The Doctor

Starring:William Hurt, Christine Lahti, Elizabeth Perkins, Mandy Patinkin, Adam Arkin, Charlie Korsmo, Wendy Crewson, Bill Macy, J.E. Freeman, William Marquez, Kyle Secor, Nicole Orth-Pallavicini, Ping Wu, Tony Fields, Brian Markinson, Maria Tirabassi, Ken Lerner, Bruce Jarchow, E. Keith Polk, Nellye Leonard
Director: Randa Haines
Studio: Walt Disney Video
Product Type: DVD

Amazon.com

As the evil Ugandan dictator Idi Amin, Forest Whitaker gives an unforgettable performance in The Last King of Scotland. Powerfully illustrating the terrible truth that absolute power corrupts absolutely, this fictionalized chronicle of Amin's rise and fall is based on the acclaimed novel by Giles Foden, in which Amin's despotic reign of terror is viewed through the eyes of Nicholas Garrigan (James McAvoy), a Scottish doctor who arrives in Uganda in the early 1970s to serve as Amin's personal physician. His outsider's perspective causes him to be initially impressed by Amin's calculated rise to power, but as the story progresses--and as Whitaker's award-worthy performance grows increasingly monstrous--The Last King of Scotland turns into a pointed examination of how independent Uganda (a British colony until 1962) became a breeding ground for Amin's genocidal tyranny. As Whitaker plays him, Amin is both seductive and horribly destructive--sometimes in the same breath--and McAvoy effectively conveys the tragic cost of his character's naiveté, which grows increasingly prone to exploitation. As directed by Kevin Macdonald (who made the riveting semi-documentary Into the Void), this potent cautionary tale my prompt some viewers to check out Barbet Schroeder's equally revealing documentary General Idi Amin Dada, an essential source for much of this film's authentic detail. --Jeff Shannon

Beyond The Last King of Scotland

More from Forest Whitaker
General Idi Amin Dada
The Last King of Scotland (Paperback)

Stills from The Last King of Scotland

Description

As Ugandan dictator Idi Amin, Forest Whitaker gives "one of the greatest performances of modern movie history" (Wall Street Journal), one that the Associated Press calls "nothing short of Oscar(r) worthy." This is Amin's incredible story as seen through the eyes of Nicholas Garrigan (James McAvoy), a young Scotsman who becomes the volatile leader's personal physician, due in part to Amin's unexpected passion for Scottish culture -- Amin even proclaims himself "The Last King of Scotland". Seduced by Amin's charisma and blinded by decadence, Garrigan's dream life becomes a waking nightmare of betrayal and madness from which there is no escape. Inspired by real people and events, this gripping, suspenseful stunner is filled with performances you will never forget.

Customer Reviews:

Even as fiction, very scary..........2007-07-03

This is said to be fiction, but the subject of that fiction is as frightening as anything you may ever see. Idi Amin certainly had charm, charisma, and all the things I've learned to avoid in people as I've gotten older. It's never what it seems... James McAvoy is really the lead, and it's his observations that create the center of this fine film. Forrest Whitaker justifiably won many awards for his powerful, insightful portrayal, though he really wasn't the lead character. Known for generally sweet-natured performances, Mr. Whitaker has a repertoire that is most respected. This display of total control and command of the character is frightening and complete, a tour de force. Anyone remember his magnificent performance as Charlie Parker in Eastwood's "Bird"? Though he wasn't the main character, this man created memorable moments (not unlike other Oscar winners with limited screen time, like Anthony Hopkins in "Lambs" or Geoffrey Rush in "Shine"). James McAvoy was given a bad rap by many, but I thought he was terrific. Kerry Washington, too was excellent, and te direction & editing were to the utmost power of the simple story being told.DVD extras are insightful, and Mr. Whitaker's humble approach to the frighteningly powerful role is well examined. The atrocities committed by Idi Amin are only history now, and the idea that such people still exist cannot be ignored. Even as fiction, this depiction of a power hungry maniac can't be discounted by a caring world public.

More relevant than ever!.......2007-07-01

The Last King of Scotland sheds light on one of the most well known African dictators, General Idi Amin Dada of Uganda, who ruled from 1971 to 1979.
A Scot doctor arrives in Africa upon graduating from University in order to distance himself from his overprotective family as well as get a feel of adventure. In Uganda he witnesses the military coup d'etat that brings Idi Amin to power. Upon stumbling across the new leader by chance he renders his medical services and before he knows it he becomes the Ugandan leader's personal physician. His problems, however, have just started...
James McAvoy, Forest Whitaker, Gillian Anderson (who looks great after losing weight and going blonde), and the rest of the cast carry out their respective roles very well.
More relevant than ever, the movie does a great job as an eye-opener to one of the most brutal leaders the Dark Continent has seen in the twentieth century. The film provides the necessary background as well as an accurate description of political and social conditions therein. British involvement is briefly touched upon, but nevertheless provides for some important insight.
Moreover, it could have been and it should have been much more graphic in showing what really took place in Uganda's "killing fields."
Hopefully more will be done to stop the ongoing genocide in the Darfur region of Western Sudan and we will not have to wait for another movie to come out after it's all over before people become aware and do that which is humane.
Similarly to movies like The Lord of War, Hotel Rwanda, and Blood Diamond to name a few, The Last King of Scotland draws attention to some very important issues facing Africa.

We know you liked the film, but what about the Special Features?.......2007-06-30

DVD Bonus Materials
* Seven Deleted Scenes, With Optional Audio Commentary By Director Kevin MacDonald
* Capturing Idi Amin Documentary
* Forest Whitaker: Idi Amin Featurette
* Fox Movie Channel Presents: Casting Session - The Last King Of Scotland
* Theatrical Trailer

Viewing The Last King of Scotland's Special Features section is a lot like stopping off for dessert at a fast-food restaurant after dining on a sumptuous five-course meal. In striking comparison to the feature film's nail-biting tension and riveting drama is "Seven Deleted Scenes," a special feature that is about as exciting as a bowl of boiled rice, and a nonessential theatrical trailer that should be fast forwarded. On the positive side, "Casting Session--The Last King of Scotland" is worth viewing if a behind-the-scenes peek at pre-production casting dilemmas is of interest. Fans of Forest Whitaker (and who isn't?) will appreciate the "Forest Whitaker: Idi Amin Featurette," which highlights the artistic challenges presented by Whitaker's demanding leading role. In it, the actor discusses the methodology behind his brilliant, Oscar-winning performance.

"Capturing Idi Amin" is a first-rate source of information for viewers desiring a crash course on Amin's life and Ugandan politics. The mini-documentary features insightful interviews with key people in Amin's life, interspersed with authentic film footage of Amin. Viewers can compare and contrast this nonfiction depiction of events and supporting characters with Director Kevin MacDonald's cinematic interpretation of Giles Foden's fictional thriller, on which The Last King of Scotland's screenplay is based. Foden's altered reality is mesmerizing, but reality is darned interesting too.

Part Historical Biography With Some Fiction Added In............2007-06-27

Forest Whitaker gives the best performance ever! I thought he did a great job of bringing the violent, former Ugandan dictator, Idi Amin to life on the silver screen.

Throughout the movie, I thought the character of Dr. Nicholas Garrigan was completely naive and bogus, but a REAL PERSON..... so, I kept wondering how could someone of his stature and educational level be so naive about Idi Amin's violent character for so long when he had such close personal contact with him?

Then at the end of the movie when I was watching the special features I discovered that Dr. Nicholas Garrigan wasn't even a part of Idi Amin's inner circle and that he was a fictionalized character! No wonder Dr. Nicholas Garrigan felt completely off the entire movie, he didn't exist in real life!

