Henry & June

Starring:Fred Ward, Uma Thurman, Maria de Medeiros, Richard E. Grant, Kevin Spacey, Jean-Philippe Ã‰coffey, Bruce Myers, Juan Luis BuÃ±uel, FÃ©odor Atkine, Sylvie Huguel, Artus de Penguern, Pierre Ã‰taix, Pierre Edernac, GaÃ«tan Bloom, Alexandre De Gall, Karine Couvelard, Louis BessiÃ¨res, Erika Maury-Lascoux, Claire Joubert, Brigitte Lahaie
Director: Philip Kaufman
Studio: Universal Studios
Product Type: DVD

Studio description

Find the answers you've been looking for in the explosive third season of the show USA Today calls "the most gorgeous, audacious, expansive series on network TV." As the power of the island to both heal and destroy comes into sharp focus, the lines between good and evil are blurred and loyalties are challenged when the survivors of the crash become tangled within the lives of the Others. Plan your escape, and immerse yourself in all 23 episodes of Season Three. Go deeper than ever before in this seven-disc DVD box set, complete with hours of never-before-seen bonus features, including secrets from the world of the Others, behind-the-scenes featurettes, unprecedented access to the Lost writers room, and so much more.

Beyond Lost

Lost: The Complete First Season
Lost: The Complete Second Season
The Lost Chronicles : The Official Companion Book by Mark Cotta Vaz

Lost: Music From the ABC Television Series by Michael Giacchino
Lost: Season Two Soundtrack by Michael Giacchino
Bad Twin by Gary Troup

Stills from Lost (click for larger image)

Customer Reviews:

Lost you have to watch it closely or you'll miss out........2007-07-01

This is probably the best and deepest show to ever have been on tv. You have to study this show, read other books that show up in the form of easter eggs and watch each episode at least 3 times to really get it. This show asks philosophical questions and uses elements from the bible, Alice in Wonderland, the Wizard of Oz and a thousand other influences to give us that rare show that will fuel imaginations for generations to come.

That all being said we are only a little over half way through. With 3 more seasons (16 episodes each) to go, this season gave us many of the answers about the characters. It told us how Locke lost his ability to walk, who the real Sawyer was and how Benjamin Linus got to the island to name a few. We also had a glimpse of the mysterious Jacob but most intriguing of all is the idea that the bad guys are in fact the good guys, at least in comparison to this other enemy that has been looking for the island from the beginning.

It's quite a show. I don't feel it dipped in quality at all, but things were certainly set up for some big pays off at the end of this season. There is no question that if you are a fan of this show you have to pick this DVD set up. You have to study each episode so that you get the big picture.

So now that the writers have a definite timeline there is little question that each proceeding episode will be a step towards some answers from here on out. But remember Lost is like a long novel like the Stand. If you stopped reading the Stand when you thought it was getting boring then you cheated yourself out of a great book and would not have later realized that it was all important. It's the same with Lost.

Interesting trivia for die-hard fans.......2007-06-30

There are plenty of reviews here that describe the show, so I'll avoid needless repetition and try to offer something new. Obviously I love the show, so I won't go on about that either. Like many I am greatly anticipating the conclusion. Many lost fans do not seem to be aware that Lost is (and J.J. Abrams has stated this as well) actually mostly based on The Prisoner, the cult classic TV show from the 1960s starring Patrick McGoohan. Instead of being stranded on a mysterious island, in The Prisoner, the protagonist was trapped in a mysterious prison disguised as a luxury resort called "The Village." As The Prisoner approached its final episode people were eagerly anticipating the "explanation" of everything, just as is now happening with Lost. The interesting thing is, when the final episode of The Prisoner aired in England, it proved SO controversial that the show's star, Patrick McGoohan, took his family and fled the country as he was sick and tired of people confronting him in the streets! I wonder if Lost will follow suit and have an equally metaphorical, non-literal, and philosophical ending. This certainly does seem to be the direction the show is heading. Frankly fans have already thought of every possible explanation to the mysteries on the island. Perhaps we shouldn't expect one at all, but another "statement" or "message." Any thoughts?

Ehhh..........2007-06-29

If you're LOST obsessed, then you probably liked the 3rd season. If you're just a normal television watcher who enjoyed the first season but thought the second season was too over the top and strayed away from what you loved about the show...well, the third season didn't help anything.

Also, the third season sees LOST desperately relying on suspenseful endings that I guess are suspenseful because there is loud music and the camera pans really quickly. However, not even the directorial cues can hide the fact that the show's story is anemic at this point.

There is a reason why this show took a seriously ratings hit this year, cause its just too rediculous to be believed.

Perhaps my least favorite season..........2007-06-26

I'm a huge LOST fan, but I found season three to be a bit of a drag. The first two seasons smoked, but I felt the flashbacks seemed a bit heavy-handed this season. I particularly disliked the Mr. Eko arc, and the season finale.

I will continue to watch the series, but the flashbacks, are beginning to wear on me. For a 40 minute show, there justn't seem to be enough 'island time' for me to sink my teeth into.

I NEED ANSWERS ?????.......2007-06-23

I have to to many QQ about lost and i know no body have it.Any way any one know if there is forth Season ????

Average customer rating:

Great series
Sopranos Season 6
Fun to watch!
sopranos
Part One Review

The Sopranos - Season 6, Part 1
Starring: James Gandolfini
Director: Daniel Attias , Jack Bender , Peter Bogdanovich , Henry Bronchtein , and Martin Bruestle
Manufacturer: HBO Home Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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Similar Items:

The Sopranos - The Complete Fifth Season
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ASIN: B000BO7DWI
Release Date: 2006-11-07

Amazon.com

The Sopranos, Season 6, Part 1 is the most contentious release yet in the acclaimed series' history. While many fans think it jumped the shark at the exact moment Vito said "I love you, Johnny Cakes" , this season also contains some of the series finest moments and plumbs new depths of character, while continuing to add to the body count. Things get started with a bang, literally, that unexpectedly sends Tony (James Gandolfini) to the hospital and into a coma where he experiences an alternate reality while in limbo. At one point he awakes and asks "Who am I? Where am I going?" encapsulating this season's central theme in a moment of desperation wrapped in a fever dream. But it's not all existentialism. With Tony and Uncle Junior both of the picture, the capos in the Soprano crew try to take advantage of the situation and begin jockeying for position while a reluctant Silvio (Steve Van Zandt), acting in Tony's place, struggles to keep everyone in check. Things aren't going much better for Tony's family, as A.J. (Robert Iler) confesses to Carmela (Edie Falco) that he flunked out of school, and while at Tony's bedside, swears revenge for his injury. The stress of the situation finally gets to Carmela, who takes up Dr. Melfi's (Lorraine Bracco) offer to help and finds herself in the strange position of confiding in her husband's therapist, revealing for once that she feels some guilt over making the kids complicit in how Tony makes his living—plus there's the issue of whether she really loves him. Christopher (Michael Imperioli) continues to provide much of the comic relief for the series, culminating in one of this season's best episodes when he flies out to L.A. in a bumbling attempt to get Ben Kingsley to sign on for his fledgling movie (Saw meets The Godfather), and ends up mugging Lauren Bacall for her goodie basket at an awards ceremony. Sowing further discord in the ranks, Vito (Joseph Gannoscoli) finally gets outed as homosexual, and is forced to flee for his life up to New Hampshire where he meets "Johnny Cakes." Finally, even with New York boss Johnny "Sack" Sacramoni (Vince Curatola) in prison, Phil Leotardo (Frank Vincent) makes plays against Tony and eventually sets in motion a hit against someone on Tony's crew, and now a larger war with Johnny Sack's crew seems to be looming.

