Head On

Starring:Alex Dimitriades, Paul Capsis, Julian Garner, Elena Mandalis, Tony Nikolakopoulos, Damien Fotiou, Eugenia Fragos, Dora Kaskanis, MarÃa Mercedes, Alex Papps, Vassili Zappa, Andrea Mandalis, Chris Kaglaros, Ourania Sideropoulos, Anthony Lyritzis, Ana Gonzalez, Maya Stange, Aimee Robertson, Nathan Farinella, Paul Farinella
Director: Ana Kokkinos
Studio: Strand Releasing
Product Type: DVD

Average customer rating:

Witness the All-Powerful...Radish?
Different
Groin's looking out for your behind, Head!
Screw-On Head amazing
For original ideas and offbeat humor look no further

The Amazing Screw-on Head
Starring: Paul Giamatti , David Hyde Pierce , Patton Oswalt , Corey Burton , and Mindy Sterling
Director: Chris Prynoski
Manufacturer: Lions Gate
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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Similar Items:

Hellboy: Sword of Storms (Animated)
Hellboy - Blood and Iron (Animated)
Justice League Unlimited - Season Two (DC Comics Classic Collection)
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The Invincible Iron Man

ASIN: B000KJU16E
Release Date: 2007-02-06

Description

In this hilarious send-up of Lovecraftian horror and steampunk adventure, President Abraham Lincoln's top spy is a bodyless head known only as Screw-On Head (Paul Giamatti). When arch-fiend Emperor Zombie (David Hyde Pierce) steals an artifact that will enable him to threaten all life on Earth, the task of stopping him is assigned to Screw-on Head. Fortunately, Screw-On Head is not alone on this perilous quest. He is aided by his multitalented manservant, Mr. Groin, and by his talking canine cohort, Mr. Dog. Can this unorthodox trio stop Emperor Zombie in time? Does Screw-On Head have a body awesome enough to stop the horrors that have been unleashed? Where can we get a talking dog? All these questions (O.K., maybe not that last one) are answered by the thrilling tale of The AMAZING SCREW ON HEAD! Based on the award-winning comic book by Mike Mignola, creator of HELLBOY.

Customer Reviews:

Witness the All-Powerful...Radish? .......2007-04-25

Through-out the pages of picturesque fantasy, Mike Mignola has to be one of the most brilliant storytellers ever to put pen to paper. I say that because of his understanding of so many elements of what a story comprises; he has a handle on characterization, a mind that knows how to mingle mythos with a world people understand, and he has a style that people recognize and that has become a signature piece that people either love or dislike. People familiar with his work on Hellboy will immediately recognize this piece, and people familiar with Mignola's story The Screw-On Head will notice that this is simply it placed on a beautifully-conceived DVD. People who are not should know that Mignola likes to create something akin to a fairytale, add in dashes of Pulp icons and more pieces of this-and-that where to keep you on your toes and to make you laugh when you really don't expect it, and really earn the name he has been building for himself.

For anyone that has not heard of the concept on this short (notice the word short) piece, the character Screw-On Head is something of a National Security asset that keeps the States safe from things that would make a person go mad if they knew such things existed. Utilizing cutting edge technology in the time of Lincoln, Head does battle with monsters and former sidekicks and with beasts that want to enter the planes we know as sanity and introduce humanity to a world of... well, let's just say it isn't the world of plush puppies and Hello Kitty. The things encountered are rather odd, too...a black hole containing an ancient god contained within radish says a lot for what you encounter. The humor is absolutely brilliant there. The character is pretty funny, too, being a head that, well, screw on. You get the idea.

If you do not mind the length (you should know it is VERY short), see the art style and find it appealing, and just want something to entertain you because it is entertainment at its best then you should check it out. Fans of Hellboy (more the comic than the movie) should stop here for a taste and people who find articulate zombie butlers bent on killing every butler a person has afterwards as some kind of private payback joke funny should try it on as well. It really will surprise you if given a chance.

Different.......2007-04-21

The only bad thing is that the film is too short. It'erie but, fun.I recommend it.

Groin's looking out for your behind, Head!.......2007-04-16

I read the single issue of Amazing Screw-On Head when it came out a few years back, and thought it was hysterical. I'm happy to say, this animated version is equally as entertaining. The animation, unlike the Hellboy animated movie that came out recently, is Mike Mignola's artwork literally translated into animation. Absolutely fantastic. Panels are taken directly from the comic and basically the "area's between" are filled in seamlessly. All the humor, both the obvious and the subtle, are also present and will have you laughing out loud. The cast is all terrific, especially Paul Giamatti as Screw-On Head and David Hyde-Pierce as the dreaded Emperor Zombie. The bonus mini-documentary is really interesting as well, containing interviews with the creative team, including Mike Mignola. The video itself is only 22 minutes long and the documentary is almost as long at 17 minutes, but it's worth every second!

Screw-On Head amazing.......2007-04-08

Mike Mignola has been one of my favorite comic book artist for quite some time now and it's truly sweet to see his graphic style converted to animation. The crew behind this are obviously also big Mignola fans and did a great job making it all work.
Giamatti and David Hyde Pierce fit the characters well and all the Screw-On Head humor from the comic is intact.
Only problem, it's too darned short. Well worth the money, but it left me wanting more.

For original ideas and offbeat humor look no further.......2007-04-08

I have to admit, I have an annoying soft spot for shows that met their end too soon. The Tick, Greg the Bunny, Andy Richter Controls the Universe (shame on Fox), all met their demise after a single season. Unfortunately for The Amazing Screw-on Head, and for the people who enjoyed it, the pilot is as far as it went.