Had the unbelievable character of Dr. Nicholas Garrigan not been in the movie I would have given this movie a higher rating.

uganda.......2007-06-27

excellent performance by F. Whitaker. I do remember almost all the facts, and the film shows marvellously, piece by piece the downfall of a country and its dictator

Average customer rating:

dear 20th century fox.......
One of the best movies of ALL TIME
Either you like it or you don't
What the Heck !?!?!?!?!?!?
you can laugh too much

Young Frankenstein
Starring: Gene Wilder , Peter Boyle , Marty Feldman , Madeline Kahn , and Cloris Leachman
Manufacturer: 20th Century Fox
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B000G6BLWE
Release Date: 2006-09-05

Amazon.com essential video

If you were to argue that Mel Brooks's Young Frankenstein ranks among the top-ten funniest movies of all time, nobody could reasonably dispute the claim. Spoofing classic horror in the way that Brooks's previous film Blazing Saddles sent up classic Westerns, the movie is both a loving tribute and a raucous, irreverent parody of Universal's classic horror films Frankenstein (1931) and Bride of Frankenstein (1935). Filming in glorious black and white, Brooks re-created the Frankenstein laboratory using the same equipment from the original Frankenstein (courtesy of designer Kenneth Strickfaden), and this loving attention to physical and stylistic detail creates a solid foundation for nonstop comedy. The story, of course, involves Frederick Frankenstein (Gene Wilder) and his effort to resume experiments in re-animation pioneered by his late father. (He's got some help, since dad left behind a book titled How I Did It.) Assisting him is the hapless hunchback Igor (Marty Feldman) and the buxom but none-too-bright maiden Inga (Teri Garr), and when Frankenstein succeeds in creating his monster (Peter Boyle), the stage is set for an outrageous revision of the Frankenstein legend. With comedy highlights too numerous to mention, Brooks guides his brilliant cast (also including Cloris Leachman, Madeline Kahn, Kenneth Mars, and Gene Hackman in a classic cameo role) through scene after scene of inspired hilarity. Indeed, Young Frankenstein is a charmed film, nothing less than a comedy classic, representing the finest work from everyone involved. Not one joke has lost its payoff, and none of the countless gags have lost their zany appeal. From a career that includes some of the best comedies ever made, this is the film for which Mel Brooks will be most fondly remembered. Befitting a classic, the Special Edition DVD includes audio commentary by Mel Brooks, a "making of" documentary, interviews with the cast, hilarious bloopers and outtakes, and the original theatrical trailers. No video library should be without a copy of Young Frankenstein. And just remember--that's Fronkensteen. --Jeff Shannon

Description

Mel Brooks' monstrously crazy tribute to Mary Shelley's classic pokes hilarious fun at just about every Frankenstein movie ever made. Summoned by a will to his late grandfather's castle in Transylvania, young Dr. Frankenstein (Gene Wilder) soon discovers the scientist's step-by-step manual explaining how to bring a corpse to life. Assisted by the hunchback Igor (Marty Feldman) and the curvaceous Ings (Teri Garr), he creates a monster (Peter Boyle) who only wants to be loved.

Customer Reviews:

dear 20th century fox..............2007-07-03

To the marketing idiots at 20th Century Fox: don't worry, I'll wait till you maroons give us an anamorphic transfer. What year is this???, oh, yeah, 2007!

One of the best movies of ALL TIME.......2007-07-03

If you don't like "Young Frankenstein," you need therapy. And this special edition is a wonderful way to celebrate an all-time classic that has endured, despite its lack of car chases, shootouts, and helicopters.

Either you like it or you don't.......2007-07-03

I like it and watch it a few times a year so I guess I'm getting my monies worth...

What the Heck !?!?!?!?!?!?.......2007-06-28

I usually love Mel Brooks movies and I'm a huge fan of Get Smart from TV - I even have the box set :) But this movie sucked! I wasn't even born when it was made and it felt like all the jokes were so cliched when I watched it. Now there could be 2 reasons for that - Number 1 is that this film was so influential that every other movie copied it so I had already heard the jokes a million times before or Number 2 - The jokes actually were cliched. Either way I didn't really enjoy this like I wanted to. I'm still keeping it though - although if I run out of room in my new DVD holder this is going in the trash first thing.

you can laugh too much.......2007-06-11

Is this movie the product of a genius I don't know I'm not a genius but I did find it the funniest movie I ever saw.
Is this movie well made I don't know I don't make comedies but it is the funniest comedy I've seen in the last fifty years.
Does the story stick to the book yes. The book is rather simple in principle and without a lot of pedantry describes the power of a dream that comes true. Young Frankenstein takes not only the book Frankenstein and gives it some room to grow it gives vent to all those silly horror movies of the same names. Don't get me wrong please Young Frankenstein is silly but not stupid it comes from a lot of hard work I'm sure and the acting is the best I've ever seen like I say but the script they use does roll into the weeds from time to time.

The first time you see this one your sides hurt from all the timeless jokes scattered all the way through in what I'm sure the business calls perfect timing. I still don't know how they got the cast of stars to all fit on the same set to make this very funny movie but to this day after just seeing it again on TV I'm glad we have it around none the less as it is a classic even in it's own write and it's in black and white so you have to have been around long enough to have seen at least one of the early Horror movies we used to have to watch back in the good ol' days when every thing was in black and white and usually a horror on it's own don't you know.

The second time around you'll probably just laugh because it's a funny movie just that a very funny movie. Just the thing if you've seen everything before and perhaps need the last place you look for it to get you into the air.

This is a scary movie for kids though least I think so because the places the movie takes you can be a little foreign unless you've been to Transylvania and that's hardly likely for this audience but if you did come from there you never saw the places Young Frankenstein takes you I hope.

Frankenstein is a little over the top in this movie mostly from other old black and whites but almost believable in his complexity as a character I'm sure you'll admit.

His girlfriend has always been near the top of my most attractive women list and her acting is something you have to see for yourself to criticize .

There's a love interest in this one for Frankenstein and after a twist of fate more a thrust he gets the girl and the castle and the whole bowl of rice but with a lot of class that's rare and only found in this spoof of the Baron Von Frankenstein of many an imagination gone wild. She's played by Terry Garr the girl from Star Trek that ends up marrying the secret-agent from another planet with the cat that talked and the typewriter that doubled as secretary and the ... wasn't funny.

Egor the faithful servant of every Frankenstein we see on TV is played by Marty Feldman. A funny guy even in his own write Marty makes you laugh even when you're not looking and keeps the whole movie in the air all the time.

There's some cameos by most of the other funny men of the day and a whole lot of story for a comedy especially about such a difficult subject like Frankenstein so if you've got a book report to do you can always budget it as research because this movie made an awful lot of bigbucks and still does so there.

Average customer rating:

Great Fun!
Return of the Cybermen and Daleks
If I could give it -50,000 stars I would.
Almost worth the extravagent price
Doctor Who Rocks!

Doctor Who - The Complete Second Series
Starring: David Tennant
Manufacturer: BBC Warner
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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Doctor Who - The Complete First Series
Doctor Who - The Sontaran Experiment (Episode #77)
Doctor Who - The Invasion
Doctor Who - The Hand of Fear (Episode 87)
Doctor Who - New Beginnings (The Keeper of Traken / Logopolis / Castrovalva)

ASIN: B000JBWWP6
Release Date: 2007-01-16

Amazon.com

Christopher Eccleston's tenure as the time-traveling title hero in the venerable UK sci-fi series Doctor Who lasted just 13 episodes, but he left enough of a impression on fans to make some wonder how his replacement, veteran television performer David Tennant, might fare in the role. As this second-series boxed set proves, the answer is: he's a near-perfect Doctor who combines the eccentricities of earlier incarnations (most notably Tom Baker) with a fresh and youthful interpretation of his own, and even brings a healthy dash of romantic chemistry with his sidekick, Rose Tyler (the equally charming Billie Piper). And their adventures retain the solid blend of thoughtful speculative fiction, pulp action, and quirky humor that typified the series at its best. Among the 15 terrific stories contained in the six-disc set are the "Children in Need" (a.k.a. "Pudsey Cutaway") mini-episode from the 2005 Children in Need telethon that showed Eccleston's transformation into Tennant; "School Reunion," in which Elisabeth Sladen returns as Sarah Jane Smith; "The Girl in the Fireplace," which draws together robots in 18th century France with a derelict space station in the distant future; and the season finale, "Army of Ghosts/Doomsday," which not only revives the series' most popular villains, the robotic Daleks, in a head-to-head struggle against the Cybermen, but also marks the final appearance of another series regular. For fans and first-time visitors to the TARDIS alike, the Second Series is simply thrilling sci-fi TV.

