen-like character with limited intelligence who manages to stumble into every major world event of his lifetime and come out on top. Even though it was adapted from a popular novel, on film it could have as easily bombed as it could have been the blockbuster it became. "Braveheart" (1995) is a great film about man's desire for freedom trumping everything else, even his desire to live.

1997's "Titanic" made the most money and won many Academy awards that year, but personally, I feel as time passes, it will probably be considered one of the cheesier films to win the Academy's highest honor. Director James Cameron's message of rich equals shallow and bored, poor equals fulfilled and happy just seems more and more simplistic and, quite frankly, sappy as I grow more accustomed to the film's tremendous special effects. 1999's "American Beauty", about the last year of life of a man in a dysfunctional family seemed OK when I first saw it, but you really have to have seen Alan Ball's series "Six Feet Under" to really get it. Ball writes the best dysfunctional characters since David Lynch. I thought "Gladiator" (2000) was indeed a great picture, and although Russell Crowe's Maximus comes to life to the point where some people actually believe he is a historical figure from the Roman Empire, I still think Tom Hanks was unfairly passed over for Best Actor in his tremendous performance in "Castaway".

These films don't really have any one theme in common, other than being a collection of seven of the better modern films to win the Academy's highest honors that also achieved blockbuster status. It really is a good value and I highly recommend it. All films included are the widescreen editions, but there are no extras worth mentioning except for the two-disc edition of Forrest Gump.

Average customer rating:

A campy look at Green Bay fans
Very refreshing
oops
Godfather of Green Bay

The Godfather of Green Bay
Starring: Tony Goldwyn , Lauren Holly , Duane Sharp , Mike Toomey , and Mark Borchardt
Director: Pete Schwaba
Manufacturer: Image Entertainment
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Comedy | Genres | DVD | Video

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

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

The Pleasure Drivers
Diggers
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ASIN: B000KGH03O
Release Date: 2007-02-20

Description

In the vein of Sideways and Waiting for Guffman, The Godfather of Green Bay is a hilarious fish-out-of water story! Struggling stand-up comedian Joe Keegan faces the audition of a lifetime - a chance to perform on The Tonight Show! But first he must leave the big city and travel to rural Pine Lake, Wisconsin to win over the talent scout and his toughest audience yet. In the quirky style of Waiting for Guffman with a kickin' soundtrack by The BoDeans, this heart-warming crowd-pleaser featuring Lauren Holly (Dumb and Dumber), Tom Lennon (Reno 911!) and Tony Goldwyn(The Last Samurai) gets big laughs in its portrayal of small-town life and a dream that refuses to die. An all-star cast including: Lauren Holly (Dumb and Dumber) Tony Goldwyn (The Last Samurai) Tom Lennon (Reno 911) Mark Borchardt (American Movie) Pete Schwaba (TV's Comedy Central) Lance Barber (The Comeback)

Customer Reviews:

A campy look at Green Bay fans.......2007-05-14

The Godfather of Green Bay
This a must see for any fan of Green Bay who can laugh at themselves. It is even beter for any football fan longing to laugh at Green Bay fans.

Very refreshing.......2007-03-30

That's really the best way I can describe it.

I've seen it twice, and I think it is very entertaining. I personally don't find it gut-busting funny, but I didn't really stop laughing much either. It took me up a little bit, and set the cruise control. In that respect, it didn't really slow down at all.

Because of that, I feel it was very well written, filmed, and directed.