The original concept created by Mike Mignola (Hellboy) is a lot of fun. I won't go into the plot as it is more fun to watch than have explained to you but the robot, vampire, zombie love triangle is fantastic. A relationship that spans nearly 200 years. And to throw Lincoln in as the president is a so-cool-it's-perfect idea. You've really never seen anything like this. And thanks to the pilot not getting enough positive votes, this is your only chance.

The behind the scenes short doc on this is really informative and pains me even more that this series wasn't given a chance. I think watching it drove home that the crew behind this really cared and were well suited for the job. It's hard to imagine what could have been but I can imagine this series could have grown a decent sized cult following had more been made.

Overall, I liked it a lot and enjoy it as a short animation, but I guess I will have to search for The Amazing Screw-on Head on my next trip to the comic shop to satisfy my craving for more. I can honestly say this is the first time I bought something that Amazon had recommended to me upon seeing it at the buy/use/trade store and I'm very happy I did. My only regret is it's not a full season.

Average customer rating:

Classic Dramatic Hardcore
Still Holds Up
i expected to see ambrose bierce walk onto the set ...
Classic Sam Peckinpah!
Alfredo garcia

Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Garcia
Starring: Warren Oates , Isela Vega , Robert Webber , Gig Young , and Helmut Dantine
Director: Sam Peckinpah
Manufacturer: MGM (Video & DVD)
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Action & Adventure | Genres | DVD | Video

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Similar Items:

Sam Peckinpah's Legendary Westerns Collection (The Wild Bunch / Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid / Ride the High Country / The Ballad of Cable Hogue)
Point Blank
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Straw Dogs - Criterion Collection

ASIN: B0006TPDPM
Release Date: 2005-03-22

Amazon.com

Sam Peckinpah knew he couldn't call a movie Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Garcia and get away with it. That's why he did it. When he undertook this nakedly personal project, in self-exile in Mexico, the director was a deeply bitter man out of favor with critics, the media, and the Hollywood establishment, which had just released his Pat Garrett & Billy the Kid in a mutilated version. "Bring Me the Head..." sounded like the parody title of an ultraviolent Sam Peckinpah movie, and he flung it in our faces just as his onscreen surrogate tosses the titular object at the camera.

Thing is, the movie is a masterpiece--raw, shocking, beautiful, and brave--in which Peckinpah confronts his enemies and his own demons. Warren Oates plays a gringo piano-player stuck in Mexico who hears that some powerful men are willing to pay a bounty on a guy he knows. They don't know the guy is already dead, killed in a car accident. It'll be easy to exhume the trophy and collect the money--except that it will cost our seedy hero everything he has and ever wanted.

John Huston's Treasure of the Sierra Madre had always been a key legend for Peckinpah; this film is a subterranean re-imagining of it, with Oates as both the son of Fred C. Dobbs and the carnival-mirror reflection of Peckinpah himself. And Isela Vega's performance as the sainted whore Elita--bruised and worldly one minute, radiant and clear-skinned as a child the next--is an act of grace. --Richard T. Jameson

Description

Some people will do anything for a million dollars even if it means killing anyone who gets in their way! Written and directed by OscarÂ(r) nominee* Sam Peckinpah and starring Academy AwardÂ(r) winner** Gig Young, Warren Oates, Robert Webber, Kris Kristofferson and the seductively beautiful Isela Vega, Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Garcia is a gritty classic that vibrates with explosive action and nail-biting tension. When a Mexican land baron puts a million dollars on the head of the man who seduced his daughter, two money-hungry men (Young and Webber) recruita small-town bartender (Oates) to help them do their dirty work. But their tequila-fueled trek across the desolate Mexican frontier grows more intense, gruesome and bloody with every savage murder they leave in their wake! *1969: Original Screenplay, The Wild Bunch (With Walon Greenand Roy N. Sickner) **1969: Supporting Actor, They Shoot Horses, Don't They?

Customer Reviews:

Classic Dramatic Hardcore.......2007-06-03

This Title says it all and for $1,000,000 Cash the action and suspense fills this movie. Gritty, Intense, VIOLENT, DARK HUMOR! This movie was ahead of it's time. So was Director Sam Peckinpah.

Still Holds Up.......2007-05-26

I watched this movie 2 days ago, and as usual it had a lasting effect on me. I would have to almost go out on a limb and say this may be Peckinpah's most complex and brilliant work; The storyline starts as a basic premise, then gets a little more complicated mid-way through. For a film made in the early '70's, the dialog still stands strong, the desert-like landscapes are captured perfectly, the acting/characters are are both commanding and quirky, which was something you did not see done alot in early '70's films, let alone done well. Most of the action comes to a boil in the last half hour or so, but I didn't really care. Oates takes control as the lead, which is nice to see; He is a charismatic leading tough guy type, and here he gets his moment; The German guys are quite amusing, esp. at the end when their relationship becomes a little more defined in a strange way. This is probably as close to a Tarantino movie as Peckinpah ever got, and it's just as worthy. 'The Getaway' was a good movie, but this one is soooo much better. On par with 'Straw Dogs' and 'The Wild Bunch', yet different.

i expected to see ambrose bierce walk onto the set ..........2007-04-26

while i recently called "ballad of cable hogue" my favorite sam peckinpah movie, this outre take on revenge is undoubtedly his best, and imho one of the best of the 1970s. for those who havent seen it, the setup is the daughter of (presumably) mexican land tycoon has been impregnated by one alfredo garcia; the angry dad offers a huge reward to whomever delivers to him the severed head of alfredo, and down on his luck bum warren oates (think a seedier version of bogart in "sierra madre") is hired by a pair of "entrepeneurs" (gig young and robert webber) to do the dirty work. the irony: alfredo is already dead in a car accident. and that is the setup for where the movie really takes off in a spin of revenge, justice, betrayals, love, &c -- all against the sight and smell of the deteriorating severed head rotting in 100 degree plus heat. oates was always an underappreciated actor, but here he gives his best performance, matched by mexican actress isela vega as his doomed girlfriend. not a movie you want to watch frequently, but it is a masterpiece.