Series creator David Chase seems to be saying with this season that character is destiny. If so, then Season Six, Part 1 is taking the necessary time to flesh out who these people really are, and is leaving the destiny part up for Part 2. The fact that the series' writers have been able to maintain such a strong show with so many interweaving storylines for so long is a feat not to be taken lightly. That said, this season of The Sopranos does deserve some of the criticism it's received: the Vito storyline would have been better served by resolving it in fewer episodes, and the season ending is the most unsatisfying one yet, leaving many fans wanting more. But the bottom line is that this season deserves more praise than criticism, proving that even at its weakest, The Sopranos is still the strongest show on TV.--Daniel Vancini

Description

Several crises threaten Tony and his crew; for starters, rival boss Johnny Sack (Vince Curatola) is in prison, and the always-tense relations between the New Jersey and New York families are strained through the unpredictable behavior of Sack?s surrogates. Then there are the inevitable power struggles that ensue when certain family members are eliminated, by natural and other causes.

DVD Features:
3D Animated Menus
Audio Commentary
Episodic Previews
Episodic Recaps
Featurette

Customer Reviews:

Great series.......2007-06-18

Too pricey. Half the season should be half the price of the other seasons. Capiche?

Sopranos Season 6.......2007-06-14

The DVDs were sent promptly and arrived in excellent condition.

Fun to watch!.......2007-06-12

My husband and I just finished watching this first part of the final Sopranos season. It was fun! Can't wait until the second part comes out on DVD!

sopranos.......2007-06-11

i payed for the season 6 but thay never sent it to me it has been 3 months

Part One Review.......2007-05-30

If you are a fan of the Sopranos, how could you not love the first part of Season Six. Once again an action packed thriller. Couldn't believe that Jr. shot Tony. But then again, there are a lot of characters that would love to see the Mob Boss dead. Can't wait for Part 2 to come out.

V for Vendetta (Two-Disc Special Edition)

Average customer rating:

Remember, remember the 5th of November
V
V Is For Very Good.
Totalitarian Dystopia,Huh?
A great thought provocative tale

V for Vendetta (Two-Disc Special Edition)
Starring: Natalie Portman , Hugo Weaving , Stephen Rea , Stephen Fry , and John Hurt
Director: James McTeigue
Manufacturer: Warner Home Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Action & Adventure | Genres | DVD | Video

DVDs as Low as $9.49 | The Big DVD Sale | Stores | DVD | Video

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ASIN: B000FS9FCQ
Release Date: 2006-08-01

Amazon.com

"Remember, remember the fifth of November," for on this day, in 2020, the minds of the masses shall be set free. So says code-name V (Hugo Weaving), a man on a mission to shake society out of its blank complacent stares in the film V for Vendetta. His tactics, however, are a bit revolutionary, to say the least. The world in which V lives is very similar to Orwell's totalitarian dystopia in 1984: after years of various wars, England is now under "big brother" Chancellor Adam Sutler (played by John Hurt, who played Winston Smith in the movie 1984), whose party uses force and fear to run the nation. After they gained power, minorities and political dissenters were rounded up and removed; artistic and unacceptable religious works were confiscated. Cameras and microphones are littered throughout the land, and the people are perpetually sedated through the governmentally controlled media. Taking inspiration from Guy Fawkes, the 17th century co-conspirator of a failed attempt to blow up Parliament on November 5, 1605, V dons a Fawkes mask and costume and sets off to wake the masses by destroying the symbols of their oppressors, literally and figuratively. At the beginning of his vendetta, V rescues Evey (Natalie Portman) from a group of police officers and has her live with him in his underworld lair. It is through their relationship where we learn how V became V, the extremities of the party's corruption, the problems of an oppressive government, V's revenge plot, and his philosophy on how to induce change.

Based on the popular graphic novel by Alan Moore, V for Vendetta's screenplay was written by the Wachowski Brothers (of The Matrix fame) and directed by their protégé, James McTeigue. Controversy and criticism followed the film since its inception, from the hyper-stylized use of anarchistic terrorism to overthrow a corrupt government and the blatant jabs at the current U.S. political arena, to graphic novel fans complaining about the reconstruction of Alan Moore's original vision (Moore himself has dismissed the film). Many are valid critiques and opinions, but there's no hiding the message the film is trying to express: Radical and drastic events often need to occur in order to shake people out of their state of indifference in order to bring about real change. Unfortunately, the movie only offers a means with no ends, and those looking for answers may find the film stylish, but a bit empty. --Rob Bracco

On the DVDs
On disc 1 is a 16-minute documentary "Freedom! Forever!: Making V for Vendetta" with discussions on the movie's origin and themes by the principal cast and crew (no Alan Moore or Wachowskis, to no one's surprise, but the graphic novel's illustrator David Lloyd is on hand to call the movie "a very good version"). On disc 2 is a 17-minute production featurette, a 10-minute history of Guy Fawkes, and the 15-minute "England Prevails: V for Vendetta and the New Wave in Comics." Lloyd and others from the comics industry such as Paul Levitz and Bill Sienkiwicz talk about the graphic novel and how it appealed to a different, older audience. The second menu of the second disc also has an easy-to-find Easter egg of a rapping and swearing Natalie Portman on Saturday Night Live. --David Horiuchi

Beyond the Film

The graphic novel by Alan Moore and David Lloyd
More by Alan Moore
From Graphic Novel to Big Screen

More by Natalie Portman
More by Hugo Weaving
More by the Wachowski Brothers

Customer Reviews:

Remember, remember the 5th of November.......2007-07-05

In my opinion a truly great movie, if you are familiar with 1984 and like this genre ! V for Vendetta lives the modern Distopia and adds a lot of style. You can really feel the Screenplay by the Wachowski Brothers.
The Two Disc Special Edition is okay, but I have seen better ones, for example with a more packed Bonus Disc, a Booklet or a Digipak or at least an Slipon-Case. But anyhow, for a price around ten Dollars it is really worth a buy :)

V.......2007-07-02

loved this DVD. Very haunting. Hard to get out of my head.

