
Editorial Review:
Amazon.com
At once sprawling and intimate, Otto Preminger's coolly observed story of the education of a Catholic cardinal (Tom Tryon) spans 25 years of 20th-century social history, hops from Rome to Boston to Vienna, and confronts abortion, celibacy, and racism along the way. If those issues seem tame today, Preminger turns them into vivid drama in his hero's crisis and triumph of faith. Tryon is rather stolid and stiff, but the supporting cast helps liven scenes: Romy Schneider as a tempting Fräulein, Ossie Davis as an American priest who requests the Vatican take a stand against racism, John Huston's Oscar®-nominated performance as an irascible archbishop. It's a religious epic unlike any other of its time: thoughtful and serious, with a magnificent yet austere sense of composition and a graceful elegance. --Sean Axmaker
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Smoke Signals
Starring: Adam Beach , Evan Adams , Irene Bedard , Gary Farmer , and Tantoo Cardinal Director: Chris Eyre Manufacturer: Miramax ProductGroup: DVD Binding: DVD Similar Items:
ASIN: 6305428417 Release Date: 1999-09-28 |
Amazon.com
Based on a couple of short stories (from The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven) by Sherman Alexie, Smoke Signals is a lean and assured feature that speaks well of its lengthy, rich evolution, including a development stint at Sundance. The first feature made by a Native American crew and creative team, the film concerns two young Idaho men with radically different memories of one Arnold Joseph (Gary Farmer), a former resident of the reservation who split years before and has just died in Phoenix. Arnold's strapping, popular son, Victor (Adam Beach), remembers him best as an alcoholic, occasionally abusive father who drove off one day and never came back. By contrast, Thomas Builds-the-Fire (Evan Adams), whom Arnold had saved from certain death years earlier, has chosen to exaggerate the man's life and deeds in a mythmaking fashion that drives Victor crazy. Circumstances bring the two together, however, in a bus ride to retrieve Arnold's ashes. There, in Phoenix, a confrontation with the reality of the dead man's fullest legacy has a profound effect on both characters. Alexie, who wrote the script and was personally involved in all aspects of the production, and first-time director Chris Eyre are so polished in their approach that you can barely feel the cinematic engine at work here. This is the kind of movie in which the characters seem to be driving everything forward, a captivating and pleasant experience that gets a little too tidy at the end (can we call a moratorium on scenes of human ashes lovingly disposed to the winds?), but which is undeniably moving. The cast, including Irene Bedard (the voice of and physical inspiration for Disney's Pocahontas) is outstanding. --Tom KeoghDescription
Critically acclaimed as one of the best films of the year, SMOKE SIGNALS was also a distinguished winner at the Sundance Film Festival! Though Victor and Thomas have lived their entire young lives in the same tiny town, they couldn't have less in common! But when Victor is urgently called away, it's Thomas who comes up with the money to pay for his trip. There's just one thing Victor has to do: take Thomas along for the ride! You're in for a rare and entertaining comic treat as this most unlikely pair leave home on what becomes an unexpectedly unforgettable adventure of friendship and discovery!Customer Reviews:
Perhaps the Best Native American Movie.......2007-06-27
Very funny, in a Napoleanic way.......2007-05-22
Very charming.......2007-04-19
Put this in your pipe and smoke it.......2007-04-10
Good, but flawed.......2007-03-22
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Dances with Wolves - Extended Cut (Two-Disc Collector's Edition)
Starring: Kirk Baltz , Tantoo Cardinal , Maury Chaykin , Tom Everett , and Wayne Grace Manufacturer: MGM (Video & DVD) ProductGroup: DVD Binding: DVD Similar Items:
ASIN: B00008PBZZ Release Date: 2003-05-20 |
Amazon.com essential video
Kevin Costner's 1990 epic won a bundle of Oscars for a moving, engrossing story of a white soldier (Costner) who singlehandedly mans a post in the 1870 Dakotas, and becomes a part of the Lakota Sioux community who live nearby. The film may not be a masterpiece, but it is far more than the sum of good intentions. The characters are strong, the development of relationships is both ambitious and careful, the love story between Costner and Mary McDonnell's character is captivating. Only the third-act portrait of white intruders as morons feels overbearing, but even that leads to a terribly moving conclusion. Costner's direction is assured, the balance of action and intimacy is perfect--what more could anyone want outside of an unqualified masterpiece? --Tom KeoghDescription
