Cromwell

Starring:Richard Harris, Alec Guinness, Robert Morley, Dorothy Tutin, Frank Finlay, Timothy Dalton, Patrick Wymark, Patrick Magee, Nigel Stock, Charles Gray, Michael Jayston, Richard Cornish, Anna Cropper, Michael Goodliffe, Jack Gwillim, Basil Henson, Patrick Holt, Stratford Johns, Geoffrey Keen, Anthony May
Director: Ken Hughes
Studio: Sony Pictures
Product Type: DVD

Average customer rating:

An Excellent Movie
Must See
Boring - not what I expected
The Royals Side of the Death of Diana Saga
Great film, good performances, but not fully true to history

The Queen
Starring: Helen Mirren , Michael Sheen , James Cromwell , Sylvia Syms , and Alex Jennings
Director: Stephen Frears
Manufacturer: Miramax
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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The Last King of Scotland (Widescreen Edition)
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ASIN: B00005JPAO
Release Date: 2007-04-24

Amazon.com

Helen Mirren reigns supreme in The Queen, a witty and ingenious look at a moment that rocked the house of Windsor: the week that followed the sudden death of Princess Diana in 1997. Diana's death came at just the same time that Prime Minister Tony Blair (played by the bright Michael Sheen) was settling into his new government--and trying to figure out the delicate relationship between 10 Downing Street and Queen Elizabeth II (Mirren). A large portion of the British population was trying to figure out the Windsors that week, as Elizabeth remained stiff-upper-lip and largely mum about the death of the beloved princess. In Peter Morgan's skillful script, we watch as Blair grows increasingly impatient with the Royals, who are sequestered in their Scottish estate while the public demands some show of grief. Prince Philip (James Cromwell, in good form) clumsily decides to take Diana's sons hunting, while a sympathetically-treated Prince Charles (Alex Jennings) displays some frustration with his mother's eerie calm.

None of this conveys how funny the film is, or how deftly it flows from one scene to the next. Director Stephen Frears (Dirty Pretty Things) deserves great credit for that, and for the performances, and for the movie's marvelous sense of well-roundedness; you could see this movie and groan at the cluelessness of the Royals and their outmoded existence, or you might just sympathize with showing reserve in a world that values gross public displays of emotion. But either way, you'll marvel at Mirren, who makes the Queen far more alert and human than one might ever have imagined. --Robert Horton

Beyond The Queen

The British are Coming! Kings & Queens on DVD
Helen Mirren Essential DVDs
The Queen: Music From the Motion Picture by Alexandre Desplat

Stills from The Queen (click for larger image)

Description

Winner of the Academy Award® for Best Actress, Dame Helen Mirren gives a spellbinding performance in THE QUEEN, the provocative story behind one of the most public tragedies of our time — the sudden death of Princess Diana. In the wake of Diana's death, the very private and tradition-bound Queen Elizabeth II (Mirren) finds herself in conflict with the new Prime Minister, the slickly modern and image-conscious Tony Blair. THE QUEEN, also starring Academy Award® Nominee James Cromwell (Best Supporting Actor, BABE, 1995), takes you inside the private chambers of the Royal Family and the British government for a captivating look at a vulnerable human being in her darkest hour, as a nation grieving for its People's Princess waits to see what its leaders will do. Suspenseful, heartfelt and riveting, it's a fascinating story you won't soon forget.

Customer Reviews:

An Excellent Movie.......2007-07-05

For the performance she presented in The Queen, Helen Mirren absolutely deserved to win the Oscar for Best Actress as she did. She was convincing in one of the most difficult roles any British actress could be called upon to play, and it was also courageous of this former Bond girl, often noted in American memories for being cast as great beauties and occasional seductresses, to lose herself as completely as she did in the Queen's stately contained matronly presence. Also deserving of note is Michael Sheen's chameleon-like transformation into Tony Blair. Sheen should have gotten more acclaim than he received for the skill with which he brought a still-relevant political figure so deftly to the screen. James Cromwell was great as always as the cantankerous old tyrant Prince Phillip, and only the casting of Alex Jennings as the Prince of Wales puzzled me, as Jennings, though a sound actor, did not seem to fit the part as well as many others could have. The Queen was, I thought, a riveting take on events that remain fresh in the collective minds of people around the world, and it managed to disarm cynicism and capture a convincing account of what would ordinarily be the private moments of highly public figures. In my opinion The Queen was so much better than anything nominated against it as Best Picture at last year's Academy Awards that it represented in its loss in that category the greatest mistake in Academy voting since Shakespeare In Love displaced Saving Private Ryan to take home top honors. See this film. It's a work of cinematic art.

Must See.......2007-07-04

What can I say that hasn't been said about this wonderful film? I was surprised at how narrow it was in it's scope; no Fergie or Andrew, not much else but the immediate royal family and the Blairs. That's what makes it great--it's a glimpse into the tiny world that they live in every day. Even the princes were more "background" than characters. Loved the whole "hunting" metaphor and the emotional reaction of the Queen to the stag. Ironic. All performances are spectacular; I personally thought Blair's wife was hysterical. The real footage that was interdispersed throughout the film was wonderful and brought back so many memories. Sniff. You'll love this film.

Boring - not what I expected.......2007-07-03

Everyone seems to truly love this movie - I was bored to tears. Although it gave a nice overview of the events of the week of Diana's death and was very informative, I found the acting to be dreadfully boring and the direction was lacking. James Cromwell is one of my favorite actors and even his performance was abrupt and overall did not flow well. This movie could have been a million times better if it had a better director.

The Royals Side of the Death of Diana Saga.......2007-07-03

I think the movie is fair and reasonably balanced. with the exception of Helen Mirren and James Cromwell the rest of the film is horribly mi-cast. I remember in 1997 during " that week " wondering how the British people could turn on the Queen given Diana's antics from 1993-1997. My heart really went out for her when she had to come back to Buckingham Palace and read the silly notes left on flowers by people. After all her years of service from the age of 15 fixing British army trucks during the blitz during WWII to the hard resconstruction years after the war, devoting herself 24 hrs a day to the British people , what was going through her mind as she faced those crowds that day and had to hear their applause for making her come down from Balmoral I can only guess. I think what Tony Blair says about Diana & the Queen in this film was awesome, How could The Queen lead the world in mourning of a woman who threw everything she offered to her back in her face and in recent years has spent 24/7 trying to destroy all those things she holds dear ?. I think Christopher Hitchens documentary "Princess Diana: The Mourning After", hit the nail on the head. One thing I did not like about this movie was the way the Queen Mother was portrayed. Every Royal book written about her portrays her as 100% opposite the way this movie showed her. The producers of The Queen need to read some WWII history.

