Mother and Son

Starring:Aleksei Ananishnov, Gudrun Geyer
Director: Aleksandr Sokurov
Studio: Fox Lorber
Product Type: DVD
Editorial Review:
Amazon.com
In a remote house in the Russian countryside, Mother is on her deathbed and her adult son is taking care of her. When she asks to go for a walk, he carries her to a bench where she takes a nap, then he carries her to a few places out in nature before bringing her home. Then he goes by a walk himself, returning to his mother who is lying quietly in her bed. Doesn't sound like much, does it? Against this skeletal story, critically acclaimed director Alexander Sokurov manages to push the boundaries of cinema, all the while evoking the deep and sometimes troubled love between a mother and her son. He does this not through quick cuts and hyperkinetic camera moves but by doing just the opposite. More often than not, between lines of dialog the camera is locked down and film is allowed to run through it, while the soundtrack is filled with wind and distant thunder. Consequently, whenever the camera does move, whenever someone does speak, it's electrifying. Sokurov further abstracts his often stunningly beautiful images with odd filters and lenses. Once you get into the pace of the film, it's hard not to get swept away by it, and it's even better on a second viewing. --Andy Spletzer
Description
Beautiful story of the decisive moment in the lives of two characters: the “son” of the title tending his mother on the last day of her life.
Average customer rating:
- Will Give You the Willies
- Terrifying
- the twist makes the movie
- A truly unique ghost story!
- A knock-off of a children novel, but a great movie.
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The Others (Two-Disc Collector's Edition)
Starring: Keith Allen , Renée Ashershon , Christopher Eccleston , Michelle Fairley , and Nicole Kidman
Director: Alejandro Amenábar
Manufacturer: Dimension
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ASIN: B00003CYLJ
Release Date: 2002-05-14 |
Amazon.com essential video
A welcome throwback to the spooky traditions of Jack Clayton's The Innocents and Robert Wise's The Haunting, Alejandro Amenábar's The Others favors atmosphere, sound, and suggestion over flashy special effects. Set in 1945 on a fog-enshrouded island off the British coast, the film begins with a scream as Grace (Nicole Kidman) awakens from some unspoken horror, perhaps arising from her religiously overprotective concern for her young children, Anne (Alakina Mann) and Nicholas (James Bentley). The children are hypersensitive to light and have lived in a musty manor with curtains and shutters perpetually drawn. With Grace's husband presumably lost at war, this ominous setting perfectly accommodates a sense of dreaded expectation, escalating when three strangers arrive in response to Grace's yet-unposted request for domestic help. Led by housekeeper Mrs. Mills (Fionnula Flanagan), this mysterious trio is as closely tied to the house's history as Grace's family is--as are the past occupants seen posthumously posed in a long-forgotten photo album.
With her justly acclaimed performance, Kidman maintains an emotional intensity that fuels the film's supernatural underpinnings. And while Amenábar's pacing is deliberately slow, it befits the tone of penetrating anxiety, leading to a twist that extends the story's reach from beyond the grave. Amenábar unveiled a similarly effective twist in his Spanish thriller Open Your Eyes (remade by Cameron Crowe as Vanilla Sky), but where that film drew debate, The Others is finely crafted to provoke well-earned goose bumps and chills down the spine. --Jeff Shannon
Description
Screen sensation Nicole Kidman (MOULIN ROUGE, EYES WIDE SHUT) delivers an utterly unforgettable performance in this scary and stylish suspense thriller. While awaiting her husband's return from war, Grace (Kidman) and her two young children live an unusually isolated existence behind the locked doors and drawn curtains of a secluded island mansion. Then, after three mysterious servants arrive and it becomes chillingly clear that there is far more to his house than can be seen, Grace finds herself in a harrying fight to save her children and keep her sanity. Acclaimed by critics everywhere, the unpredictable twists and turns of this compelling hit will keep you guessing as it keeps you riveted to the edge of your seat!
Customer Reviews:
Will Give You the Willies.......2007-05-28
This is a welcome throwback to honest-to-goodness thrillers - no gore, just psychological spookieness. No senseless nudity, foul language or gouged eyeballs here - but fear reminiscent of the George C. Scott thriller, "The Changeling" or more recently, "The Sixth Sense."
Nicole Kidman's acting is so impressive, as is the acting of the entire cast, you will find yourself on the edge of your seat. Set in post World War II England, Kidman's character, Grace, lives in a large mansion on a posh estate. Her two children, Anne and Nicholas, suffer from a rare genetic anomoly that makes them sensitive to light beyond that of a strong lamp. Pure sunlight - even ambient light can raise blisters on their skin and ala Dracula, will kill them.
Grace pines over her missing husband who never returned from battling the Germans, yet is not a confirmed MIA or KIA casualty. She finds herself housebound, unable to mingle with anyone in polite society or travel anywhere out of fear for her children's safety.
Acustomed to being without electricity during the German bombardments throughout the war, Grace has decided to leave the luxury turned off, depending on heavy curtains to block out the light during the day and using oil lamps at night.
Grace tells her 3 house servants that her daughter, Anne, has a vivid imagination who tells of ghastly eyeless women and an invisible boy named Victor. Grace repeatedly punishes Anne for lying... but soon she realizes there really might be 'others' living in the house with them.
Whispering voices, creaky floors and other things that go bump in the night have you on your mental toes to figure out who might be dead, who might be alive and if one or more of the characters is just plain nuts and imagining the whole thing.
I must admit, this is not my favorite genre. I do not belive there are earth-bound spirits of the previously living people walking around in people's homes - so it's not like at the end when all the loose ends got tied up that I had chills going up my spine - but if you had an experience like that with "The Sixth Sense" or "The Changeling," this movie will not disappoint.
Having an intelligent storyline, superb acting and all devoid of rampant sex and toilet humor is a welcome relief compared to most movie fare coming out of today's Hollywood. While there are many scene changes in the large manor, the closed rooms and constant darkness and chiaroscuro lighting give the viewer a very claustrophobic feeling to the point you feel Grace's almost psychotic desperation and feeling of being trapped. Even the few moments when you see her outside the manor, the dense, eerie fog furthers the trapped sensation of the viewer and the characters.
The acting of Alakina Mann (Anne) and James Bentley (Nicholas) cannot be understated in making this more of an experience than a film. Much of Kidman's acting shines through in the scenes in which she is by herself, panicking in fear and desperation. This is one of those films that truly highlights the depth of her acting acumen.
