Laura

Starring:Maud Adams, Dawn Dunlap, James Mitchell, Pierre Londiche, Thierry Redler, Maureen Kerwin, Gunilla Astrom, Katia Kofet, Louise Vincent, Luciano, Bill Millie, Bernard Daillencourt, Anja SchÃ¼te, Michael Pochna
Director: David Hamilton
Studio: Jef Films Inc.
Product Type: DVD

Average customer rating:

Exciting and entertaining
Intelligent Dialog
Very Well Made
I appreacited the way the movie doesn't provide a pat answer about Hanssen's motivations
To Catch a Spy

Breach (Widescreen Edition)
Starring: Chris Cooper , Ryan Phillippe , Laura Linney , Dennis Haysbert , and Gary Cole
Director: Billy Ray
Manufacturer: Universal Studios
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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Shooter (Widescreen Edition)
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ASIN: B000OYAT3U
Release Date: 2007-06-12

Customer Reviews:

Exciting and entertaining.......2007-07-04

We rented this movie just to have something to watch over the weekend. It was fantastic. We loved it so much that we watched it again the next day and then went out and bought a copy. Chris Cooper is phenomenal. I highly recommend it.

Intelligent Dialog.......2007-07-03

This movie is an excellent charecter study of two men: the spy and the clerk who help bring him down. The dialogs are intelligent. The whole sting operation to catch Hanssen is good. All the performances are top notch. Cooper potrayed Hanssen very well. Not much real action happens during the movie. The suspense is whether spy Hanssen will figure out the sting before they can catch him in the act.

The movie does not give easy answers to the motivation of Hanssen, which is very good. The man has complexes on top of his complexes. O'Neill's motivations are complex as well. He wants to protect his wife, serve his country, but he has some respect for Hanssen as well. Hanssen has many dark sides, but his wife and his grand kids love him. Hanssen is honestly concerned about O'Neill career and marriage.

I have one small problem. They keep talking about all the technology they are using to catch Hanssen and really, they did not use it to catch him. However, they don't show any whiz bang stuff in the movie. I mean one episode of CSI has more technology exhibited. This is a very small point. Somebody mentions Hanssen mumbles a lot, which thwarts their use of all their monitoring equipment set up in the office.

The movie is thoughtful look into the world of spies. It is very reminscent of the "The Falcon and the Snowman." and is on that level.

Very Well Made.......2007-07-03

While this may not have the glamour of a Bond-esque spy adventure, this will certainly be regarded as an important and possibly classic spy movie. While I wont go into detail about the story line, which is easily found on the back of the cover, I will say it was paced perfectly and didnt drag on with filler and useless B.S. It is true that you kind of know what happens even before you put in the DVD, however the fun with this movie is watching to see how we get there. I gave this only 4 stars simply because I dont regard it as a "perfect" movie, and for the $20 price tag. I rented this for a buck at redbox and although I liked it, it wasnt enough to compell me to "have" to own it.

I appreacited the way the movie doesn't provide a pat answer about Hanssen's motivations.......2007-07-02

While all movies based on historical subjects must fictionalize events and compress timelines, it is how they do so that matters. Do they still tell the underlying truth of the story? Do they distort the substance of the story? Do they dumb it down so much that it transforms the story into something else? If it does any of these things, I tend to dislike it to the extent it does so. While this movie does make up scenes that never happened and puts actions into the hands of people that didn't do them, it still tells the truth of the story quite well for a Hollywood movie. You can read about the reality and the movie at chasingthefrog under their reelfaces link for this movie. It is quite interesting.

The movie is told through the eyes of the FBI operative who was put close to Hanssen and who was very important during the last two months of the investigation that finally caught him. This person is quite real and his name is Eric O'Neill and is played very well by Ryan Phillippe. The focus of the movie is the spy and traitor Robert Hanssen. The performance given here by Chris Cooper is superb and I hope it is recognized when awards are handed out. Chris Cooper is a fantastic actor whose range of characterizations in his many performances is breathtaking. Not only in the type of character, but their ages, in how they look, their intelligence, their moral make-up. He has it all and I enjoy everything I have seen him do.

Hannsen's wife, Bonnie is played very well by Kathleen Quinlan, and it is her devout faith that adds such a contradiction to Hannsen's character and motivation. It would be easy to paint Hannsen as using his religion cynically. However, while he certainly violated the tenets of his faith, it is clear that he holds his faith close, even while engaging in many seriously bad and compromised behaviors (beyond the spying). O'Neill's immediate superior and FBI handler Kate Burroughs and played very well by Laura Linney. She is tough enough to use O'Neill unsympathetically and yet has enough sense to know when she is pushing too hard and when to take a different tact with her inside guy.

I enjoyed this movie very much. It is smart and doesn't cheat by giving us a simple answer to the puzzle. Just as in real life, we do not know Hanssen's true motivations. Even Hanssen may not understand them. We do know he cost real people their lives and compromised the United States in profound ways. He is justly spending 23 hours per day in solitary confinement.

To Catch a Spy.......2007-07-01

Powerful performances by Cooper and Phillippe bring this rather intense film to life. Based on a true story, it offers a glimpse at the behind-the-scenes operation to catch one of the most dangerous spies in recent history.

When Eric O'Neill (Phillippe) is assigned the job of spying on his new boss Robert Hanssen (Cooper), he at first believes that he is digging up the dirt on the man's deviant tendencies, but eventually learns that Hanssen is in fact a spy for the Soviet Union, and later Russia for the last fifteen years.

Cooper is extremely believable as the devout Catholic FBI double agent who is transferred to headquarters on the pretext that he is heading a department to ensure the confidentiality of classified information. O'Neill and Hanssen eventually develop a mutual respect, but when the latter gets up close and personal with O'Neill's personal life, O'Neill finds himself taking the heat both at home and at the office.

Recommended for fans of espionage movies and thrillers, but may be a little slow for action/adventure buffs.

Here's a summary to the tune of "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds" by The Beatles

Picture O'Neill as a mole on a mission
With off the rack suits and nondescript ties
FBI calls him, he answers quite slowly
His role's to go ferret out spies

Surveillance cameras always on the scene
Panning right over his head
Look to the boss for the secrets he hides
But there's none

Hanssen is a spy for Russia
Hanssen is a spy for Russia
Hanssen is a spy for Russia

Follow him down to a church with a steeple
Where Hanssen communes with deities high
Everyone smiles as he meets with the family
There's no way this guy is a spy

Agent Kate Burroughs appears at the door
Takes him and shows him the way
Goes in the room with his head full of clouds
Now they're gone

Hanssen is a spy for Russia
Hanssen is a spy for Russia
Hanssen is a spy for Russia

Picture O'Neill with his role in the mission
With downloaded folders from palm pilot files
Suddenly Hanssen suspects that it's over
Gets ready to say his goodbyes

Hanssen is a spy for Russia
Hanssen is a spy for Russia
Hanssen is a spy for Russia

Amanda Richards, July 1, 2007

David Lynch's Inland Empire (Limited Edition Two-Disc Set)

Average customer rating:

The Labyrinth of a Woman In Trouble
IT'S DAVID LYNCH
Give yourself a lobotomy instead!!!
Awesome
One of Lynch's best films!