As with the First Series set, the supplemental features are plentiful here; commentary by the show's cast and crew is provided on each episode, and four feature picture-in-picture commentary tracks; deleted scenes and outtakes are also included, as are video diaries by Tennant and Piper, and a lengthy featurette, "Doctor Who Confidential," which covers nearly every aspect of the series' production, including the introduction of the Torchwood Institute and the return of Sarah Jane, both of which would be featured in their own respective spin-off series (the first in Doctor Who's long history) in 2007. - Paul Gaita

Description

Can Rose trust a man with a new face? David Tennant (Viva Blackpool, Harry Potter) steps into the role of the Doctor, now in his 10th incarnation. Following on from the phenomenal success of the first series, the second series is full of more thrills, more laughs, more heartbreak and some terrifying new aliens and old acquaintances. The Doctor and Rose meet Queen Victoria, an evil race of Cat Women, K9 and Sarah Jane, and the dreaded Cybermen.

DVD Features:
Audio Commentary
Deleted Scenes
Other:Doctor Who is the longest running sci-fi franchise in television history
Outtakes:Doctor Who is the longest running sci-fi franchise in television history
Other

Customer Reviews:

Great Fun!.......2007-07-03

The new Doctor Who series has a bigger budget and better writing than the past generations and it's tons of fun! We prefer Christopher Eccleston in the 1st series as the Doctor. David Tennant's Doctor is just a bit melodramtic nutsy with a tinge of mushy humanism (a few too many diatribes about how magnificance of the human race). Otherwise, we've enjoyed the 2nd series as much as the first and are looking forward to the 3rd. We just might have to go back and watch some of the original series just so we know the history of the Doctor better.

Return of the Cybermen and Daleks.......2007-06-27

The second series is great! As hardcore Dr. Who fans, my son and I enjoyed every episode, particularly the ones with the Cybermen and Daleks.

One nice aspect of Dr. Who is that it is appropriate for all ages.

If I could give it -50,000 stars I would........2007-06-19

I agree with the other 2 one star reviewers - why bother? This is some of the worst television I have ever seen. I love old Doctor Who up to somewhere towards the end of Tom Baker - then it gets patchy and is only sporadically worthwhile. This new series is Doctor Who in name only - when compared with the old stuff this is a good demonstration of our culture going to seed.
The format has changed completely - admittedly this second series Tennant is much better than CE, but neither of them are 'Doctor-like' at all in my opinion. The new BBC production is glossy and looks kind of impressive but it fails to hide the lack of heart beneath. Everything is sensationalised and overly dramatic - the writing is terrible, the characters particularly annoying and the Doctor, although historically sometimes playing the fool, here adds to the role a cocksure arrogance which somehow doesn't feel right anymore.
In fact, this new Doctor Who is an apt metaphor for the once Great Britain going to seed in modern times. Slappers, whingers, louts and bullies make up the characters and there is so much pulling of the heart-strings that it all snaps pretty quickly. The new 'action' emphasis represents a dumbing down of the format into a more modern American feel but 90s Star Trek was so much better than this.
It shows how lacking in imagination the BBC is that it had to drag the Doctor kicking, screaming and whinging back into the 21st century to a treatment and postmodern environment that doesn't suit at all. They really should be ashamed of themselves but they wouldn't have the good sense to be I guess.
It is obvious I am out of step with popular opinion - you'll find lots of people who loved the new Star Wars films too - but I reckon if you genuinely enjoy this stuff then that's pretty sad.
This is empty, flashy rubbish that recycles old ideas into an ill-fitting new format designed to suit the morons of today with 10-second attention spans and a need for explicit romantic content and soppy emotional rubbish entirely lacking in credibility or sincerity.
It's not that I think they should have remade it trying to keep it as it was, they just should have let it RIP and come up with a new idea - obviously too hard for the masterminds running BBC these days.
(On a similar theme - the decline of the British persona is shown up in a series of embarrassing interviews done by some young git for the Fawlty Towers boxset. Check out the one with Prunella Scales - I felt sorry for her having to tolerate the fool.)
OK - tell me how unhelpful it is to post a different opinion here rather than the normal, gushing 5-star rave and the sycophantic Amazon official review - I'm waiting.....

Almost worth the extravagent price.......2007-06-13

The problem with BBC is that they tend to price everything into the realm of ridiculous. Any fan of Rome - The Complete First Season or The Sopranos: The Complete Second Season is familiar with HBO's draconian pricing strategy so we shouldn't be surprised when BBC pulls the same kind of stunt. It's still annoying. And while Doctor Who - The Complete First Series was well worth the price, this one is good...but not really.

First off, we have some solid episodes to establish David Tenant. The Xmas Invasion is one of those "Doctor Who can't deal with his regeneration" stories that started with Castravolva and the writers keep writing. I suppose we can't ask for Tom Baker to jump up and start fighting big robots and pushing Brigidier around, but I do miss the days when the Doctor could just be the Doctor. Still, there is a joy when David Tennant finally wakes up out of his coma and takes on the aliens. It's similar to the joy experienced this season when The Doctor sheds his scared John Smith persona and the alien narrator explains that the whole fleeing thing was a way for the Doctor to be kind.

The first few episodes do establish the Doctor and David Tennant. He's both less dark and more earnest in this season. There's a strain of sorrow going through most of these storylines as you are almost weeping for the evil "last human" in the hospital storyline and "The Girl in the Fireplace" is geared towards breaking your heart. The sad thing is that I know I'll hate Tristan and Isolde (Widescreen Edition) but I think I'm going to have to see it just because Sophia Myles is too enchanting not to watch in everything.

However, tedium sets in just after the Cybermen make their appearance as the alternate universe Cybermen (so what happened to the original version? ARe they all gone? Never explained.) With an endless series of "Rose is probably gonna die" bits, and lackluster stories (the demon planet one bored me. The "Fear Her" one is bad, probably not as bad as most people say but still pretty bad) the series rolls into a really cool two-parter that doesn't make up for the second half being so dull up until then.

If you can buy this for less than the $100 asking price ($50 should be the max you pay for a 12-part DVD set. You can get 22 episodes of How I Met Your Mother - Season 1 for less than $40. And that show is much more consistent) buy it. Else wait. The third season is a definite improvement. And while you're at it, pick up a copy of Teddy Bear Cannibal Massacre just because reading is good for you.

Doctor Who Rocks!.......2007-06-08

What can I say? It's Doctor Who, it rules!
Just as good if not better then the first series.
I liked the last Doctor but the new on is great in a differant way.
Billy Piper is amazing. I am sad she is not in the 3rd series :(

Average customer rating:

Harrison Ford and Tommy Lee Jones deliver towering performances in this gripping thriller
Nice job!
Let the Chase Begin...
An interesting and entertaining adaptation
One Of The Best Thrillers Ever Made.

The Fugitive
Starring: Harrison Ford , Tommy Lee Jones , Sela Ward , Julianne Moore , and Joe Pantoliano
Director: Andrew Davis
Manufacturer: Warner Home Video
ProductGroup: DVD
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ASIN: B00005ATZT
Release Date: 2001-06-05

Amazon.com essential video

Do you know anyone who hasn't seen this movie? A box-office smash when released in 1993, this spectacular update of the popular 1960s TV series stars Harrison Ford as a surgeon wrongly accused of the murder of his wife. He escapes from a prison transport bus (in one of the most spectacular stunt-action sequences ever filmed) and embarks on a frantic quest for the true killer's identity, while a tenacious U.S. marshal (Tommy Lee Jones, in an Oscar-winning role) remains hot on his trail. Director Andrew Davis hit the big time with this expert display of polished style and escalating suspense, but it's the antagonistic chemistry between Jones and Ford that keeps this thriller cooking to the very end. In roles that seem custom-fit to their screen personas, the two stars maintain a sharply human focus to the grand-scale manhunt, and the intelligent screenplay never resorts to convenient escapes or narrative shortcuts. Equally effective as a thriller and a character study, this is a Hollywood blockbuster that truly deserves its ongoing popularity. --Jeff Shannon

Description

Catch him if you can. The Fugitive is on the run! Harrison Ford and Tommy Lee Jones race through the breathless manhunt movie based on the classic TV series. Ford is prison escapee Dr. Richard Kimble, a Chicago surgeon falsely convicted of killing his wife and determined to prove his innocence by leading his pursuers to the one-armed man who actually committed the crime. Jones (1993 Academy Award and Golden Globe winner as Best Supporting Actor) is Sam Gerard, an unrelenting bloodhound of a U.S. Marshal. They are hunted and hunter. And as directed by Andrew Davis (Under Siege), their nonstop chase has one exhilarating speed: all-out. So catch him if you can. And catch an 11-on-a-scale-of-10 train wreck (yes, the train is real), a plunge down a waterfall, a cat-and-mouse jaunt through a Chicago St. Patrick's Day parade and much more. Better hurry. Kimble doesn't stay in one place very long!