Leaves other similar classics such as Phantom of the Opera, in the dust.

V Is For Very Good........2007-06-29

I enjoyed this movie a lot more than I thought I would have. It Really is worth viewing in my humble opinion and is nowhere near as bad as some professional critics claim it to be. I thought V was a very good character and Hugo Weaving did a great job of portraying him on screen. It's taken me awhile to get around to this movie but now I've watched it it's on my "to watch again" list for sure. Great stuff!

Totalitarian Dystopia,Huh?.......2007-06-29

Wow! It's all here...a vigilante(and failed government experiment gone rebel)waging war on a "totalitarian" society wreaking of the "fascism of Christianity", religious/cultural bias, and outright intolerance in the name of God. V's objective? Freedom by any means necessary...a donning of the mask to unmask the monstrous hypocrisies of a world under the iron curtain of a particular faith. A message shouted a million times before and a keeper for atheists and agnostics...by the way, I'm a born again Christian who's secure enough in his faith not to be offended by the portrayal of faith in this film...so if my applause is rubbing any religious heads the wrong way...grow up.

A great thought provocative tale.......2007-06-26

I loved V, I would classify it as a thriller and a "what if". The stage is set in London, England but this tale could really be set in any society that once had a democratic government. It shows the horror of what could happen if a society freely gives up freedoms for protection. I also really enjoyed the message of freedom and the power of ideas that were throughout this tale. A must own!

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (Two-Disc Special Edition) (Harry Potter 3)

Average customer rating:

Different Director; Great Adaptation
Good Movie, but not as good as the first two
Disappointment.
Massive Disappointment
I LOVE Harry Potter!

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (Two-Disc Special Edition) (Harry Potter 3)
Starring: Daniel Radcliffe , Richard Griffiths , Pam Ferris , Fiona Shaw , and Harry Melling
Director: Alfonso Cuarón
Manufacturer: Warner Home Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (Book 7)

ASIN: B00005JMAH
Release Date: 2004-11-23

Amazon.com

Some movie-loving wizards must have cast a magic spell on Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, because it's another grand slam for the Harry Potter franchise. Demonstrating remarkable versatility after the arthouse success of Y Tu Mamá También, director Alfonso Cuarón proves a perfect choice to guide Harry, Hermione, and Ron into treacherous puberty as the now 13-year-old students at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry face a new and daunting challenge: Sirius Black (Gary Oldman) has escaped from Azkaban prison, and for reasons yet unknown (unless, of course, you've read J.K. Rowling's book, considered by many to be the best in the series), he's after Harry in a bid for revenge. This dark and dangerous mystery drives the action while Harry (the fast-growing Daniel Radcliffe) and his third-year Hogwarts classmates discover the flying hippogriff Buckbeak (a marvelous CGI creature), the benevolent but enigmatic Professor Lupin (David Thewlis), horrifying black-robed Dementors, sneaky Peter Pettigrew (Timothy Spall), and the wonderful advantage of having a Time-Turner just when you need one. The familiar Hogwarts staff returns in fine form (including the delightful Michael Gambon, replacing the late Richard Harris as Dumbledore, and Emma Thompson as the goggle-eyed Sybil Trelawney), and even Julie Christie joins this prestigious production for a brief but welcome cameo. Technically dazzling, fast-paced, and chock-full of Rowling's boundless imagination (loyally adapted by ace screenwriter Steve Kloves), The Prisoner of Azkaban is a Potter-movie classic. --Jeff Shannon

Description

In Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, Harry, Ron and Hermione, now teenagers, return for their third year at Hogwarts, where they are forced to face escaped prisoner, Sirius Black, who poses a great threat to Harry. Harry and his friends spend their third year learning how to handle a half-horse half-eagle Hippogriff, repel shape-shifting Boggarts and master the art of Divination. They also visit the wizarding village of Hogsmeade and the Shrieking Shack, which is considered the most haunted building in Britain. In addition to these new experiences, Harry must overcome the threats of the soul-sucking Dementors, outsmart a dangerous werewolf and finally deal with the truth about Sirius Black and his relationship to Harry and his parents. With his best friends, Harry masters advanced magic, crosses the barriers of time and changes the course of more than one life. Directed by Alfonso Cuaron and based on J.K. Rowling 's third book, this wondrous spellbinder soars with laughs, and the kind of breathless surprise only found in a Harry Potter adventure.

DVD Features:
3D Animated Menus
Challenges:Three great interactive challenges! Test your memory with "Magic You May Have Missed", help Crookshanks "Catch Scabbers", and go on an unexpected quest with Sir Cadogan.
DVD ROM Features:Wizard Trading Cards.Hogwarts Timeline.
Deleted Scenes:A selection of mystifying exclusive never-before-seen footage
Featurette:Conjuring a Scene - an in-depth look at the making of key scenes from the filmMeet the animal trainers from the movie in Care of Magical Creatures.
Interviews:Raucous interviews with the cast lead by Johnny Vaughan and the Shrunken HeadCreating the Vision - a revealing interview with J.K. Rowling and the filmmakers.
Other:Self-guided iPIX tours into Honeydukes and Professor Lupin's Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom. Choir Practice - sing-along with the Hogwarts choir.Hogwarts Portrait Gallery - get a closer look at the various portraits lining the walls of Hogwarts castle. Electronic Arts game preview.
Theatrical Trailer:Harry Potter 1, Harry Potter 2, Harry Potter 3

Customer Reviews:

Different Director; Great Adaptation.......2007-07-02

The third movie in the Harry Potter franchise brings us a new director in the form of Alfonso Cuaron. While there are some obvious stylistic changes to the movie, it still expertly captures the third book in the series.

This year finds Harry Potter (Daniel Radcliffe) facing a personal threat from day one. Sirius Black (Gary Oldman) has escaped from the wizard prison of Azkaban. His betrayal led to the deaths of Harry's parents years ago. Everyone assumes that Black is heading to Hogwarts to kill Harry and avenge You Know Who's death. Is he out to get Harry? Will he catch up with our young hero?

Naturally, as the books get longer in the series, the films have to cut more out. This one does a decent job by cutting out most of the Quidditch matches and streamlining the plot. The plot loses some of the twists and bumps, but it certainly works. I first saw it without having read the books and really enjoyed it. Only now that I've read the books do I know the details I was missing. While they help, they aren't necessary to enjoy the film.

Having watched the first three films in such close proximity, I really noticed the difference in the films this time. If you are paying attention, it's obvious they've changed the setting for Hogwarts. Even the insides of the castle look different with the Great Hall being less ornate but the halls have many more portraits. These are minor things and didn't hamper my enjoyment of the film at all.

The cast does their normal great job. All three of our leads are growing into fine young actors. Michael Gambon takes over the part of Headmaster Dumbledore, and he does a great job. There is a little difference, but not much. The special effects are once again amazing.