David Lynch's Inland Empire (Limited Edition Two-Disc Set)
Starring: Laura Dern , Jeremy Irons , and Justin Theroux
Manufacturer: Absurda / Rhino
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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Twin Peaks - The Second Season
Zodiac (Widescreen Edition)
The Films of Alejandro Jodorowsky (Fando y Lis / El Topo / The Holy Mountain)
Pan's Labyrinth (New Line Two-Disc Platinum Series)
Ace in the Hole - Criterion Collection

ASIN: B000QQFKYE
Release Date: 2007-08-14

Amazon.com

Though Inland Empire's three hours of befuddling abstraction could try the patience of the most devoted David Lynch fan, its aim to reinvigorate the Lynch-ian symbolic order is ambitious, not to mention visually arresting. The director's archetypes recognizable from previous movies once again construct the film's inherent logic, but with a new twist. Sets vibrate between the contemporary and a 1950s alternate universe crammed with dim lamps, long hallways, mysterious doors, sparsely furnished rooms and, this time, a vortex/apartment/sitcom set where rabbit-masked humans dwell, and a Polish town where women are abused and killed. Instead of speaking backwards, mystic soothsayers and criminals speak Polish. Filmed on video, the film's look has the sinister, frightening feel of a Mark Savage film or a bootlegged snuff movie. Constant close-ups, both in and out of focus, make Inland Empire feel as if a stalker covertly filmed it. A straightforward, hokey plot unravels during the first third of Inland Empire to ground the viewer before a dive off the deep end. Actor Nikki Grace (Laura Dern) is cast as Susan Blue, an adulterous white trash Southerner, in a film that mimics too closely her actual life with an overbearingly jealous and dangerous husband. When Nikki and co-star Devon (Justin Theroux) learn that the cursed film project was earlier abandoned when its stars were murdered, the pair lose their grasp of reality. Nikki suffers a schizophrenic identity switch to Sue that lasts until nearly the film's end. Suspense builds as Nikki's alter ego sleuths her way through surreal situations to discover her killer, culminating in Sue's gnarly death on set. Sue's actions drag on because any sign of a narrative thread disappears due to idiosyncratic editing. Non-sensical scenes still captivate, however, such as when Sue stumbles onto the soundstage where she finds Nikki (herself) rehearsing for Sue's part. In this meta-film about identity slippage, Dern's multiple characters remind one of how a victim can become the hunter in their fight for survival. Lynch's portrayal of Nikki/Sue's increasing paranoia is, in its own confusion, utterly realistic. Laura Dern has created her own Lady Macbeth, undone by her guilt over infidelity. Even though Inland Empire is too long and too random, Laura Dern's performance coupled with Lynch's video experiments make it magical. --Trinie Dalton

Product Description

Laura Dern in a virtuoso performance plays an actress whose latest role sends her through a Lynchian looking glass of dark dreams and transformation

Customer Reviews:

The Labyrinth of a Woman In Trouble.......2007-07-03

"We are like the spider.
We weave our life and then move along in it.
We are like the dreamer
who dreams and then lives in the dream.
This is true for the entire universe."

These were the opening words that Lynch spoke during his introduction for INLAND EMPIRE at various theaters around the county in early 2007. If we are willing to trust Lynch's choice of words, this quote from the Upanishads opens a small window into the world of this film. Admiring any artists' work, requires a certain amount of trust in the artist. Their job is to ask questions (through their work) and our job is to verify what is true for ourselves. But that process is not necessarily a linear or an intellectual one. Such is the case with INLAND EMPIRE's complex meta-physical web. I consider this film to be a 21st century Alice in (a) wonderland (of hell). And in this film, hungry ghosts abound.

Having read the Amazon reviews, I wanted to take mine in a slight different direction. Not since Eraserhead has Lynch had the artistic license and freedom to create a film so free of typical constraints. And having evolved as a filmmaker, he has established his own distinct palette of colors from which to work. There is a good deal of continuity from one project to another and these qualities can be a clue as to the enigma that is INLAND EMPIRE.

Despite our human nature to try to make sense of unfamiliar territory, Lynch is not only aware of this natural tendency, but not interested in explanations. His job is to create something very visceral within the narrative of a story infused by the world of ideals. This is what makes his work so damn challenging - we are so busy hanging on to "rationality," we undervalue intuition and our ability to sense what we experience. It is also a testament to the many levels on which Lynch's films work. Rather than grasping at any "meaning" that may (or may not) be there, it has become more interesting to me to see how far I can allow myself to be absorbed into what I am seeing and experiencing. Lynch's ability to lay out very effective ground rules is what elevates his work into the realm of Hitchcock, Bunuel, Fellini, and others. And like a Buddhist sand mandala, what appears to be a flat one dimensional thing, turns out to be multi-dimensional house of many mansions. Lynch films are not for the passive.

I would have to echo the sentiment that Lynch's work, does not have a "center" or a set "reality," in a typical sense. Not taking this into account and trying to figure out meaning, if not fun, will be very frustrating for many. And it is often here that much unjustified criticism is leveled at Lynch and the extraordinary thing he his doing cinematically. In a Lynch film, the only reality is the fact that he made a film and that there is an audience in the theater watching it. Beyond that, as in the dream world, you are on your own. When I first saw INLAND EMPIRE, I knew it was going to be a long movie, and I accepted the fact that I was about to pay my money and, as if I was at a carnival, going to be taken on a little ride (in tandem with a few thousand companions). Before I knew it, the ride was over and I found myself walking out of the theater, a little dizzy and wondering what the hell I just saw. Woman in trouble, indeed. Amazing film.

Lynch spoke about what we could expect in terms of a DVD release and he mentioned that it was going to be fun and include some really great things. This looks to be the case!

We can expect the following extra features:
A behind the scenes look at INLAND EMPIRE with David Lynch
Interviews with Laura Dern and the director as well as
"additional character experiences" (more things that happened)
Three theatrical trailers
A 73 photo stills gallery
And Lynch demonstrating how to prepare quinoa!

Beautiful.

IT'S DAVID LYNCH.......2007-06-23

I'm definitely buying this. I haven't seen it, but, it's David Lynch. Even when he's bad he's brilliant. He has a fantastically rich imagination, and if Mary Sweeney did the editting on INLAND EMPIRE, then it will be well worthwhile.

Lynch's films delve our subconscious civilisation and represent our social repressions. He is a master, an auteur, a genius.

People first considered Eraserhead to be long-winded and meaningless. From what I've seen of the INLAND EMPIRE trailers, it seems very similar in approach to Eraserhead's surreal abstraction. Not so much long-winded and meaningless as in-depth and weighty.

It may be that his method is in flux right now, and what we get is to enjoy the madness of our own subconcious exegesis as represented by an artistic visionary.

Give yourself a lobotomy instead!!!.......2007-06-20

This movie is a complete waste of your time! It makes no sense! There is no continuity and one boring scene leads to another and so forth. Give yourself a break and save your 3 hours for something that will enrich your life, because this ain't it!

Awesome.......2007-06-15

This is my favorite Lynch film ever. Let yourself go and experience this film multiple times and you'll "get it". There is definitely a story here, but the story exists on many different planes. As for people who say it has no emotional impact, shame on you. There's a ton of emotion here, actually almost too much to mention.

My advice- sit back and absorb. We will never have this much artistic brilliance in the US ever again.

One of Lynch's best films!.......2007-06-13

With out going into detail of what the film may or may not be about, I will say that it is possibly the most disorienting and disturbing piece of cinema I have seen in a very long time...maybe ever! By the end of the movie you feel like you've been slapped around in your seat for 3 hours. But considering how boring and nonexperimental movies have become today this is a wonderful thing. Highly Recommended!