Customer Reviews:

Harrison Ford and Tommy Lee Jones deliver towering performances in this gripping thriller.......2007-06-18

Harrison Ford and Tommy Lee Jones deliver towering performances in this gripping thriller.

PLOT SYNOPSIS

Dr. Kimble (Harrison Ford) arrived home one night to find his wife Helen on the verge of death after being brutally attacked by a one armed maniac. Before she died, she was able to make a desperate call to 9-11, so the police arrive shortly after the incident, just in time to find Helen dead. The police notice that Kimble is all scratched up, as though he had just been in a fight or had just murdered his wife himself. Despite Kimble's description of the true culprit, the police arrest him and charge him of his wife's murder. The trial goes badly and Kimble is sentenced to death by execution.

On a prison bus, on his way to the facility that housed the chamber that would eventually kill him, some other convicts attempt to pull off an escape. There is a violent uprising inside of the bus and the lumbering vehicle tumbles down a hill and stops on a railroad track. The oncoming train collides with the bus and creates one of the most spectacular train wreck scenes to ever appear on film. By chance, Kimble, and another convict, make it out of the crash alive and set out on foot to escape the law enforcement personnel who are sure to appear once they learn about the disaster.

Unfortunately for Kimble, the federal marshal who is put in charge of the operation is none other than Sam Gerard (Tommy Lee Jones), who is completely determined, quick-thinking, and efficient. He is unbendingly bound to his duty and will stop at nothing to catch his man. This is revealed in the famous tunnel scene, when Kimble points a gun at him and says "I did not kill my wife," Gerard retort is the cold "I don't care."

Since Kimble has already been convicted and sentenced to death, his chances of resurrecting any kind of life are exceedingly grim. He can either hide out for the rest of his life, or try to lead law enforcement to the real culprit. In order to accomplish the second option, Kimble would have to investigate himself, and somehow, based on the scant evidence at his disposal, somehow find the criminal. But can he do it before the brilliant Gerard closes in on him?

ACTING

Tommy Lee Jones' performance is one of those performances that won, and actually did deserve to win the Oscar. Every second of Jones' performance is absolutely convincing. It is rare that an individual's character can be developed so fully in a two hour film. He is more than the stereotypical, "success at all costs" law enforcement office. From his persuasive scowls when he hears of Kimble's successes, to the tone of his voice when he barks orders and makes observations, his performance alone is enough to watch this movie several times.

Harrison Ford logs in another solid performance. Over the course of the last 30 years, Ford has been one of the most consistent actors of all time. The Fugitive is actually one of his better roles. He plays the part of Richard Kimble to near perfection.

It is not uncommon to see two huge stars on one film at the same time, but it is uncommon that they perfectly fit the characters that they are asked to portray, and it is nothing short of a rarity that they interact in such a memorable fashion as they did in the fugitive.

The more minor actors are nothing special, but they are not bad either. Jerome Krabbe played a respectable Dr. Charles Nichols,, with his hair parted neatly to the side and his somewhat nerdy smile, he represented what most Americans picture when they imagine a highly educated doctor. Joe Pantoliano played Cosmo, Gerard's assistant. We get a lot of sarcasm in a high pitched voice, and that is what Pantoliano is known for. It added some extra entertainment and made the mechanical law enforcement machine slightly more human-like.

SO DOES IT THRILL?

How does the fugitive stack up against other thrillers? Most thrillers, even some successful ones, have a small amount of tension causing elements. The movie-makers work with a somewhat limited script, and get as much thrill as they can on two or three suspense-provoking fundamentals. Sometimes these movies do an excellent job at thrilling us, and leave us satisfied. The producers, directors, and actors of the fugitive did not need to stretch out every possible element for cheap thrills, the script, which took years and million dollars in development, thrills the audience on multiple levels. Even mediocre actors would have turned this script into a nail-biting experience, the super performances by Jones and Ford only make it even better.

This one is definitely a classic in its genre. If you still haven't seen it, do yourself a favor and check it out.

Nice job!.......2007-05-10

I rec'd the dvd in a timely manner and in good condition. Thanks!

Let the Chase Begin..........2007-05-03

Movies based on television shows are frustrating for the creative team behind the adaptation and often prove to be somewhat hit and miss. The reason is because in a TV show the writer/director gets to spread his/her story over the course of multiple episodes or even an entire season. In a movie you only get an average of 2 hours to get your story out, which can cause problems when adapting a television series, whether it be a long-running or short lived show, for theaters because you just don't have the luxury of time. There have been some successful adaptations, "Starsky & Hutch", `Star Trek', `Mission: Impossible', and even `Charlie's Angels' (though I didn't care for either incarnation of the franchise), along with the success there have been those that failed "The Avengers" was lackluster, and "The Dukes of Hazzard" was the most recent, and possibly the worst adaptation I have seen in a long while. In 1993, Warner Brothers felt the calling to try their collective hand at an adaptation, and their choice was the hit TV series "The Fugitive". To assist in the success of their endeavor the WB enlisted top-notch, veteran acting talents Harrison Ford and Tommy Lee Jones, and hired director Andrew Davis hot off his highly successful submarine action film, "Under Siege".

"The Fugitive" tells the story of Dr. Richard Kimble (Harrison Ford), who after a charity event arrives home to find an intruder in his house and his wife murdered. After fighting off the intruder, Kimble alerts the police, and upon their arrival Kimble is surprised by the fact that he is arrested for the murder of his own wife. After being found guilty at his trial and sentenced to prison, the prison bus Kimble is being transported by crashes in front of an oncoming train. After being freed by a correctional officer to assist with the other prisoners, Dr. Kimble flees in hopes of tracking down the one-armed murderer and proving his innocence. However, hot on Richard's trail is a relentless U.S. Marshal, Sam Gerard (Tommy Lee Jones), and his team of deputies, who will stop at nothing until their man is caught. Let the chase begin!

Clearly the executives at Warner Brothers made an excellent decision to make this adaptation, and managed to find the perfect cast, writer, and director to pull it off. The cast, led by Harrison Ford (an actor that delivers a terrific performance every time) and Tommy Lee Jones (who was great in this role and was rewarded with the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor), all give excellent performances, fleshing out each individual character and making the movie believable and real to the audience. The story by David Twohy ("Pitch Black" and "The Chronicles of Riddick") is full of twists and turns, with riveting drama and action along with bits of comedy sprinkled about to lighten things up just a bit. The direction of Andrew Davis, though not flashy by any means, delivers a very tight, well-paced manhunt movie that keeps the audience fully engrossed from start to finish, even though they already have a pretty good guess what the outcome will be, based on the source material.

As I stated earlier some adaptations of TV shows to movies work out well and some don't, and the reasons generally stem from what I pointed out in the beginning of this review, but sometimes the results may vary depending on how committed to the project the cast/crew and the studio are. It's nice to see that for "The Fugitive" all parties involved in the making of this picture gave their best, and the fruits of the labor paid off big time, making this movie one of the best TV series adaptations to ever be made.

"The Fugitive" is rated PG-13 for violence and language.

An interesting and entertaining adaptation.......2007-04-15

Hollywood has welcomed several great crime drama films over the years,and one of those films happens to be,by far,"The Fugitive". An interesting and entertaining adaptation of one America's most successful televsion shows,it is always great to see good television shows being adopted into the films--something that this film proves quite well.

Based off a 1960's television series,this film is based in Chicago. Here,Harrison Ford plays Richard Kimble,a man who happens to be very fortunate:he is a successful and respected surgeon,with a large amount of money,good friends,and a beautiful wife whom he has a wonderful marriage with,Helen(Sela Ward). For Richard Kimble,things could not be any better,and Kimble himself is happy with the way that life is working out for him.

But,one night,things change for Richard Kimble and his life--in a negative way. After Richard Kimble comes home one night,he discovers that his wife is being murdered by a one-armed man. And,despite the fact that Richard Kimble is able to put up a good battle against this one-armed man,he is not able to win. Bad turns to worse when "certain evidence" falsely shows that Richard Kimble is responsible for the murder of his wife,and leads to Kimble facing execution on death row.