Classic Sam Peckinpah!.......2007-01-30

It's been 30 years since I've seen this film on cable. I decided to re-visit this obscure film and see if I missed anything in the initial viewing. As it turned out, I didn't miss anything. It's pretty much the same, routine Sam Peckinpah film, filled with lots of blood, guts, bullets and slow-motion action. It's also a long, tedious film that is not one of his best, but will satisfy those who enjoy ultra-violence in their movies.

Alfredo garcia.......2007-01-23

Movie way ahead of its time. The violence is cuttiing edge for its time, a peckinpaw trait, but is tame by today's standard. First rate movie I think and very underated. I like warren oates and the support acting roles are well done. I think well worth the money.--5 stars

Average customer rating:

Top film
Are You Turkish? Well, yes I am!
The meeting of two solitudes!
Self-Destructive Twosome Find Complicated Romance
Half Lives

Head-On
Starring: Cem Akin , Philipp Baltus , Meltem Cumbul , Francesco Fiannaca , and Stefan Gebelhoff
Manufacturer: Strand Releasing
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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In July
Kings & Queen
The Edukators
The Beat That My Heart Skipped
Crossing the Bridge: The Sound of Istanbul

ASIN: B0009VND0E
Release Date: 2005-09-13

Amazon.com

Head-On, Fatih Akin's gritty drama, is like a great punk-rock song-- rough around the edges, but filled with heart. Cahit (Birol Ünel) is a middle-aged drunk whose apartment looks like the toilet in Trainspotting. Sibel (Sibel Kekilli) is a suicidal woman half his age, stuck at home with repressive relatives. They're two troubled Turks, adrift in Germany. A chance encounter at a psychiatric hospital represents a way out. If Cahit will marry her, Sibel can flee her family. They'll accept him, because he's Turkish. As for Cahit, he won't be alone anymore, left to mourn his dead wife and drink his life away. At first, things go as planned. Sibel moves into Cahit's dump and spiffs it up. The two live, eat, and party together, while continuing to see other people. Gradually, their marriage of convenience starts to resemble the real thing--until Cahit's violent tendencies get the best of him. --Kathleen C. Fennessy

Customer Reviews:

Top film.......2007-07-04

Great film, pity amazon didnt leave us much to say about it after their review but hear goes.

Wouldnt realy describe it a 'punk rock' apart from Cahits vague connection with punk music this is a great little insight into life of Turks in Germany. Two people both going their own way in life come together by chance but both have more baggage than they originally thought.

Cahit with his sadly passed away wife who he still morns and Sibel with her 'conservative' family who are filled with their own contradictions (My favorite scene is when Cahit is playing cards with Sibels brother and a few others, while they are sitting chatting about how they sleep with prostitutes behind their wives backs and the pros and cons of various women of differing nationalities Cahit shouts out "why dont you go and f*** your own wives? Sibels brother of course is outraged at intimacy between him and his wife being discussed)

As their marriage of convenience spirals out of control with Sibel continuing to sleep around and Cahit begining more and more to feel something for her it comes to a horrific conclusion resulting in Cahit being jailed and Sibel returning to Turkey.

Some wonderful scenes in Turkey such as when Sibel goes into a cafe and sits next to two young men chatting amongst themselves; first there is the shock from the both of them that she should come and sit next to a strange man then her question "You know where I can get any drugs" Their reply "Are you mad or something girl" Just sums up the cultural gulf between Sibels hedonistic life in Germany and even the most secular of Turks who still leads a reasonably respectable life.

There is just so much that this film captures of life both in Germany and Turkey of young people living there and the contradictions they encounter.

Recomended film.

By the way; its called "Against the Wall" In Turkish. In my opinion a far better title than "Head On"

Are You Turkish? Well, yes I am!.......2007-05-21

Am I the only Turk who has reviewed this film? I surely hope not. It has taken me ages to finally rent this. I am extremely depressed right now but it was well worth it. Please, don't classify this as a German movie. Let this be a Turkish movie. It was nicely done, a bit predictable at times but no big deal. The acting was above expectations. As for the story line, believable enough. I found it ironic that the heroine Sibel needs to marry a Turkish guy in order to get peace from her family according to the plot (which is very believable, mind you) but that in reality she used to be a porn star before this film.

As a minor negative, the Turkish being spoken was whiny and got on my nerves quite a bit. To their defense, I have been away from my precious homeland for almost 10 years now and for all I know, this could be the way modern Turkish is being spoken right now.

The meeting of two solitudes!.......2007-04-18

This minimalist picture has to do with a delicate state of things around the figure of the immigrant into a new universe, absolutely unknown. Two lonely human beings besieged by their inner demons and the ineffable trace of his condition of exiled, permeates and defines several aspects to be taken intro account. The necessity of living and be loved increases in both of them; but with distinct rate speed. He is widow, but she tries to escape from her particular familiar hell, and searches in the marriage a device to emancipate herself once for all.

They will meet in an institution, and the fixed idea of be married really scares this lonely man, who begins to doubt about that issue. The frame is done because at last her dreams come true, and so she will know the delights and penuries of this relationship, which was born from her imagination to idealize a blue prince1 but the initial encounter with that huddled home will be the beginning of an agreement between them, there will be no sex and will live in different rooms.

But as you and me will guess the love will make its inevitable triumphal appearance, against the odds.

A curious melodrama that certainly rides between the nostalgia and the humor; trying to get an exit door into an overwhelming world.

Self-Destructive Twosome Find Complicated Romance.......2007-03-12

I am not Turkish, but I am one of those in-between people like the protagonists (living with two cultures, immigrant child of immigrants), so something rang very true here when I watched Sibel rebel against the constraints of a tradition that was more caging of women than men and more sexually guarded than the culture at large (it was similar in my Cuban upbringing).