A "truly spectacular" (The New York Times) film that combines action, romance and breathtaking adventure, Dances With Wolves is "a cinematic masterpiece" (American Movie Classics) that is nothing short of "a triumph" (Roger Ebert)!Sent to protect a US outpost on the desolate frontier, Lt. John Dunbar (Kevin Costner) finds himself alone in the vast wilderness. Befriending the very people he's sent to protect the outpost from, the Sioux Indians, Dunbar slowly comes to revere those he once feared. But when the encroaching US Army threatens to overrun the Sioux, he is forced to make a choiceone that will forever change his destiny and that of a proud and defiant nation.Customer Reviews:
gives you that cozy feeling!.......2007-05-14
Monumental Achievement!.......2007-05-14
An American Masterpiece.......2007-05-13
Excellent, but what about disc 2?.......2007-05-11
Good Quilty Movies..........2007-05-07
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Legends of the Fall (Special Edition)
Starring: Brad Pitt , Anthony Hopkins , Aidan Quinn , Julia Ormond , and Henry Thomas Director: Edward Zwick Manufacturer: Sony Pictures ProductGroup: DVD Binding: DVD Similar Items:
ASIN: B00004WG2F Release Date: 2000-10-17 |
Product Description
An epic adventure of brotherhood and betrayal, Legends Of The Fall" is a powerful story about a close-knit family which is forever changed when the youngest of three brothers brings home his dazzling bride-to-be, inadvertently sparking passions and creating a rivalry.Amazon.com
A box-office hit when released in 1994, this sprawling, frequently overwrought familial melodrama may get sillier as its plot progresses, but it's the kind of lusty, character-based epic that Hollywood should attempt more often. It's also an unabashedly flattering star vehicle for Brad Pitt as Tristan--the rebellious middle son of a fiercely independent Montana rancher and military veteran (Anthony Hopkins)--who is routinely at odds with his more responsible older brother, Alfred (Aidan Quinn), and younger brother, Samuel (Henry Thomas). From the battlefields of World War I to his adventures as an oceangoing sailor, Tristan's life is full of personal torment, especially when he returns to Montana and finds himself competing with Alfred over Samuel's beautiful widow (Julia Ormond), whose passion for Tristan disrupts the already turbulent Ludlow clan. Under the wide-open canopy of Big Sky country, this operatic tale unfolds with all the bloodlust, tragedy, and scenery-chewing performances you'd expect to find in a hokey bestselling novel (in fact, it's based on the acclaimed novella by Jim Harrison), but it's a potent mix that's highly entertaining. Not surprisingly, John Toll won an Academy Award for his breathtaking outdoor cinematography. --Jeff ShannonCustomer Reviews:
Three brothers and one woman under the Big Sky country........2007-06-17
Love, betrayal, and drama..........2007-05-16
One of the best movies ever made........2007-03-27
Good, old-fashioned family saga.......2007-02-24
Rage against Leviathon.......2007-02-17
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Dreamkeeper
Starring: Jerry Dale Giroux , Michael Greyeyes , Lawrence Bayne , Wilma Pelly , and Sykes Powderface Director: Steve Barron Manufacturer: Lions Gate ProductGroup: DVD Binding: DVD Similar Items:
ASIN: B00019330O Release Date: 2004-03-16 |
Amazon.com
While it doesn't hold together as a three-hour TV drama, Dreamkeeper should prove enthralling to anyone interested in Native American myths and legends. A variety of tribal folklore provides the episodic thrust of this typical Hallmark production, which relies too heavily on digital effects--and the plodding direction of Hallmark regular Steve Barron--in telling the story of a resentful Lakota teenager (Eddie Spears) who reluctantly agrees to drive his wise old grandfather (August Schellenberg) from their South Dakota "rez" to an All-Nations Powwow in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Along the way, the tradition-bound elder serves as tribal "dreamkeeper" for his initially resistant grandson, who gradually realizes that his grandfather's stories--visualized through effects-laden reenactments involving all manner of magic and mystery--are essential in preserving the fading cultures of the Lakota and the several other tribes whose folklore depends on unbroken generations of oral tradition. While some of the lavishly dramatized tales can stand alone as authentic Native American myth-making, Dreamkeeper lacks the overall structure that could've given the stories a cumulative magical impact. Still, it's an admirable attempt to introduce neglected cultures into the television mainstream. --Jeff ShannonProduct Description
A century old storyteller and his grandson, a troubled 17 year old boy embarks on a cross country journey toward self-discovery. Like Old Pete's wise tales themselves, Dreamkeeper is important and illuminating storytelling for the entire family.Customer Reviews:
Dream Keeper.......2007-06-01
Awesome.......2007-05-30
So moving!.......2007-05-30