Terrifying.......2007-05-26
This is a clever, terrifying movie. I hate scary movies but this one is smart. Nicole Kidman and the children (Alakina Mann and James Bentley) are wonderful.
the twist makes the movie.......2007-05-17
Fortunately, I lost interest in this movie after the first 20 minutes, so I wasnt paying attention and was able to appreciate the twist without forethought.
The movie seemed like a boring stage play. None of the characters were that fascinating. The atmospheric horror and dread never built. If I compared this film to 6th sense I'd give it 1 star.
A truly unique ghost story!.......2007-04-28
I love atmospheric ghost stories, and some of my favorites are The Changeling, The Haunting, Burnt Offerings etc. The Others is one such atmospheric horror movie with enough plot twists to keep you guessing almost right till the end. Yes, the movie tends to be a tad too long and plodding in the first half, but if you're patient, and just try to pay close attention to all the details, the rewards more than make up for the slow start. Nicole Kidman shines in her role as the overprotective & obsessive mother, and the two kids who play her children do justice to their roles as well ,coming off as creepy and innocent at the same time. I won't delve into the actual plot as it will only spoil one's viewing experience but I will definitely recommend this movie for those atmospheric horror movie buffs who love unexpected twists, and an intelligent ghost story!
A knock-off of a children novel, but a great movie........2007-04-15
I felt the twist from the 6th Sense was a knock-off of a children book that I read about 14-18 years ago. I was even more shocked that this movie eerily had more resemblances to that children book. Actually this movie started very slowly and about 3/4 of the way in to it, I got this strangle feeling how it was going to end. And I was right.
The acting was good, but if you were casually watching it, there were not much in the early scenes to excite you. Nicole Kidman moving from room to room as exciting as it sound gets pointless. It had the potential of being a small world feeling like "An American Haunting" type movies that end up half baked. The ending really redeemed the whole movie in the last 10 minutes or so. The ending is like most modern ghost stories: The Sixth Sense, Silent Hill, Stay, Mulholland Drive where the plot string you along in a curtain narrative (somewhat confusing storyline) and in the final ten minutes tell you the truth and then you go: oooh. I think that is cheating, but some of my favorites movies: 6th Sense, 12 Monkeys, Silent Hill, Mul. Dr. are done in this style. They were more interesting in the beginning though.
The spoilers so keep away-
The children book I am referring to, which I forgot the title, is about 2 children living by a lake. Some of the details may be a little foggy. For some reasons the children were abused verbally and physically by some woman, forgot who. The kids goal were to seek out their mothers (in this sense the father of this movies) to protect them. But she seems distant and they never could catch her when they get close (like the widow in the 6th Sense). When they finally did by a lake, they found out their fate. Their mother, if I remembered, commented suicide into the lake joining her two children that drowned there sometime ago. They were reunited at death and the mean lady that was abusing them was actually alive (like the clairvoyant and the boy, Victor in this movie) and so was their mother at the time. I might be wrong recalling some of the details from the children book, but that was some time ago. I do remembered being sad/ upset for a whole week; why on earth would an elementary school library be so cruel to have a book like that. I then thought it would also have made a good movie and a profound experience for other. If you know what book I am talking about, post a comment.
The ending of this movie really reflected why some situations occurred early on. Why the faces of the two children were pale with spider vein at times. The mother and children odd mood swings. All the pictures and foggy scenes made more sense too. The reason for the light: referring to spirits moving on to the other side, and the curtains: the living moving out.
Overall, if you have not seen the 6th Sense or read a similar ghost story, this is definitely a superb movie. Even if the tension was slowly building up at the beginning it really heightens at the end. Very well executed.
Average customer rating:
- The beginning of the end
- Good Bye, Lenin!
- High Grade Art.
- A world of change
- Neat Movie
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Good Bye, Lenin!
Starring: Daniel Brühl , Katrin Saß , Chulpan Khamatova , Maria Simon , and Florian Lukas
Director: Wolfgang Becker (II)
Manufacturer: Sony Pictures
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ASIN: B000274THQ
Release Date: 2004-08-10 |
Amazon.com
Contemporary comedies rarely stretch themselves beyond a bickering romantic couple or a bickering couple and a bucket of bodily fluids, which makes the ambition and intelligence of Good bye, Lenin! not simply entertaining but downright refreshing. The movie starts in East Germany before the fall of communism; our hero, Alex (Daniel Bruhl), describes how his mother (Katrin Sass), a true believer in the communist cause, has a heart attack when she sees him being clubbed by police at a protest. She falls into a coma for eight months--during which the Berlin Wall comes down. When she awakens, her fragile health must avoid any shocks, so Alex creates an illusive reality around his bedridden mother to convince her that communism is still alive. Good bye, Lenin! delicately balances wry satire with its rich investment in the lives of Alex, his mother, and other characters around them. Funny, moving, and highly recommended. --Bret Fetzer
Customer Reviews:
The beginning of the end.......2007-06-19
Before the Berlin Wall fell, East Germany is ruled by Communist Russia and its citizens were forced to live a lie- a society that is supposed to be based on equality and social justice. Alex Kernel (played by the amazing Daniel Brühl) is a young disillusioned young man who, together with his fellow East Germans, are on the verge of a revolution and social change.
While walking together with fellow rallyist, Alex was arrested and his mother, who witnessed the scene, suffered a heart attack. While his mother survived, it left her in a coma and for 8 months, Alex and his older sister Ariane took care of her. As East Germany became no more and the reunification of his homeland was completed, his mother woke up. What follows is a hilarious, amusing and at times serious and thought-provoking attempt to shield his mother from the sweeping changes and their altered life as citizens of the newly unified Germany.
Director Wolfgang Becker spared no expense to capture a time and place that now exist only in old, yellowed newspapers and history books. The finished product, a film that is not only a realistic social commentary but also a love story between a son and a mother, and the journey a young restless soul need to travel to discover himself.
Good Bye, Lenin!.......2007-05-29
Funny and heart-warming story about a family during the time of the collapse of the Berlin wall. For the whole family.