Unlike Sibel, I wasn't self-destructive and, frankly, unhinged.

But the reason this story is so intriguing is because both leads, Sibel and Cahit, are people on a path toward death--he drinks to excess and attempts suicide via head-on collision with a wall. She slices up her arms and takes drugs, the biggest drug being one-night stands with men she hooks up with in bars or, well, wherever.

They're both a mess, and it's painful and repulsive and fascinating to see them just make incredibly stupid, desperate decisions.

Cahit and Sibel meet at a mental hospital (both after suicide attempts). She is a scrawny, wild-haired, but strangely mesmerizing woman; he is a spaced-out slob stuck in some dark groove. We see her light dimmed in her family's presence. We see her family suffering over her crazy acting out. And we see and understand why she sees this disheveled and suicidal and barely coherent drunk as her way out. They marry because what else can be done? That's how they see it. He has nothing better to do. She sees this as her only out from a repressive home environment. The director is savvy and sensitive enough not to paint the parents as tyrants squashing Sibel's spirit. We see they do love her, and we see that from their perspective, their way is right, and she is wrapped up in evil and shamefulness. They are not wholly wrong. She is not behaving maturely or thoughtfully or smartly. She really is acting like an immature, selfish, whacked out sex addict.

The film lets us see the awfulness of Cahit and Sibel's situations, but we also see moments when their better natures shine through. As Cahit begins to actually fall in love with this woman who is wife in name only, who sleeps with other men and comes home with the dawn. We see him value the touches she brings--a tidier home, fresh Turkish meals she learned from her mother, just laughing together, dancing together. He begins to reengage with life. Sibel, however, is setting up a flashpoint situation.

And everything will change with an act that is both understandable and criminal.

The movie then takes a new turn, and we find ourselves in Turkey, where we know a stricken Sibel will either turn over a new leaf or meet her demise.

And Cahit will find that his destiny is more and yet less than what he imagined.

There are moments in the film where we cut to a scene of a turkish band (all male) and a female singer performing on the shore of some body of water--the Bosphorus?--with Istanbul visible across the river and the Haggia Sophia quite prominent. It's an interesting device that keeps us locked into a sense of another culture. The here (Germany) and there (Turkey), and that span of separation (the river)...all immigrants understand that metaphor.

The two lead actors are rivetting. I've never seen them before, but the woman who plays Sibel has such intensity in her eyes, and she can look horribly unappealing or amazingly sexy depending on how she brightens or dims. The actor who plays Cahit has this same ability--he can be repulsive or appealing depending on a shift of expression, a change in the eyes or posture. They both vividly portray obsession and depression and living on the edge of destruction or salvation.

It's a difficult film to watch, because deep human pain and stupidity are hard to watch without feeling superior at one moment, ashamed at another, compassionate another, and helpless another. You sympathize with nearly ALL the characters, who are in their way each trapped by desires and expectations and not fitting into some mold--whether it's the brother of Sibel, Sibel, Cahit, or Cahit's "uncle", or Sibel's mother and father...

The message, life is hard, but you can make it harder or easier on yourself. And love, love is powerful, love is resurrecting, love can give you hope and fill you with life again, but love can also be something elusive and short-lived and, always, surprising.

This film is not for a day you want to be cheerful. It's for a day when you're not afraid to see broken humanity and maybe commisserate and pray.

Half Lives.......2007-01-25

"Head On"

Half Lives

Amos Lassen and Cinema Pride

Cahit, a German Turk in his late thirties and has given up on life after his wife's death. We cannot say he is living; he just exists miserably losing himself in excessive drink and cocaine. When one evening he crashes into a wall (seemingly on purpose) and is taken to a hospital, he meets a girl, Sibel, also a German Turk, who has attempted suicide. She has had it with her family and it's very traditional look at life and asks Cahit, quite bluntly, to marry her so that as a married woman she can eschew the pressure from her family. Cahit, at first finds the plan not to his liking but later agrees to it. Sibel lets him know that she wants absolute freedom to have sex with other men and Cahit agrees to this and they live as roommates only and each has his own private life. Suddenly things change and their indifference begins to wane but their love story is not going to be simple tale.
"Head On" won the top award at the Berlin film festival in 2004 and is visually a beautiful movie with gorgeous panoramic shots of Turkey.
Both of our leads are drama queens with Cahit being the more Turkish assimilated of the couple. Sibel feels that by marrying Cahit she capitulates to the conventions of her culture in order to escape from it. Cahit, likewise, must conform to society in order to achieve a sense of purpose. They marry and eventually learn to love one another. Her footloose attitude toward life is exactly what he needs--she s wild in her own way as he is in his. Yet her promiscuity and his violence and lack of respect cause him to attack one of her tricks and jail and scandal ensues. Sibel goes to Istanbul while Cahit sits in jail and she writes to him. When released from prison he goes in search of her.
The movie is really about the half-assimilated in foreign countries with their half alien experiences and even with all of the melodrama in the movie, the characters of Sibel and Cahit are fully developed and realized. The actors are strong and give admirable performances. Birol Unel as Cahit is charismatic, broodingly handsome, sardonic and gloomy. She possesses a life spirit that cannot be quenched and the story is a dichotomy of vibrancy and darkness.
One of the unique aspects of the film is that occasionally there are shots of orchestral interludes n the banks of the Bosporus. These relieve the tension of the film. Otherwise the movie would be a real chore as it is very heavy. The cinematography is also different than anything we have seen before. He shows us life with all of its images.
The primary aim of the film is to show the life of Turkish immigrants in Germany--they are neither Turkish nor German. Because they are something in between, they tend to act outside of what is expected in society. This is what is truly known as an art film. The music, the photography, the script and the actors make this film a shot above the rest.
Why do I classify this as a gay film? This is because the main characters, like gays and lesbians are within society and on the outside of it. We are forced to conform in order to be different. Like Sibel and Cahit, we do not fit except when we conform to what is expected of all. With the themes of love, lust, and passion, we see society through the yes of outsiders who want to belong--but to belong on their terms. As in the ethnic humor in the film, so we try to belong.