Average customer rating:

Brilliant low-key film
Get On the Boat, Do Your Job, Get Back Home
A little disappointing
Taut suspense!
Treacherous Treat

Breach (Full Screen Edition)
Starring: Chris Cooper , Ryan Phillippe , Laura Linney , Caroline Dhavernas , and Gary Cole
Director: Billy Ray
Manufacturer: Universal Studios
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B000OYAT44
Release Date: 2007-06-12

Customer Reviews:

Brilliant low-key film.......2007-06-26

Breach is amazingly excellent, and is a much more complicated film than the trailers for it made it appear. The trailers advertised it as a cat-and-mouse game between an up-and-coming newbie and a diabolically clever and seasoned veteran. Not so. Hanssen in the movie is not vilified as a devious traitor so much as presented as a seriously disturbed individual suffering from a crippling need for attention and recognition. In short, he's a sad, mentally ill individual. Rather than eagerly anticipating the moment of his capture, I found myself actually feeling sorry for him. This humanness made the film much more poignant and effective than it would have been had they played it as a Ludlumesque spy thriller. Cooper, by the way, deserves an Oscar. Phillippe simply should not have been used. One peculiarity that bugged me throughout the film though was that both lead actors sported such copious amounts of makeup that it was easily visible in all of the scenes. Every close up of Phillippe painfully revealed not only that he wore eyeliner, but mascara and lipstick as well. Oh well. One other minor thing that irked me throughout the film was all the stupid stuff thrown in it about lie detection. This was obviously thrown in to up the "intrigue factor," and only ended up resulting in a glaring inconsistency in the film: If Cooper's character can tell when Phillippe's character is lying every single time they play the "lie detection game," then why can't he ever tell when he's lying throughout the rest of the film? Annoying. The obvious answer is that you really can't tell when someone is lying, unless they contradict themselves. Research on polygraphs show that they can't outperform chance, and that neither can trained agents.

Get On the Boat, Do Your Job, Get Back Home .......2007-06-22

"The Robert Hanssen spying case, which broke in early 2001, was -- it is so clear now -- the harbinger of 9/11, a big honking symptom of the entrenched, institutional problems at the FBI that let big clues slip by, clues that might have prevented the horrors of that day. In the annals of disgruntled employees, Robert Hanssen, career FBI agent, is close to the top of the list. He was intel, and, as Hanssen (Chris Cooper) explains to the agent wannabe assigned to work as his assistant, Eric O'Neill (Ryan Phillippe), the intel side of the FBI gets no respect. Hanssen is a computer expert, and he's been railing at the Bureau to upgrade its antiquated systems for years -- no one listens, because it's only the guys with guns who are paid any heed, only the guys with guns who get the big promotions. It is the "organizational arrogance" of the FBI, Hanssen assures O'Neill, that has prevented Hanssen from advancing as he deserves to... and, the unspoken undertone is, that prevented the many warnings of 9/11 we've heard about -- field reports from intel agents, for instance --from being given the weight of urgency they deserved. And, oy, don't get Hanssen started on the lack of interagency cooperation between the FBI and the CIA. (We see that lack almost sink the FBI's investigation into Hanssen, too.) " Peter Travers

At one point Eric O'Neill, played so ably by Ryan Philippe becomes so discouraged with his FBI career he goes to his father to discuss whether he should quit. His father tells him the philosophy of his seafaring father, which is an analogy for life. "Get on the boat, do your job, and get back home'. Eric O'Neill is a surveillance-op for the FBI and his goal is to be promoted to a full Agent status. On one day he is called into a meeting with Agent Burroughs, played by Laura Linney. She tells him he is being assigned to the desk of Robert Hanssen, and that Hanssen is suspected of posting explicit sexual content on the Internet. His job will be to watch Hanssen's every move and to report back to Burroughs. Within a short while O'Neill doubts his job, as he has come to respect Hanssen.

O'Neill confronts Burroughs and the real story is told. Hanssen has been feeding top secret information to our enemies for twenty years, and the damage is in the millions of dollars and dozens of lives. Now O'Neill finds himself pitted against one of the finest minds in the FBI. A real cat and mouse game begins.

The drama and suspense in this movie is overwhelming, but so finely tuned that as the story unravels, you begin to feel you are part of the action. This story is partially known as the story begins. However, the story progresses and the finely detailed life of Robert Hanssen is laid bare. The power of the finale is not diminished at all. The ending is ambiguous and we are left to wonder about the man Hanssen. This is a delicious story of the real world of politics and espionage. The real story is that of the relationship that develops between O'Neill and Hanssen. The mind games that are played and built leave us bewitched and bothered. Chris Cooper is phenomenal as Hanssen. One of the better acting roles I have seen this year. Ryan Philippe playing O'Neill is the perfect foil.

Heartily, highly recommended. prisrob 6-22-07

A little disappointing.......2007-06-18

The Robert Hanssen story--that of an Opus Dei (extremely conservative) Catholic making kinky movies of him and his wife and their sexual experiences is by nature titillating. The contradiction between the rabid anti-Communist and his selling secrets to the Soviet Union is intriguing. So my interest in this case had led me to read a lot about it, and to anticipate this film eagerly.

I regret to say I found the film less in line with the depth of the story than I would have liked.

To be perfectly honest, despite how much I admire Chris Cooper's acting, I wondered how he could play Hanssen who he doesn't resemble. Cooper didn't let me down (though, frankly, I don't recall from what I read that Hanssen was as arrogant as the character in the film seemed. But perhaps I don't remember that, or that character was made that way "for dramatic effect.)

There was a little discussion in the script of Hanssen's sexual deviance. There was one line referring to his taste for "a stripper." That's where I felt the film was less accurate than I'd have liked. And I therefore think the film's theme, of Hanssen's overwhelming, conniving brilliance, was inaccurate. Allow me to explain.

The script indicated that Hanssen was so smart that the bureau didn't see through his clever, shrewd planning. In real life, the "stripper" issue was a major issue, not just a script one-liner. Hanssen had a relationship with a dancer at a club I'm familiar with in Washington. More important, my reading indicated that he took her to some FBI event in I think Tokyo, or somewhere in Asia, and the FBI didn't notice. Here's an Opus Dei Catholic travelling with a young woman he's not married to and the bureau didn't notice? So one can infer the bureau's ineptitude rather than Hanssen's brilliance.

Indeed, authors don't know that Hanssen had more than a platonic relationship with the stripper. And I don't recall from what I read that Hanssen was taking movies of him and his wife and their sexual activities. I think he described them in lurid detail on what was ostensibly his web page. And at least one author indicated that he wasn't absolutely sure it was Hanssen's web page. (All right, there was solid evidence that it was--or couldn't have been someone else's--but it wasn't cut and dry). But movie or not, sexual or not, something pretty blatant, something a school kid would have noticed the bureau didn't see. I'm afraid in that sense, the film left the FBI off with much less guilt than I would have.

My spouse was concerned that there wasn't enough discussion of Opus Dei and Hanssen's affliation therewith. Indeed, in one of the deleted scenes, there was a little more said about Hanssen's daughter sleeping on a board, for example. But to me that wasn't something the script needed to dwell on more than it did.

Overall it was a pretty good thriller, the type that keeps you on the edge of your seat despite your knowing what's going to happen. And the bonus material asks some of Hanssen's colleagues why they think Hanssen did what he did. While I won't give away their answers, they seem pretty reasonable. But if you want a more accurate view of what happened, I suggest you read many of the fine books available on the subject.

Taut suspense!.......2007-06-18

Even though viewers know how this film will end, the writing is so good that the suspense builds pretty much constantly throughout the entire film. Acting and production values are excellent as well. The scenes between O'Neill and his wife were, for me, the weakest element; it just didn't ring true to me that he could keep her at such a distance throughout his difficult assignment. The final scene also struck me as a bit too melodramatic. But the rest of the film had me going for sure -- I'd give it four and a half stars for its genre.

Treacherous Treat.......2007-06-13

Based on a true story, 'Breach' gives us a nerve-wrenching tip-toe spy story taking place within the FBI. Young agent aspirant, Eric O'Neill (Ryan Phillippe) proves to be the kind of wunderkind his agency needs to do some in-house spying. At first he finds his mission nearly impossible, but his target is near-retiree curmudgeon Robert Hanssen (played with finesse by stock jerk-villain actor Chris Cooper, who here shows greater spectrum). He is prompted by his stridently clinical supervisor (Laura Linney in a starchly cool performance) who tells a story that seems to belie the facts. Relying on poker-face strategies, all players sort out mutual duplicity until the facts are revealed. In the meantime, like many spy dramas of late, the protagonist must balance his ambition with the love of his life.