High Grade Art. .......2007-05-21
I first heard about this movie a week ago after reading an article in which a commentator described it as being a bit of "communist chic." This intrigued me so I had to check it out. Well, I'm happy to report that the fellow's opinion was nonsense. It's no more accurate a perception than one that misconstrued The Beatles "Back in the USSR" as an ode to the Soviet Union. This is not a propagandistic story in the least. It's a beautiful film about love, family, and truth. Basically, the central question concerns whether or not we should lie to loved ones if we think the lie will ultimately benefit them. The answer is not easy for the main characters or the audience. Goodbye, Lenin! provides us with ambiguity after ambiguity and is rife with the same nuance that fills our own lives. I saw nothing offensive about this film; indeed, it is a valuable work of art.
A world of change.......2007-05-17
This movie represents in a very interesting way the changes that drive our world and our families. The molding of reality to fit certain likings is a very appropiate evocation of history. A very funny and tragic movie!
Neat Movie.......2007-05-12
This movie gave a lot of insight to the way that the East Germans were feeling that crazy time before the wall came down. For a few different generations.
Average customer rating:
- a keeper
- Two thumbs up!
- A Son's Promise
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Son's Promise
Starring: David Andrews , Dan Biggers , Veronica Cartwright , Stephen Dorff , and Grayson Fricke
Director: John Korty
Manufacturer: Platinum Disc
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ASIN: B0006A9INY
Release Date: 2004-12-07 |
Customer Reviews:
a keeper.......2007-06-17
This type of story is a difficult one to pull off, but this movie does it. Not a dull moment. Things keep changing all the time. The emotional tension remains tight all the way through, yet the movie never becomes oppressive. There are a number of relieving moments of achievement, of aid from other people, of being befriended by strangers. The characters, especially the father, are all realistic. No stereotypes here. The father is a real horror. Unfortunately, such people are not only real but not uncommon.
Rick Shroeder does an excellent job with the acting and with the Georgia accent. Not a trace of his natural southern California accent comes through in any of the scenes.
Good movie for the whole family. Worth watching again.
Two thumbs up!.......2007-05-07
WONDERFUL movie starring Ricky Shroeder about an older brother trying desperately to hold his siblings together as a family, despite an alcoholic father who tries to defeat him at every turn, and greedy people who try to take advantage of his good fortune when things start to turn around. Ricky portrays an older teen with just the right mix of confidence, confusion, exhaustion and frustration. He definitely makes you believe in the character.
A Son's Promise .......2004-12-17
This is story is such a touching and very loving story. I would recommend this story to all my friends.
Average customer rating:
- OMG, it's bad.
- Thurman shines in the underrated 'Prime'
- Prime-d
- BOOOOOOring...
- Lousy movie
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Prime (Widescreen Edition)
Starring: Meryl Streep , Uma Thurman , Bryan Greenberg (II) , Jon Abrahams , and Adriana Biasi
Director: Ben Younger
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ASIN: B000CS45TW
Release Date: 2006-03-07 |
Amazon.com
Bolstered by an appealing cast and the comedic genius of Meryl Streep, Prime is an above-average "rom-com" that never stoops to compromise. The plot conceived by writer/director Ben Younger (Boiler Room) is a bit far-fetched, but once he's established that 37-year-old Gentile divorcee Rafi Gardet (Uma Thurman) is unknowingly dating the 23-year-old son (Bryan Greenberg) of her Jewish psychotherapist (played by Streep), the unlikely premise gets an intelligent workout, touching upon all of the issues that would realistically emerge as their dilemma is taken to its logical (or illogical) extremes. As a pair of genuinely devoted lovers in their sexual prime (hence the title), Thurman and Greenberg make this movie a constant joy to watch (and let's face it, Uma's utterly irresistible as an "older woman" who's looking for Mr. Right). But it's Streep's mastery of multi-layered expression and subtle comedic timing that makes Prime so engaging. Younger is also refreshingly resistant to easy solutions and conventional feel-good sentiment; he constantly steers Prime toward a sensible examination of a hazardous romance, never insulting the intelligence of his characters or his audience. The result is a mature, honest relationship comedy that never feels forced, but still offers plenty of good, solid laughs. --Jeff Shannon
Description
When Rafi (Uma Thurman), a 37-year-old single woman, meets David (Bryan Greenberg), a 23-year-old painter, it's love at first sight. But that love gets complicated - fast - when Rafi discovers that David is also the son of her therapist (Academy Award(r) winner Meryl Streep)! Professional help is about to get very personal in this entertaining and irresistibly charming hit that critics are calling "a funny and very sexy comedy" (Jess Cagle, WCBS/People Magazine).
Customer Reviews:
OMG, it's bad........2007-06-08
Wow. A movie about age difference in a relationships. Wow. What an earth-shattering idea! wow. Add a punch of bored actor and clumsy acting and have one wow of a mediocre movie. I don't know what bothers me more: Hollywood's inability to make great movies, or the publics' insatiable appetite for movies that they will watch craps and don't know it.
Thurman shines in the underrated 'Prime'.......2007-05-26
'Prime' is better than a typical 'chick flick' offering. Even for the skeptical guy, it was an enjoyable movie to watch. Much of this reaction has to do with Uma Thurman. I've simply not seen a lot of movies with her. That relative unfamiliarity with her (for me, she's always just been one half of Letterman's famous "Oprah, Uma, Uma, Oprah" routine) led to an eye-opening revelation here: She's a really fine actress. I was really taken in by her first two scenes with Meryl Streep - sitting across from Streep as analyst, the pain in her life was abundantly evident in her face on her first visit, juxtaposed by evidence of unexpected joy in her next visit. [Probably the movie's best scene, in which Streep takes one look at the surpressed smile on Thurman's face and impishly says "Well, let's have it."]
The other highlight, of course, is Streep, who continues to be a wonder...just a completely immersed, completely different person in every role she inhabits. She's approaching national treasure status.
Prime-d.......2007-05-17
Excellent cast. Uma Thurman and Gleen Close are more like mother and daughter than therapist and patient. And the son/boyfriend..... WOW!!!!!
BOOOOOOring..........2007-04-30
This movie sucked, yes i agree that it had it's funny parts but for the most part it sucked.
Lousy movie.......2007-03-18
This movie is extremely boring. All characters are unsympathetic, the material is trivial, and acting is mediocre. It's probably the cinematic equivalent of watching paint dry.
Average customer rating:
- Pretentious drivel
- "Ma Mere Mon Amour, We Are So Happy Together"
- A reality in living
- good 'relations' scenes, but...