However,all of a sudden,things change. Once the bus that is carrying Richard Kimble and his former prisoners to the Death Row that they are going to be executed at crashes and ends up on a train track,Richard Kimble is able to escape. Fortunately enough for Kimble,he is able to return to Chicago. From here,Richard Kimble takes advantage of the opportunities that he has to find the evidence that he needs in order to learn more detail about his wife's murder,and to prove his innocence to the United States Marshals and the Chicago Police. But,will Richard Kimble be able to succeed in this,especially with the tight watch that the Chicago Police and the United States Marshals have over Kimble,and an intelligent and obcessed U.S. Marshal named Samuel Gerard (Tommy Lee Jones)leading the investigation to find Kimble?? Only time will tell!!!!

While "The Fugitive" may be very hard to follow and requires close attention to be paid to it,it is still a really good film. The script for this film is as suspenseful as it is entertaining,and makes you wonder what will happen next,with good surprises coming along the way. This film also has a lot of creativity in it,and despite the fact that it is based off of a television show,does a good job at not recycling the show that it is based off of (it is worth noting that a large portion of the events in this film are different from the events that occured in the telvision show)and being original--but at the same,not too original. Also,let me add that Harrison Ford and Tommy Lee Jones do a perfect job at taking on the action in this film,in a manner that makes it entertaining and suitable,without pushing it a mile to being an action film. There is a lot of strong acting to be found here,as well. In Harrison Ford's performance of Richard Kimble,Ford portrays Kimble as a laid-back and intelligent man. He allows this film to have an appropriate amount of drama,balanced out by showing who Richard Kimble is as a person and Kimble's determination to prove his innoncence,while at the same time,bringing who needs to be brought to justice for his wife's murder. As for Tommy Lee Jones's performance of Samuel Gerard,Jones is brilliant in his performance. In his performance,Tommy Lee Jones provides the no-nonsence personality that he brought to the characters that he has portrayed in other films (the role of Agent K in the "Men in Black" films,the role of Travis Lehman in "Double Jeopardy",etc.),and allows this film to have suspense. At the same time,he allows this film's viewers to understand the current status of the both sides of the story that are depicted in this film. Those sides are the side of Richard Kimble,and the side of Samuel Gerard and the men who are assisting Gerard in the search for Kimble. Also,while you will not see Sela Ward throughout most of this film,Ward turns in a strong performance of Helen Kimble. In her scenes with Harrison Ford,Sela Ward provides a lot of compassion and chemistry. This is a contribution to this film being as good and interesting as it turned out to be. At the same time,it helps this film's viewers to take a walk in the mind of Richard Kimble,and know how Kimble feels as they watch Kimble solve the wife of his murder. All of this allows "The Fugitive" to fully come together as the good film that it is,and are good examples of why the film turned out to be as successful as it was.

The DVD for this film has a lot of good bonus features on it,as well. Here,you get a commentary that was conducted with Tommy Lee Jones and this film's director (Andew Davis),profiles of the lead actors in this film (Harrison Ford,Sela Ward,Tommy Lee Jones,Joe Pantoliano,Andreas Katsulas,and Jeroen Krabbe,as well as a profile of Andrew Davis),the list of the awards that found Tommy Lee Jones winning best supporting actor for his performance as Samuel Gerard in this film,as well as this film's theatrical trailer. These are all strong and worthwile bonus feautures. But,what really does justice for the bonus feautures here are these:"Introduction" (this finds Harrison Ford,Tommy Lee Jones,and Andrew Davis discussing the good memories that they have of making this film),"Derailed:Anatomy of a Train Wreck" (this discusses the scene in this film that feautures this film's famous train wreck scene,and how it was put together),and "On The Run With The Fugitive" (this discusses the making of this film,and provides a thorough behind-the-scenes look into the making of it). These are all excellent bonus feautures for any film that is represented on DVD,and give this film the recognition and respect that it deserves.

Overall,"The Fugitive" is an excellent film. If you enjoyed the television show that this film is based off of,and/or you are a large fan of crime drama films,"The Fugitive" is one film that you do not want to miss out on.

One Of The Best Thrillers Ever Made........2007-03-05

Few thrillers remain as consistantly thrilling and exciting as "The Fugitive", the 1993 cinematic adaption of the classic television series. Thanks to a fantastic script, excellent directing and two dynamic leads, "The Fugitive" is a masterpiece in every aspect.

Harrison Ford plays Dr. Richard Kimble (originally played by the late David Janssen in the tv series), a respected Chciago surgeon who comes home one night to find his wife (Seal Ward) bludgeoned to death, and him framed for her murder. Despite his best efforts, Kimball finds himself convicted for murder and facing wrongful punishment by the law.

Not willing to let his wife's murder escape jsutice, Kimball stages a daring escape from a train heading towards a state penitentiary (one of the greatest scenes ever), and becomes the most wanted man in the state.
Put in charge of apprehending him is no-nonsense U.S. Marshall Sam Gerard, who is determined to bring Kimball to justice.

This begins a tense game of cat and mouse that never lets up. Richard manages to evade remais one step ahead of the law and gets closer and closer to finding the true killer, but Gerard will not give up. This leads to one of the most thrillin climaxes in film history.

"The Fugitive" is moviemaking at its best, and belongs in all dvd collections.

Average customer rating:

a must for every girl, young or old....
If you have a daughter--she NEEDS this DVD!
Good movie
The Cutest of Movies
Simply wonderful

Anne of Green Gables
Starring: Megan Follows , Colleen Dewhurst , Richard Farnsworth , Patricia Hamilton , and Marilyn Lightstone
Director: Kevin Sullivan
Manufacturer: Sullivan
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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Similar Items:

Anne of Green Gables - The Sequel
Anne Of Green Gables - The Continuing Story
Pride and Prejudice - The Special Edition (A&E, 1996)
Anne of Avonlea
The Complete Anne of Green Gables Boxed Set (Anne of Green Gables, Anne of Avonlea, Anne of the Island, Anne of Windy Poplars, Anne's House of Dreams, ... Rainbow Valley, Rilla of Ingleside)

ASIN: B00005YNTR
Release Date: 2001-11-13

Amazon.com

This gorgeous adaptation of Lucy Maud Montgomery's classic children's story is well worth watching with the whole family. Produced for Canadian television, it's one of those rare productions that actually sticks to the book and even enhances it through first-rate performances and an excellent script. Set on bucolic Prince Edward Island in the late 19th century, Anne of Green Gables is the story of Anne Shirley, an imaginative and headstrong orphan. When brother and sister Marilla and Mathew Cuthbert decide to adopt an orphan boy to help Matthew work the farm, they are astonished when Anne arrives at the train station by mistake. "What use is she to us?" grumbles the gruff Marilla. "We might be of some use to her," answers Matthew, who has taken an instant liking to the talkative Anne. As Anne grows up, her adventures are both hilarious and moving. It's a delight to watch as she forms a friendship with the beautiful Diana and her admirer--the dashing Gilbert Blythe--then dyes her hair green, cracks a slate over Gilbert's head when he calls her "Carrots," and finds a sympathetic teacher who encourages her to attend college.

Richard Farnsworth is perfect as the shy and gentle bachelor Matthew, who confides to Anne that he never went courting because "I would have had to say something." Colleen Dewhurst delivers a nuanced and powerful performance as Marilla, a seemingly cold-hearted spinster whose no-nonsense exterior conceals a warm heart. And as Anne, Megan Follows strikes the perfect note, maturing from freckle-faced orphan to elegant and poised young woman. --Elisabeth Keating

Album Description

Import only NTSC/Region 1 DVD. Megan Follows, Tony Award-winner Colleen Dewhurst & Academy Award-nominee Richard Farnsworth give unparalleled performances in this critically-acclaimed motion picture, based on the international best-selling novel. Filmed amidst the spectacular scenery of Prince Edward Island, Canada, this Emmy Award-winning production follows the provocative life drama of orphan Anne Shirley (Follows), from her struggles as an adolescent to her triumphs as a young woman. A delicate epic full of wit, style & emotional power. Special features include behind-the-scenes clips, missing scenes, director's commentary, cast bios, previews, Megan Follows' audition. production stills & scene index. 1995.

Customer Reviews:

a must for every girl, young or old...........2007-07-04

I'll tell ya, I don't think that there's a girl alive who can't find some way to relate to Anne Shirley. I recall watching this on WonderWorks as a little girl, and absolutely loved it (and the Anne of Avonlee episodes, which I don't yet own). At one point I had them all on VHS that we'd recorded, but I believe one of my sisters took them when they left home, and I only just got around to buying myself a copy on DVD. And I'm so glad I did, because now I'm sharing my love of this story with MY 9 year old daughter. How special it is to be able to share something one loved as a little girl, with a little girl of one's own, and each able to relate to the story.