Fascinating, this nail-biting drama is all the more tangible for being real. The hypnotic score gives a proper old-fashioned element that works so well in this thriller. With a solid story-line that seldom gets convoluted, 'Breach' is a treat for such a treacherous tale.

Average customer rating:

Phantasm is a classic !
Interesting but not scary
you play a good game, boy...
phantastic philm!
David Lynch Forever

Phantasm
Starring: David Arntzen , Michael Baldwin , Reggie Bannister , Bill Cone , and Lynn Eastman
Director: Don Coscarelli
Manufacturer: Starz / Anchor Bay
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Phantasm III
Phantasm 4: Oblivion
Re-Animator
Suspiria
Hellraiser

ASIN: B000MV8ABS
Release Date: 2007-04-10

Amazon.com

Jody is the kind of guy that every 1970s teen looked up to. He's in his early 20s, has a cool car, splendid '70s hair, leather jacket, plays guitar and (naturally) snags all the girls. His little brother, Mike, in particular, admires him and emulates him at every turn. Things start to go astray, however, when the two brothers and their friend Reggie attend a funeral for a friend. Mike notices a tall man working at the funeral home; in the course of his snooping, he sees the tall man put a loaded coffin into the back of a hearse as easily as if it was a shoebox. Jody doesn't believe his little brother's stories, though, until he brings home the tall man's severed finger, still wriggling in what appears to be French's mustard. From there, the film picks up a terrific momentum that doesn't let up until the sequel-ripe twist ending.

Phantasm was one of the first horror movies to break the unspoken rule that victims were supposed to scream, fall down, and cower until they were killed. Instead, Mike and Jody are resourceful and smart, aggressively pursuing the evil inside the funeral home with a shotgun and Colt pistol. Furthermore, the script has a great deal of character development, especially in the relationship between the two brothers. The film even has a surprisingly glossy look, despite its low-budget origins, and little outright gore (except for the infamous steel spheres that drill into victims' heads). This drive-in favorite was a big success at the time of its release, and spawned three sequels. Little wonder; it includes an inventive story, likable characters, a runaway pace, and, of course, evil dwarves cloaked in Army blankets. The end result is one of the better horror films of the late 1970s. Hot-rod fans take note: Jody drives a Plymouth Hemi 'Cuda, the pinnacle of 1960s muscle cars, rounding out his status as a Cool Guy. --Jerry Renshaw

Description

The Original Classic From The Director Of THE BEASTMASTER and BUBBA HO-TEP Michael Baldwin and Bill Thornbury star in the shocker that started it all, in which two brothers discover that their local mortuary hides a legion of hooded killer dwarf creatures, a flying drill-ball, and the demonic mortician known as The Tall Man (an iconic performance by Angus Scrimm) who enslaves the souls of the damned. More than 25 years later, it remains unlike any fright film you've ever seen. Reggie Bannister co-stars in the heart-stopping classic from writer/director Don Coscarelli that launched the most uniquely chilling series in horror history and is still hailed as one of the scariest movies of all time. Experience PHANTASM again, now featuring frightening extras never before seen in America! Features:Widescreen Presentation TV Spots Audio Commentary with Writer/Director Don Coscarelli and Stars Michael Baldwin, Angus Scrimm and Bill Thronbury Deleted Scences, Also on DVD PHANTASM Trailer, PHANTASM III Trailer PHANTASM: Behind-the-Scences, PHANTASM: Actors Having a Ball Phantasmagoria, 1979 PHANTASM Interview, 1988 Fangoria TV Commerical

Customer Reviews:

Phantasm is a classic !.......2007-07-04

Phantasm is a classic! I loved this film. I wish they could add the footage from Phantasm 4 with all those deleted/left out scenes and put it back in the first!! That would be awesome!

Interesting but not scary.......2007-06-19

Plot: A kid on a bike, his brother and a funeral home. Then a tall man whos turnin people into some kind of demons or slaves. It had somewhat of an atmosphere to it but this wasnt that great. I mean it was boring, long, and the ending made no sense at all. Low budget dosent have to mean bad but this one was close to it. It kept me watchin till the end hoping something good would happen but it ultimately disapointed. They 'overdid' the music. I was watchin the scenes and it was that continuous loud score playing over and over. I guess it was for the 70s but far from the best horror movie.

you play a good game, boy..........2007-06-01

Oh, the fond memories of watching an old, worn-out, crackling VHS tape of dubious origin, in a dark garage-turned-creepy-livingroom, on an aging TV. This remains one of the scariest and coolest horror films I've ever seen, despite some issues with effects.

One of my major horror movie gripes has to do with the color and consistency of blood--I know that's a relatively minor quibble to some, but to me it's an important aspect. The blood in this movie is too red and has the opaque appearance of latex paint. The yellow fluid that the Tall Man bleeds also has this quality. My circle has always referred to it as "banana pudding". But, this is one of the few films wherein the blood thing doesn't take me out of the moment at all.

The first sentinel sphere death scene is dramatic, and the Tall Man is nothing short of iconic. Sound and silence are used to great effect, and the score is awesome. The film also captures a unique period in history, the strange transition from the '70s to the '80s, which adds to the bizarre atmosphere. Goofy hairstyles, characteristic over-the-top slasher effects and a dash of self-effacing camp. Fun!

I'm glad to see this released on DVD, finally, and with lots of great extras. What a treat! It's a shame it took so long. The last time I saw this film, I was about 13, and was afraid that, like so many other half-forgotten old favorites, it wouldn't stand up to the test of time. Well, glad to say I was proven wrong. So horribly wrong.

Phantasm is just a cool, fun, undeniably creepy film that captures a unique snapshot of a particular era in the history of horror movies, and certainly deserves a place on anybody's shelf. Cock your quad-barrel shotgun and bust out the banana pudding, it's time to break some balls.

phantastic philm!.......2007-05-14

OK so now that I've annoyed you with really bad phonetic jokes....for the brave few willing to get past that obvious mark of bad taste....phantasm is a truly unique addition to any horror fans library. i remember first seeing the film many years ago and the starkness and eerie quite of the mausoleum is something that has always stayed with me. the flying orbs are a great vehicle for terror. If you are new to Don Coscarelli's movies I hope this will encourage you to check out the sequels to Phantasm and of course the mighty Bubba-Hotep! (Long live the king!) The movie has a great balance of drama and good old 70's cheese (not over the top in my opinion....just enough to make you sit back and smile). After all when was the last time an aging ice cream vendor with pattern baldness was a hero!!? All kidding aside though, as a pretty avid horror movie junkie, and a fan that looks for really good horror films that continue to stand the test of time....this is one of them!

David Lynch Forever.......2007-05-13

This book is a mixture of interviews and an overview of Mr. Lynch's career. I'll be the first to admit that he's not the best at interviews. He gives none of the magic of hios movies away. Which I for one think is a good thing.
Out of all the books on the subject, this is the best.

Average customer rating:

This Movie Does No Justice for Ruffian!
Okay for a TV movie
Ruffian, Horse Racing, And The Decade Of The 1970s
The Legend of the Real Life Black Beauty
What About Her Legacy?

Ruffian
Starring: Sam Shepard , Frank Whaley , Jason Douglas , Laura Bailey , and Christine Belford
Director: Yves Simoneau , and David Dwyer
Manufacturer: ESPN Original Entertainment
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Drama | Genres | DVD | Video

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

Barbaro - A Nation's Horse
Ruffian: A Race Track Romance
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Barbaro: The Horse Who Captured America's Heart
The Life & Times of Secretariat, an American Racing Legend

ASIN: B000OCY7KI
Release Date: 2007-06-12

Description

(Sports / Doc) Based on the story of the great filly who was undefeated until suffering a fatal breakdown in a match race against Foolish Pleasure at Belmont Park in 1975 . Only lasting two short seasons on the track, Ruffian was unbeaten through her first ten starts - shattering records at nearly every race. It was the much anticipated 11th race, on July 7, 1975 in front of a packed house at Belmont and a television audience of 18 million viewers, that proved to be her last. Hailed as the battle of the sexes, Ruffian went head-to-head with Kentucky Derby winning colt Foolish Pride, in what became the last match race in professional horse racing. Just short of the one mile marker, Ruffian went down hard with a broken leg, ultimately leaving doctors with no other option than to put the horse to sleep. The next day, she was buried at Belmont and to this day remains the only horse granted that honor.