- Stupid...
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Ma Mere
Starring: Isabelle Huppert , Louis Garrel , Emma de Caunes , Joana Preiss , and Jean-Baptiste Montagut
Director: Christophe Honoré
Manufacturer: Tla
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ASIN: B000AYELEC
Release Date: 2005-10-18 |
Description
Challengingly stylish and original, Ma Mre is the story of Hlne (Isabelle Huppert), cool and in charge, her husband, and her teenage son Pierre (Louis Garrel), a pious Catholic boy back from boarding school. As Hlne confesses to her son about his father's infidelity, they hear he has been tragically killed in a car crash. This news sets in motion a wild series of parties involving drugs, alcohol and sex-filled nights out with Hlne and her female lover. Inexplicably, she pulls her son into her sordid lifestyle. When she mysteriously goes away, her son is left in the care of her mistress Ra (Joana Preiss) and Hansi (Emma de Caunes), an icy blonde sadist with whom he falls in love.
Customer Reviews:
Pretentious drivel.......2007-04-30
Before watching this film you need to check how long it lasts to see just how much more of this tedium you have to sit through. Unfortunately the length of the film is hidden on the spine of the box which at least provides you with the 'entertainment' of trying to find that whilst it's on. With a film this bad you'll need all the entertainment you can get. Have some matchsticks ready so that you can count them and you might want a pack of cards at the handy so you can play solitaire. Maybe a chess set because the film seems to last days. There's two things that I can't believe about this film. The first is why the great Isabelle Huppert starred in it- I'm guessing now she is in her fifties she's just trying to feather her nest. The second is how did it win so many awards? I know film critics can see merit where others can't but you really have to be looking for it here. The box describes the film as 'erotic'- with the exception of one scene with Emma de Caunes the rest of the film is about as erotic as a rotten melon covered in anchovies. The plot is laughable, the direction is pretentious, the film unbelievably slow-moving and the lead actor is hopeless. And I'm usually a huge fan of French films and usually think Huppert is a fantastic actress. On this evidence she should retire. Absolutely dire.
"Ma Mere Mon Amour, We Are So Happy Together".......2007-02-02
*** This comment may contain spoilers ***
"Ma Mere" 2004) directed by Christophe Honoré stars the wonderful, brave, one of the finest French actresses Isabelle Huppert as Helene a woman who spends one summer at the Canary Island and whose husband has suddenly died in the car crash while on his way back to France, to his mistress. Helen is left with her 16 (or 17) years old son Pierre (Louis Garrel, Bertolucci's "The Dreamers"). Pierre was brought up by his grandmother and came from the catholic school to spend his summer vacation with his parents who are more of the strangers to him. Here comes the first of many questions I had while watching this movie. If Pierre does not know very well his parents why he hates his father so much and is so attracted to his mother? We clearly see that Helen did not love her husband and had cheated on him and not just cheated but had spent most of her afternoons partying with her girlfriend - lover Rea engaging on all kinds of sexual acts. I wanted to add "perverted" but the director tells us through one of the most sympathetic characters in the movie that he does not believe in perversion so, I guess we should take all the events and the relationships as normal. I think that the writer/director is not interested very much in giving us any motivations, justifications and insights in the characters' minds and souls and that's why many scenes are laughable, awkward, embarrassing and boring, in spite the nudity, sex, and violence for which the movie received its very well deserved NC-17 rating. Do you want some examples? Here we go. Poor Pierre, odd and lonely, torn between his catholic upbringing and his unhealthy obsession with his mother, runs in the sands, fells on his knees, looks at the sky with anger and asks (God, I assume), "Why do mothers always want their sons to be Gods"? Later in the same scene, an old woman appears and Pierre asks her if she wants to be Mary, mother of God. . There is also a nice scene at the father's studio. After her husband is killed in the accident, Helen gives to Pierre the keys from his father's studio. Pierre finds porno magazines (lots of them), throws them on the carpet, throws himself on the magazines making love to them and then he urinates at the magazines and everything else within his reach in the room. Then things become even more interesting. Pierre, his mom, and her friend Rea are in a cab going to a night club. Rea and Helen kiss and hug, then Helen fondles Rea's breasts while Rea promises to Pierre that her first kiss would be in his "filthy bottom" and she actually checks if it is filthy or not ....while Helen watches in amusement. Another night, Helene and Rea abandon Pierre and find him later, passed out in the street. Rea undresses him and has sex with him as the tourists pass by...while his mother watches. Back at the villa, Pierre takes part in an orgy with his mother, Rea, and Hansi (de Caunes), another friend of Helene's, a young and pretty blonde girl. It seems to me that anywhere in the world, Helen would be pronounced an unfit mother and the boy would be taken from her - not in this movie. Well, Helen feels that she gets too attached to her son and too interested in his sex education and she and Rea go away, leaving Pierre in Hansi's care. Hansi introduces Pierre to the world of S&M and tells him that his mother wanted him to do everything that she herself had done with Hansi and her many young friends...At one point, Helen realizes that she has lost her lust for life which for her means that she does not enjoy the sexual orgies anymore. She returns back and then two weirdest scenes follow which I won't reveal...and then the final credits accompanied by the Turtles' "Happy Together". You got the picture.
More than anything this movie reminds me an old joke that I recalled during the scene on the beach where naked Pierre is daydreaming and Helen in a white dress appears like a dream and whispers in his ear "The desire reduces us to weakness" or something like that. Here is the joke. A man comes to the talent agency and says that he's got a great act. When asked what it is he goes, "Just imagine a huge theater with the audience all dressed up, the men in tuxedos, the ladies in the gowns, and there is a huge balloon hanging on the top of the ceiling. The balloon is filled with excrement. The music plays the lights are on...and then suddenly the lights are off, the music stops and I shoot the balloon from behind the curtains. The lights are on again, the music plays, the audience is all covered with crap and here I am on the stage - wearing a white tuxedo." My guess is that Christophe Honoré has told us this old joke and he is the one wearing the white tuxedo while the rest of the world including everyone involved in "Ma Mere" are covered with...well, excrement. Or like one of my friends said, maybe "Ma Mere" is a timeless masterpiece and I simply did not get it.