If you have a daughter--she NEEDS this DVD!.......2007-06-13

I grew up watching this movie, and read all of L.M. Montgomery's books, and now as an adult I wonder, "What happened to stuff like Anne of Green Gables?" Kids these days, especially girls, don't seem to have any wholesome entertainment that doesn't focus on becoming rich and famous or having the perfect body. If you have a daughter, or a niece, or you yourself just want a nice wholesome movie for a change... buy this movie, you will not be disappointed!

Good movie.......2007-06-12

I watched this when I was little. Very nice, clean movie that keeps you very involved with the characters. Would recommend!

The Cutest of Movies.......2007-06-10

This movie is so wonderful I love the characters they picked to play each of the characters. This is the best movie out of the trilogy the sequel being the second best because both follow the book. This movie had all of my family in tears at certain points and Gilbert Blithe was a definite favorite for us. The scenery is breathtaking and the way the love story plays out is very cute. I would highly recommend this movie as it is a very enrapturing movie filled with the simple, beautiful things in life. And how Anne " with an E " touches the hearts of so many people is so beautiful. It made me want to move to Prince Edward Island tomorrow to live somewhere like Green Gables. Anne of Green Gables has become one of my favorite movies as it sings to the heart of the hopeless romantic.

Simply wonderful.......2007-06-07

This is one of the best adaptations I have ever seen. Sullivan does a great job of bring Avonlea to the screen and making smart choices about what needs to be changed while remaining true to the world Montgomery created.

The casting is perfect - major and minor characters alike are extremely talented. It's amazing to see how Megan Follows plays a 13 year old and a 16 year old, sometimes days apart, and is believable every time. Richard Farnesworth and Colleen Dewherst are magic.

The bonus features are also great - giving you the impression that getting this adaptation so perfect was more luck than craft on Sullivan's part (a perspective proven later when he destroys this "trilogy" with the joke that is The Continuing Story"), but provides an interesting commentary and details fans will really enjoy.

Everything about this film - the cast, the script, locations, costumes - works together. This is the Avonlea Anne fans have long loved.

Average customer rating:

Christopher Eccleston is the DOCTOR!
Not at all what I remembered!
Great
The Doctor is back!
Blown away by these amazing DVDs

Doctor Who - The Complete First Series
Starring: Billie Piper , Christopher Eccleston , Camille Coduri , Noel Clarke , and John Barrowman
Manufacturer: BBC Warner
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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Doctor Who - The Complete Second Series
Doctor Who - Genesis of the Daleks (Episode 78)
Doctor Who - The Beginning Collection
Doctor Who - Inferno (Episode 54)
Doctor Who - The Mark of the Rani (Episode 140)

ASIN: B000E41MS6
Release Date: 2006-07-04

Amazon.com

The venerable science fiction program Doctor Who returned to British televisions in 2005 after a 15-year absence and delighted the majority of fans and critics with its adherence to the adventure and charm of the original series while making admissions for a new generation of viewers (hipper editing and score, CGI effects). Thirteen episodes were generated, all starring Christopher Eccleston as the ninth Doctor and pop-singer-turned-actress Billie Piper as his companion Rose; acclaimed writer/producer Russell T. Davies (Touching Evil, Queer as Folk) oversaw the show as chief writer and executive producer. The new series proved so popular that the BBC agreed to revive the program for second and third seasons--though without Eccleston, who has since been replaced by David Tennant. This six-disc set comes with all 13 episodes plus the battery of supplemental features now customary to all Doctor Who DVD releases.

Eccleston is very engaging in the title role, bringing a manic curiosity tempered by occasional bouts of gravity (which befit a personality with a long and dramatic a lifespan as the Doctor's) that hew closely to the (arguably) most popular Doctor, Tom Baker. Piper is equally adept as department store clerk Rose--she's afforded more of a back story than most of the Doctor's sidekicks have received in the past, and she more than handles her own alongside Eccleston. Highlights among the 13 episodes include the season opener, "Rose" (which sees the return of an old foe, the Autons, and their controlling force, the Nestene Consciousness); the revamped Daleks in "Dalek" and the two-parter "Bad Wolf" and "The Parting of the Ways"; a trip to Victorian England to aid Charles Dickens in "The Unquiet Dead," and of course, the arrival of the tenth Doctor at the conclusion of the action-packed "Parting of the Ways." The episodes strike the right blend of quirk, excitement, and imagination, thanks largely to the engaging performances and the guidance of Davies, whose admiration for the show and its history is evident throughout.

Supplemental features--and there are many--including commentary on all 13 episodes by members of the cast and crew, including Piper and Davies; numerous making-of featurettes, including a profile of Davies; a video diary by Piper; an interview with Eccleston, and best of all, a glimpse at the 60-minute Christmas special, "The Christmas Invasion," which picks up where the series concludes. Who fans won't be disappointed. --Paul Gaita

Description

Christopher Eccleston's Doctor is wise and funny, cheeky and brave. An alien and a loner, his detached logic gives him a vital edge when the world's in danger. But when it comes to human relationships, he can be found wanting. That's why he needs Rose. From the moment they meet, the Doctor and Rose understand and complement each other. As they travel together through time, encountering new adversaries, the Doctor shows her things beyond imagination.

DVD Features:
Audio Commentary: Dolby Digital 5.1 surround mix on all eps Almost 5 hours of ?making of? interviews and behind-the-scenes footage
Interviews
Other:Star studded team of writers including Russell T Davies (Queer As Folk), Steven Moffat (Coupling), and Mark Gatiss (The League of Gentlemen)

Customer Reviews:

Christopher Eccleston is the DOCTOR!.......2007-07-03

The new Doctor Who series has a bigger budget and better writing than the past generations and it's tons of fun! Christopher Eccleston in the 1st series as the Doctor is FANTASTIC. Great action packed stories that are lots of fun to watch. If you never understood the British cult of Doctor Who previously, this new series will hook you.

In the second series, David Tennant's Doctor is just a bit melodramtic nutsy with a tinge of mushy humanism (a few too many diatribes about the magnificance of the human race). But still worth watching!

Not at all what I remembered!.......2007-07-03

I passionately hated Dr. Who when I was a kid growing up in the mid-80's. I just didn't understand why anyone would like it. Couldn't even stand to listen to the theme music 'cause it freaked me out so badly! I've never been a huge fan of science fiction either. (Harry Potter books are one of only a very few exceptions to this rule.)

However, when my local PBS station (which I LOVE) started airing episodes from this new series, I figured I'd give it another try. SO worth it! The writing, acting, special effects, directing...EVERYTHING about it is excellent, and it's such an intelligent, thought-provoking show which makes you feel so many different emotions!

If one episode alone could completely change my opinion, how much do you think YOU would enjoy it? :-)

Yes, I'm an adult now and can tolerate scary TV much better than I used to, but I will admit that sections of some episodes still frighten me. (Great episode, but "Empty Child" sent shivers down my spine every time I heard this little voice call out, "Mummy. Mummy. Are you my mummy?") I like to watch this series with all the lights on and the dog curled up with me. Each episode sticks with me, and I always hope that it won't give me nightmares!

Great.......2007-06-03

This show is sooo great and I love watching, it is great for the whole family because it has slap stick comedy and you will want to watch it over again.

The Doctor is back!.......2007-05-30

I have to admit, I grew up watching Dr. Who, and when I found out that Dr. Who was back I was excited and yet really not expecting much. I mean remakes are never that good... right? Boy, am I glad to be wrong! This was so cool. Everything that made Dr. Who awesome before is still there. (with the exception of the longer storylines, which I loved) Eccleson is the best Dr. yet! If you've ever seen Dr. Who, you'll love this and if you've never seen it... get ready to be hooked. You'll want to watch it over and over again. :)

Blown away by these amazing DVDs.......2007-05-25

Never having been exposed to Doctor Who before I am just in awe of the fine writing and production values that this series brings. The acting of Christopher Eccleston is Emmy worthy. These DVDs are a must for any fan of science fiction or any H.G. Wells afficionado. Just brillant in all respects.