Customer Reviews:

This Movie Does No Justice for Ruffian!.......2007-06-27

This movie is lame and doesn't do justice for her. Ruffian was an exquisite, wonderful being. I watched her race... it was amazing. I watched the match race... it was horrendous. Why make us relive it? The last 30 minutes of the movie was just as horrible as it was watching it real time.

The best part of the movie was the ending credits where it actually showed Ruffian. (I only saw the movie when it aired on tv.) Maybe the additional clips on the DVD are worth it; not sure. I recommend instead purchasing the book "Ruffian" by Edward Claflin.

Okay for a TV movie.......2007-06-19

This review is for the TV movie, which I viewed. I haven't seen the DVD extras, so I can't rate them. This movie was probably as accurate to the facts as one could expect for a TV movie. It has the usual dramatic device of a protagonist (Nack) who is around for nearly every scene, even though in reality he wasn't. I agree with one of the other reviewers that it's a little disappointing to see horses that look much older and heavier (probably quarter horses) portraying the tall, slender Ruffian, but I suppose it can't be helped, given the limitations of the filming process and budget. Overall, this is worth seeing if you're a fan of Ruffian or horse racing in general. The TV broadcast did include some very short clips of some of Ruffian's actual races. I hope the DVD includes more of that.

As an aside, there are several mistakes in the description of the movie's story on the Amazon product description page. Ruffian isn't the only horse buried at Belmont (she was the first), she was injured well before the mile marker, the date was July 6th, and she didn't fall hard on the racetrack. Also, the second time Foolish Pleasure is mentioned, his name is listed as Foolish Pride. Pretty sloppy on the part of whomever wrote that story description.

Ruffian, Horse Racing, And The Decade Of The 1970s.......2007-06-15

When I heard they were making a film about Ruffian, my first reaction was that I didn't want to see it and relive the emotions I felt back in 1975 while watching the match race on TV.

But by the time the movie debuted on ABC, I decided to watch it and I'm glad I did. Seeing the movie helped put it back in perspective and made me remember the glory of Ruffian and not just the tragic ending.

If you are too young to remember 1975 or weren't born yet, please watch the movie to see the cultural significance of the "He vs. She" match race. It was an indelible part of the 1970s decade, coming on the heels of the 1973 Billie Jean King vs. Bobby Fisher tennis match, and the rise of Women's Lib.

There are a lot of other things about that tumultuous decade that we'd like to forget (such as polyester!), but in horse racing, it was the best decade of all. Three smashing Triple Crown winners in Secretariat, Seattle Slew, and Affirmed; the rise of jockey Steve Cauthen as a household name; women jockeys breaking down the doors of the men-only club; plus Ruffian and other horse racing greats such as Spectacular Bid, Forego, and Alydar.

There are always inaccuracies that plague horse racing movies, and the Ruffian movie is no exception. Workout scenes show Ruffian alone with no other horses on the racetrack. I worked as an exercise rider for 20 years at Thoroughbred racetracks, and believe me, horses don't train alone. There are hundreds of horses on the track galloping and breezing during training hours, which really changes the dynamic of the scene.

The horse they used as Ruffian on the racetrack was a fairly decent representation of the real Ruffian, but the horse they used for the barn scenes looked like a Quarter horse, and just stood there like a nag. I'm sure it was for practical reasons, they needed a quiet horse to put up with all the filming, but I wish the barn-scene horse was more true to Ruffian's looks and personality. Ruffian was an extremely high spirited horse, she kicked up a fuss on a regular basis, and part of her allure and fame was due to her high voltage personality.

Even though in reality Bill Nack's character wasn't there for Ruffian's every move, I don't have an objection to him constantly being in and around the Whiteley barn as Bill Nack helped explain and drive the story. If the story was told from Frank Whiteley's perspective alone, it would have been a near-silent movie as he was cranky and didn't say much in real life.

In the 30+ years since Ruffian died, she has stood the test of time as an all-time great. Sports Illustrated included Ruffian as the only non-human on their list of the top 100 female athletes of the 20th century. The Blood Horse Magazine ranks her #35 in their top 100 racehorses of the century.

Real footage of Ruffian racing is shown at the end of the movie, it's a great addition as she truly was a dynamo. The inaccuracies I stated above don't detract that much from the real story, so I am giving it my top rating.

The Legend of the Real Life Black Beauty.......2007-06-13

My late father worked in horse-racing in NY for 35 years,
and I grew up listening to horse stories. No horse ever
captivated my heart and mind in quite the way that Ruffian did.
She was the real life Black Beauty for millions of little girls,
and the day she died, I walked away from horse-racing forever.
I was seventeen years old.

While the film may not be 100% historically accurate,
it was accurate enough to break my heart all over again
and send me hunting through my drawers to find my old Match Race
pins so I could hold Ruffian one more time while I cried for her.

It was accurate enough to make my best friend scream and grab her own
bad leg (previously broken several times)when Ruffian's leg snapped.
I think Ruffian's story still has the power and the magic to make little
girls everywhere believe that anything is possible, and that they can
truly be Champions like the Magnificent, Tragic Ruffian.
I will be going back to Belmont to visit Ruffian's final resting place
one more time.

Sam Shepard and the rest of the Ruffian "crew" did an excellent job
of portraying both the love and the limitations inherent within
the close-knit support system of the beloved Heroine Filly.

What About Her Legacy?.......2007-06-13

I think the movie was humble, in that it did not credit Ruffian, rather, let the facts speak instead; it did mention at the end, where it listed who went on to do what, that it was the last match race in professional horseracing. However, Ruffian's legacy may be much more: For example, the Wikipedia (where they edit each other's writing mercilessly) article about her recalled that,
'Her breakdown and tragic death led to a public outcry for more humane treatment of racehorses. One result was that medications, such as Lasix for bleeding and corticosteroids for inflammation and pain management, came into common use in racehorses.'
The article goes on with the rather astute observations that,
'While helping the horses in the short term, the increased use of medications at the track had a downside, as many horses were raced while injured. It can be argued that thoroughbreds are becoming more delicate as a result; racehorses today run only half as many starts before retirement as did their counterparts 50 years ago. Some of this effect is likely also due to breeding practices that select for horses likely to have short, brilliant careers--like Ruffian's--instead of the traditional racing career which might have lasted several years. Indeed, Ruffian's bloodline may be considered at least partly to blame for her broken leg; her sire, Reviewer, suffered three breakdowns.'
The movie shows Ruffian's burial at Belmont, also mentioned in Wikipedia, but neither point out that she has been the only horse honored with burial there. ESPN's coverage of the 2007 Belmont Stakes seemed complete, but failed to show Ruffian's grave at the pole or make the connection, upon the occasion of Rags to Riches being the first filly to win in over a hundred years, that their host, ABC, would air the movie Ruffian later that evening, about a filly who was leading to have won at the same Belmont Park, had a foreleg not broken, or anything about her. Certainly the movie, much less ABC, has no responsibility for ESPN or Wikipedia content, so I plead guilty to being a Monday-morning quarterback (I am interested in contributing to Wikipedia, but feel that I would have to return to college in order to wade through all their rules and regulations, etc.).
Yes, I specified 'foreleg,' as both the movie and the article mention her other leg breaking, but which leg is her 'other leg?' The article refers to Ruffian 'thrashing about wildy' coming out of anesthesia, so as to break the cast and her 'other leg' (front, presumably), but the movie only illustrated a running motion with her front legs, breaking the 'other.' Also not shown in the movie is the description in the article of how far/long she ran on after her leg broke, 50 yards, or as one account put it, to the effect that, the ambulance was there by the time she quit running. Perhaps the post-surgery running effort shown was chosen to illustrate this part of her reaction, the story of which may have gotten better over time. Without meaning to criticize the movie or the article based merely upon my own incomplete research, I point out these elements and the others as worth a look, because the running lame and fighting surgery, for example, touched the hearts of the country, I am sure, and are, therefore, important parts of her history/story.
The movie does show Ruffian's grave marker with epitaph paragraph, but in a flash like credits; to read it, I will have to buy this DVD and put it on pause, or else drive up to Belmont Park, in which case I could find out, too, if she is buried at the finish pole or the flagpole, or, maybe they are one in the same. You may also wish to see my Listmania list, 'Great Horse Movies on DVD.'