legends.......2007-05-13
Yes, lets have more dreamkeepers.......2007-04-30
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Dances with Wolves (Full Screen Theatrical Edition)
Starring: Kirk Baltz , Tantoo Cardinal , Maury Chaykin , Tom Everett , and Wayne Grace Manufacturer: MGM (Video & DVD) ProductGroup: DVD Binding: DVD Similar Items:
ASIN: B0001GF2H4 Release Date: 2004-05-25 |
Amazon.com essential video
Kevin Costner's 1990 epic won a bundle of Oscars for a moving, engrossing story of a white soldier (Costner) who singlehandedly mans a post in the 1870 Dakotas, and becomes a part of the Lakota Sioux community who live nearby. The film may not be a masterpiece, but it is far more than the sum of good intentions. The characters are strong, the development of relationships is both ambitious and careful, the love story between Costner and Mary McDonnell's character is captivating. Only the third-act portrait of white intruders as morons feels overbearing, but even that leads to a terribly moving conclusion. Costner's direction is assured, the balance of action and intimacy is perfect--what more could anyone want outside of an unqualified masterpiece? --Tom KeoghProduct Description
A "truly spectacular" (The New York Times) film that combines action, romance and breathtaking adventure, Dances With Wolves is "a cinematic masterpiece" (American Movie Classics) that is nothing short of "a triumph" (Roger Ebert)!Sent to protect a US outpost on the desolate frontier, Lt. John Dunbar (Kevin Costner) finds himself alone in the vast wilderness. Befriending the very people he's sent to protect the outpost from, the Sioux Indians, Dunbar slowly comes to revere those he once feared. But when the encroaching US Army threatens to overrun the Sioux, he is forced to make a choiceone that will forever change his destiny and that of a proud and defiant nation.Customer Reviews:
gives you that cozy feeling!.......2007-05-14
Monumental Achievement!.......2007-05-14
An American Masterpiece.......2007-05-13
Excellent, but what about disc 2?.......2007-05-11
Good Quilty Movies..........2007-05-07
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Lewis & Clark - The Journey of the Corps of Discovery
Starring: Hal Holbrook , Adam Arkin , Murphy Guyer , Sam Waterston , and Matthew Broderick Director: Ken Burns Manufacturer: Pbs Paramount ProductGroup: DVD Binding: DVD Similar Items:
ASIN: B000BITUHU Release Date: 2004-09-28 |
Amazon.com essential video
Another reliably well-crafted, generally engrossing documentary from Ken Burns, Lewis & Clark employs the director's now-familiar approach to his subjects, from its elegant juxtaposition of period illustrations and portraits against newly filmed footage of historic sites to Burns's repertory of accomplished actors to provide gravitas for quotes from the key figures. Granted the formula has become familiar enough to allow parody, but Burns knows how to invest his historical investigations with movement and drama, making this four-hour journey a worthwhile trip.As narrated by Hal Holbrook, Dayton Duncan's script explicates the agenda presented by Thomas Jefferson to Meriwether Lewis and William Clark, placing it in the context of the young country's gamble in Jefferson's Louisiana Purchase, and the expedition's goals for opening the West. While preserving the heroic scale of the undertaking, Burns also finds time to delve into the politics of the venture and the disparate personalities of the two explorers; in particular, Duncan and Burns look at the career of Lewis, the presidential protégé, his moody demeanor, and his untimely death. The film also looks beyond its titular leaders to examine the personalities of their corps of soldiers, their boatmen, and the Indians they met and depended on, most notably their female Shosone guide, Sacagawea. --Sam Sutherland
Customer Reviews:
Sorty of Lewis & Calrk on DVD.......2007-05-08
Beautiful Scenery of the American West.......2007-04-26
must watch.......2007-04-02
Travel with the Corps of Discovery.......2006-09-25
A Good Documentary: A Bit of History, A Bit of Storytelling.......2006-02-13
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Walking Tall
Starring: The Rock , Johnny Knoxville , Neal McDonough , Kristen Wilson , and Ashley Scott (II) Director: Kevin Bray Manufacturer: MGM (Video & DVD) ProductGroup: DVD Binding: DVD Similar Items:
ASIN: B000274T94 Release Date: 2004-09-28 |
Amazon.com