Great film, good performances, but not fully true to history.......2007-06-29

Love Helen Mirren, (and loved her as a younger Elizabeth I in the HBO 2-part series as well, look for it!)and all the cast is excellent as well. But after reading Tina Brown's Chronicles of Diana and YES I know its' a rehash of what we all "know" of those years and that particular soap opera, but the last chapters of the book after Diana's death, are fascinating in that they are the same time period shown in "the Queen". According to people who were there, servants, officials and the like, the emotional sense of how the family reacted toward the young princes, William and Harry, has none of the coldness and emotional "lets just get on with life" attitude implied in the film and in the review, top, which says "Prince Phillip clumsily tried to help by taking the boys hunting." (paraphrased). Well, these boys had spent their summer vacations riding and hunting at Balmoral all their lives, and this is what they thoroughly enjoyed. It wasn't something their stuffy old grandfather forced them to do. The book describes the entire Royal family rallying around the boys---Princess Anne, Charles' sister, brought her 20 yr old son and 16 yr old daughter, to help entertain their cousins, and she herself made a project of taking the very emotionally fragile Harry under her wing, and taking him riding and hiking out in the Balmoral hills alone. Charles pulled out family albums and spent time going over the past good times the family had had. Prince Phillip their grandfather, in particular, was very protective, showed "gruff tenderness" and did make sure they hunted,rode and kept active, as opposed to brooding and staying glued to the maudlin TV coverage. Actually, for the benefit of the boys, the Queen ordered all TVs and radios removed in the castle. The outdoors life is one the family is used to and enjoys. Those who criticised the Royals for having the boys there in Balmoral instead of exposing them to the hysterical crowds in London...well, I don't know which would give them more nightmares in years to come but I can guess. Also, other little tidbits in the book of that week were once when Prince Phillip came on the intercom when the decisions about the State funeral were being made and broke in, shouting, "those boys have just lost their mother...they are not a commodity..." Brown, the author quotes her source as saying "you could hear the voice of a real grandfather." Later, it was Prince Phillip, not Charles who talked the princes into walking in the moving spectacle of the royal men behind the cortege. He told the sobbing William, "If I walk, will you walk with me?" And during the long walk to the Cathedral, spoke quietly to the two boys of the famous sights they were passing, speaking softly the whole way there. All these vignettes, which would have made all the Royal more human, were left out of the film, good as it was, there was an agenda, that doesn't have to be spelled out. The Queen could admire a royal appearing stag, later shown beheaded...but her love and her husband's love for the grandsons was never shown, nor was the love of the whole family for the boys or for each other, despite all Diana had done to blacken the reputation of that family in the press. Not that they're perfect, just human.

Average customer rating:

outstanding!
Magnificent
Pure Smut
Wonderful movie
Marvelous

Angels in America
Starring: Al Pacino , Meryl Streep , Emma Thompson , Mary-Louise Parker , and Justin Kirk
Director: Mike Nichols
Manufacturer: Hbo Home Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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( A ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video
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ASIN: B0001I2BUI
Release Date: 2004-09-14

Amazon.com

Tony Kushner's prize-winning play Angels in America became the defining theatrical event of the 1990s, an astonishing mix of philosophy, politics, and vibrant gay soap opera that summed up the Reagan era for an entire generation of theater-goers. Post-9/11 would seem to be too late for a film version--philosophy and politics don't always age well--but this 2003 HBO adaptation, ably directed by Mike Nichols (The Graduate), provides a time capsule of the '80s and reveals the deep emotional subcurrents that will give the play lasting power.

The story centers around Prior Walter (Justin Kirk) and Louis Ironson (Ben Shenkman), a gay couple that falls apart when Prior grows ill as a result of AIDS. But cancer is not the only thing invading Prior's life: He begins to have religious visions of an angel (Emma Thompson, Sense and Sensibility) announcing that he is a prophet. Louis, who doesn't cope well with disease and suggestions of mortality, leaves and starts a relationship with Joe Pitt (Patrick Wilson), a closeted Mormon who works for Roy Cohn (Al Pacino, Dog Day Afternoon)--the real-life right-wing lawyer, notorious for his ruthless behind-the-scenes machinations. Add in Joe's depressed and hallucinating wife Harper (Mary Louise Parker, Fried Green Tomatoes), his determined but open-minded mother Hannah (Meryl Streep, Adaptation), a fierce drag queen/nurse named Belize (Jeffrey Wright, Basquiat, reprising his celebrated performance from the Broadway production), and you've still only begun to discover the wealth of characters and storylines in Kushner's ambitious work.

The powerhouse cast (also featuring James Cromwell, Michael Gambon, and Simon Callow) is uniformly superb. The script has its weaknesses--some of the fantastic elements, including Prior's journey to Heaven towards the end, fall flat--but even what doesn't work is bristling with ideas and a ferocious desire to capture human existence in this time and place. --Bret Fetzer

Description

Academy Award-winners Al Pacino, Meryl Streep and Emma Thompson lead an all-star cast in a 6-hour HBO Films Event. Directed by Mike Nichols and written by Tony Kushner based on his Pulitzer Prize-winning play: Angels in America.

Customer Reviews:

outstanding!.......2007-03-25

If I could rate it 10 stars I would. Heart-Wrenching, Funny, Appalling, Spiritual, Sexual, Powerful. Evoking Anger, Laughter, Sadness, Joy, Hope, Love for fellow human beings who have been discarded and ignored instead of included and cherished. Amazing Film Adaptation.

Magnificent.......2007-03-03

I have seen many hundreds of movies, and this is only the third that I rate 5 stars. The acting was beyond superb, the screenplay and story line truly outstanding. I saw the play many years ago and totally enjoyed it. The DVD was even better.
While reading the reviews, it becomes obvious folks get different things out of the movie depending on their frame of reference. As a straight man working in San Francisco during the 80s and 90s, I watched the devastation this disease wreaked on friends, colleagues and strangers while the world ignored the issue. This movie gave me an insight into some of the emotional and spiritual struggles of the human beings affected by AIDS. I also loved how the lives of the characters intertwined in unique and sometimes outlandish ways. For me, a truly satisfying film. Most of the reviews express my thoughts better than I. A must see, but schedule 3 hours for each of the 2 DVDs.

Pure Smut.......2007-02-21

I don't recommend this movie. Not sure why the title has the world "angels" in it. Didn't watch the entire movie as it was very depressing and profane. There is a lot of language in it and there is a scene showing two men humping- absolutely nasty.

Wonderful movie.......2007-01-04

This is a long movie but well worth the time. It's thought provoking, insight and even humorous in parts. Money well spent.

Marvelous.......2006-12-19

Profoundly moving. Evangelicals, please read the description. Don't buy it just because of the name and cover. It might not be about what you think it is. Nevertheless, if you've found yourself with it and have around six hours on hand, it's definitely worth a viewing or two. Part 1: Millenium approaches might drag a little bit, but Part 2: Perestroika, is some of the best theatre that I have ever seen or read. It's well worth your time. The writing is excellent, the acting is wonderful. It's a piece of art that definitely stays with you long after you've viewed it. Additionally, for people who truly love the miniseries, I also strongly recommend you read the play itself. There are a few changes in the adaptation, and it's worth your time from a critical perspective so how things are different. Both the DVD and the written play are wonderful on individual merit. Highly recommended!