Harry and the Hendersons (Special Edition)

Average customer rating:

Great Family Fun
Harry and the Hendersons
Don't Miss This Movie
Once upon a time with Harry
Bigfoot, Bigheart....and a BiggerMind than you might think

Harry and the Hendersons (Special Edition)
Starring: Don Ameche , Orene Anderson , Richard Arnold , Melinda Dillon , and Nick Flynn
Director: William Dear
Manufacturer: Universal Studios
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Comedy | Genres | DVD | Video

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*Batteries Not Included
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ASIN: B000MRNWKG
Release Date: 2007-04-24

Amazon.com

This cute movie by William Dear stars John Lithgow as a family man who befriends a Sasquatch (a.k.a. Bigfoot) and brings the friendly monster's oversized, hairy self into his Seattle home. Mayhem and comedy ensue, but things take a heavier turn when a hunter (David Suchet) gets on the creature's trail. Everything hinges on the relationship between Lithgow's character and Harry (the Sasquatch), and that relationship is really quite effective and touching. Don Ameche is a hoot as an old guy who has dreamed of meeting Bigfoot all his life and finally gets the glorious chance. --Tom Keogh

Description

John Lithgow takes adventure to new heights in this big-laughs, big-hearted, big-footed comedy for the whole family! A chance car accident introduces the Hendersons to the real-life Bigfoot, who is anything but a ferocious monster and quickly becomes a true friend to the family. They're soon in a race against the clock to return "Harry" to his natural environment before the authorities capture him. The fur will fly in this feel-good romp - an Oscar winner for Best Makeup - the whole family will enjoy again and again!

Customer Reviews:

Great Family Fun.......2007-06-27

I had seen this movie many times when I was a kid and always loved it. "Harry" is great family movie full of Hilarious scenes that will make you laugh out loud! It asks the question "What is Bigfoot really existed?". Would he be able to be seen as a gentle beast? Great for children as it shows that all "animals" aren't mean and nasty and don't deserve to be killed just because we can. If you are looking for a movie with great laughs for kids and adults alike then see "Harry and the Hendersons" I believe it is a movie everyone can enjoy!

Harry and the Hendersons .......2007-06-02

Nice liitle movie about a 'fictional' character set in the Seattle area .
Great fun for the whole family .... and you get to see John Lithgow with more hair (funny how we lose our cranial covering and then it migrates to other parts of the body ) and Melinda Dillon fresh from closeEncounters of the 3rd kind .
Don Ameche is wonderful.

Something to let all kids watch ...reminds me of the best 'Disney' stuff when I was a kid .

Don't Miss This Movie.......2007-05-31

It was great to revisit a movie I have always loved. Many people have been searching for a release of this movie and now it has finally come to DVD. The "extras" are mostly promotional material that supported the movies original release so don't expect much there, but the movie itself is awesome!

Once upon a time with Harry .......2007-05-30

Great for children and adults, this movie can be watched over and over again. Enjoy the comedy and the imaginative creation of Harry.

Bigfoot, Bigheart....and a BiggerMind than you might think.......2007-05-26

This is one of the best family movies ever made!! I don't know why it wasn't a big hit??!?!! If you haven't seen this movie yet, especially if you're into bigfoot but, even if your not....you must see it. I believe that having an open mind and an open heart is important and this movie helps people see how, why and what the results might be. Give yourself over to the big guy.....heck, I'd let him stay with me....well for a little while. Great family fun and adventure can't be found like this in modern movies; Harry and the Hendersons has real heart and one of my favorite performances by John Lithgow. The cast is a great combination of very gifted actors who gave great performances that should have been recognized as such and really haven't been. Buy it! Buy it! Buy it!

Average customer rating:

Excellent :)
"That woman deserves her revenge... and we deserve to die."
Vol 2 is better
kill bill vol. 2
A Letdown

Kill Bill, Volume 2
Starring: Larry Bishop , Sonny Chiba , Sid Haig , Samuel L. Jackson , and Gordon Liu
Manufacturer: Miramax Home Entertainment
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Action & Adventure | Genres | DVD | Video

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( K ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video

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ASIN: B00005JMUA
Release Date: 2004-08-10

Amazon.com

"The Bride" (Uma Thurman) gets her satisfaction--and so do we--in Quentin Tarantino's "roaring rampage of revenge," Kill Bill, Vol. 2. Where Vol. 1 was a hyper-kinetic tribute to the Asian chop-socky grindhouse flicks that have been thoroughly cross-referenced in Tarantino's film-loving brain, Vol. 2--not a sequel, but Part Two of a breathtakingly cinematic epic--is Tarantino's contemporary martial-arts Western, fueled by iconic images, music, and themes lifted from any source that Tarantino holds dear, from the action-packed cheapies of William Witney (one of several filmmakers Tarantino gratefully honors in the closing credits) to the spaghetti epics of Sergio Leone. Tarantino doesn't copy so much as elevate the genres he loves, and the entirety of Kill Bill is clearly the product of a singular artistic vision, even as it careens from one influence to another. Violence erupts with dynamic impact, but unlike Vol. 1, this slower grand finale revels in Tarantino's trademark dialogue and loopy longueurs, reviving the career of David Carradine (who plays Bill for what he is: a snake charmer), and giving Thurman's Bride an outlet for maternal love and well-earned happiness. Has any actress endured so much for the sake of a unique collaboration? As the credits remind us, "The Bride" was jointly created by "Q&U," and she's become an unforgettable heroine in a pair of delirious movie-movies (Vol. 3 awaits, some 15 years hence) that Tarantino fans will study and love for decades to come. --Jeff Shannon

Description

With this thrilling, must-see movie event, writer and director Quentin Tarantino (PULP FICTION) completes the action-packed quest for revenge begun by The Bride (Uma Thurman) in KILL BILL VOL. 1! Having already crossed two names from her Death List, The Bride is back with a vengeance and taking aim at Budd (Michael Madsen) and Elle Driver (Daryl Hannah), the only survivors from the squad of assassins who betrayed her four years earlier. It's all leading up to the ultimate confrontation with Bill (David Carradine), The Bride's former master and the man who ordered her execution! As the acclaimed follow-up to the instant classic VOL. 1 -- you know all about the unlimited action and humor, but until you've seen KILL BILL VOL. 2, you only know half the story!

Customer Reviews:

Excellent :) .......2007-06-18

Uma Thurman, swords, kung-fu,& Quentin Tarrentino ... how can you go wrong?

"That woman deserves her revenge... and we deserve to die.".......2007-06-01

All grown men have a little boy in their heart that still surfaces every now and again...some fellows more so than others, and it's always so much fun to go back. That is one of the many reasons I enjoy having a son waiting to greet me when I come home from a day of work or a long business trip. On the flip side, Quentin Tarantino gets to go back to being a boy every time he goes to work, and I say good for him.