Average customer rating:

look beyond the obvious
Awaken....
An Expensive Lifetime Movie
Some movies just don't make you care.
LOVE AFTER DEATH

Waking the Dead
Starring: Billy Crudup , Jennifer Connelly , Molly Parker , Janet McTeer , and Paul Hipp
Director: Keith Gordon
Manufacturer: Universal Studios
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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The Hot Spot
Inventing the Abbotts
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Of Love & Shadows
Jesus' Son

ASIN: B00007ELES
Release Date: 2002-11-05

Amazon.com

Actor-turned-director Keith Gordon has crafted a touching love story that transcends time, political ideology, and even death. The movie opens in 1974 as Fielding Pierce (Billy Crudup) watches a TV news report announcing the death in Chile of three American activists, including Sarah Williams (Jennifer Connelly), his one true love. The story flashes back to when they first met, showing how he was always more conservative, with grand political aspirations, but the relationship worked because they both shared dreams of making the world a better place, one from inside the system and the other from outside. The movie also flashes forward to his life in the early '80s, when he gets tapped to run for Congress. He starts having visions of her, but he is never quite sure if she's a hallucination arising out of his stress, a manifestation of his political consciousness, an out-and-out ghost, or maybe she's still alive somehow. Whatever she is, his deep longing for her is making him crack up. Gordon smartly jumps the story back and forth in time, forgoing an "objective" reality in favor of a more subjective and emotional one. It is a structure based on memory, and that in tandem with the content is what makes Waking the Dead a very powerful film indeed.--Andy Spletzer

Customer Reviews:

look beyond the obvious.......2007-05-13

people, people. look beyond the obvious. this isnt a love story. it isnt a ghost story. it isnt a story about politics. it is a story about waking what lies dead inside of us. it isnt about the love he had for her dying- it is about what was awake and alive in him- what she had awakened in him when they met- not love- but a passion for life. a purpose. the both were idealistic and had a zest for the power that politics and activism had for contributing to life- to make a difference. dont you remember the scene towards the end, when he has finally been "awakened" again to himself, and he reads the letters that his constituents have written to him, that he FINALLY SEES THEM? not as hallucinations- but as people. he is touched by them. it is no longer a job that he can go thru blindly anymore, just for the political power and fame. he can no longer go thru life, "dead" or numb. this is the 'dead' that is awakened in him- thus "waking the dead."
i thought this movie was fantastic how it took you through the process of his journey back to himself. just great.

Awaken...........2007-05-13

Beautiful film. Billy Crudup gives a performance of his carrer. Connelly is great to watch and strong. Well played film. Don't blink or you'll miss Ed Harris appear on a TV screen. The movie tuggs at heart strings. Not the best but great. Not too original but is satisfying. Song at the ends along with Crudup is reason enough to watch.

An Expensive Lifetime Movie.......2007-04-07

This movie pushes the Lifetime genre in two small ways -- they paid more for the actors and there is some sympathy for the male lead. I confess that the actors tried to make something of the script, but you cannot make a masterpiece of a paint-by-numbers set. Otherwise, this overwrought windbag of a movie is just as void of depth and long on emotional dialogue as any LMN fare.

Some movies just don't make you care........2007-04-04

I cannot understand why this movie has so many positive reviews. My partner and I bought this for a discounted price mostly because we love Jennifer C. But on watching this.....there were times where I burst out laughing so hard at the movie that we had to pause it! And not because it was funny.....because I just wish the guys at MST3K could get a hold of it. Horrible acting, boring and odd dialogue and a very boring story line. It felt like an overdrawn episode of "Unsolved Mysteries" but without the cool music.

LOVE AFTER DEATH.......2007-03-27

WAKING THE DEAD is one of those movies that even though its competently done with very good production values, I just didn't find it entertaining. It's a rather somber love story well acted by Billy Crudup and Jennifer Connelly.
Set in the early 1970s and the early 1980s, the story follows Crudup, an up and coming brilliant law student who wants to be president someday. Connelly is the girl he falls for, and she's a radical who takes on all kinds of causes, ultimately ending in her tragic death...or is she really dead?
In the 80s, Crudup starts seeing Connelly and thinks she might be losing his mind, which wouldn't serve his goals as a candidate for Congress.
The movie is long on dialogue and director Keith Gordon gives us some pretty visual images and elicits good performances from the cast.
But the real situation with Connelly's fate is romanticized and ultimately left for us to decide the truth.
Romantics will probably enjoy this a little more than I did.

Average customer rating:

on the edge
Obsession
Understanding anguish...
jewels in the rough
Cilian Murphy rules

On the Edge
Starring: Cillian Murphy , Tricia Vessey , Stephen Rea , Jonathan Jackson , and Marcella Plunkett
Director: John Carney
Manufacturer: Universal Studios
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B000063RQQ
Release Date: 2002-05-21

Customer Reviews:

on the edge.......2007-02-24

On the edge was a good plot for a movie. But was poorly acted, and over all poorly done, if you are looking for a good drama, as I said the plot was great, but the acting bore me.

Obsession.......2007-02-18

Cullian Murphy is my new obsession. He is a wonderful actor and I love his diversity. What ever role I see him in he makes me forget i'm watching a movie. He's a breath of fresh air to Hollywood and I hope he continues to accept good roles instead of the big budget anyone can play that type role. I never really paid much attention to Jonathan until this movie and Trish either. Both were excellent. I buy very few movies because usually once I watch a movie I never need to see it again. This is one I bought. The acting is top notch and the story really good not your typical hollywood crap. It's well worth the money.