Average customer rating:

Wal-Mart - The High Cost of Low Life
Excellent yet so morbid, I couldnt watch the whole thing
wally world
well made and highly informative documentary
even more frightening when put altogether, here

Wal-Mart: The High Cost of Low Price
Starring: Weldon Nicholson , Rev. James Lawson , Scott Esry , Eric J. Stein , and Julie R. Lee
Director: Robert Greenwald
Manufacturer: Brave New Films
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Documentary | Genres | DVD | Video

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( W ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video
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ASIN: B000BTH4K4
Release Date: 2005-11-15

Description

Everyone has seen Wal-Mart's lavish television commercials, but have you ever wondered why Wal-Mart spends so much money trying to convince you it cares about your family, your community, and even its own employees? What is it hiding?

WAL-MART: The High Cost of Low Price takes you behind the glitz and into the real lives of workers and their families, business owners and their communities, in an extraordinary journey that will challenge the way you think, feel... and shop.

Customer Reviews:

Wal-Mart - The High Cost of Low Life.......2007-06-28

This brilliant documentary outlines the affects that huge conglomerates have on their employees, on surrounding businesses and on the 'little people'. An eye-opener and a must for all people to see.
An insight into off-shore factories and the human-rights issues - simply to bring goods into these stores at a lower cost.
Wonderful to see how many communities have reacted to Wal-Mart encroaching on their environment.
As a result, I think twice before I purchase goods made off-shore - particularly when they are really really cheap.

Excellent yet so morbid, I couldnt watch the whole thing.......2007-06-27

Despite being very left-of-the-centre (or so I believe) and a small business owner too I just felt my heart break watching this documentary.

Just how the poverty line with the people that lost out cause Wal-Mart moved in and those that work for it made me realise the truth and evils that may come with a corperation, and how much it resembles a virus.

I just couldnt finish it. You might enjoy it if you can stomach watching peoples lives get destroyed by this sort of a company, but i couldnt.

I gave my copy to a local high school for their social sciences classes that grades 10-12 take.

wally world.......2007-06-08

Every one should watch this documentary. Walmart's corporate policies are not in the best interest of the country. The Walton family should be ashame to be seen in public. To be so wealthy, and to do so little for the less fortunate is incredibly selfish. I haven't shopped at Walmart for many years and unless I see significant improvement in their policies, I won't be shopping there for many years to come.

well made and highly informative documentary.......2007-05-19

doesn't tell you much of what wal-mart is doing good, but does show you all the bad. wal-mart is a 'green' corporation, that's one good thing, but for the most part, wal-mart is just as evil as most of the corporations out there, it's all about money. i recommend seeing the documentary 'the corporation' first to get a broader perspectives of the evils of corporations, so that when you watch this you will know it's not only wal-mart contributing these types of injustices. it is the corporate capitalist mindframe, where capital/money takes priority over the life, health, and ultimate well being of consumers (all people, in general). anyways, i recommend this film and i no longer shop at wal-mart but i understand some don't really have a choice, and they do have cheap prices! lol. they definitely are a huge corporate evil tho, next time you go into one, if you do, check out ALLL the cameras they have everywhere. it's a joke! they are soo anti-union it's ridiculous.

even more frightening when put altogether, here.......2007-05-17

Robert Greenwald outdid himself with this one, with more money and time to spend on the project. We all know a little of this Wal-Mart story, but when put together; it is deeply disturbing. Just yesterday I noticed at my chain grocery the McCormick garlic powder is a PRODUCT OF CHINA. 'Nuff said.

Average customer rating:

An unnostalgic, modern noir spectacle
dvd purchase
Brilliantly Casted Film
A thriller for people who normally don't like thrillers
Unhistorical Murder Mystery

L.A. Confidential
Starring: Kevin Spacey , Russell Crowe , Guy Pearce , James Cromwell , and David Strathairn
Director: Curtis Hanson
Manufacturer: Warner Home Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

Crime | Action & Adventure | Genres | DVD | Video

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ASIN: 0790734850
Release Date: 1998-04-21

Amazon.com

In a time when it seems that every other movie makes some claim to being a film noir, L.A. Confidential is the real thing--a gritty, sordid tale of sex, scandal, betrayal, and corruption of all sorts (police, political, press--and, of course, very personal) in 1940s Hollywood. The Oscar-winning screenplay is actually based on several titles in James Ellroy's series of chronological thriller novels (including the title volume, The Big Nowhere, and White Jazz)--a compelling blend of L.A. history and pulp fiction that has earned it comparisons to the greatest of all Technicolor noir films, Chinatown. Kim Basinger richly deserved her Supporting Actress Oscar for her portrayal of a conflicted femme fatale; unfortunately, her male costars are so uniformly fine that they may have canceled each other out with the Academy voters: Russell Crowe, Guy Pearce, Kevin Spacey, and James Cromwell play LAPD officers of varying stripes. Pearce's character is a particularly intriguing study in Hollywood amorality and ambition, a strait-laced "hero" (and son of a departmental legend) whose career goals outweigh all other moral, ethical, and legal considerations. If he's a good guy, it's only because he sees it as the quickest route to a promotion. --Jim Emerson

Customer Reviews:

An unnostalgic, modern noir spectacle.......2007-05-27

Curtis Hanson's "L.A. Confidential," based on the third book in a series by James Ellroy, works so well because, unlike most neo-noir films, it's not a homage to the noir films of old. In fact, it was probably the first true film noir to forget about its predecessors since the 1950s, the time period around which the film is set. And it was just what a film noir should be: gritty, tough, unflinching, intricrate, and confounding. Each of the film's leading actors, Guy Pearce, Russell Crowe, and Kevin Spacey, as well as its lead actress, Kim Basinger, felt like they could've appeared in a film noir straight out of the 1940s. It's this unnostalgic, straightforward approach that made "L.A. Confidential" so great.

The storyline had a classic vibe to it: in 1950s L.A., three cops ferret out the corruption beginning to eat away at the police force. How each of them does this differs. You've got your good cop, played by Guy Pearce, a strictly by-the-book wannabe detective and the son of a legendary officer who died in the line of duty. You got your bad cop, Russell Crowe, a violent star on the force, always on the edge and with a particularly nasty dislike for women abusers. Then you have a cop who doesn't quite know where he stands, played by Kevin Spacey, except on the set of TV's number-one hit police drama "Badge of Honor," which he supervises. One of the film's best scenes is when Pearce's character tells Spacey why he became a cop in an effort to convince Spacey to work with him. Afterwards he asks, "Why did you become a cop?" Spacey smiles sadly and sighs, "I don't remember." Picking a favorite of this police trio is hard, because each is perfectly cast: Pearce as an inherently contemptable and ultimately honorable goody-goody, Crowe as an apparent maniac who is smarter than he looks and just trying to do what's right, and Spacey as the pitiful once-cop who's lost his way.

But it seems like when most people remember "L.A. Confidential," they remember Kim Basinger, who won the Best Supporting Actress Oscar. She deserved it. Basinger played a prostitute in high demand because she bears a strong resemblance to Veronica Lake (so does Basinger) - but there's much more to her than just a divine appearance. Similarly, there's more to Basinger than just a fine body, and she proved it here with a surprisingly deep performance, particularly for a supporting role.