A reality in living.......2007-01-10
A young man is confused when told by his mother to decide which items of his father's to keep or discard after his death. His discoveries are at odds with what he knew of his father. To top things off his mother is often referred to by others as the town's slut. His mother also arranges for another girl to suduce her son. He is introduced to a world of sex and bdsm he never imagined. To worsen matters, his mother dies and he is discovered masturbating while in his mother's viewing room. He is booted out when discovered. The boy has to come to terms with his life's experiences.
good 'relations' scenes, but..........2006-09-10
The movie starts when a young adult son visits his parents in the Canary Islands. His father dies, and his alcoholic mother gives him the house for a short while, in which he has plenty of relations with men, and women. When his mother comes back, the relationship begins to turn incestual, and during a lovemaking scene in which some bloodletting is performed she dies. The son mourns her death in his own way, and cries at the end. I didn't exactly get a clear sense of what was happening, but it is a unique film that I enoyed watching. I had wanted some more depth to the sexual abuses that happened to his mother, as well as the other women and some explanation for the behaviors observed, with more of a story plot behind the actions.
Stupid..........2006-09-09
I'm going to make this review quick and to the point. I'm not going to include any synopsis or anything, I'm just gonna say this...This movie ended up in my Recommendations and when I read about it, it sounded kind of interesting despite all the negative reviews. This movie isn't disgusting, as some people have said it is...There is elements of nudity, sex, incest, s&m, and what have you...But it's not disgusting. The problem with the film is that it's dull. It's got a good cast including Isabelle Huppert (The Piano Teacher) and Louis Garrel (The Dreamers), but the film is just a boring mess. Even the sex scenes don't help it along. The plot is pretty stupid, I mean...This is really a waste of time.
GRADE: D
Average customer rating:
- Great movie!
- A Fine Romance
- LIKE THE ROMANTICS...
- crappy story, should've gotten a slightly prettier actress
- Interesting Noir Film!
|
The Deep End
Starring: Raymond J. Barry , Franco Delgado , Peter Donat , Jordon Dorrance , and Kip Ellwood
Director: David Siegel (III)
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ASIN: B00005Y4RY
Release Date: 2002-04-16 |
Amazon.com
Vintage film noir gets a confidently stylish upgrade in this subtle domestic thriller, intensified by Tilda Swinton's acclaimed performance as a mother who risks everything to protect her family. Adapted from Elisabeth Sanxay Holding's story The Blank Wall (previously filmed as 1949's The Reckless Moment), the film's gripping plot commences with Margaret (Swinton), a naval officer's wife and mother of three, disposing of the body of a sleazy club owner, who died in an accident after a confrontation with Margaret's closeted gay son. Maternal instinct shifts into high gear when a blackmailer (Goran Visnjic) demands $50,000 to withhold incriminating evidence, and his unspoken feelings provoke an unexpectedly compassionate alliance. Compelling plot twists aside, The Deep End gains much of its impact from the quiet desperation of a family defined by its secrets and rescued by the mysterious motivations of the human heart. --Jeff Shannon
Description
Still waters run deadly in this gripping suspense thriller starring the "magnificent" (The New York Times) Tilda Swinton and E.R.'s Goran Visnjic. Immersed in the tradition of Hitchcock's best twists and turns, The Deep End "holds its suspense to the very last drop" (The Toronto Star) as it plumbs the depths to which even the most outwardly decent people will sink in the name of love.
Customer Reviews:
Great movie!.......2007-06-24
This is a very interesting and suspenseful movie. You will be so interested in the unique characters and intense plot. Great acting, great movie. I highly recommend it.
A Fine Romance.......2006-08-16
This movie tends to be like the musical score that opens it and weaves through it - simultaneously haunting and irritating.
Deep End is essentially a two-character play, an intimate dance between a protective mother and her blackmailer. The haunting element is the unexpected, rare fondness that develops unspoken between these two. Their relationship is reminiscent of the saving tenderness and respect that grows between the characters played by Audrey Hepburn and Richard Crenna in Wait Until Dark.
We feel this blackmailer's inclination to be better than his deeds early on, when he is left briefly alone in his victim's house. We can see him being touched by the order and goodness of the home Margaret has made for her absentee husband and her son. It makes me ache to realize how seldom such quiet appreciation happens in real life. I can hardly imagine a door-to-door salesman being diverted from his strictly commercial manipulations by anything he sees in a house. How much less likely it is that a blackmailer would pause to be charmed by his victim. But then, that's the poetic license we go to movies to find.
The irritating part of the movie could be the result of a bad editing job. Parts of the movie seem to be missing. For the first quarter of the film, I was distracted by wondering who the older man living in the household was. I may have missed the explanation that he was a grandfather. However, I don't think the puzzling gaps in the relationship between the blackmailer and Margaret were due to my having missed anything. At one point, Margaret refers to the blackmailer's gambling debts. How did she know he even had a penchant for gambling? In the only meetings they presumably have, they are not shown exchanging much personal information at all. The viewer gets the feeling that some crucial scenes definitely got left on the cutting room floor.
This is too bad, because the main value of this movie lies in its delicate quality of blossoming in the shade. We would like to understand more of what lay at the root of the blackmailer's absorption with the person who started out to be only a job to him. Tilda Swinton, the actress who plays the role of mother, seems too spare and monochromatic to inspire such a reversal, without our seeing more of an interaction between the two.
However, the haunting, touching aspects of the film very much outweigh its lapses.
I hope we will get to see Goran Visnjic in more big-screen roles. He makes an indelible impression as a man whose shining impulses can't find expression in such a dull, opaque world.
LIKE THE ROMANTICS..........2006-01-06
This movie cannot decide what it wants to be. I will say that it holds your focus though.
The overall effect is that of an overwrought, almost teenage in its sensibility, quasi-love story. Tilda Swinton is a REAL actress, but she's trying to turn a pile of **** into something honest and true.
Can't be done.
This movie is all too like the worst poetry of the romantics: over-worked, elevates too quickly, can't decide what genre it is. Nice watching the beautiful people though.
crappy story, should've gotten a slightly prettier actress.......2005-12-19
The many many plot holes in this movie have already been expounded on in other reviews so I won't repeat them here. I do have a few comments to make though.