Average customer rating:

One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
Pretty good, awesome acting, but things kind of fell apart towards the end
i read the book first
It's a Mad, Mad World...
Insane in the Membrane

One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
Starring: Jack Nicholson , Louise Fletcher , William Redfield , Michael Berryman , and Peter Brocco
Director: Milos Forman
Manufacturer: Warner Home Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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Similar Items:

Chinatown
Midnight Cowboy
A Clockwork Orange
Cool Hand Luke
Citizen Kane

ASIN: 0790732181
Release Date: 1997-12-17

Amazon.com

One of the key movies of the 1970s, when exciting, groundbreaking, personal films were still being made in Hollywood, Milos Forman's One Flew over the Cuckoo's Nest emphasized the humanistic story at the heart of Ken Kesey's more hallucinogenic novel. Jack Nicholson was born to play the part of Randle Patrick McMurphy, the rebellious inmate of a psychiatric hospital who fights back against the authorities' cold attitudes of institutional superiority, as personified by Nurse Ratched (Louise Fletcher). It's the classic antiestablishment tale of one man asserting his individuality in the face of a repressive, conformist system--and it works on every level. Forman populates his film with memorably eccentric faces, and gets such freshly detailed and spontaneous work from his ensemble that the picture sometimes feels like a documentary. Unlike a lot of films pitched at the "youth culture" of the 1970s, One Flew over the Cuckoo's Nest really hasn't dated a bit, because the qualities of human nature that Forman captures--playfulness, courage, inspiration, pride, stubbornness--are universal and timeless. The film swept the Academy Awards for 1976, winning in all the major categories (picture, director, actor, actress, screenplay) for the first time since Frank Capra's It Happened One Night in 1931. --Jim Emerson

Description

A nice rest in a state mental hospital beats a stretch in the pen, right? Randle P. McMurphy (Jack Nicholson), a free-spirited con with lightning in his veins and glib on his tongue, fakes insanity and moves in with what he calls the "nuts." Immediately, his contagious sense of disorder runs up against numbing routine. No way should guys pickled on sedatives shuffle around in bathrobes when the World Series is on. This means war! On one side is McMurphy. On the other is soft-spoken Nurse Ratched (Louise Fletcher), among the most coldly monstrous villains in film history. At stake is the fate of every patient on the ward. Based on Ken Kesey's acclaimed bestseller, One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest swept all five major 1975 Academy Awards: Best Picture (produced by Saul Zaentz and Michael Douglas), Actor (Nicholson), Actress (Fletcher), Director (Milos Forman) and Adapted Screenplay (Lawrence Hauben and Bo Goldman). Raucous, searing and with a superb cast that includes Brad Dourif, Danny DeVito, Christopher Lloyd in his film debut, this one soars.

DVD Features:
Production Notes
Theatrical Trailer

Customer Reviews:

One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest.......2007-07-04

A landmark film of the '70s, Forman's "Nest" is the anti-establishment film par excellence--and perhaps the finest showcase ever for the blazing talent and wild-man antics of a certain Jack Nicholson. Organizing illegal card games, playing hoops with the nutters, sneaking whores into the lockdown ward, McMurphy represents the zeal and passion of a truly free spirit. His interactions with Christopher Lloyd, Brad Dourif, and a young Danny DeVito are both hilarious and tragic, but it's his conflict with fellow Oscar winner Fletcher, as the hateful, repressed, order-obsessed Nurse Ratched, that ultimately seals his fate. Based on Ken Kesey's mordant novel, "Nest" is a grimly funny movie about madness and our irrepressible need to challenge authority.

Pretty good, awesome acting, but things kind of fell apart towards the end.......2007-06-24

Some aspects of the movie were excellent. Nicholson did a hell of a job, like always. He is just as believable as he wants to be. He is just crazy enough for the viewer to wonder if he belongs in the mental facility or if he is just faking to stay out of a labor-yard or the state penitentary. Some of his interactions with the head nurse and the other patients are unforgettable, like when he pretends he is watching baseball and starts the play by play announcing when the head nurse refuses to let the patients watch the world series.

I liked most of the movie and the plot development seemed to be right on cue. But once the movie started winding down, things stopped being believable. McMurphy seems to leave and enter the facility whenever he wants, cleverly eluding security, he bribes the guard with a box of liquor, and convinces his girlfriend to sleep with one of the patients. After the entire routine of trashing the mental facility at the cover of night, he decided to STAY instead of escape, when he could have easily escaped. This was just absurd and the movie lost its purpose at that point.

In typical, depressing fashion, everything falls apart, when the innocent young man commits suicide, McMurphy forsakes another attempt to escape. I won't give away the ending, but its not satisfying and not what I was hoping for, it made me feel that I wasted 2 1/2 hours of watching the film.

There were few enduring lessons; other than the motif of individuals who are on power trips, personified by the head nurse. The book is a classic and is known for developing this relationship masterfully. But in a 2 1/2 hour movie, it is hard to accomplish this dense character development. It just didn't work in my eyes.

This film usually gets great ratings, but it just didn't fly for me. I like classics, like Cool Hand Luke and the Godfather. But I don't like depressing, meaningless endings. Death, depression and failure don't necessarily make a "good" movie in my eyes. There needs to be more purpose behind it. The conversations and acting were great, but the last half hour of the movie was disappointing.

It seems as the writer of the script, and the author for that matter, had excellent material but really didn't know how to wrap it up for a memorable ending.

i read the book first.......2007-06-16

the book was much better, so it was hard to watch it. other than that it is an awesome movie.

It's a Mad, Mad World..........2007-05-29

Throughout my lifetime, I don't think I have ever met a red-blooded human being who did not appreciate the tragic charm of "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest."
The amazing thing about this movie is that one does not need to be institutionalized to see that life itself is filled with "slightly off" people. No matter who or where you're from, we are all aware of how the term "crazy" has officially ingrained itself as a "normal" term in our daily vocabulary.

Frankly, I don't believe any of these characters were clinically insane.
I am confident quite a few people would agree with me in that statement.

What I found the most heartbreaking was the fact that the craziest of them all was the control-freak Ratched nurse who was supposedly there to help these people. It truly sickens me when such villains feed off of the fragility of the vulnerable. Talk about snatching a candy away from a poor, helpless baby...

To be honest, I've only seen this movie about three or four times.
But it has been one of those movies that really left an imprint in my mind by inspiring me to accept the fact that nobody is perfect -
and that sometimes, striving for perfection can indeed drive the most normal person insane.

I do believe - that when a single movie can possess such power,
it deserves nothing less than 5 complete stars.

Insane in the Membrane.......2007-05-15

This is the worst of the Danny DeVito comedies released in the mid-80s, and is far, far inferior to funnier flicks like "Down and Out in Beverly Hills," "Ruthless People," and "Other People's Money." Compared to them, this one is a comic stinker.

The premise is a good one-- a couple of wackos played by Danny DeVito, Jack Nicholson, Christopher Lloyd, and an Indian perform hijinks in an asylum and they plot to break out. The laughs, however, are few and far between and at times the only things that are funny are Jack Nicholson's hat and the fact that Michael Douglas directed this.

My biggest problem is that Jack Nicholson, who is great as The Joker (Batman), the Devil (The Witches of Eastwick) and a Wolf (Wolf) isn't very gifted at comedy. Imagine how much crazier it would have been if the crazy people were led by somebody like Tim Allen or Chris Tucker and Jackie Chan!

There is some funny business with a water fountain and a pillow at the end of the movie, but too little too late, if you ask me. Only rent this movie if you hate laughter.

Doctor Who - New Beginnings (The Keeper of Traken / Logopolis / Castrovalva)

Average customer rating:

Worth the price for the music alone!
Very good...though...could be better!!
New Beginnings
A whole new beginning
"A new body... at last!"