Book purists may be disappointed by the changes made to the story. But I think you'd hard pressed to find a better film version of this book no matter who was involved.

Good Movie, but not as good as the first two.......2007-06-15

This movie was OK. It was good but The Sorcerer's Stone and The Chamber of Secrets were better. Although, something funny was that there was this scary book that went wild! I watched this in class. This was just OK overall.

Note: Rated PG. Parental Guidance Suggested--Some material may not be suitable for children.

Rated PG for scary images, mild violence and brief language. May not be appropriate for children under the age of 8 years.

Disappointment........2007-06-12

After reading the 3rd book, I was highly anticipating the release of the movie. I'm sorry to say that I was extremely disappointed. Alot of people I know loved this movie, but none of them had read the book. The book was AMAZING! It made the movie look dim. There were alot of main points that occured in the story that were not brought out in this movie. The fact that authors have no say in the way the movie of the book they wrote turns out, is ridiculous.

Massive Disappointment.......2007-06-09

I've owned this movie for years, buying it shortly after it appeared on DVD. However, unlike the other Harry Potter movies, after only a few minutes of watching this DVD, I turned it off. Now, it is several years later, and I still have to struggle to get to the end. Basically, it's a bad and boring movie, a tremendous disappointment because this movie should have been wonderful - the story is fabulous.

Many of my complaints have been written before, so I will only echo them here. So much of the wonderful bits of the story are inexplicably missing or botched. Ron should stand up for Hermione when Snape calls her a Know-It-All; both Ron and Hermione should be inside the Three Broomsticks when Harry learns about Sirius Black; Ron and Hermione should be at odds with each other for much of the school year; Hermione's time-turner should be hinted at sooner - she should be tired from all her studying; the Firebolt should arrive at Christmas and not the end of the year; there should be a sense of passage of time. Scabbers and Crookshank should be given more air time. And where is Ron's moment of terror when he says he was attacked by Sirius Black? (Ron's character was particularly short-changed by this movie.) And so on, and so on.

Other items are introduced or dwelled on for no apparent reason. Why does Hogwarts have a choir? Why are we wasting precious movie moments having the Fat Lady sing? I get the joke, but we don't need it here. Why do we spend so much time with the chattering shrunken heads?

Moreover, there are numerous changes from the earlier movies. I, too, don't care for the lack of school uniforms, the dark dinginess of the castle, the inexplicable restructuring of the landscape, especially Hagrid's cabin. This movie lacks the charm of the earlier movies - and the charm of the movie that has since followed, Goblet of Fire. Much of the acting also strikes me as poor - but it may be that the actors had no choice, either because of the screenplay or the direction.

In writing, there is something known as showing versus telling. Writers are probably telling too much when they use too many adverbs, or when they write sentences such as: "Joe felt sad." The same can happen in a movie. Instead of the dialogue in which the characters touch each other emotionally and thus the readers/viewers as well, Cuaron "tells" us how we should feel by using, for example, either scary or haunting music. He would have done better to stick with dialogue. A number of other reviewers have enjoyed the movie version of Prisoner of Azkhaban, saying that Cuaron brings forth the darkness of the story. I don't agree. By making the whole movie dark, Cuaron detracts from dark's contrast with light. Compare this movie, for example, with Goblet of Fire. When Harry returns from the graveyard with Cedric's body, there is a moment where he is in utter despair - he's wailing his heart out - but the circus-like music keeps playing. I have trouble watching this scene of Goblet of Fire, but for a very different reason: it is so good that it hurts. With Prisoner of Azkhaban, the scenes are so boring as to be downright embarrassing.

I'm not quite sure how this travesty happened. I expect it is mostly due to Cuaron, who moved things around the Hogwarts grounds for no reason, and who was, perhaps, trying to give it his own artistic stamp - why, in a series? But there seem to be problems with the screenplay as well, so perhaps Steven Kloves deserves some of the blame. Evidently JK Rowling approved everything, too, which I can't understand, although I guess it would be impolitic of her to come out and say that she hates the movie (and of this I have no idea).

A great disappointment. Unfortunately, we have no time-turners ourselves, so we can't go back in time and do this movie right.

I LOVE Harry Potter!.......2007-04-18

Its my little secret. I dare not tell any of my friends. Shhh!
This movie is my favorite of the Happy potters. Snape seems nicer, and there is a twist! Ron's rat turns out to be something its not. And someone is a warewolf! Guess who!
This movie is the greatest, I'm going to buy all of them!

Average customer rating:

Mish mush
Dry
Farce
The trouble with films like "Crash..."
It is not about communications, it is about stupidity

Babel
Starring: Brad Pitt , Cate Blanchett , Mohamed Akhzam , Peter Wight , and Harriet Walter
Director: Alejandro González Iñárritu
Manufacturer: Paramount
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B000MCH5P4
Release Date: 2007-02-20

Amazon.com

Brilliantly conceived, superbly directed, and beautifully acted, Babel is inarguably one of the best films of 2006. Director Alejandro González Iñárritu and his co-writer, Guillermo Arriaga (the two also collaborated on Amores Perros and 21 Grams) weave together the disparate strands of their story into a finely hewn fabric by focusing on what appear to be several equally incongruent characters: an American (Brad Pitt) touring Morocco with his wife (Cate Blanchett) become the focus of an international incident also involving a hardscrabble Moroccan farmer (Mustapha Rachidi) struggling to keep his two young sons in line and his family together. A San Diego nanny (Adriana Barraza), her employers absent, makes the disastrous decision to take their kids with her to a wedding in Mexico. And a deaf-mute Japanese teen (the extraordinary Rinko Kikuchi) deals with a relationship with her father (Koji Yakusho) and the world in general that's been upended by the death of her mother. It is perhaps not surprising, or particularly original, that a gun is the device that ties these people together. Yet Babel isn't merely about violence and its tragic consequences. It's about communication, and especially the lack of it--both intercultural, raising issues like terrorism and immigration, and intracultural, as basic as husbands talking to their wives and parents understanding their children. Iñárritu's command of his medium, sound and visual alike, is extraordinary; the camera work is by turns kinetic and restrained, the music always well matched to the scenes, the editing deft but not confusing, and the film (which clocks in at a lengthy 143 minutes) is filled with indelible moments. Many of those moments are also pretty stark and grim, and no will claim that all of this leads to a "happy" ending, but there is a sense of reconciliation, perhaps even resolution. "If You Want to be Understood... Listen," goes the tagline. And if you want a movie that will leave you thinking, Babel is it. --Sam Graham

Beyond Babel

Other Interweaving Storylines on DVD
Other DVDs by Director Alejandro González Iñárritu
Why We Love Cate Blanchett

Stills from Babel (click for larger image)

Product Description

In Babel, a tragic incident involving an American couple in Morocco sparks a chain of events for four families in different countries throughout the world. In the struggle to overcome isolation, fear, and displacement, each character discovers that it is family that ultimately provides solace.