Understanding anguish..........2007-02-06

Cillian Murphy, Tricia Vessey and Jonathan Jackson are very convincing in their roles as tormented souls who have failed to achieve the precarious balance that most humans find that keeps them most of the time away from the brink of desolation that young people find themselves peering over, as shown so well by the lens in the last sequence of "On the Edge". What brings them to this "brink" - and what saves them from it - are the mysteries that those who delve in the dark, murky waters of human depression and mental health find. This movie has explored, and not so deeply as to crush the viewer in morbid thought, these things and provided both tragedy and hope, all in a beautifully written and well-performed script.
While Stephen Rea is anything but dynamic in his role, his seemingly single dimension is actually a statement to the fact that far more often than not, there is nothing that can be done but to give these folks a little time to decide to try to live -- another day.

jewels in the rough.......2005-12-06

At every turn during "On the Edge", you will be delighted and moved and horrified and amused when you discover the sheer jewels of dialogue and facial expressions and quirky but real human responses to the burdens they bear. They - the jewels of acting and writing and cinemetography - came so unexpectedly that each moment was as rich as the last. I'm so surprised both Cillian Murpny and Tricia Vessey aren't more prominent in the USA. They have enormous talent. "On The Edge" - because of the inestimable talent of its actors - is a warm, funny, tragic, lovely jewel in the rough - a rare find. The music is terrific too. Is there a soundtrack CD? I'd buy it tomorrow.

Cilian Murphy rules.......2005-10-17

The movie is only good because of Cilian Murphy. It is funny and mental. Good movie for a boring day.

Average customer rating:

Eminem pulls suprising peformace
he looked like a guy who could surely do with some sleep.
Eminem gives us an entertaining masterpiece!
trivial pursuit
Eminem

8 Mile (Widescreen Edition)
Starring: Eminem , Kim Basinger , Mekhi Phifer , Brittany Murphy , and Evan Jones
Director: Curtis Hanson
Manufacturer: Universal Studios
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B00005JLQE
Release Date: 2003-03-18

Product Description

The setting is Detroit in 1995. The city is divided by 8 Mile, a road that splits the in half along racial lines. A young white rapper summons strength within himself to cross over these arbitrary boundaries to fulfill his dream of success in hip hop.

System Requirements:
Starring: Eminem, Kim Basinger, Brittany Murphy, Mekhi Phifer, Omar Benson Miller, Eugene Byrd, Taryn Manning, Xzibit, Evan Jones, De'Angelo Wilson, Anthony Mackie, Abdul Salaam el Razzac, Michael Shannon, Strike, Mike Bell, Proof, Larry Hudson, Allen Adams, Mary Hannigan, and Kyla Womack.
Directed By: Curtis Hanson Runing Time: 111 Min., Color.
This film is presented in "Widescreen" format.
Copyright 2003 Universal.

Format: DVD MOVIE

Amazon.com

Rap star Eminem makes a strong movie debut in 8 Mile, an urban drama that makes a fairly standard plot fly through its gritty attention to detail. Jimmy Smith (Eminem), nicknamed B Rabbit, can't pull himself together to take the next step with his career--or with his life. Angry about his alcoholic mother (Kim Basinger) and worried about his little sister, Rabbit lets out his feelings with twisting, clever raps admired by his friends, who keep pushing him to enter a weekly rap face-off. But Rabbit resists--until he meets a girl (Brittany Murphy) who might offer him support and a little hope that his life could get better. Under the smart and ambitious direction of Curtis Hanson (L.A. Confidential, Wonder Boys) and ably supported by the excellent cast and the burnt-out environment of Detroit slums, Eminem reveals a surprising vulnerability that makes 8 Mile vivid and compelling. --Bret Fetzer

Customer Reviews:

Eminem pulls suprising peformace.......2007-05-09

B-rabbit is a struggling rapper desperate to make it to the big time. He takes a job at a steel plant so he can save up money for studio time. He fights off gang members and has the help of his friend future. It is loosely based on Eminem's life.

Eminem is quite the rap star today. He has sold millions of copies of cds
that are excellent hip hip masterpieces. He has taken the world by storm and shown that White people can rap. But, he stretches himself and his persona into this movie and the movie itself is surprisingly simple and easy to watch. It doesn't seem like a biography movie because the character's names aren't the same as the real person's name. Probably, Eminem didn't want the movie to be like a "Eminem can act" vehicle for him. He had already shown his rapping skills and enforced them through out the movie, but he does pull off a good performance as B-rabbit.

Curtis Hanson, who I find to be a okay director, seemingly could've been out of place in the hip hop culture but his direction works well with the atmosphere and location of the movie as the film as the film moves along at a fast pace set by his direction. He gets the performances out of the characters that were needed. He doesn't oversell the characters or oversap them so that they become these cheesy characters. You feel for the characters after you are done watching the movie. Curtis Hanson defines the character by the way he is portrayed on screen. We see his actions and we ulitametely root for him in the end as the credits roll and we hear lose yourself by Eminem. The movie then either sinks in or just leaves your mind and body as fast as it entered. it is one of those movies where you have to appreciate the hip hop culture and understand it to watch the movie, or otherwise you would feel incredibly lost in the mist of the movie and you will leave scratching your head and wondering what you have just watched. A solid movie.

he looked like a guy who could surely do with some sleep........2006-10-25

This movie is really not as bad as i percieved a typical rap hip hop stereo typical movie,i must admit that this movie had a reasonable and predictable story line it's like i heard it all before! but i must say that eminem can act and kim bassinger was really great in this movie, i dont know but to me all the white folks look like they had lots of sleepless nights, maybe it's just me? it kinda had white trash feel to it, the mood of the movie kinda had a hopeless i want to commit suicide aura, (trivial) but none the less it was entertaining i say it's definitely worth a watch cast you own opinions laterz folks.