Doctor Who - New Beginnings (The Keeper of Traken / Logopolis / Castrovalva)
Starring: Tom Baker , and Peter Davison
Manufacturer: BBC Warner
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Genres | DVD | Video

General | Television | Genres | DVD | Video

Sci-Fi & Fantasy | Cult Movies | Genres | DVD | Video

Sci-Fi & Fantasy | Boxed Sets | Stores | DVD | Video

Television | Boxed Sets | Stores | DVD | Video

Doctor Who - The Sontaran Experiment (Episode #77)
Doctor Who - The Invasion
Doctor Who - Robot (Episode 75)
Doctor Who - The Hand of Fear (Episode 87)
Doctor Who - Survival (Episode 159)

ASIN: B000NJXG8G
Release Date: 2007-06-05

Amazon.com

Keeper of the Traken
The Keeper of Traken was the beginning of the end for Tom Baker's tenure as the venerable TV sci-fi hero Doctor Who. By the end of the next serial, Logopolis, Baker had been replaced by the Fifth Doctor, Peter Davidson (whose debut, Castrovalva, is also available on DVD, as is Logopolis; both, along with Keeper of Traken, can be found in a three-disc boxed set titled New Beginnings). But fans got one more witty and suspenseful dose of Baker's Doctor with this story, which sends the Time Lord and companion Adric to the planet Traken, a peaceful haven ruled by the all-wise Keeper for a thousand years. The Keeper feels his reign is coming to an end, and with it, the rise of evil from within Traken's governing council itself. The Doctor, however, recognizes the presence of a old and familiar foe at the heart of the mystery--one he thought had been vanquished long ago.

Well-played by the cast (especially Baker, who is given a wealth of amusing lines), and an excellent launching pad for new companion Nyssa (Sarah Sutton), The Keeper of Traken is both a fine addition to the Baker canon and an enjoyable serial for new and old Who fans alike. Extras on the single disc include commentary by Sutton, actors Matthew Waterhouse (Adric) and Anthony Ainley (Consul Tremas), and writer Johnny Byrne; a 30-minute documentary on the serial, which includes interviews with most of the cast and production team; a clip of Sutton on the BBC series Swap Shop; and a featurette on the true identity of the evil plaguing Traken. The by-now-standard photo gallery, text-only commentary track, and PDF of the Doctor Who Annual (here from 1982), Radio Times listings, and BBC sales literature rounds out the crowd-pleasing supplements. --Paul Gaita

Logopolis
After seven years as the Doctor on England's long-running science fiction series Doctor Who, actor Tom Baker hung up his scarf and retired from the role in this four-part serial from 1981. )(The second in a three-part story arc focused around the Doctor's longtime adversary The Master (Anthony Ainley), (The other parts of the arc, Castrovalva and The Keeper of Traken, are also available on DVD as single discs and in a three-disc set titled New Beginnings) Logopolis finds the Time Lord in a contemplative mood as he attempts to repair the TARDIS' broken chameleon circuit, which has left the shape-shifting vehicle in the form of a police box. The Doctor and Adric (Matthew Waterhouse) travel to Logopolis, a planet run by mathematical geniuses, but encounter the Master as he plots to steal the secret of the planet's massive radio telescope. His scheme accidentally releases a wave of entropy that threatens to destroy the universe, and the! Doctor and the Master must work together to prevent the end of existence itself. A sense of finality pervades Logopolis, and certainly for Baker fans, it does mark the end of the actor's run in the role, as well as a period of considerable popularity for the series. Baker's replacement, Peter Davidson, faced an uphill battle when he assumed the Doctor's mantle, and for many fans, his arrival signaled a downward turn for the program that was not reversed until its revival in 2005. The story itself is an intriguing one, and well played by its cast, which included newcomer Janet Fielding as airline stewardess Tegan Jovanka, who became one of the Doctor's companions for several seasons. Extras on the disc include commentary on all four episodes by Baker and Fielding, as well as writer Christopher Bidmead; a trio of BBC news program interviews with Baker on his departure and Davidson on his assumption of the role; a terrific 50-minute featurette titled "A New Body At Las! t," which interviews many of the principal cast and crew on the transi tion from Baker to Davidson; and the usual PDF of printed material from The Doctor Who Annual and Radio Times, as well as the excellent text-only commentary and isolated music tracks fans have come to expect from the discs. -- Paul Gaita

Castrovalva
The four-episode serial Castrovalva not only kicked off the 19th season of Doctor Who, but introduced the fifth incarnation of the venerable British sci-fi hero in the younger (and blonder) form of Peter Davidson, who replaced fan favorite Tom Baker at the end of the previous season. Castrovalva picks up where the Baker finale, Logopolis (also available on DVD), left off, with the Doctor in a weakened state after his transformation, and in need of rest and recuperation. His companions set a course for the planet of Castrovalva, but all is not as it seems on the peaceful and educated world: Could the Doctor's old nemesis The Master be setting a trap for the ailing Time Lord? It's a strong debut for Davidson, who quickly sets his own path as the Doctor (while referencing his predecessor's traits and quirks in several clever bits), and the single disc DVD's extras do an excellent job of covering the transitional phase that the cast and crew underwent during the serial's production. Davidson is front and center on the commentary tracks for all four episodes, and he's joined by castmate Janet Fielding (Tegan), director Fiona Cumming, and writer Christopher H. Bidmead. And he's the focus of two featurettes: "Being Doctor Who," which covers his tenure as the Doctor, and "The Crowded TARDIS," in which he joins Baker, Fielding, and Sarah Sutton (Nyssa) to discuss the Doctor's multiple companions in the Davidson years. Cumming is also profiled in a short feature on directing the episode, and the BBC vaults yield interviews with Davidson from the period on the children's shows Blue Peter and Swap Shop. A pair of deleted scenes, continuity announcements, a photo gallery, the usual above-par text commentary, a PDF of printed material on the show, and a music video for a remix of Peter Howell's theme music round out the supplements. -- Paul Gaita

Description

These three stories saw the return of the Doctor's arch-enemy, The Master, as well as the transition from Tom Baker's Doctor to Peter Davison's. The Keeper of Traken: A distress call brings the Doctor (Tom Baker) to the tranquil planet of Traken, where a living statue poses a deadly threat. (4 eps, 98 mins) Logopolis: The Doctor's (Tom Baker) plan to enlist the help of Logopolis's mathematicians for a small favor become sidetracked when the Master's interference leads to disaster on a universal scale. (4 eps, 98 mins) Castrovalva: The Doctor's (Peter Davison) regeneration is failing, and his last hope rests with Nyssa and Tegan, who struggle to steer the TARDIS to the remote haven of Castrovalva. (4 eps, 96 mins)

DVD Features:
Audio Commentary:Audio Commentary by actors Anthony Ainley, Sarah Sutton and Matthew Waterhouse and writer Johnny Byrne
DVD ROM Features:1982 Doctor Who Annual, Radio Times and BBC Enterprises literature PDFs
Documentary:Being Nice to Each Other: A new 30-minute "making of" documentary that includes contributions from Sarah Sutton, Sheila Ruskin, Geoffrey Beevers, John Black, Johnny Byrne, Christopher H. Bidmead
Interviews:Swap Shop: Noel Edmond interviews Sarah Sutton (11 mins)
Music Only Track
Other:The Return of the Master: Geoffrey Beevers, Christopher H. Bidmead and John Black talk about the return of the Doctor's arch-enemy (8 mins) Trailers and Continuity Announcements (6 mins)
Photo gallery
Production Notes
Audio Commentary:Audio Commentary by actors Tom Baker and Janet Fielding and writer Christopher H. Bidmead
DVD ROM Features:1982 Doctor Who Annual, Radio Times and BBC Enterprises literature PDFs
Documentary:A New Body at Last: A new 50-minute documentary on the transition from Tom Baker to Peter Davison, featuring many of the actors and production team involved, plus exclusive behind the scenes footage of the regeneration
Interviews:Nationwide Interviews with Tom Baker and Peter Davison (8 mins) Pebble Mill at One: Peter Davison interview (12 mins)
Music Only Track
Other:BBC News Reports on Tom Baker's wedding, the announcement of Tom Baker's departure and Peter Davison's arrival (1 min)
Photo gallery
Production Notes
TV Spot:Trailers and Continuity Announcements (2 mins)
Audio Commentary:Audio Commentary by actors Peter Davison and Janet Fielding, writer Christopher H. Bidmead and director Fiona Cumming
DVD ROM Features:1982 Doctor Who Annual, Radio Times and BBC Enterprises literature PDFs
Deleted Scenes
Featurette:The Crowded TARDIS: 11-minute featurette with Tom Baker, Peter Davison, Sarah Sutton, John Black and Christopher H. Bidmead
Interviews:Being Doctor Who: Peter Davison discusses how he approached this iconic role (13 mins) Directing Castrovalva: 11-minute interview with Fiona Cumming Swap Shop, Blue Peter: Peter Davison interviews (29 mins)
Music Only Track
Music Video:New r