In the remote sands of the Moroccan desert, a rifle shot rings out-- detonating a chain of events that will link an American tourist couple's frantic struggle to survive, two Moroccan boys involved in an accidental crime, a nanny illegally crossing into Mexico with two American children, and a Japanese teen rebel whose father is sought by the police in Tokyo. Separated by clashing cultures and sprawling distances, each of these four disparate groups of people are nevertheless hurtling towards a shared destiny of isolation and grief. In the course of just a few days, they will each face the dizzying sensation of becoming profoundly lost - lost in the desert, lost to the world, lost to themselves - as they are pushed to the farthest edges of confusion and fear as well as to the very depths of connection and love.

In this mesmerizing, emotional film that was shot in three continents and four languages - and traverses both the deeply personal and the explosively political -- acclaimed director Alejandro González Iñárritu (21 Grams, Amores Perros) explores with shattering realism the nature of the barriers that seem to separate humankind. In doing so, he evokes the ancient concept of Babel and questions its modern day implications: the mistaken identities, misunderstandings and missed chances for communication that-- though often unseen-- drive our contemporary lives. Brad Pitt, Cate Blanchett, Gael García Bernal, Kôji Yakusho, Adriana Barraza and Rinko Kikuchi lead an international ensemble of actors and non-professional actors from Morocco, Tijuana and Tokyo, who enrich Babel's take on cultural diversity and enhance its powerful examination of the links and frontiers between and within us.

Customer Reviews:

Mish mush.......2007-06-29

There are several different stories here only slightly related dealing with several different families in separate countries. Nothing that went into a whole. Some of the individual stories were touching. I particularly liked the Moroccan boys story. However overall it left me wondering what is the point of the story.

The acting is above average. Not surprising as it has some good actors. The filming is good.

Dry.......2007-06-26

Brad Pitt must be hard up for some money. Angelina's new kids must be costing him a fortune because this is the worst role he has ever taken. I think he's a great actor, love almost all of his other movies, but this one??? I'm not sure where to begin because, frankly I'm not sure what the story was about. Some lady, his wife or girlfriend, gets shot on a bus in Morroco or some place like that. Then some Mexicans try smuggling Brad Pitt and his lady friends children into Mexico... Border guards thought it was fishy that a couple of Mexicans were cruising around with some white kids so they busted the Mexicans and left the children to rot in the desert. Let's see... what else happened that made some sort of sense... This Mexican or Arabian fellow bought an illegal rifle and let his sons use it. They decided to use it to shoot at a bus, subsequently shooting Brad Pitts lady friend. And here's the kicker: a Japanese chick who was deaf gets naked for absolutely no reason! They show her at the club eaten some drugs, and next thing you know she's in some swank Tokyo condo gettin naked. I think that scene is what the whole movie was about and definitely worth the one star I gave it.

Farce.......2007-06-20

Let me start by saying that I really like this movie a lot. I think the point is very clearly stated in the preview, but not in the movie itself, although it's clear from watching the movie. The communication barriers we all deal with, and our prejudices against one another affect our lives, and make life hard, and painful, where there does not have to be any pain, or misunderstanding.
Cate Blanchett is a phenomenal actress, and does an outstanding job here, as the wife of Brad Pitt who gets shot in Morocco while riding on a bus. She is shot by two young boys, playing with a gun, and terroristic sirens sound off throughout the world. There are some other events happening in the movie too, with their children, and the original owner of the gun who is in China. Somehow they are all intertwined which makes for a compelling story. Each having their own struggles and issues, and communication related barrier. The original owner of the rifle has a deaf-mute daughter he has trouble communicating with after her mother commits suicide. Very well done, except one major complaint.
There are some very sexually explicit scenes involving children that were pretty much unessecary in making this a great movie. I personally, think it's tragic for people to accept having scenes like this in movies, that make it somehow acceptable. It's not ground breaking, it's just violating. And, I always thinks it's a bit of a farce when this is included in a movie that otherwise would be phenomenal on it's own merit. It just seems like a weak way to include some "shock" factor, when it's not needed, and dumbs down the movie. I could care less to see that, and didn't understand it's place in the movie, except to push the envelope. That could have been done in more valuable ways. Hence, why my rating is only a 3. But, otherwise, the storyline is great, and very interesting. I like movies that have a lot of moving parts, and stories happening in many places. Definitely one you should not miss.

The trouble with films like "Crash...".......2007-06-17

The film industry sees a success and realizes this is potentially a gold mine for more similar stories. Of course, they've got to add a twist--in this case, more languages, more locales and more cultures. As in the old saw: too many cooks spoil the soup, too many languages and locales spoil the story.

And--while there is always going to be a character or two who doesn't think in a movie, this one was riddled with folks who could have prevented their mishaps with just a little bit of common sense:

why would parents leave their kids in the care of a nanny who clearly isn't up to the task? I don't have children, but if I did, and I could afford a nanny, that person would be able to communicate and think much better than their employee

why would the illegal nanny take two American kids across the border?

why would the American couple go to a Muslim country, which is hostile where they spoke none of the language?

why would anyone let an intoxicated person drive--particularly at an international border?

One person's blunder can make an interesting plot device. Two people's blunder starts on comedy. Three? I can only shake my head so long at a movie before I am ready to give up. I made it to the end, but honestly I didn't think it was worth it. Very glad this was only a rental.

It is not about communications, it is about stupidity.......2007-06-17

I really cannot appreciate how this film is being portrayed by movie critics as a drama about human miscommunications. In my opinion, it is about human stupidity, period.

For example,

1) After September 11, it is stupid to take vacation in Muslim country, where the locals may be hostile. Like it or not, US heavy-handed tactics in punishing the terrorists did create a lot of enemies in the Muslim world.

2) It is stupid for an illegal aliens working in the United States to cross the border. I cannot imagine how the nanny can return to the States without any identification.

3) It is stupid to let her nephew Santiago drive since he is apparently intoxicated.

But the movie did remind us one thing: i.e. in this post 911 world, if an institution/administration/government/individual is being labeled by the U.S. government as terrorists (with or without evidence), you are going to be in big trouble.

Three stars for this timely reminder.

3) It is stupid to let her nehphew Santigao drive since he is apparently intoxicated.

Average customer rating:

The Count of Monte Cristo
dvd
Better Movie than Book
Good movie but,
Only thing in common with the book is the title...