Eminem gives us an entertaining masterpiece!.......2006-09-24

There are many aspects to 8 Mile that I loved! There were no stupid plot twists. The relationships are believable! Eminem plays Jimmy "Rabbit" Smith who has a hidden talent in rap & his friends contuniously incourage him to pursue a rap career. It's hard for Jimmy at first cause he is white & it's hard for him to find someone to be nice to him in that business. It is a cruel world at times & 8 Mile captures that quite well! Brittany Murphy is quite sexy in this role & the best part, unlike Jessica Simpson, she can actually act & she makes her performance more believeable than it could be! Now, 8 Mile might not be everyone's cup of tea cause it is a drama, there is lots yelling & it is a very dark movie. But for me, that's what it makes interesting! I'm not a fan corny movies & this movie is far from that. Eminem is one fine actor & I question why he didn't do more movies because this is one of the most entertaining movies I've seen in a while! Rappers in general, I find, tend to be better actors then pop stars/actresses just because the movies they do tend to be darker without the cheesy plot twists & 8 Mile is definitely worth your time!

trivial pursuit.......2006-09-06

go read my comments on "hustle & flow"; substitute name "eminem" for "terrance howard". tra-la-la-la-la ...

Eminem.......2006-08-28

A bit of a padded feel that was only natural given the simple story that had to be stretched to two hours. The part that felt most real to me came early. I attended a black university in a ghetto of Tampa, but then I bicycled home to the Busch Gardens neighborhood. Kinda like wading in the shallow end of the pool at will while Eminem was in the deep end. That's one thing I got from the movie.

"Sweet Home Alabama," as sent up by Eminem and Future, has to be one of the funniest and most clever things I've ever seen in a movie. I cracked up and annoyed the sleeping cat on my lap.

Chinese viewers in China might not realize Detroit's supposed to look ugly in this film. Casting Kim Basinger was a stroke of genius, since the audience's view of the actress is about as low as Eminem's opinion of his mother.

The later excitement felt very contrived, like maybe I was watching a movie. The inevitable battle at the end was a thing of beauty to rap fans everywhere, even this old redneck in China. Too bad it only lasted 5 minutes, but DVDs allow you to skip back as often as desired.

Oh, and just to beat you over the head with the obvious, Eminem got out of the ghetto with his words. No gats, no hos, no drugz, and he can't even play sports. Not bad, eh? I love this movie.

Average customer rating:

Eminem pulls suprising peformace
he looked like a guy who could surely do with some sleep.
Eminem gives us an entertaining masterpiece!
trivial pursuit
Eminem

8 Mile (Full Screen Edition)
Starring: Eminem , Kim Basinger , Mekhi Phifer , Brittany Murphy , and Evan Jones
Director: Curtis Hanson
Manufacturer: Universal Studios
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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Get Rich Or Die Tryin' (Widescreen Edition)
8 Mile
Training Day
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ASIN: B000087RFB
Release Date: 2003-03-18

Amazon.com

Customer Reviews:

Eminem pulls suprising peformace.......2007-05-09

he looked like a guy who could surely do with some sleep........2006-10-25

Eminem gives us an entertaining masterpiece!.......2006-09-24

trivial pursuit.......2006-09-06

go read my comments on "hustle & flow"; substitute name "eminem" for "terrance howard". tra-la-la-la-la ...

Eminem.......2006-08-28

Average customer rating:

Go Inside the Mind of an Ordinary Man Driven Nearly Mad by Circumstances and See what He Thinks
Not What I Expected...
Not even worth a rental.
An Incredible Film
A Gritty Psychological Assault On The Viewer...

I Stand Alone
Starring: Philippe Nahon , Blandine Lenoir , Frankie Pain , Martine Audrain , and Jean-François Rauger
Director: Gaspar Noé
Manufacturer: Strand Releasing
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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Irreversible
Man Bites Dog - Criterion Collection
Thriller - A Cruel Picture
Visitor Q (Sub)
Ichi the Killer (Unrated Edition)

ASIN: B00005K9O8
Release Date: 2001-06-05

Customer Reviews:

Go Inside the Mind of an Ordinary Man Driven Nearly Mad by Circumstances and See what He Thinks.......2007-05-09

I Stand Alone

Gaspar Noe's SEUL CONTRE TOUT is a cinematic masterwork. Though this film is clearly not for the faint-hearted, it offers those willing to go where it takes them into a stark, ultra-violent, ultra-real world where truth is painful, but is a kind of truth that perhaps we need to hear and see. With exceptional mastery, Noe's style of film-making literally explodes in each frame of I STAND ALONE. The 16 mm, anamorphic vision is punctuated by gunshot sounds and quick, hard jumps into close-up shots. Violence, it seems, underlies each scene, but it is repressed. This leads us to feel tension of an unparalleled kind, and we wonder when this violence might explode. The film is 85 minutes of character study of one man, the Butcher, whose unedited, uncensored thoughts are put forth without pomp or circumstance. The Butcher's thoughts are the entire crux of the film and are exposed in long internal monologues. The thoughts we are allowed to "overhear" are disturbing, no doubt, but some, though not all, of these thoughts are similar to those we might have actually had at one time or another. This is troubling because no one wants to admit that they have these kinds of ideas. What is even more troubling is that we find ourselves compelled to see where all these repressed thoughts of loathing and hate lead to. We know it will be harsh, but we want to see it just the same. If you're looking for easy answers and simple truths sugarcoated for your pleasure, this is not a film for you. If, however, you're looking to see an original film that thrusts itself deep into your psyche and asks you hard questions without giving you the answers, you need to see this.