The Kill Bill movies are a potent effusion of likely all the things Quentin grew up with. Westerns, Kung-Fu movies, Samurai movies and other action films that helped mold and create his robust imagination. Now, he can take the ideas that inspired him as a child and make them even better for the next generation of action-craving bloodthirsty little children. Kill Bill volume 2 is more than a derivitive tribute film, it is an elicitation of massive nostalgia, excentuated keenly by incredible dialogue. Other than function well as a conclusion to the series, it is actually quite different from Kill Bill volume 1 in a few ways. Kill Bill volume 1 contained mostly introductions, followed by bloody action as Beatrix Kiddo took on and took out Vernita Green, O-Ren Ishii, Go-Go Yubari and of course the Crazy 88 (yes, all 88 of them). But in Kill Bill volume 2, I felt like those were merely the supporting villains as Kiddo takes on the more resourceful and profound antagonists in this film; Elle Driver, Budd and of course Bill himself. The sequel, unintentionally perhaps as the two were written and filmed together, possesses more depth than the first part. There is more room for dialogue and that is of course a great thing because outrageous and unlikely dialogue is one of Quentin's strengths, and it serves here to make the characters even more unearthly and super-hero-like then in the first film.

Overall, in volume 2 we get to see how Beatrix learned her skills and we learn more about the relationship between her and Bill. It all leads up to an often criticized climax between Bill and Beatrix. Between the dialogue and David Carradine's performance, the climax helped me enjoy this film a bit more than volume 1. So, if you prefer action and violence you will like the first movie better, but if you just so happen to get caught up in the characters along the way and have an appreciation for the kind of concentrated cultural yearning crossed with mythical level characters that only a Tarantino film can deliver, then Kill Bill volume 2 is a great cap to the two films. For me, simply put, together they make one amazing movie.

Vol 2 is better.......2007-05-27

You've seen vol 1 and thought do I really want to sit through another 2 hours of swords and kung-fu? Well vol 2 is the much better film, so the answer is yes.

Curiously enough although Vol 2 is longer, it seems to have a tighter construction. Some of the chapters are breath-taking, perhaps because they are shorter. The Pai-Mei chapter is simply marvellous. Uma Thurman gets her training with Pai Mei and Bill tells her "remember no sarcasm, no back-talk at least not for the first year or so, gonna have to let him warm up to you"! The Pai Mei chapter ties a lot of things together as well.

Oh yes in vol 2 we get to see Bill for the first time. David Carradine is great, very cool, and occasionally seems to become Kwai Chang Caine again all these years later.

I'd recommend seeing Vol 1 first, although it isn't quite as essential to do this, as it is to watch vol 2 after watching vol 1.

This is fabulous entertainment made by a master film-maker and I strongly recommend it.

kill bill vol. 2.......2007-04-19

i tend to bounce back-and-forth in my mind as to which half of the "kill bill" story i like better. as of writing this review, i'm going to have to go with "vol. 2", perhaps just because it's the one i've seen more recently, but i'm thinking there's more to it than that, so i'll try to get to those points instead.

first off, this really is like splitting hairs, picking which volume is better. now, believe all of those who point out how incredibly different the movies are because they are absolute night and day, but equally good and, more importantly, equally enjoyable.

i guess the one and only edge that i'd have to give "volume 2" is that the character's you get to spend time watching in this half (alongside the Bride, who is just as awesome here as in "vol. 1") are just more in-tune with what i like to see. for example:

-i LOVE the character of Bill, and found the scenes between he and the Bride to be among my favorite ever "ex-lover" face-off's in all cinema. they're is certainly a nastiness to the scenes, but you can SEE the two of them still deeply caring for another, despite themselves, esp. upon the conclussion of their showdown. it is just excellent.

-Michael Madsen's Bud is quite possibly the most difficult character to not like in any movie ever. despite his actions toward the Bride (no more detail. don't want to ruin anything in case you haven't seen it.), you just can't help but kinda feel for the guy. i mean, a dude that has to take junk off his boss, clean up nasty toilet water at a [...]-hole strip bar, then go home to his El Paso trailer to sit alone and listen to Johnny Cash records just kinda screams "feel bad for me" even if we really don't wanna. Bud is awesome, and i like having more of him, so yet another nod to "vol. 2".

-Pei Mei is freakin' awesome, esp. if you love the old kung-fu movies that the "kill bill" series was so lovingly created to replicate. awesome!

-Elle Driver is my absolute favorite member of the divas, so her being more prominant in this half alone makes me love it, love it, love it! just EXACTLY what a "bad guy" bad girl should be, man. all this, and the revelations made during the throwdown between she and the Bride just makes that fight (and the conclussion of said fight) SO much cooler it's just insane!

there is one more character in this movie that i thought was a really neat addition, but to talk about this is to REALLY ruin the movie, so just in case, i'll let you guys decide who you think belongs in this fifth spot.

overall, "kill bill" start-to-finish is outstanding in everyway, but i wanted to yack about "volume 2" today, so that's that. thanks for reading and enjoy!

A Letdown.......2007-04-03

I liked the first volume, despite the fact that it was mostly plotless, because it was very pretty in all its carnage. Volume 2, however, spends a lot of time on a plot that bothered me more and more when I thought about it. In the end, I found it overly simplistic and irritating (trying not to give anything away here). I kept waiting for a twist that never came. While the first volume was mostly fluff, a lot of style with no substance, it was enjoyable as that at least. The second volume has more plot, but this does not end up as more substance. But in the second volume, the time that is spent on the plot takes away from the style and we end up with two and a half hours which are not very enjoyable.

Average customer rating:

Spanish Subtitles
Complete the Rest
Just the right amount of drama for your money!
Good season
GREAT!

ER - The Complete Seventh Season
Starring: Anthony Edwards , Alex Kingston , Maura Tierney , Laura Innes , and Noah Wyle
Manufacturer: Warner Home Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Drama | Genres | DVD | Video

General | Television | Genres | DVD | Video

Drama | Boxed Sets | Stores | DVD | Video

Television | Boxed Sets | Stores | DVD | Video

( E ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video
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Law & Order - The Fifth Year (1994-1995 Season)

ASIN: B000MTEFUK
Release Date: 2007-05-15

Description

A busload of fume-sickened school kids...a gunman whose shooting spree claimed 19 victims...a guy in an opossum outfit who bit a man dressed as a kangaroo. They and so many others all converge at ER. The gurneys keep rolling in a superlative Season 7 that includes Abby's reunion with her mother, a turbulent woman who suffers from bipolar disorder. Also making the rounds in the 22 episodes: Carter returns from detox, Abby goes back to square one in med training, Benton struggles to emerge from Romano's doghouse, Kovac confronts a mugger, Weaver reveals her sexual orientation and Chen refuses to reveal the father of her child. Meanwhile, Greene and Corday marry...and live under the shadow of Greene's health crisis. Excitement, drama, suspense - the doctors are on call.

DVD Features:
Deleted Scenes
Gag Reel

Customer Reviews:

Spanish Subtitles.......2007-07-03

Does any body know why they didn't include spanish subtitles?? Where can I get the Complete Seventh Season with spanish subtitles???

Complete the Rest.......2007-06-25

The tapes were superb. Now, WHEN will we be offered Seasons 8 thur spring of 2007?? I am waiting for the "passing" of Mark Green. The sensitivity, truth, and carefulness with which so many issues were addressed needs to be available for people who may be at that time of their lives. And it is certainly not readily available from educational resources.And I missed the wedding of Abby and Luca. Commericals you know.

So please hurry and get the remainder of the years ready for sale. Not having to suffer the mindlessness of commericals and timing your time out of the room is very tricky. One can easily miss the best part as I think networks try to trick you to watch commericals.

Just the right amount of drama for your money!.......2007-06-17

This show just keeps getting better and better as the seasons are released. It starts getting into more detail about the personal lives of the doctors and nurses. This season is the season that starts the development of Dr. Greene's brain tumor. I can't wait until season 8 is released. This is real drama!