With all that said, it's apparent that the film garnered much of its power from its sharp-cut characters. There's no one who is clearly "good" the whole way through, but never once is a character in the grey: they're either good, or they're bad. They are also some of the most realistic and human people ever to appear in a film noir. The movie's script, by director Hanson and Brian Helgeland, finds a seamless balance between its characters and its story, and surprisingly holds very little of the snap, crackle n' pop dialog one expects in a film noir.
Jerry Goldsmith's score was the one homage the film allowed, with the same sort of morose brass you might expect in an old Bogey pic (and which distinctly recalls the same woeful trumpeting of Goldsmith's theme from Roman Polanski's own neo-noir, "Chinatown"). It was one of those elusive scores that adds life to each scene but also expands the film as a whole.

There's something about the look of the film that hangs in my mind. It may be the color scheme, which consists mostly of black but with the occasional surprise vibrance thrown in through a red or yellow. Or perhaps it's the lighting, a bright light that makes what's in front of us perfectly clear and a surrounding black mist that begs the question: what does it hide within its shadows? There is a scene in which Pearce's character pulls up in front of the Nite Owl bar. That scene brings to mind the painting "Nighthawks" by Edward Hopper (which inspired the look of Ridley Scott's "Blade Runner"). Hanson took a very stylistic approach in his directing of the film, and much of that showed through its dark visuals.

It wasn't all darkness, though. One of the film's most memorable scenes involved an attempted interrogation by Pearce and Spacey at a popular club late at night. They corner a mobster dating a girl they believe is a prostitute belonging to a popular company which advertises prostitutes who resemble celebrities, in this case Lana Turner. As Pearce begins throwing out insults at the mobster and especially at his date, we notice Kevin Spacey holding back laughter in the background. "A w---e who looks like Lana Turner is still a w---e," Pearce says. The "prostitute" tosses her drink in his face and he stands there, soaked and incredulous, as Spacey says, "That IS Lana Turner."

It came as little surprise that "L.A. Confidential" wasn't awarded the Oscar for Best Picture, but fortunately critics recognized it as one of the best films of 1997 and, more importantly, of the decade. It wasn't only one of the best films of the decade, but one of the best films ever made, a stylish, gritty, cynical yet realistic noir drama that didn't look back at the classics which inspired it. It didn't need to, because ten years later, we're still looking back at it.

dvd purchase.......2007-03-22

the dvd came in a timely manner, packaged well and I have had no problems with the item. It seems to be in great condition.

Brilliantly Casted Film.......2007-03-09

Kevin Spacey proves that he is a great actor in this one, and he's not even the main character. Guy Pearce's come-out movie showed that he could stand up at the top with the best. Russell Crowe's part is great for him. Really the first movie I say him in, and you can see why he eventually one best actor in Gladiator. James Cromwell and Danny DeVito are perfectly cast in this film. If you like movies set in the 40s, 50s but with an edge with real life drama this is a great movie for you! Jerry Goldsmith's score is breathtakingly brilliant - he should have one the Oscar!

A thriller for people who normally don't like thrillers.......2007-03-09

Devotees of noir & period pieces probably will not be as pleased with this as will the rest of this, but Curtis Hanson apparently decided that putting together a coherent & well-crafted film was more important than remaining faithful to one particular genre or another. Aside from specific historical references (Bloody Christmas, for example), it is quite easy to forget that this is set in 1950's Los Angeles. One could regard this as a shortcoming (it is, nominally at least, supposed to be a period thriller) or as an asset (a really well-told story will trump all other details), depending on one's perspective.

In any case, Hanson and a top-notch cast works with a pretty complex plot and manages to keep all of the balls in the air. I always enjoy a movie where the audience figures out most of the twists before the characters do, because then we get to enjoy watching the unfolding of consequences of decisions made or avoided. Spacey, Crowe & Pearce manage to give us wonderfully ambivalent & complex characters, all of whom are far from being beyond reproach and continue to have some dubious motives right up to the film's conclusion. Personally, I always like a film that deliberately avoids a tidy ending and leaves the viewer knowing that, after the credits finish rolling, the other shoe will eventually have to drop.

I agree with others that Kim Basinger's breathy whispery performances is simply annoying & that she is woefully miscast in this role. Why she got an Oscar for this is almost as big a mystery as any portayed in this film. However, it is not a glaring flaw and is obscured by the stellar performances of the rest of the cast. Top notch from start to finish!

Unhistorical Murder Mystery.......2007-02-21

The film opens in 1950s Los Angeles and introduces the people in this story. There is a pot bust of two minor movie stars, well planned to provide headlines. Some men are arrested for assaulting two policemen, and many officers beat them as summary punishment. Photographs of this create a scandal. The meeting tells how the deal is done: some win, some lose, and justice is done. Standards will be upheld for the future. There are two gunmen who are bumping off Mickey Cohen's gang members. Then there is a slaughter of people at a late-night restaurant. A senseless killing or a planned rub-out?

The police investigate those connected to the people killed at the restaurant. Suspects are arrested, they have to get them to talk about what they did. Various methods are used. They get a lead and find another suspect. Detective White stops another criminal. Then the three suspects escape somehow. They are tracked down and a shoot-out finishes them off. "Shotgun Ed" wins an award for heroism. We see how a reformer politician can change his mind about a highway project. There is a plot to embarrass the D.A. by getting a young actor to meet him. When Detective Vincennes shows up he finds the young actor dead! Detective White follows up on Susan Lefferts and finds something in her Mom's basement. Exley and Vincennes investigate another case. Exley visits White's girlfriend and learns more about her. Vincennes makes an error in judgment, his last. Then pictures are given to White to enrage him. Exley does research on the murdered former cop Meeks who was found in the basement. Exley and White talk to the D.A. and get him to cooperate. Dudley Smith and Patchett may be in cahoots.

Someone calls Exley and White to arrange them to meet at a motel; this is a trap. [All those shots and no one to hear them?] The two detectives hold off their attackers. There is a final resolution to the conflicts at the ending. Exley tells the facts about the crimes, there will be another cover-up, and another award for Lt. Exley. A happy ending? Sensational action masks a weak story.

Scenes take place at night since outdoor scenes would show present-day LA. The film did not create the LA of 50 years earlier. It is loosely based on some real events from that era. One book about the "Black Dahlia Avenger" said newspapers and reporters cooperated in the 1940s, there would be no embarrassing pictures then. The ruling powers wanted new highways, no blackmail was needed. One anachronism was the powered garage door of Patchett. A real history book will give the facts about LA in that time, it would be better than fiction. Is the film better than the novel?

Average customer rating:

Stephen King's Best Film Adaptations Are Not Horror Films
Throught provoking
good book
The most perfect movie I have ever seen.
The Green Mile

The Green Mile
Starring: Patricia Clarkson , James Cromwell , Jeffrey DeMunn , Dabbs Greer , and Bonnie Hunt
Director: Frank Darabont
Manufacturer: Warner Home Video
ProductGroup: DVD
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The Shawshank Redemption (Two-Disc Special Edition)
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ASIN: B00003CWQU
Release Date: 2000-06-13

Product Description

John Coffey is not like the other death-row prisoners. He absorbs the pain of inmates and guards alike, heals their ailments, rights their wrongs. John Coffey works supernatural miracles. But will this falsely convicted gentle giant stave off his own execution? Tom Hanks leads a powerful ensemble that includes Michael Clarke Duncan as Coffey in this powerful, uplifting tale reuniting The Shawshank Redemption s two major creative forces: filmmaker Frank Darabont and author Stephen King.