When the movie is already so bad, it sure doesn't help the entertainment factor when the lead actress is not very easy on the eyes. As shallow as that sounds, it's still not as shallow as the place she decided to hide the body, which was an idiotic move. Her acting seemed dry as well. I've never seen so many nonsensical character motives in a movie. They were nothing but lazy plot devices that weren't justified. Ok, so there's a certain story you wanna tell on screen no matter what. Fine, but please justify it with some sort of internal logic in the movie. As long as you can justify something within a film, nothing is ever too outrageous.
Interesting Noir Film!.......2005-08-12
This remake from the Reckeless moment has many points to wein. The interior drama, the triple crossroads feelings in this mother, and the outer intrigue of the pressure exerted by the blackmail, plus a superb photography and good cast conform to my mind a film above the average.
The picture is far from being another explosions and special effect picture. It's a challenege to the viewer and maintains its force till the unexpecetd end.
Recommended without reserves.
Average customer rating:
- Mother O'God
- funny ckassic comedy
- Great Memories
- Additional Information
- Best Show EVER!!...but cheesey marketing strategy!
|
Mother & Son: Season 1 (2pc)
Starring: Ruth Cracknell , Garry McDonald , Judy Morris , and Henri Szeps
Director: Geoff Portmann
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ASIN: B000I2J678
Release Date: 2006-11-21 |
Description
Logie Awards Winner: Most Outstanding Actress, Most Outstanding Actor, Most Popular Comedy Personality
Finalist, Situation Comedy, New York International Television Festival
Best Comedy Show, People's Choice Awards
Best Overall Script, Writers Guild of America, West
She's losing her wits and he's at his wits' end!
Starring
Ruth Cracknell and
Garry McDonald, Mother & Son is the hilarious, Australian, award winning classic comedy about the relationship between the newly divorced Arthur and his aging and very eccentric mother, Maggie.
Torn between a social conscience that dictates he should look after his mother in her old age and the need to live a normal life while he's still in his prime, Arthur tries to accommodate his mother's constant demands for affection and attention. With Maggie vague, but vicious and more arsenic than old lace, the daily chaotic events usually leave the contented Maggie unaware and the beleaguered Arthur in a dilemma and tied to Maggie's apron strings, if she could just remember where she put the apron...
INCLUDES: Maggie Takes a Holiday / Maggie Gets the Milk / Maggie Alone / Arthur's Holiday / Arthur's Night Out / Maggie in Love / Maggie Makes a Will
Special Features: Cast Profiles
approx. 195 mins. col.
Customer Reviews:
Mother O'God.......2007-04-20
This is the longest running show in Austrailia for its time. This is the best show ever. Buy it and hope they release the rest of all the other series.
funny ckassic comedy.......2007-04-03
Enjoyed this dvd ,seen it years ago and the second time around was as good as the first time
Great Memories.......2007-01-11
We were so glad to be able to find Mother and Son and enjoy it again
after so many years. It brought back fun memories. Hope we can find
more of this fun series.
Additional Information.......2006-12-17
These discs are "region 1" and will play on your DVD player. Mother & Son, a product of Australian television, is quite possibly one of the best sit-coms ever made.
Best Show EVER!!...but cheesey marketing strategy!.......2006-12-08
This show aired in America on PBS stations in some locales, and quite frankly, it is one of the absolute best shows in the history of television. In my book, it is tied with All In The Family for best show of all time. If you like some of the better classic BBC comedies..you'll love this Australian show!
Not only is this show roaringly funny- (largely thanks to senile Maggie, and the various circumstances that always seem to make her live-in caretaker son Arthur look like the bad guy...while her other son, Robert, a well-to-do dentist who has little real concern for his mother maggie, always seems to come out looking like the responsible one) but it is also a quite dramatic show, and you can empathize with virtually all of the characters at various times.
I was elated to see this show finally come to DVD....but i am also annoyed at the fact that they are only releasing the first season- which only consists of 7 episodes- whereas they could have just released the whole series at once- it's only comprised of 40 episodes.
Even though this is a great show, I think the fact that one has to pay $27 for 7 episodes will probably make it a dismal seller, even among long-time fans of the show, and will probably result in future seasons not being released. I am very reluctant to buy a series that is released this way...but for this show, I am making an exception.
I do wish the DVD producers would stop jerking us around like this though- and my dissatisfaction with their self-defeating marketing ploys has resulted in me buying far fewer DVDs than I otherwise would have, had the various companies released seasons of various shows in a more timely manner.
Average customer rating:
- Delightingly honest
- Uh-oh, something is amiss in suburbia - again
- Piling On the American Family
- Rare for its genre- effecting, moving, and involved
- Overrated
|
Imaginary Heroes
Starring: Sigourney Weaver , Emile Hirsch , Jeff Daniels , Michelle Williams , and Kip Pardue
Director: Dan Harris (II)
Manufacturer: Sony Pictures
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ASIN: B0008JIJ10
Release Date: 2005-06-07 |
Description
In this "mixture of poignant drama and quirky humor...delivered by a superb cast" (Michael Wilmington, Chicago Tribune), the Travis family experiences a stunning tragedy which begins to unravel them. Teenaged son Tim (Emile Hirsch, The Girl Next Door) views his life as a bad dream. His father, Ben (Jeff Daniels - Terms of Endearment, The Hours), tunes out and treats his wife and children like strangers. His mother, Sandy (Oscar(r)-nominee Sigourney Weaver, 1986, Best Actress, Alien) sharpens her tongue with sarcasm and dulls her senses with pot while struggling hard to conceal a secret that threatens to ruin them all. With elements of pathos, salty humor and self-discovery, the Travises learn to accept one another as family - warts and all.
Customer Reviews:
Delightingly honest.......2006-11-12
There are not many movies like "Imaginary Heroes" out there. On the one hand, the production is flawless and it certainly isn't a low budget movie. On the other hand, the movie is much more honest than most of the commercial Hollywood flicks. "Imaginary Heroes" tells the story of a family in trouble, something that many of us face. We seldomly talk about it, because we fear a "bad image". The movie exposes the reality of many people in our societies, however it is not harsh nor does it point fingers. Emile Hirsch and Sigourney Weaver did a marvelous job with their strong, yet troubled characters. Sometimes the movie is a bit ambiguous and could have done more than just indicating situations. However, overall, this movie is worth seeing. It's one of the best productions in the last years.