The Count of Monte Cristo
Starring: James Caviezel , Guy Pearce , Richard Harris , James Frain , and Dagmara Dominczyk
Director: Kevin Reynolds
Manufacturer: Buena Vista Home Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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Frequency (New Line Platinum Series)

ASIN: B00006ADFM
Release Date: 2002-09-10

Amazon.com

Revenge rarely gets sweeter than it does in The Count of Monte Cristo, a rousing, impeccably crafted adaptation of Alexandre Dumas père's literary classic. Filmed countless times before, the story is revitalized by director Kevin Reynolds (rallying after Waterworld) and screenwriter Jay Wolpert, who wisely avoid the action-movie anachronisms that plagued 2001's dubious Dumas-inspired The Musketeer. Leading a superior cast, Jim Caviezel (Frequency) expresses a delicate balance of obsession and nobility as Dantes, the wrongly accused Frenchman who endures 13 years of prison and torment, then uses a hidden treasure to finance elaborate vengeance on those who wronged him. Memento's Guy Pearce is equally effective as Dantes's betraying nemesis, and Richard Harris tops his Harry Potter wizardry with a humorous turn as Dantes's fellow prisoner and mentor. Filmed on stunning locations in Ireland and Malta, The Count of Monte Cristo easily matches Rob Roy for intelligent swashbuckling entertainment. --Jeff Shannon

Description

Jim Caviezel (HIGH CRIMES) and Guy Pearce (THE TIME MACHINE) give sizzling performances in THE COUNT OF MONTE CRISTO -- the greatest tale of betrayal, adventure, and revenge the world has ever known. When the dashing and guileless Edmond Dantes (Caviezel) is betrayed by his best friend (Pearce) and wrongly imprisoned, he becomes consumed by thoughts of vengeance. After a miraculous escape, he transforms himself into the mysterious and wealthy Count of Monte Cristo, insinuates himself into the French nobility, and puts his cunning plan of revenge in action. This swashbuckling thriller will have you sitting on the edge of your seat until the last ounce of revenge is exacted.

Customer Reviews:

The Count of Monte Cristo.......2007-06-27

This is one of the best films I have seen. It's in great shape, I don't remember, but it may have been new. It works perfectly, and I am so lucky to own it.

dvd.......2007-06-12

Loved this movie bought it brand new and i cn watch it over and over without any problems

Better Movie than Book.......2007-06-03

I found that the movie version of Count of Monte Cristo was much better than the book. While yes, they do differ,the book leaves you hanging while the movie closes perfectly. So if you are going to invest time, go with the movie, it's a better bet.

Good movie but,.......2007-05-30

This is a very good movie but, the only thing it has in common with the book is the movie has some of the characters. There, that's it. The movie could have been named anything but, not "The Count of Monte Cristo." If you really want the whole story, read the book. It's a great book. A good movie but, it has nothing to do with the book.

Only thing in common with the book is the title..........2007-05-18

The movie and the book are such disparate stories that they can't even be compared. I didn't even know what was going on in the plot of the movie because it is entirely different from the book. The story is unrecognizable... and so, I hated the movie. Seriously, the stories are COMPLETELY COMPLETELY different, and for someone who read the 1500 page unabridged version of this excellent book, the movie totally blows.

Average customer rating:

Elegant, homey and family friendly
Average movie
Pretty good the second time around.
The Inheritance
The Inheritance

The Inheritance
Starring: Cari Shayne , Brigitta Dau , Paul Anthony Stewart , Max Gail , and Brigid Brannagh
Director: Bobby Roth
Manufacturer: Platinum Disc
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ASIN: B00062IZ0Y
Release Date: 2004-12-07

Customer Reviews:

Elegant, homey and family friendly.......2007-07-03

This is my favorite Alcott story and it is so endearing. It is definitely a Victorian delight with beautiful costumes and appropriate settings.

Average movie.......2007-06-26

Perhaps the book is better. This could have been an awesome movie with more character development and embellishment on the story. It's clean and decent, though. Good family movie for a "girls' night!"

Pretty good the second time around........2007-06-20

I first saw this movie on tv, but it was at the very end. It caught my interest so I decided to buy it. When I saw the whole movie from start to finish, I thought it was just too simple a plot. Perhaps my expectations were ridiculously high, so I put it away. Well, one Sunday afternoon I decided to re-watch the movie again, give it a second go, and I'm glad I did. Yes, the movie is quite simple, but that is the beauty of it. It's the kind of movie that makes you feel good in the end.

The Inheritance.......2007-06-11

I love turn of the century movies. I've seen this one over and over.

The Inheritance.......2007-06-08

Good condition well pleased, will do business again soon.

Average customer rating:

Justice in a Small Room
Minus 1 star for script/believability - the other four for acting alone
A Classic !!
A good film
Excellent

12 Angry Men
Starring: Martin Balsam , John Fiedler , Lee J. Cobb , E.G. Marshall , and Jack Klugman
Director: Sidney Lumet
Manufacturer: MGM (Video & DVD)
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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Inherit the Wind
To Kill a Mockingbird (Universal Legacy Series)
The Grapes of Wrath
Judgment at Nuremberg
Witness For the Prosecution

ASIN: B000056HEC
Release Date: 2001-03-06

Amazon.com essential video

Sidney Lumet's directorial debut remains a tense, atmospheric (though slightly manipulative and stagy) courtroom thriller, in which the viewer never sees a trial and the only action is verbal. As he does in his later corruption commentaries such as Serpico or Q & A, Lumet focuses on the lonely one-man battles of a protagonist whose ethics alienate him from the rest of jaded society. As the film opens, the seemingly open-and-shut trial of a young Puerto Rican accused of murdering his father with a knife has just concluded and the 12-man jury retires to their microscopic, sweltering quarters to decide the verdict. When the votes are counted, 11 men rule guilty, while one--played by Henry Fonda, again typecast as another liberal, truth-seeking hero--doubts the obvious. Stressing the idea of "reasonable doubt," Fonda slowly chips away at the jury, who represent a microcosm of white, male society--exposing the prejudices and preconceptions that directly influence the other jurors' snap judgments. The tight script by Reginald Rose (based on his own teleplay) presents each juror vividly using detailed soliloquies, all which are expertly performed by the film's flawless cast. Still, it's Lumet's claustrophobic direction--all sweaty close-ups and cramped compositions within a one-room setting--that really transforms this contrived story into an explosive and compelling nail-biter. --Dave McCoy

Description

Eleven jurors are convinced that the defendant is guilty of murder. The twelfth has no doubt of his innocence. How can this one man steer the others toward the same conclusion? It's a case of seemingly overwhelming evidence against a teenager accused of killing his father in "one of the best pictures ever made" (The Hollywood Reporter).

Customer Reviews:

Justice in a Small Room.......2007-06-22

1957's "Twelve Angry Men" is the story of a jury confined to a small room on a hot, humid summer night to decide the fate of a young man accused of knifing his father to death. The jury's initial poll has eleven jurors for guilty, one for innocent. The ensuing drama revolves around the struggle by the dissenting juror, an architect played with characteristic understated determination by Henry Fonda, to convince the other jurors of the presence of reasonable doubt.