System Requirements:
Starring: Tom Hanks, David Morse, Bonnie Hunt, Michael Clarke Duncan, James Cromwell, Michael Jeter, Graham Greene (II), and Sam Rockwell. Directed By: Frank Darabont. Running Time: 188 Min., Color. This film is presented in "Widescreen" format. Copyright 2000 Warner Home Video.

Format: DVD MOVIE

Amazon.com

"The book was better" has been the complaint of many a reader since the invention of movies. Frank Darabont's second adaptation of a Stephen King prison drama (The Shawshank Redemption was the first) is a very faithful adaptation of King's serial novel. In the middle of the Depression, Paul Edgecomb (Tom Hanks) runs death row at Cold Mountain Penitentiary. Into this dreary world walks a mammoth prisoner, John Coffey (Michael Duncan) who, very slowly, reveals a special gift that will change the men working and dying (in the electric chair, masterfully and grippingly staged) on the mile . As with King's book, Darabont takes plenty of time to show us Edgecomb's world before delving into John Coffey's mystery. With Darabont's superior storytelling abilities, his touch for perfect casting, and a leisurely 188-minute running time, his movie brings to life nearly every character and scene from the novel. Darabont even improves the novel's two endings, creating a more emotionally satisfying experience. The running time may try patience, but those who want a story, as opposed to quick-fix entertainment, will be rewarded by this finely tailored tale. --Doug Thomas

Customer Reviews:

Stephen King's Best Film Adaptations Are Not Horror Films.......2007-06-24

This film is wonderful, although the ending is not at all what I had hoped for and I suspect that this might have been a part of why there were mixed reviews- beyond the comparisons with the book. It has a bit of Shawshank in it and some great actors that are familiar to King and Hanks best work.

Throught provoking.......2007-06-24

Usually, i dont like prison movies, but with Good ol Tom Hanks in the lead and the supernatural aspect Green Mile is an exception. This movie is sickening at times (the electrocution) Uplifting (the healings) It is a death row movie. This cast and crew do a great job. the special effects are great. The End gives the viewer something to think about at least it did me.

good book.......2007-06-06

Do you know what it's like to get blamed for something you never did, well this book THE GREEN MILE takes that to the extreme when John Coffey a miracle from God is accused for the rape and murder of two little girls. He really was trying to use the powers God gave him to heal the wounded or as he would say, "take it back." John found the little girls hurt and wounded and he tried to help them but they both died in his arms and that's were the police found John holding the dead girls. Cold Mountain Penitentiary (the green mile) is where John Coffey was sentenced to die from the electrical chair, and this is where basically the whole book takes place. The main characters in this book are Paul Edgecombe, Brutal, John Coffey, and more prison guards. This story takes place over 80 years from start to finish. The problem was that Paul had to put John Coffey a friend, gift from God, and also an innocent man to death. Paul solves this problem by asking John Coffey what he should do because he didn't want to kill an innocent man nor a gift from God. Paul asked, "on my judgment day, when the lord asks me why I killed one of his greatest miracles what will I say, that it was my job?" John just said, "You just tell him it was a kindness you had done." Three major events that affected the plot were John being put on death row, Finding out that John could heal the wounded, and when John died from electrocution. My favorite part in the book was when Percy Wetmore a man who nobody liked squashed Del's mouse just to be a jerk. So once Percy left John healed the mouse and Percy came back the mouse was running around and Percy could not believe his own eyes. I believe that the message in this story is that you should be good to people so they be good to you. This way when you die your not scared because you knew you were the best person you could be. In this book there is always something happening to make you want to keep reading. I would make the book a little bit shorter to improve it but that's the only thing. If you are going to read this book you should like action and entertainment.

The most perfect movie I have ever seen........2007-04-18

Ok, granted nothing can be completely perfect. But I never seem to be able to find a single thing to complain about in this film. It's based of what happens to be the only Stephen King novel I have ever read. While I love just about everything about it, the thing that always comes to mind is how perfectly every major role was cast in this film. Tom Hanks was definitely a wonderful choice for the central character. Nobody could be more perfect for the role of the gentle giant that is John Coffey than Michael Clarke Duncan. I'll never forget that huge reveal of what appears to be the scariest looking man imaginable until you finaly see his face and immediately know he wouldn't harm a hair on your head. Supporting characters are also well cast, especially those of Eduard Delacroix, Bill Wharton, and Percy Whetmore. If you haven't seen this movie I urge you to do yourself a favor and pick it up.

The Green Mile.......2007-03-24

The pinnacle of Tom Hanks' career, under the direction of a Master.

Average customer rating:

Sound of Gold
Neil Young Heart of Gold
Worth It!
Neil Young - Heart of Gold
Like being on stage with Neil and friends

Neil Young - Heart of Gold
Starring: Wayne Jackson (II) , Emmylou Harris , Jimmy Sharp (II) , Diana DeWitt , and Gary W. Pigg
Director: Jonathan Demme
Manufacturer: Paramount
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B000F48D00
Release Date: 2006-06-13

Amazon.com

"I just want to play well, share the stage with my friends, give the best I can," says Neil Young before the concert that is the centerpiece of Heart of Gold. No problem, dude. Working with filmmaker Jonathan Demme, Young has come up with a gem--not all flash and bling-bling, but as understated as a single pearl, musically restrained yet emotionally open. Of course, neither Demme (an Oscar winner for The Silence of the Lambs; he also helmed Talking Heads' Stop Making Sense) nor Young would call it "a concert film"; the director describes it as "a dream concert, something that's literally being dreamt by Neil," while the singer-songwriter himself calls it "a multi-level story." Whatever, the project came together in 2005, as Young was finishing his Prairie Wind album (the latest in a string of lovely, country-flavored acoustic recordings dating back to 1972's Harvest) and preparing to debut the music at Nashville's fabled Ryman Auditorium, home of the Grand Ole Opry. The fact that Young had also recently experienced a brain aneurysm might or might not have influenced his decision to film the show, but it certainly seems to have had an effect on the music. He and his band (which, with the addition of horns, strings, and backup singers, including Emmylou Harris, occasionally numbers forty or more musicians) perform Prairie Wind in its entirety, and there is some deeply moving, highly personal material here; in addition to the gospel-tinged "When God Made Me" and the dirge-like "No Wonder," Young sings about his recently-deceased father (the title song), his newly adult daughter ("Here for You"), the guitar he plays that once belonged to Hank Williams ("This Old Guitar"), and even his dog ("He Was the King"). Demme's direction is ideal for conveying the music's restrained acoustic textures, rich backing vocals, and simple, elegant melodies. Shots are held much longer than is usual in such films, and while there are lots of close-ups, there are no gimmicks. This superb DVD package is filled out by a second disc of bonus features, including a variety of featurettes and a solo performance of "The Needle and the Damage Done" from The Johnny Cash Show in 1971. --Sam Graham

Product Description

Academy-award winning director Jonathan Demme beautifully captures Rock & Roll Hall of Fame legend, Neil Young as he prepares and presents the performance of a lifetime with the help of his wife Peggi and friends country star Emmylou Harris, steel guitarist Ben Keith and more at Nashville's Grand Ole Opry.