Uh-oh, something is amiss in suburbia - again.......2006-06-19
IMAGINARY HEROES plays a faded concept very well, your basic "quiet suburban family starts to unravel and buried secrets come to light" plot (AMERICAN BEAUTY, anyone?). Key players Sigourney Weaver and Emile Hirsch drag you by the hand through a story about suicide, betrayal, and love as it hides behind the prim lawns and clean windows of the two-story houses in America. You're probably getting bored already, but the story isn't what's captivating about this movie - it's the way the characters are drawn, how they connect with each other and the strong emotions they all have inside them.
When swimmer Matt Travis (Kip Pardue, who has little screen time but still manages to make an impact) shoots himself, the entire Travis family begins to disintegrate into its parts - emotionally detached office dad (Jeff Daniels), bored housewife experimenting with pot, the remaining son (around whom the story is centered), hiding some secrets about the late brother - who in his death is now exalted within the family, even so much that Jeff Daniels's character insists they set out a plate of dinner for him every night - and the independent college daughter (Michelle Williams). Sigourney Weaver's Sandy is battled against next-door-neighbor housewife Marge in a sixteen-year-old grudge that is important to the plot, though Marge's delinquent drug-running son Kyle bridges the enmity as the best friend of Sandy's son Tim.
The story mostly follows Tim's exploits as he tries new things to deal with his brother's death, to ignore the things his brother did to him, through casual drugs, a pushy girlfriend, and a brief, ecstasy-induced one night stand with best friend Kyle. When Sandy drops a bomb of a revelation on his head towards the end of the movie, Tim finally manages to confront the deep-seated resentment he feels for his dad and his brother, which brings the movie to a satisfying conclusion after a lot of tension and confusion.
It's worth a watch, at least once - and it throws a monkey wrench in the cogs of the suburban profile a few times, giving the viewer a few interesting surprises to digest - but it isn't going on my favorites list, it just isn't original enough.
Piling On the American Family.......2006-06-16
I've always loved Sigourney Weaver so I have nothing but praise for her. She's been one of my favorite actresses for twenty-five years and has always delivered.
IMAGINARY HEROES is a good movie about a family falling apart and trying to put itself back together, but I wouldn't say it's a great one. It keeps moving and the performances are well done, but overall I think the film lacked focus. There's suicide, drugs, bullies, affairs, family secrets, alcohol, hospitals, gay confusion.
AMERICAN BEAUTY appears to be the one movie about the unraveling of the American family that all these films are compared to. A recent Premiere magazine article also picked it as one of the most overrated films of all time. I enjoyed most of it but, if you remember much about the time it came out, it was wildly overpraised (Kevin Spacey really did make a name for himself with that one, though).
I caught a big chunk of THE ICE STORM (also with Sigourney) and also wondered if too much was being made of that one as well.
Actually, IMAGINARY HEROES plays like a blend of two other movies: it has the drama and seriousness of 1980's ORDINARY PEOPLE and the humor of the more recent THE SQUID AND THE WHALE (also with Jeff Daniels, who was outstanding in that one).
If you haven't seen either one of those, definitely check them out.
Rare for its genre- effecting, moving, and involved.......2006-02-28
The words "suburban family dramady" sends up red flares in my personal taste for movies. As a rule, movies dealing solely with a single, suburban household and the various ins and outs, overblown turmoil and melodrama that innevitably surrounds them, almost always fall short of their mark. Not only are most of these films boring, but in an attempt to build them up to something remotely interesting or meaningful, they're filled with melodramatic subplots involving the kinds of things that seem particularly devastating to suburban families - but hardly anyone else. In short, it's hard to find a good quality about most of the films in this vein. "Imaginary Heroes" however pulls a one-two punch to the gut, and manages to strike a certain chord, using realism as a strong right-jab, and strong character development as its follow-up left hook. The single most impressive element of this movie, however, that if for no other reason, makes it worth watching, is the chemistry between Emile Hirsch and Sigourney Weaver, who play mother and son in the film. For romance films, actors who play lovers occasionally stumble across a counterpart whom they have genuine chemistry, and more often than not, can forge a certain feeling for a person strong enough to carry the film. This is not a romance movie, nor do these actors play lovers. These two seemed to have genuinely stumbled upon a rare bond, at least as far as the screen can show. They genuinely connect in a mother/son sort of way, with an uncanny bond and affection for one another. Mother's close with their sons - suburban or otherwise - will validate that there is a certain element of unspoken connection between one another. This is genuinely displayed in this movie, not in a forced kind of way, nor an obvious ploy, but as a real element of the actor's relationship. Whether this holds true outside the film reel or not, it's enough to penetrate the viewer's initial skepticism and build a powerful involvement with the characters and their outcome.
Criticisms have been hurled at this movie. "Too many subplots." "Melodramatic elements abound." Etc... etc... I have to say, this is exactly the kind of thing that initially warned me away from this movie - not because I'd heard bad things about the film, but because I hold these criticisms true for every movie along similar plotlines. I have to say though, "Imaginary Heroes" works beautifully, achieiving a sense of art both in movement, and as an end product. The script is eloquent but real, which is in fact where most of the movie draws its realism from. Despite what "Entertainment Weekly" has to say, "Imaginary Heroes" is a movie strongly routed in realism, and powerfully so. The characters here are real portrayals of real people. Perhaps a tad to one extreme or the other at times, but they are never overdone nor overplayed. To those who are worried that too much is tackled in this film - let's look at it objectively. I won't argue with people who say a lot happens, because it sure does. It's an onslaught of tension and tragedy, one after the other, but honestly, in the wake of a serious tragedy in any family, in any walk of life, everything that may have been loose at the seams, begins to fall apart. Bad things often spawn from bad things, because when people fail to cope, they turn to destruction, of self or otherwise, and cause increasing turmoil. This is beautifully and truthfully exemplified in this film, and manifested superbly in the actors portrayal of their respective characters. The movie strikes close to home, no matter where you're from, and uses powerful character development and inter-character connections, put to the test and built stronger to hit home with the viewer. An overlooked film, lost in the gray area between art-film reviewers (looking for something more extreme or artsy,) and the mainstream critics (looking for something glossier or more flambuoyant,) "Imaginary Heroes," it's eloquent characters and poignant story seems doomed not to be truly recognized, but lends it an unusual power: it makes it a rare gem, a diamond in the rough, and gives it an uncanny personal impact with the viewer, similar to the aftermath of an intimate one-on-one conversation.