The outstanding cast, a collection of experienced 1950's movie and tv actors who may not be familiar to today's audiences, each bring their particular insights and prejudices to the debate. An elderly man, played by Joseph Sweeney, sides with the Henry Fonda character because he admires the younger man's grit. Lee J. Cobb has an outstanding role as an angry father who sees his estranged son in the actions attributed to the young man on trial. E.G. Marshall plays a confident businessman who gets a lesson in the limits of memory from the Henry Fonda character.

The confining atmosphere of the jury room adds to the tension. Sidney Lumet's brisk but deliberate direction allows each man a turn in the spotlight to examine his conscience as well as the case in front of the other jurors. The end result is a tense, insightful drama about the nature of man and justice.

This movie is highly recommended to viewers looking for an outstanding example of the movie art and a different slant on today's crime dramas.

Minus 1 star for script/believability - the other four for acting alone.......2007-06-13

All the stars I gave was for the acting alone- superb all around though that old man was pretty annoying at times esp with the close ups on him. But the story itself wouldnt last 10 minutes in real life. It begins with Fonda pleading the boy is only 18 (dont we send 18 years olds off to war? 18 years olds can kill?) But the surreal part is when Fonda pulls out that concealed switchblade in the jury room (gov property), sticks it in the table, and tells everyone how he went into the boys neighborhood and found a store and bought it there (AKA doing your own research); all of this HIGHLY illegal; in real life, someone would have told all of this to the bailif, got Fonda arrested and hauled off, and an alternate or a mistrail would have taken place. End of movie right there. One other thing, Fonda kept mentioning "Is it possible"; Possible is not probable, and a million possibles does not equate to one possible, much less a "Reasonable" doubt.

A Classic !!.......2007-05-27

What a great movie!! I haven't watched it in years, but for some reason i watched it tonite. Wow, as good now as ever!!

A good film.......2007-05-18

Though I did think it to be ever so slightly predictable, I found this movie to be a great murder mystery without all the blood, guts, gore, and horror.
The movie begins with a the jury trying to decide whether or not a eighteen year old boy is guilty of brutaly killing his father. they put it to a vote, and find that all but one of them feels that the boy is guilty without giving it so much as a second thought. The one that refused to say the boy is guilty doesn't necessarily think that he is innocent, he just thinks there aught to be more thought put into it. As the story progresess, you see how everyone's personal intersts, background and prejudices get intangled as they try to decipher between right and wrong.
This movie is well worth watching, and deserves to be in anyone's collection.
And I really have to add that I think Henry Fonda's preformance in this movie is great!

Excellent.......2007-05-09

12 Angry Men is an awesome example of how groups work. It is very useful in demonstrating all the points of group interaction that I teach in my Sociology class. The students liked the movie and were able to quickly tie the movie to concepts taught in class. Excellent plot and follow through in developing the story line.

Average customer rating:

The Graduate
INTERESTING LOVE STORY FOR CRAZY ERA
Akwardness Excellence
GREAT MOVIE ABOUT AN INDIVIDUALIST
Classic

The Graduate
Starring: Anne Bancroft , Dustin Hoffman , Katharine Ross , William Daniels , and Murray Hamilton
Director: Mike Nichols
Manufacturer: MGM (Video & DVD)
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B00079Z9VO
Release Date: 2005-04-05

Amazon.com essential video

Few films have defined a generation as The Graduate did. The alienation, the nonconformity, the intergenerational romance, the blissful Simon and Garfunkel soundtrack--they all served to lob a cultural grenade smack into the middle of 1967 America, ultimately making the film the third most profitable up to that time. Seen from a later perspective, its radical chicness has dimmed a bit, yet it's still a joy to see Dustin Hoffman's bemused Benjamin and Anne Bancroft's deliciously decadent, sardonic Mrs. Robinson. The script by Buck Henry and Calder Willingham is still offbeat and dryly funny, and Mike Nichols, who won an Oscar for his direction, has just the right, light touch. --Anne Hurley

Description

Nominated* for seven Academy Awards® and winner for Best Director, this groundbreaking and "wildly hilarious" (The Boston Globe) social satire launched the career of two-time Oscar®-winner** Dustin Hoffman and cemented the reputation of acclaimed director Mike Nichols. Pulsating with the rebellious spirit of the '60s and a haunting score sung by Simon and Garfunkel, The Graduate is truly a "landmark film" (Leonard Maltin). Shy Benjamin Braddock (Dustin Hoffman) returns home from college with an uncertain future. Then the wife of his father's business partner, the sexy Mrs. Robinson (Anne Bancroft), seduces him, and the affair only deepens his confusion. That is, until he meets the girl of his dreams (Katharine Ross). But there's one problem: she's Mrs. Robinson's daughter!

*1967: Best Picture, Actor, Actress, Supporting Actress (Katharine Ross), Cinematography and Adapted Screenplay

**1988: Actor, Rain Man; 1979: Actor, Kramer vs. Kramer

Customer Reviews:

The Graduate.......2007-06-28

One of the signature films of the 1960s, this feature introduced the world to Hoffman and gave Bancroft a racy role she played with marvelous feline cunning. This sublime black comedy transcends its period, speaking to new generations of alienated youth beginning to navigate a discordant, dysfunctional adult world. The supporting cast, including deft character players William Daniels and Murray Hamilton, are note-perfect, and that Simon & Garfunkel score still stirs the soul. A must for repeat viewings.

INTERESTING LOVE STORY FOR CRAZY ERA.......2007-06-09

The film boosted the profile of folk-rock duo Simon and Garfunkel, whose soundtrack album (The Graduate Original Soundtrack), on the strength of the hit single "Mrs. Robinson", rose to the top of the charts in 1968 (knocking off The Beatles' White Album).

The theme song of the movie, "The Sounds of Silence" is a melodramatic, slightly mournful tune. It manages to give the movie a sort of tension, which it demonstrates in other arenas. The generational gap is one of these themes which plays out throughout the movie. The songs seem to mainly play during moments of this particular tension, such as the scene when Ben is forced into the pool by his parents in his scuba outfit. The music gives the film a certain quality, without which it would be vastly different. Simon and Garfunkel were referred to as the "voice of a generation," and this is exactly what they provide in the movie for Benjamin and Elaine.

According to a Variety article by Peter Bart in the 15 May 2005 issue, Nichols had become obsessed with Simon & Garfunkel's music while shooting the film. Lawrence Turman, his producer, made a deal for Simon to write three new songs for the movie. By the time they were nearly finished editing the film, Simon had only written one new song. Nichols begged him for more but Simon, who was touring constantly, told him he didn't have the time. He did play him a few notes of a new song he had been working on; "It's not for the movie... it's a song about times past -- about Mrs. Roosevelt and Joe DiMaggio and stuff." Nichols advised Simon, "It's now about Mrs. Robinson, not Mrs. Roosevelt."

Noel Serrano
Gala Foundation

Akwardness Excellence.......2007-05-31

The Graduate is a classic. This is probably Dustin Hoffman's greatest performance. Never have I felt for such an awkward character. The cinetamography and directing is amazing. The ending is perfect. A most buy!