Customer Reviews:

Sound of Gold.......2007-06-26

In the Prologue of Neil Young's beautiful concert DVD, 'Heart of Gold' key players, which are ample, reminisce over the highlights of concerts past. Each musician is alone except interviewer and camera, and the feeling is eager but laid back. Neil Young himself explains that the people he's chosen for this special concert are friends and not merely studio musicians, setting up a feel that Roy Orbison enjoyed for his magnificent 'Black and White Night' DVD. There is the same sense of intimacy, and, while I suspected a retro act, the scope and splendor of the chosen material is great. Although about two or three songs are familiar hits, he breathed real life into this concert at Reiman Auditorium in Nashville where the acoustics resonate with perfection. Besides a great repertoire of songs, his styles draw from country, bluegrass, folk, gospel, blues, and rock. Each song seems so singularly crafted and find Young switching from guitar to harmonica to banjo to piano. Distinctively, he proves to have many friends who back him up with vocals, brass, guitars, fiddles, and, even, a broom. Misguided casual fans like me are immediately struck by the economy of words that come in a stream on this "Prairie Wind" harvest.

More specifically, theme song "Prairie Wind" opens with words "It's a long road behind me...It's a long road ahead of me." Indeed even with his weathered, tan face he sings enraptured in his own music which translates the wisdom of his years. Whether singing about 9/11 ("Falling off the Face of the Earth") or "King, the best hound dog," ("He Was King") he connects in spare language. At one of his intimate moments he shares before "This Old Guitar" how he acquired the worn guitar he uses onstage from Hank Williams. Highlights are for every song, but "When God Made Me" so eloquently scotches any argument for chauvenism or bigotry known to man. In too few words to measure, he bridges the gap to every gender, race, and creed. Alone with his harmonica he adds to the mellow sweetness with "I'm Still in Love with You" and the lovely, wide-eyed "Harvest Moon". Oddly, "Heart of Gold" and "Old Man" seem anti-climatic, but are marvelous nonetheless. His explanation for the latter song is worth checking out. Seven guitars serenade "Four Strong Winds," (which, incidentally, was one of the tracks on Johnny Cash's last C.D.). Neil Young goes out with big brass on "One of These Days," but not without a couple of intimate moments: One is "Needle and the Damage Done," (which despite the movie warning, doesn't doing anything but deter drug use). Then, I believe, it's "The Old Laughing Lady" that finds Neil on stage to an empty auditorium.

There's little to criticize. Jonathan Demme deserves credit for capturing this "golden" event. While I would have preferred more shots of supporting players, no one will argue about the focus of this film, and many fans may find that assessment all wet. The small auditorium and the silent awe for this performance gives the whole affair the intimacy of Orbison in a nightclub setting. This DVD is a must for fans and the uninitiated alike. (Also starring Emmylou Harris, Ron Keith, Karl Himmell, Chad Cromwell, Larry Cragg, Spooner Oldham, Rick Rosas, Gary Pigg, Diana DeWitt, The Nashville String Machine, et al) (Essential)

Neil Young Heart of Gold.......2007-05-31

Neil Young has a heart of gold when it comes to writting heartfelt songs and performing and that's all here. This video belongs in the Library of Congress as true American Music written by a foreigner...(And Arnold S. should be allowed to run for president...another subject). I love Neil Young, seen him numerous times, loved him since Buffalo Springfield days. I don't care if he is a horrible tipper. This is great product for anyone interested hands down.

Worth It!.......2007-05-08

I have been a Neil Young fan since too long to remember. Stopped going to concerts years ago though: too many obnoxious fans! So if you want that concert experience, and appreciate Neil's music, this is for you. Arrangement's great, with appropriate musings by Neil about his selections. Was great also to see other artists, including his wife, throughout. I highly recommend this video for your collection.

Neil Young - Heart of Gold.......2007-05-07

Liked it so well I kept a copy and ordered another to be delivered to my son and his wife in San Marcos, CA

As a guitar play since 1957, trying to learn each day, I certainly appreciate the chords used and the non-chalant, easy pace of Neil's music.

I further state, that I detest having to listen to the bad language and the vibration of the car parts when auto/((KID - CARRIERS) pass. LEE

Like being on stage with Neil and friends.......2007-04-21

There really aren't enough stars for rating this one. It is filmed with such warmth and intimacy that it is like being on stage playing with the band. The great music speaks for itself, but it is also wonderful to see the way Neil, Pegi, and the others glance at one another, smile at one another, enjoy one another's company and musicianship.
In the added features DVD there is a film diary of the 10 days of rehearsal leading up to the concert. I showed it to some of my middle school students. I wanted them to see how hard professional musicians work, and how, after 40 years of playing these instruments, they still practice every day. It was a good lesson for them.
I can't recommend this DVD highly enough.

Average customer rating:

fabulous dvd and movie
I LOVE IT
"I gave her my heart and she gave me a pen"
Absolutely fantastic love story
My favorite teen movie!!

Say Anything
Starring: Amy Brooks , Jonathan Chapin , Lois Chiles , Gloria Cromwell , and Joan Cusack
Manufacturer: 20th Century Fox
ProductGroup: DVD
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ASIN: B00003CXCI
Release Date: 2002-03-05

Product Description

To know Lloyd Dobler is to love him. Diane Court is about to know Lloyd Dobler.

In this charming, critically acclaimed tale of first love, Lloyd (John Cusack), an eternal optimist, seeks to capture the heart of Diane, an unattainable high school beauty and straight-A student (Ione Skye). He surprises just about everyone - including himself - when she returns the sentiment. But Diane's over-possessive, divorced dad (John Mahoney) doesn't approve and it's going to take more than just the power of love to conquer all.

System Requirements:

Starring John Cusack, John Mahoney, Ione Skye

Directed by Cameron Crowe

Running time: 113 minutes

Amazon.com essential video

Seven years after he earned his first screen credit as the writer of Fast Times at Ridgemont High, former Rolling Stone writer Cameron Crowe made his directorial debut with this acclaimed romantic comedy starring John Cusack and Ione Skye as unlikely lovers on the cusp of adulthood. The casting is perfect, and Crowe's rookie direction is appropriately unobtrusive, no doubt influenced by his actor-loving, Oscar®-winning mentor, James L. Brooks. But the real strength of Crowe's work is his exceptional writing, his timely grasp of contemporary rhythms and language (he's frequently called "the voice of a generation"), and the rich humor and depth of his fully developed characters. In Say Anything... Cusack and Skye play recent high school graduates enjoying one final summer before leaping into a lifetime of adult responsibilities. Lloyd (Cusack) is an aspiring kickboxer with no definite plans; Diane (Skye) is a valedictorian with intentions to further her education in Europe. Together they find unlikely bliss, but there's also turbulence when Diane's father (John Mahoney)--who only wants what's best for his daughter--is charged with fraud and tax evasion. Favoring strong performances over obtrusive visual style, Crowe focuses on his unique characters and the ambitions and fears that define them; the movie's a treasure trove of quiet, often humorous revelations of personality. Lili Taylor and Eric Stoltz score high marks for memorable supporting roles, and Cusack's own sister Joan is perfect in scenes with her onscreen and offscreen brother. A rare romantic comedy that's as funny as it is dramatically honest, Say Anything... marked the arrival of a gifted writer-director who followed up with the underrated Singles before scoring his first box-office smash with Jerry Maguire. --Jeff Shannon

Customer Reviews:

fabulous dvd and movie.......2007-06-27

I actually just caught the movie on Encore the other week, and it was excellent. I thought the commentary was really interesting, and the special features were pretty good too!