Not What I Expected..........2007-05-04

Maybe I'm jaded, I have seen a few "extreme" films, though I have been powerfully affected by more than a few (usually NOT the most violent or goriest). I did not find this film particularly shocking. Yes, the XXX clip is graphic for non-porn film --think Human Anatomy 101, and the final violent "fantasy" sequence is prolonged to the point of discomfort.

Still, those looking to see the envelope pushed will be disappointed. This is not "Ichi the Killer" or "The Devil's Rejects".

In fact, all the hype about how "shocking" this film is obscured the fact that the main character is well-drawn, wonderfully portrayed and though he's full of rage and violence, it's hard not to pity the dumb brute as he bludgeons his way hopelessly through the bleak slums like an enraged, tormented bull, soon to be put out of its misery . This film is ultimately a tragic character study. It is mature and thoughful.

The butcher is definitely not a sympathetic character, but like Keitel's cop in the Bad Lieutenant, he is doomed, trapped by his self-hatred and misanthropy. The Butcher's "redemption" is as twisted and illusory as his values. Like a Kafka character, he is lost in a world that he cannot understand or control.

It's a great, bleak look at alienation in Western society. If that appeals to you see it!!!
If you want action, over-the-top-violence or some sort of neat Hollywood moral or resolution, avoid this film.

Not even worth a rental........2007-03-23

Unless your french and speak the language don't bother with ths drawn out boring movie. Many critics have praised this stale and boring excuse for a movie but don't take the rotton bait. Don't bite like a sucker fish, it's a complete waste of time. Not even worth a rental.

An Incredible Film.......2007-02-05

If you are easily moved or offended by films, stay away from this. If you watch it and found yourself wanting to turn away or turn it off, and you have made it to the warning that gives you 30 seconds before the film starts again -- turn it off. It gets worse.

This is one of the few movies I've seen (and I've seen thousands) that has had a psychological affect on me. After watching it, I hated everyone and everything. I cried. I was angry at Gaspar Noe (one of the best directors ever) for jerking me around in a very effective way. I accepted the ride and was worse off for it. Simply incredible.

You can read the plot in other reviews or in the summary. I suggest you stay away from that, though, and go into this with an open mind. Realize that if you look away there is an interesting trick that will cause your attention to constantly be drawn back to the screen. And like I've mentioned before, if you've found the film hard to watch up to the warning, turn it off when that comes on screen because the real pain is just about to start.

Easily one of the best films ever made if only from an emotional standpoint. With it, Noe has earned my respect. He just may earn yours, too, if you can stomach the entire film.

A Gritty Psychological Assault On The Viewer..........2007-02-02

(but not as shocking as I had been led to believe)...

... Perhaps my expectations were too high. Perhaps I am jaded. Perhaps I have seen films like 'Salo', 'The Untold Story', and 'Cannibal Holocaust' too many times...

Gasper Noe's first official film 'I Stand Alone' has quite a reputation. I almost wish I would not have read so many reviews before hand. If I had went into this film with no expectations it very likely would've knocked me over with it's sheer nihilistic impact. However, after hearing a few rumblings about the shocking and disturbing nature of this film I became intrigued. Consequently I went and read a number of comments and reviews from IMDb & Amazon whilst I patiently awaited for my DVD to arrive...

I don't want to say that I was let down- this was a very entertaining and effective film. Very well-done (as we should expect from Noe). However, the prior knowledge I had of this film before hand perhaps muted and dulled the effects of viewing...

In my opinion, the pregnant-wife battering scene was much more shocking and brutal than the ending. The on-screen warning near the end of the film seemed a bit extraneous and actually unnecessary. If anything, that warning should've been placed before he beat on his pregnant wife. The ambiguous incestuous ending did not really shock or surprise me. It was actually kind of sweet, as it was the first time that the Butcher appeared human and capable of love. It actually redeemed him abit to me...

The Butcher was just about the most loathsome and pathetic creature I have ever seen upon the screen. He actually had me laughing out loud many times at what a miserable, nihilistic freak he was. I found myself wishing he would end his laugh to spare me having to listen to him anymore. He was utterly ridiculous. I say many of the awful and terrible things he says from time to time- the difference is that I am joking. The Butcher actually meant all of this. Incredible that someone could be so negative and pathetic...

All in all, this was a rather entertaining and unique film. If you are anticipating a blood-soaked shock-fest, you will be very disappointed. However, if you leave your expectations at the door and watch with an open mind, you will likely be amused and entertained. Do I recommend purchasing this film? That all depends on your level of obsessive DVD collection. If you have not had the pleasure of viewing Noe's 'Irreversible', most definitely see that first. I can whole heartedly recommend 'Irreversible' as a blind buy. Alas, I cannot do the same for 'I Stand Alone'...

Although it is a very effective work; an example of fine cutting edge film-making, tempered with a heavy doe of psychological battery; it is not quite as good as 'Irreversible' (in my opinion). However, if you are a fan of edgy cinema, and looking for something different, you can do much worse that 'I Stand Alone'...

A Nightmare on Elm Street 4 - The Dream Master

Average customer rating:

My all time favorite one.
really fun and an awesome transition
What is god doing in this nightmare?
Deserves 2 1/2 stars really
It might be called THE DREAM MASTER but it's far from MASTERING it's own problems.

A Nightmare on Elm Street 4 - The Dream Master
Starring: Brooke Bundy , Hope-Marie Carlton , Duane Davis , Rodney Eastman , and Danny Hassel
Director: Renny Harlin
Manufacturer: New Line Home Video
ProductGroup: DVD
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Freddy's Dead - The Final Nightmare
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Wes Craven's New Nightmare

ASIN: 0780630874
Release Date: 2000-08-22

Description

Freddy returns to rid the world of more adolescents. Bigger effects made this sequel the most successful of the Nightmare series.

Customer Reviews: