The Shipping News

Starring:Kevin Spacey, Julianne Moore, Judi Dench, Cate Blanchett, Pete Postlethwaite, Scott Glenn, Rhys Ifans, Gordon Pinsent, Jason Behr, Larry Pine, Jeanetta Arnette, Robert Joy, Alyssa Gainer, Kaitlyn Gainer, Lauren Gainer, John Dunsworth, Anthony Cipriano (II), Kyle Timothy Smith, Ken James (II), Roman Podhora
Director: Lasse Hallström
Studio: Miramax
Product Type: DVD

Amazon.com

Fans of Lasse Hallström's truffle, Chocolat, may enjoy the director's subsequent novel adaptation, the emotionally charged Shipping News. The opening sequence introduces us to the bumbling Quoyle (Kevin Spacey), an ink setter at the Poughkeepsie News; his hedonistic wife Petal Bear (Cate Blanchett); and their daughter Bunny. But we hardly get to meet the characters, much less connect with them, in the fewer than eight minutes allotted for the scene. Before you know it, Petal is dead in a car wreck, Quoyle's parents have committed suicide, and Quoyle and Bunny are headed off with Quoyle's aunt Agnis (Judi Dench) to start over in a small Newfoundland port town. As the main story ensues--Quoyle's transformation from passive victim to sensitive lover and eloquent columnist--the subplot of his sordid family history and his aunt's search for healing seems contrived and lifeless. While Julianne Moore, as the widow Wavey, gives a solid performance as Quoyle's love interest, Spacey's performance is uneven, never convincingly at sea enough to reward Quoyle's ultimate self-discovery. As with so many films adapted from novels, The Shipping News fails to embark confidently enough upon its own course to keep off the rocks. --Fionn Meade

Description

Academy Award(R)-winning stars Kevin Spacey (AMERICAN BEAUTY, Best Actor, 1998) and Judi Dench (SHAKESPEARE IN LOVE, Best Supporting Actress, 1998) join talents with Julianne Moore (HANNIBAL) and Cate Blanchett (THE LORD OF THE RINGS) in this deeply moving motion picture from the director of CHOCOLAT and THE CIDER HOUSE RULES. After tragedy strikes, Quoyle (Spacey) moves with his daughter from upstate New York to his ancestral home in a small Newfoundland fishing village. With a job at the local newspaper and developing romance with a woman (Moore) who lives with her own demons, Quoyle is transformed by this place of magic, beauty, and hardship. In a compelling story based on the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel, Quoyle's past melds with his present in an inspirational journey of self-discovery and second chances.

Customer Reviews:

A decent film, but be wary if you've read the book.......2007-05-29

I heartily second Joanna Daneman's description: "a good solid attempt to film an unfilmable book." If you haven't read the book, you may find it quite enjoyable. But no film can express the rich language and unique flow of the original. In addition, the plot has been shuffled a bit and many of the less-dramatic parts removed. Most of the characters look and sound right, however (though Spacey isn't fat like Quoyle) and the setting--splendid island scenery, surreal flashbacks and appropriately-placed dreariness--is well-represented.

The bottom line? You might like it, whether or not you've read the book. But if you have, be cautious.

Read the Book First.......2007-04-27

Proulx' writing ... thick thorny knotty depthy convoluted intense edgy ... any number of adjectives -- how does one film such? This movie brushed the story's surface rather admirably overall, but of necessity events moved quickly forward without subtleties. Of course this leaves gaps that only leisurely chapter development and finely-tuned prose can fill. But as this is the movie, the characters took over and thus became the tale. Kevin Spacey's sympathetic Quoyle grows and changes on through to the film's end. Dame Judi Dench, splendid as always, plays self-sufficient caustic Aunt Agnis who hides a terrible secret and rescues Quoyle from himself. (Incidentally she's a lesbian as in NOTES ON A SCANDAL but that's not a major part of this story.) Petal, in the short time she's on screen, comes off as a truly nasty piece of work (Cate Blanchett, costar to Dench in NOTES). Wavey (Julianne Moore) lays her Newfie accent on a little thick but is beautiful and vulnerable with a strong substance behind those delicate looks. Quoyle's daughter Bunny as a "sensitive" (she sees and knows things psychically) adds frisson to the surroundings, and the supporting cast comes off convincingly. And then there's the gorgeous, powerful scenery. The foggy lonely vistas, the dangerous sea, the storms rolling in. As a staunch fan of both Proulx and Dench and lovely scenery it's a film worth watching. And the Pulitzer Prize-winning book a truly worthy read.

A Breath of Fresh Air.......2007-02-11

A moving story of love, hardship and the human spirit being able to rise above tragedies that sometimes affect out lives. Outstanding performances from Judi Dench, Kevin Spacey, Julianne Moore and Cate Blanchett.

I purchased this movie in January 2006 but have never tired of viewing it again numerous times since then. Not only does the story bring the wild, beauty of Newfoundland onto our screen but the strength and will of the human spirit is inspirational to us all. The way the young daughter brings hope to an emotionally isolated boy is just one of the movie's brilliant insights into what can be achieved with the power of friendship and unconditional love. An inspirational journey of self-discovery and second chances. A MUST SEE.

Very good scenery..........2007-02-01

... of Newfoundland. Stark landscape, hard people, good acting. The film plays on the Scottish settlement there, hardcore Calvinist hardheads. Saw the film some time back, am now reading 'That old ace in the hole' by the writer, highly recommended. She can create in words a sense of place and local characters, does hr homework!

A Broken Man Can Heal.......2007-01-07

This is a rare and wonderful film in which the director carefully paints a tapestry of colorful characters against a stark background of the newfoundland coast. The film is not an "in your face" thriller. It is a delicately crafted drama. The characters develop, the plot develops, the theme slowly emerges from the cold North Atlantic haze. The film touches on some adult elements such as - poor parenting, disfunctional families, homosexuality, rape. Also how inspiration and healing can come from odd sources. This is a film that can be watched several times and continually enjoyed.

Charlie Rose with Judi Dench; Maggie Smith (August 28, 2002)

Average customer rating:

Charlie Rose with Judi Dench; Maggie Smith (August 28, 2002)

Manufacturer: Charlie Rose, Inc.
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

( C ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video

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Charlie Rose with Dexter Filkins; Judi Dench & Maggie Smith (April 25, 2005)
The Judi Dench Collection
Charlie Rose with Judi Dench & Stephen Fears; Grover Norquist (December 6, 2005)
Notes on a Scandal
The Queen

ASIN: B000HBL4DY
Release Date: 2006-08-15

Description

An interview with actress Dame Judi Dench, about her recent Oscar-nominated role as author Iris Murdoch in the film Iris, and her lengthy career on screen and stage. Then, Oscar-nominated actress Dame Maggie Smith talks about her career and recent Oscar-nominated role in Robert Altman's film, Gosford Park.

Average customer rating:

Duluth Shipping News

Manufacturer: Customflix
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

Amazon.com

Duluth, Minnesota, located at the western end of Lake Superior, is an ocean port in the middle of America. We had 1,006 ship arrivals in Duluth Superior during the 2003 shipping season. Each one either brought cargo in, picked it up here for delivery elsewhere, or both. Of those, 628 arrivals were by US flagged vessels, 252 were Canadian and 126 came from other countries. We had 23 flags represented in those 126 trips, the most being 20 visits from Dutch flagged ships. Cyprus was next with 15. The Duluth Shipping News covers the shipping scene in Duluth every day of the year. A daily newsletter in the summer, a monthly newsletter by subscription, and an active web site (www.duluthshippingnews.com) mean a lot of pictures of Duluth shipping. Over 350 of the best pictures and six videos are on this DVD. The DVD follows the calendar year, allowing you to share with us, the boats stuck in the ice in winter, 100's of visitors walking the Duluth ship canal in the summer, big 1,000 footers, exotic foreign flagged ships, sailboats, Coast Guard cutters and more. It has fireworks, runners in Grandmas Marathon and airplane pilots stopping in Duluth on their around the world. A special highlight is the Coast Guard effort to open the port during March and April when East winds blew the ice of Lake Superior right to Duluth's doorstep. We had four Coast Guard cutters here trying to break up the ice jam. The DVD has extensive coverage, including video from the Coast Guard cutter Sundew. Duluth is a beautiful place and we have included many beautiful pictures of Duluth, some with ships in them and some without any water borne vessels at all. Throw in a few hockey players and some inline skaters and you have a great look at the port of Duluth Superior and the city of Duluth during each month of the year 2003.

Charlie Rose with Frank Wisner & Nicholas Platt; Kevin Spacey (January 3, 2002)

Average customer rating:

Charlie Rose with Frank Wisner & Nicholas Platt; Kevin Spacey (January 3, 2002)

Manufacturer: Charlie Rose, Inc.
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

( C ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video

General | Educational | Genres | DVD | Video

Description

A consideration of the possibility of war over the Kashmir region between India and Pakistan with Frank Wisner, former US ambassador to India, and Nicholas Platt, former US ambassador to Pakistan. Then, a conversation with Kevin Spacey about his performance in the movie The Shipping News, based on the book by E. Annie Proulx.

Charlie Rose with Romano Prodi; Cate Blanchett (January 11, 2002)

Average customer rating:

Charlie Rose with Romano Prodi; Cate Blanchett (January 11, 2002)

Manufacturer: Charlie Rose, Inc.
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

( C ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video

General | Educational | Genres | DVD | Video

Charlie Rose with Cate Blanchett; Ian Kershaw (January 27, 1999)
Charlie Rose with Martin Scorsese & Cate Blanchett; Jim Kelly. (December 16, 2004)
Charlie Rose with Cate Blanchett; Isabelle Huppert; Diane Lane (December 30, 2003)

ASIN: B000HBL5ME
Release Date: 2006-08-15

Description

A dialogue with the former prime minister of Italy and current president of the European Commission, Romano Prodi, on transatlantic relations and the building of an European Union defense force. Also, Oscar-nominated actress Cate Blanchett talks about her upcoming movies including The Shipping News, The Lord of the Rings, and Bandits.

Average customer rating:

The Shipping News [Region 2]
Starring: Kevin Spacey , Julianne Moore , Judi Dench , Cate Blanchett , and Pete Postlethwaite
Director: Lasse Hallström
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Drama | Genres | DVD | Video

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

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ASIN: B00005RDR6

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