I LOVE IT.......2007-06-08

John Cusack gives an amazing performance. You can't help but fall in love with Lloyd Dobler. The movie is funny, engaging and completely romantic. The ending is perfect and if you are a hopeless romantic, you MUST see this movie.

"I gave her my heart and she gave me a pen".......2007-05-14

Every time I watch Say Anything I love it a little bit more. I don't know what it is. The loner guy who aims a bit too high in hoping that the class valedictorian will be the one for him. The perfect girl who can only reveal her insecurities around the guy who no one can imagine her with. The daddy's girl who learns her father isn't as perfect as she always believed. All of which are elements of teen film that have been done to death, but there's something about Say Anything, maybe that it came before all those other played-out teen films that tried so hard to be like it. Maybe John Cusack and Ione Skye's innocent portrayals of young love. Whatever it is, this is a movie that only gets better with time. Even if you've already seen this movie, I'd highly suggest watching it again. Like a fine wine, this film only gets better with age.

Absolutely fantastic love story.......2007-02-07

Okay, kids. First, PLEASE stop calling this an '80s movie. It's not - it may have been released in 1989, but it's a prototypical '90s movie. In fact, it may arguably be the first of the pack of young-disenfranchised-Gen X-teens-looking-for-love movies that typified the early '90s (see also: "Singles," "Reality Bites," etc. ).

For those of you who are too young to have seen this movie when it first came out, you can't begin to understand the effect it had on its target audience. It's about as seminal as the John Hughes/Molly Ringwald movies were to the '80s (THOSE are typical '80s movies). It's a brilliant treatise on teen angst in the early '90s, when people spent a lot of time weighing socially-conscious, indie "slackerdom" against more conventional (and lucrative) "sell-out" paths.

This is also the first teen movie I can remember seeing where the leads behaved like actual people - nothing contrived or jokey. The romance seemed normal (or, okay, maybe a little bit better than normal - that scene where Lloyd holds up a boombox outside Diane's window is iconic for a reason) and believable.

I guess some aspects of this movie probably seem a little dated or difficult to understand for people who didn't grow up then. However, for my money, this is one of the most honest, thoughtful, and enjoyable contemplations of love and angst in the Grunge Era.

My favorite teen movie!!.......2006-11-09

I rented Say Anything from the library because I heard what good ratings it was getting from both people and critics. I could see why they thought the way they did about this film, it truly is sweet to watch. John Cusack does well playing the cool Lloyd Dobler as well the beautiful Ione Skye as valedictorian Diane Court. It is a very good movie about true love between two different high school graduates, one who is valedictorian of the class and the other a famous kickboxer. Say Anything is probably Cameron Crowe's best film with Jerry Maguire coming in dead second, thats how good it is. Its a teen comedy film with substance, intelligence and feeling that I just had to go out and buy the DVD. Forget all the brat pack films, Say Anything is the best you'll ever find.

Star Trek - First Contact (Two-Disc Special Collector's Edition)

Average customer rating:

Star Trek saga
Great Movie!!!!
Loved the movie, but unimpressed with the extras
The Line Must Be Drawn Here!
Possibly The Best Star Trek Movie?

Star Trek - First Contact (Two-Disc Special Collector's Edition)
Starring: LeVar Burton , James Cromwell , Michael Dorn , Michael Horton , and Alice Krige
Manufacturer: Paramount
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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

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Star Trek IV - The Voyage Home (Two-Disc Special Collector's Edition)

ASIN: B00078XGRO
Release Date: 2005-03-15

Amazon.com

Even-numbered Star Trek movies tend to be better, and First Contact (#8 in the popular movie series) is no exception--an intelligently handled plot involving the galaxy-conquering Borg and their attempt to invade Earth's past, alter history, and "assimilate" the entire human race. Time travel, a dazzling new Enterprise, and capable direction by Next Generation alumnus Jonathan Frakes makes this one rank with the best of the bunch. Capt. Picard (Patrick Stewart) and his able crew travel back in time to Earth in the year 2063, where they hope to ensure that the inventor of warp drive (played by James Cromwell) will successfully carry out his pioneering warp-drive flight and precipitate Earth's "first contact" with an alien race. A seductive Borg queen (Alice Krige) holds Lt. Data (Brent Spiner) hostage in an effort to sabotage the Federation's preservation of history, and the captive android finds himself tempted by the queen's tantalizing sins of the flesh! Sharply conceived to fit snugly into the burgeoning Star Trek chronology, First Contact leads to a surprise revelation that marks an important historical chapter in the ongoing mission "to boldly go where no one has gone before." --Jeff Shannon

Description

In their second big screen adventure, the year is 2373 and the crew of the Enterprise-E has learned the Borg has returned. Because of Captain Picard's past experiences with the Borg, Starfleet has ordered the Enterprise to stay out of the fight. Realizing too much is at stake, Picard disobeys orders and takes the Enterprise to Earth. His knowledge of Borg technology leads the Federation fleet to victory, but a Borg sphere escapes and opens a temporal vortex. The Enterprise pursues and travels back to April 4, 2063; the day before the first warp flight.

Customer Reviews:

Star Trek saga.......2007-05-13

Good epilogue for the BORG neverending threat to humanity!!! Great Jean-Luc PICARD in the end against the BORG QUEEN!!!!! Not so bad the Klingon WORF!! Nice and offhands rendering of the human race left (especially the creator of the warp dirve engine, COCHRANE, played amazingly well by James CROMWELL!) after the nuclear world war!!!

Great Movie!!!!.......2007-04-05

I really love this movie but beware, I don't know what I was thinking I thought this was the directors cut which usually puts back all the deleted seens in a movie. Well this one isn't it. It will show you the seens deleted as extras but not intergrated back into the movie. Thats my only complaint but that is a minor complaint and totally my fault. The movie itself is a great, try watching it on a big sreen TV you will love it esp. the opening fight seen in the movie when the Borg attack the fleet. This is a great buy so don't hesitate if you haven't seen the movie or just want it for you collection.

Loved the movie, but unimpressed with the extras.......2007-04-03

I love the movie. I'd be hard pressed to say it's my favorite Star Trek movie since it's so hard to beat Wrath of Khan, but it's definitely my favorite Next Gen movie.

The bonuses however, are hardly worth purchasing the two disc collector's edition. I understand that the movie was filmed before the days of DVD and the producers didn't go into the project expecting to hand over hours worth of bonus material. It shows. All of the extras felt like they scrounged together whatever behind the scenes footage they could find and tried to build little documentary segments out of it. In my opinion, it failed spectacularly.