Good season.......2007-05-26

There is no doubt why ER has been on so long. Not my favorite season on dvd but good nonetheless.

GREAT!.......2007-05-19

This was a great season I can't wait for season 8. I already watched this whole season since it came out. wow it was good...

Roman Holiday (Special Collector's Edition)

Average customer rating:

like a tour guide
Beautiful
How many people know Dalton Trumbo actually wrote the screenplay?
The classics keep getting better.
Roman Holiday

Roman Holiday (Special Collector's Edition)
Starring: Gregory Peck , Audrey Hepburn , Eddie Albert , Hartley Power , and Harcourt Williams
Director: William Wyler
Manufacturer: Paramount
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Comedy | Genres | DVD | Video

Classic Comedies | Comedy | Genres | DVD | Video

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

( R ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video

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ASIN: B00003CXCD
Release Date: 2002-11-26

Amazon.com essential video

Maybe it doesn't quite live up to its sterling reputation, and maybe the leading man and director were slightly miscast. But who cares? Roman Holiday is the film that brought Audrey Hepburn to prominence, and the world movie audience went weak at the knees. The endlessly charming Hepburn had her first starring role in this sweet romance, playing a European princess on an official tour through Rome. Frustrated by her lack of connection to the real world, she slips away from her protective handlers and goes on a spree, aided by a tough-guy news reporter (Gregory Peck). Director William Wyler, more at home with such heavy-going, Oscar-winning classics as The Best Years of Our Lives and Ben- Hur, doesn't always keep the champagne bubbles afloat, and the Peck role would have fit Cary Grant like a silk glove. But the film is great fun, the location shooting is irresistible, and Hepburn embodies an image of chic style that would rule for the rest of the fifties. No coincidence: she won an Oscar, and so did veteran costume designer Edith Head. --Robert Horton

Customer Reviews:

like a tour guide.......2007-05-30

This is a classic film anD while watching it is like having a tour of Rome, all the sights and famous monuments . If you have ever been to Rome it brings back all the memories of your own Roman Holiday.

Beautiful.......2007-05-25

This film is the sweetest, most lovable romantic film ever. This film encouraged my uncle to become a reporter!

How many people know Dalton Trumbo actually wrote the screenplay? .......2007-04-17

I remember the first time I saw this movie, as a child, with the absolutely radiant Audrey Hepburn in her first major role as the naive, protected Princess determined to have her day of freedom and to escape from her overscheduled, dreary routine.
How lucky Hepburn was to have Gregory Peck as a costar, a man who was gallant (and wise) enough to insist she be listed as a costar, right up there alongside him in the credits. The studio wanted to use the words "and introducing Audrey Hepburn" in the credits but Peck believed -and turned out to be right- that she would win the Academy Award for her excellent portrayal, which may seem a bit over the top to today's audiences but absolutely charmed viewers at the time (I still love the movie).
The story behind this movie is nearly as fascinating as the movie itself and it is worth buying this Collector's Edition to get some of that behind the scenes info in the special sections. Frank Capra was set to direct the movie but when he found out that the blacklisted Dalton Trumbo was the scriptwriter, he bailed. That's when Wyler stepped in, letting Trumbo do the writing but having another writer "front" for him. It took years for Trumbo to be duly recognized.
I do believe this film is best seen in black and white, as it was intentionally filmed this way. Why? Because it was shot on location, in Rome, at a time when movies were often filmed in Hollywood, with backdrops to give the illusion of another country. But not THIS time. However, Wyler feared that if the movie was shot in color, Rome might overshadow the story itself. As it is, some have called Rome the third "character" in this film and it benefits greatly by being shot on location.

The classics keep getting better........2007-04-04

What more can be said about this film? Filmed on location in Rome, Italy in the fifties. Greg Peck and Audrey Hep. Nuff said!

Roman Holiday.......2007-03-19

One of the greatest movies of all time. Audrey Hepburn is breathtakingly flawless.

Average customer rating:

a very interesting movie
Sweet Story
Predictable but so great!
Loved "Loving"
Loving Annabelle

Loving Annabelle
Starring: Diane Gaidry , Erin Kelly (III) , Laura Breckenridge , Jennie Floyd , and Marla Maples
Director: Katherine Brooks
Manufacturer: Wolfe Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Drama | Genres | DVD | Video

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ASIN: B000J4QWIG
Release Date: 2006-12-12

Amazon.com

A lot of taboos are broken in Loving Annabelle, even if the film itself remains remarkably tasteful--even demure. The central characters are two women, a teacher and her student, and the setting is an all-girls school (shades of Lost and Delirious). Annabelle (the smoldering Erin Kelly), a senior, is a rebellious rocker chick--the Beverly Hills version that is, i.e. highlighted hair, black eyeliner, and nose ring. Her senatorial mother ships her off to boarding school to shape up. Annabelle's hard-partying ways are starting to become an embarrassment. Miss Simone Bradley (the sympathetic Diane Gaidry) is a popular poetry teacher. She's a Catholic. Annabelle is not. Simone has a boyfriend, Annabelle is gay. Looks can be deceiving, however, and there's more to both than meets the eye. For one, Simone's relationship is not as secure as it appears. For another, Annabelle's ardor is so relentless it threatens to sway sympathy against her. She seems to have no regard for the damage an affair would inflict on her teacher's career. Nonetheless, Simone is not entirely resistant to her charms. Inspired by 1931's Mädchen in Uniform, writer/director Katherine Brooks preserves the forbidden relationship at the heart of the Weimar-era classic, but drops the political subtext. Consequently, she doesn't take on more than she can handle, but Loving Annabelle still feels a little slight. --Kathleen C. Fennessy

Description

Rising star Erin Kelly is Annabelle, a precocious Senator's daughter who falls for her Catholic school teacher, Simone (Diane Gaidry, The Dogwalker). After Simone is assigned to control the rebellious student, she instead finds herself drawn into Annabelle's world. As their attraction builds, the two women must cope with the reactions of those around them. Writer-Director Katherine Brooks unveils this smoldering tale of forbidden love with intelligence, wit and sensitivity.

Customer Reviews:

a very interesting movie.......2007-06-27

I liked the way the movie was made.Not many words uttered,but still the two actresses-Diane Gaidry and Erin kelly-played wonerful.A movie of atmosphere.They stare at each other and say everything without uttering a word.

Sweet Story.......2007-06-14

I enjoyed it very much it was slow paced but not boring.

Predictable but so great!.......2007-06-10

As other reviewers have mentioned, you don't have to be a lesbian to love this movie. Whether you're a lesbian, a straight chick, a straight guy, or a gay guy, you'll truly appreciate the raw emotion in this movie.

So what's to like about this movie? Well, the setting of this movie is in a Catholic school and one of the main characters is a lesbian.. and the other main character, a teacher, isn't a lesbian. We all know what's going to happen here. The questions are is it going to happen, and if so, when and how? These questions build some intensity and you just can't wait to see what happens in the next scene. And that's what makes a great movie.

What's not to like? Not much. The ending had me scratching my head a little bit but movies don't always end the way we want them to so that's not enough to make me dislike this movie.

As far as lesbian movies go, this movie is the best I've seen in its genre. In terms of movies in general, this is a good movie, not great. This is the reason why I gave it 4 stars.

Loved "Loving".......2007-06-09

I loved this film. I really liked how Annabelle was gradual and kept her cool. This tension between Simone and her fiance added to the heat. This was not a film about lesbian sex, which (yes, even as a young horny guy) I really liked. The film focused on the forbidden aspects: Catholic school mixed with homosexuality and a teacher/student relationship equaled a great cocktail. Gotta see this film! I have half a dozen times now...and not just "the scene"!

Loving Annabelle.......2007-05-25

The acting is terrific but the ending left many questions unanswered. Not unlike the movie it is based upon "Maedchen in Uniform."

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