The Rock is definitely Walking Tall in this straightforward remake of the popular 1973 revenge flick based on the real-life exploits of Sheriff Buford Pusser. Only the basic premise of the original film remains, but it's well-suited to the Rock's rising-star agenda, and it's a savvy, albeit uninspired follow-up to his previous hit, The Rundown. With typical beefcake bravado, Chris Vaughan (the Rock) arrives home in rural Kitsap County, Washington (filmed in budget-friendly Canada, of course) to find his hometown overtaken by childhood friend-turned-sleazebag casino owner and drug-dealer Jay Hamilton (played with steely-eyed malevolence by Neal McDonough), whose squad of goons includes the local sheriff. The cards are instantly and simplistically stacked against our hero, but no matter: he's soon kickin' ass and takin' names as the new sheriff, and from that point director Kevin Bray (All About the Benjamins) goes strictly by-the-numbers, limiting this punchy programmer to a brisk 85 minutes, with comic relief (courtesy of costar Johnny Knoxville) and an obligatory love-interest (Ashley Scott, in obligatory skimpy attire) tossed in for good measure. It's a cracker movie for a cracker audience, and on those terms it handily expedites the Rock's ascension to the action-movie throne. --Jeff ShannonDescription
When it comes to laying down the law with a vengeance, one man can make a difference. Action superstar The Rock (The Rundown, The Scorpion King) takes no prisoners as he fights for justice andcrushes corruption in this hard-hitting adventure that's "endlessly enjoyable and a lot of fun" (FOX-TV)! Johnny Knoxville (Jackass: The Movie) co-stars in this "bone-cracking, adrenaline-pumping" (Arizona Daily Star) ride inspired by the true story of a man who decided to take a standand take back his town.Customer Reviews:
REALLY BAD REMAKE !.......2007-03-26
Tough.......2007-03-11
...And Carry a Big Stick.......2007-01-23
Good action, solid storyline of with a dash of humor........2007-01-18
Love This Movie!.......2007-01-16
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Black Robe
Starring: Lothaire Bluteau , Aden Young , Sandrine Holt , August Schellenberg , and Tantoo Cardinal Director: Bruce Beresford Manufacturer: MGM (Video & DVD) ProductGroup: DVD Binding: DVD Similar Items:
ASIN: B00005BKZS Release Date: 2001-07-10 |
Amazon.com
Forget about Kevin Costner's sun-kissed, water-colored, Oscar-winning Dances with Wolves. Black Robe, which was directed by Bruce Beresford, a director who gave the world the finest film of the early '80s Australian new wave, Breaker Morant, and who continually collides cultures and ethnicity in his films (Mister Johnson, Driving Miss Daisy), matches and surpasses the Costner epic as an expertly crafted, brutal saga of redemption and salvation. In 1634 a young French Jesuit missionary is assigned to trek 1,500 miles through the New France wilderness to a mission settled in Huron Indian country. Black Robe chronicles the journey of Father Laforgue (Lothaire Blutheau) as he leaves his Jesuit brothers and, with the aid of a young translator and guide, Daniel (Aden Young), and eight canoes of Algonquin Indians, moves into the uncompromising Canadian northern territory on a die-hard mission to convert the natives. Mixing elements of Michael Mann's The Last of the Mohicans and Roland Joffé's The Mission, Beresford offers a restless tale of Laforgue's conflicted faith juxtaposed against the sublime spiritual harmony with the land that the Huron and Algonquin already hold. Black Robe dances to its own drummer and is tuned into the precarious balance between nature's mystery and spirit and the strident, unyielding religious ethic. The cinematography by Peter James is relentlessly cruel and bleak, but it absolutely conveys the obstacles that face the idealistic and blind young priest, who by the end, has faced his own awakening. The film also features one of the late, great composer Georges Delerue's most noble scores. --Paula NechakDescription
From acclaimed director Bruce Beresford (Driving Miss Daisy, Tender Mercies) and adapted by screenwriter Brian Moore from his novel of the same name, Black Robe is "amazing an adventure film that is as intelligent as it is enthralling" (US)! French Jesuit missionary Father Laforgue travels to the magnificently austere Canadian wilderness to save the souls of a "savage and godless" peoplethe native tribes of the Huron and Algonquin. But the natives, who have their own spiritual value system that differs drastically from Christianity, are immediately suspicious, resentful and openly hostile toward the intrusive "Black Robe." And when Laforgue hires a reluctant group of Algonquin to escort him on a harrowing 1500-mile journey up the broad and sinuous St. Lawrence River, a devastating chain of events not only causes him to question his deeply held beliefs but also forever changes the course of history for the natives' way of life.Customer Reviews:
WOW.......2007-02-06
The Forgotten Art Of Trusting A Film To Truly TELL A Story.......2007-01-26
Black Robe.......2007-01-10
Okay, not a barn burner though.......2006-11-02
New France, now seemingly forgotten.......2006-09-07
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The Education of Little Tree
Starring: James Cromwell , Tantoo Cardinal , Joseph Ashton , Mika Boorem , and Christopher Heyerdahl Director: Richard Friedenberg Manufacturer: Paramount ProductGroup: DVD Binding: DVD ![]() |