I, personally, was hoping for extras about the Borg Queen. Her makeup, her art direction. There is some of that, but not a lot. The only mention of her makeup is in passing and there are no behind the scenes footage of the makeup process at all.

All in all, I found the extras to be seriously lacking and not worth the additional price.

The Line Must Be Drawn Here!.......2007-04-03

I'm not sure if I'd have ever started watching Star Trek TNG if it wasn't for Patrick Stewart and his amazing performance in this movie. How they ever got such an amazing actor to jump on board is beyond me but I'm very happy that he did.

When I watch or read a favorite movie or book, I tend to always skip sections to get to the part that was constantly replaying itself in my head over and over again all day. In First Contact, I repeatedly jump to Patrick Stewart's "Moby Dick" scene where he passionately expresses his obsession with destroying the Borg. It doesn't happen too often when an actor performs exactly how you'd like to express yourself in a way that you never realized might be in you. I first saw this movie when I was young so it made a distinct impression on me when I saw it. Been a Trekkie ever since.

I also thought James Cromwell played Zefram Cochran incredibly. When he comments on the disparity between him and his future self to Commander Riker, it's just funny how life can turn out and that there is still hope for us all. Without those two actors, the movie still would have been awesome but it would have just been another good movie but nothing you really had to watch over again.

So in my opinion, rent it if you must but it's definitely worth the $10.99. By far the best movie from the TNG series and although I more often than not skip most of the movie to get to my favorite parts, I enjoy them enough to watch the movie in it's entirety once in a while.

Possibly The Best Star Trek Movie?.......2007-03-28

One editorial review is right: the even numbers are better.

There is a Next Generation episode which shares the name "First Contact", but the only common thread is the contact with a planet and those outside. Actually, the emphasis is not as much on the first contact but the battle to allow it to be so.

SKIP THIS PARAGRAPH IF YOU HAVEN'T SEEN THE MOVIE, BECAUSE IT CONTAINS SPOILERS! I found elements of different movies in this story, especially hints to Star Treks III (destroying the Enterprise) and IV (going back in time and telling select earth people something about the future). Sometimes, it takes away from the originality of the story, but this is an exception.

Unlike Generations, this movie developed the teamwork that made this series and all other Star Treks. However, the movie gets right into the action.

I find the Borg the most disturbing of the Star Trek villains, and this fit the bill. Alice Krige was excellent in her role.

There are themes that were great in this movie. For example, the friendship between Captain Picard and Data and sacrifice. The issue of revenge and obsession. The issue of submission to authority and the boldness to take risks when necessary. The fact that people we look up to as heroes are just ordinary people like you and I who are motivated by the same things we are (or maybe not as high a motivation). As a Christian, I can see spiritual warfare implications in the movie, as well as illustrations of pitfalls we believers can fall into.

Average customer rating:

FAST shipping!
One of the all-time classics!
murder by death kills with laughs!
Star Studded Spoof
A Wonderful Spoof

Murder by Death
Starring: Eileen Brennan , Truman Capote , James Coco , Peter Falk , and Alec Guinness
Director: Robert Moore
Manufacturer: Sony Pictures
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B00005RDRO
Release Date: 2001-12-18

Amazon.com

Neil Simon wrote this 1976 spoof in which virtually every famous fictional detective of the 1930s and 1940s congregate at the home of a mysterious fellow (Truman Capote) to try and solve the mystery of who's trying to kill them all. Simon's jokes are mostly obvious, and the film's real appeal is the clever concept matched with fine--sometimes legendary--actors. Peter Falk plays a very Bogart-like Sam Spade equivalent, James Coco is a Hercule Poirot wannabe, Peter Sellers does a Charlie Chan bit, David Niven and Maggie Smith are reflections of Nick and Nora.... You get the picture. Lighthearted and silly, this is cotton-candy comedy for the cast as well as viewers. --Tom Keogh

Customer Reviews:

FAST shipping!.......2007-05-18

Good price - got here in GREAT time, even with super saver shipping... The movie is hysterical and timeless.

One of the all-time classics!.......2007-03-27

My daughter and I have loved this movie since she was little and we still catch ourselves quoting our favorite lines from the movie! It is such a great spoof on old detective movies and there are so many of our favorite, big stars in it! It is really a fun movie!

murder by death kills with laughs!.......2007-02-26

murder by death has to be one of the best movies made
in the 70's. it seems nobody ever mentions this movie.
written by neil simon it's just as funny as the odd
couple. one liners just keep coming. the casting is
just brilliant. peter falk, davin niven, peter sellers
alec guiness and truman capote make this a classic!
of course the surprise ending is still a surprise even
after the movie ends! i love it! highly recommended.

Star Studded Spoof.......2007-02-25

A rich millionaire invites the greatest living detectives to his castle (complete with fog, lightning and rain etc) for dinner - and a murder. The surviving detective who figures it out is promised one million dollars.
OK, so it is not the plot or the inherently stagey nature of the movie that is classic - but the mixing of such a fine ensemble cast. A brilliant cast play similes of literatures great detectives - Peter Falk playing Bogart's Sam Spade crossed with Columbo (Sam Diamond in the movie), David Niven playing The Thin Man, Peter Sellers playing Charlie Chan (Wang in the movie), and Agatha Christies Poirot and Marples give rise to the hysterically monikered Milo Perrier and Miss Marbles. Add to that the iconic Truman Capote as the millionaire, and Alec Guinness as the blind butler as well as various sidekicks, and you have possibly the biggest set of scenery chewers crammed into one dining room.
The jokes are thick and fast, always farcical, but never straying too far into slapstick. Any misses are quickly forgiven as the next joke comes along.
Predictably perhaps the ending is not entirely satisfactory - a simple but clever ending would have been more effective than the over elaborate series of revelations which don't quite tie up. But lets face it, when you're having this much fun, who cares.
The 91 minute running time makes this a satisfactorily tight little movie that is ideal for a rainy Sunday evening...

A Wonderful Spoof.......2007-02-16

I first saw this movie as a young man, and I was amazed at the sheer number of first-rate acting talent it contained. With stars like: Peter Falk, David Niven, Peter Seller and Alec Guinness (to name a few) this movie should have been a more mainstream success, but sadly remains a cult-classic. The main appeal of this film, comes in the form of it's spoofing of the Detective drama, and the methods of classic TV and Movie sleuths. If you are fond of movies like "Scarey Movie," then you should enjoy this one. The script and acting are top-notch, especially the characterization of Detective Wong, by Peter Sellers. If you like Charlie Chan, Sam Spade, or the Thin Man movies, you will easily appreciate the humor and repect the writer give to the story. It is especially funny, seeing these loner detectives trying to tell each other how to solve a case. Even if you don't favor the realm of crime drama, there is more than enough goofy sight gags and slapstick comedy to appeal to most anyone. I hope you enjoy!

Average customer rating:

Parker Is Superb
Classic women's picture!
An absolute HOOT!
Beautiful, talented Eleanor Parker in peak form
Come on you tramps, line up for Christmas!

Caged!
Starring: Eleanor Parker , Hope Emerson , Agnes Moorehead , Olive Carey , and Davison Clark
Director: John Cromwell
Manufacturer: Warner Home Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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