Overrated.......2006-01-08
Imaginary Heroes is a classic example of parts being better than the whole. The dysfunctional suburbian nuclear family card is overplayed as it is, and this movie - in which Ms. Weaver does indeed shine (and we'd expect no less) and which does provide several moments for both laughs and sighs - tries to pack in just too much in its 107 minutes. We are swept from one tragedy to another, from one substance abuse to the next, and one form of dysfunction to another with little cohesion and credibility. Due to the author's age, it is far from a terrible flop, still the overbloated reviews on here are undeserved. Especially the juvenile reviewer before me with its sudden but naive epiphany about indie movies.
Average customer rating:
- OMG, it's bad.
- Thurman shines in the underrated 'Prime'
- Prime-d
- BOOOOOOring...
- Lousy movie
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Prime (Full Screen)
Starring: Meryl Streep , Uma Thurman , Bryan Greenberg (II) , Jon Abrahams , and Adriana Biasi
Director: Ben Younger
Manufacturer: Universal Studios
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Similar Items:
- In Her Shoes (Widescreen Edition)
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ASIN: B000CS45TC
Release Date: 2006-03-07 |
Amazon.com
Bolstered by an appealing cast and the comedic genius of Meryl Streep, Prime is an above-average "rom-com" that never stoops to compromise. The plot conceived by writer/director Ben Younger (Boiler Room) is a bit far-fetched, but once he's established that 37-year-old Gentile divorcee Rafi Gardet (Uma Thurman) is unknowingly dating the 23-year-old son (Bryan Greenberg) of her Jewish psychotherapist (played by Streep), the unlikely premise gets an intelligent workout, touching upon all of the issues that would realistically emerge as their dilemma is taken to its logical (or illogical) extremes. As a pair of genuinely devoted lovers in their sexual prime (hence the title), Thurman and Greenberg make this movie a constant joy to watch (and let's face it, Uma's utterly irresistible as an "older woman" who's looking for Mr. Right). But it's Streep's mastery of multi-layered expression and subtle comedic timing that makes Prime so engaging. Younger is also refreshingly resistant to easy solutions and conventional feel-good sentiment; he constantly steers Prime toward a sensible examination of a hazardous romance, never insulting the intelligence of his characters or his audience. The result is a mature, honest relationship comedy that never feels forced, but still offers plenty of good, solid laughs. --Jeff Shannon
Customer Reviews:
OMG, it's bad........2007-06-08
Wow. A movie about age difference in a relationships. Wow. What an earth-shattering idea! wow. Add a punch of bored actor and clumsy acting and have one wow of a mediocre movie. I don't know what bothers me more: Hollywood's inability to make great movies, or the publics' insatiable appetite for movies that they will watch craps and don't know it.
Thurman shines in the underrated 'Prime'.......2007-05-26
'Prime' is better than a typical 'chick flick' offering. Even for the skeptical guy, it was an enjoyable movie to watch. Much of this reaction has to do with Uma Thurman. I've simply not seen a lot of movies with her. That relative unfamiliarity with her (for me, she's always just been one half of Letterman's famous "Oprah, Uma, Uma, Oprah" routine) led to an eye-opening revelation here: She's a really fine actress. I was really taken in by her first two scenes with Meryl Streep - sitting across from Streep as analyst, the pain in her life was abundantly evident in her face on her first visit, juxtaposed by evidence of unexpected joy in her next visit. [Probably the movie's best scene, in which Streep takes one look at the surpressed smile on Thurman's face and impishly says "Well, let's have it."]
The other highlight, of course, is Streep, who continues to be a wonder...just a completely immersed, completely different person in every role she inhabits. She's approaching national treasure status.
Prime-d.......2007-05-17
Excellent cast. Uma Thurman and Gleen Close are more like mother and daughter than therapist and patient. And the son/boyfriend..... WOW!!!!!
BOOOOOOring..........2007-04-30
This movie sucked, yes i agree that it had it's funny parts but for the most part it sucked.
Lousy movie.......2007-03-18
This movie is extremely boring. All characters are unsympathetic, the material is trivial, and acting is mediocre. It's probably the cinematic equivalent of watching paint dry.
Average customer rating:
- Danelle Steel's Vanished
- Danielle Steel's Vanished
- Danielle Steel's Vanished
- stunning period drama
- Exciting and very touching !
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Danielle Steel's Vanished
Starring: George Hamilton , Lisa Rinna , Robert Hays , Maurice Godin , and Alex D. Linz
Director: George Kaczender
Manufacturer: Anchor Bay
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ASIN: B0007LPSYK
Release Date: 2005-04-19 |
Customer Reviews:
Danelle Steel's Vanished.......2007-02-20
This movie was excellently done. Great characters for the parts and following well with Ms. Steel's book. I loved her books and the movie were great to beable to later see and enjoy visually.
Danielle Steel's Vanished.......2006-08-13
Excellent condition on the DVD. Fast shipment. Arrived before the date it was promised.
Danielle Steel's Vanished.......2006-03-23
Yet again Ms Steel has out done herself I really enjoy this movie Hope I can see more of her work's in the future
stunning period drama.......2001-05-10
Based on Danielle Steel's bestseller, VANISHED is a fine piece of frothy drama.
Marielle Delauney (Lisa Rinna), and her adoring husband Charles are savouring the delights of Paris in the 20's. But an accident that ends in the tragic death of their young son tears them apart.
Marielle moves to New York, under the employ of the dashing Malcolm Patterson (George Hamilton). Soon courtship and marriage follow, but the past still remains to haunt Marielle.
When Marielle falls pregnant, her estranged first husband is shocked and digusted at her, for having a second chance, still blaming her for their son's death.
When her infant son is kidnapped, Marielle learns that her ex has been arrested of the crime. In disbelief she searches for the answer to the disappearance with FBI agent John Taylor (Robert Hayes).
Fine romance, mystery and intrigue, with Lisa Rinna a richly glowing heroine.
Exciting and very touching !.......2000-01-16
Here you can enjoy Lisa Rinna (known as Taylor from Melrose Place) as the main character and George Hamilton in one of the most exciting and touching novel by Danielle Steel. Lisa Rinna is a very romantic and lovable character who loses her first child by a teribble accident. She can't get over it and so her marriage gets destroyed. She finds another man she falls in love with and she gets pregnant again. But her past seems to repeat... Watch it and enjoy "Vanished" and you'll find out that you better trust nobody !
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