GREAT MOVIE ABOUT AN INDIVIDUALIST.......2007-03-15

Without giving spoilers away, I immediately see parallels that can be drawn between Groundhog Day and The Graduate. The main characters are individuals who, in their own way, are seeking happiness. Unlike Bill Murray's character in Groundhog Day, Hoffmann's Benjamin Braddock does not have the predicament or fortune, depending on how you look at it, of facing a "nine lives" way of living and reliving the exact same calendar day until he gets his life squared up and in order.

In both movies, there is plenty of stumbling and bumbling and repetitive, aimless wandering reminiscent of La Dolce Vita. Braddock is faced with several obstacles in his pursuit of happiness. He has just graduated from college and is expected to get a job and live out a life that is prescribed or envisioned by his parents and nearby locals.

Though he is a bit of an egoist and an egotist, Benjamin Braddock is willing to go against the grain to sort things out in his life and determine what his underlying sources of happiness truly are. This type of searching often puts him at odds with others, in fact, practically everyone else, and perhaps rightfully so, but the viewer almost cannot help but admire the "It ain't over 'til it's over" perseverance that comes to define this character.

In sum, after having also read and done a review of Ayn Rand's novel, We the Living, a book about a girl who is willing to sacrifice her personal safety in pursuit of her dreams, I conclude that The Graduate is a 1960's movie adaptation of this work but in a Western society with much fewer societal perils. A great character study is truly contained in this motion picture in a way that is not quite equalled forty years after the fact.

Five diplomas out of five for this movie!

Classic.......2007-03-04

Pretty much everybody agrres that this movie is a classic. Is it though a five star film? If you judge it from today's perspective probably not. But if you judge it from the perspective of the 60's it is. It talks (via Benjamin) about the new generation that does not know what to do with his life and his fears. Anne Bancroft is not the perfect looking woman, but she does have the capability and, in a certain way, the charm to seduce the young graduate. The film tends to be a bit slow, but again that is judging it from todays stadards and it is not exactly fair. The photography, the music and the perfomance of the cast is superb. Lets not forget that Alfa Romeo chaged the name of the car to "graduate" and sold it ntil the 80s in the US mostly due to the image of the movie.
A true classic.

The Complete Monterey Pop Festival - Criterion Collection

Average customer rating:

The Complete Monterey Pop Festival
Revelatory performances.
Not complete
Jimi Hendrix plays Wild Thing at Monterey Pop
Everything I wanted

The Complete Monterey Pop Festival - Criterion Collection
Starring: Scott McKenzie , 'Mama' Cass Elliot , John Phillips (II) , Michelle Phillips , and Denny Doherty
Director: D.A. Pennebaker , and Chris Hegedus
Manufacturer: Criterion
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Rock | Styles | Music

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ASIN: B00006JU7P
Release Date: 2002-11-12

Amazon.com essential video

The Monterey International Pop Festival, the three-day event staged in 1967 that has become one of rock music's most famous and in some ways greatest concerts, gets the royal treatment with this three-disc boxed set.

Material on two of the three discs has already been widely available. Monterey Pop, D.A. Pennebaker's 79-minute, 1968 film, effectively sets the scene for the festival, which took place during the fabled "Summer of Love," when the hippie ethos was in its fullest flower, especially on the West Coast. And while not all the featured performances are thrilling, those that are--principally by the Who, Jimi Hendrix, and the amazing Ravi Shankar--are worth the price of admission, especially in the high-definition digital transfer and new 5.1 mix seen and heard here. The same can be said for Jimi Plays Monterey and Shake! Otis at Monterey, which appear in the boxed set on a separate disc and provide a much fuller look at Hendrix's and Otis Redding's incendiary sets (literally, in the former case).

Those two discs are also loaded with bonus features, including audio commentary by Pennebaker, festival producer Lou Adler (on Monterey Pop), and author Peter Guralnick (Shake!); audio-only remarks by some of the performers; photos; trailers; and other material. There's also a substantial booklet, filled with essays and photos. But it's the third disc, "The Outtake Performances," comprising some two hours of music that didn't make the final film edit, that will be of most interest to many viewers. The disc supplies a taste of some of the artists who didn't appear in Monterey Pop at all (the Byrds, Buffalo Springfield, Quicksilver Messenger Service), and a more complete look at some who did (the Who, Simon and Garfunkel, the Mamas and the Papas). A nice addition to an already very impressive DVD collection. --Sam Graham

Description

DISC ONE: "Monterey Pop" New high-definition digital transfer, supervised by D.A. Pennebaker. New 5.1 mix by legendary recording engineer Eddie Kramer, presented in Dolby Digital and DTS. Audio commentary by Festival producer Lou Adler and D.A. Pennebaker. New video interview with Lou Adler and D.A. Pennebaker. Audio interviews with Festival producer John Phillips, Festival publicist Derek Taylor, and performers Cass Elliot and David Crosby. Photo essay by photographer Elaine Mayes. Original theatrical trailer. Orginal theatrical radio spots. Monterey Pop scrapbook. Optimal image quality: RSDL dual-layer edition.

DISC TWO: "Jimi Plays Monterey" and "Shake! Otis at Monterey" New high-definition digital transfers, supervised by D.A. Pennebaker. New 5.1 mixes by legendary recording engineer Eddie Kramer, presented in Dolby Digital and DTS. Audio commentary on Jimi Plays Monterey by music critic and historian Charles Shaar Murray. Two audio commentaries on Shake! by music critic and historian Peter Guralnick: the first on Otis Redding's Monterey performance, song by song; the second on Redding before and after Monterey. Interview with Phil Walden, Otis Redding's manager from 1959 to 1967. Original theatrical trailer for Jimi Plays Monterey. Video excerpt: Pete Townshend on Monterey and Jimi Hendrix. Optimal image quality: RSDL dual-layer edition

DISC THREE: "Monterey Pop -- The Outtake Performance" Two hours of performances not included in the original film, from the following artists: Buffalo Springfield performing "For What It's Worth, " The Association, Big Brother and the Holding Company, The Blues Project, The Byrds, The Paul Butterfield Blues Band, Country Joe and the Fish, The Electric Flag, Jefferson Airplane, Al Kooper, The Mamas and the Papas, Laura Nyro, Quicksilver Messenger Service, Simon and Garfunkel, Tiny Tim, and The Who.

Customer Reviews:

The Complete Monterey Pop Festival.......2007-06-28

It was 1967, the Summer of Love and "Sergeant Pepper's," a charged moment when rock'n'roll was evolving in daring new directions, fueled by psychedelic drugs, the sexual revolution, and a new generation finding its voice. Documentarian D.A. Pennebaker covers the Monterey Pop Festival like a blanket in this feature-length concert film--the first ever--filming everything and everyone, while showcasing landmark performances by immortals Jimi Hendrix, Otis Re

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