Return to Paradise (1998) (Ws)

Starring:Vince Vaughn, Anne Heche, Joaquin Phoenix, David Conrad, Vera Farmiga, Nick Sandow, Jada Pinkett Smith, Ming Lee, Joel de la Fuente, Richard Chang (II), James Michael McCauley, Brettanya Friese, Deanna Yusoff, David Zayas, Amy Wong, Is Issariya, Ed Hodson, Kevin Scullin, Glenn Patrick, Yusmal Ghazali
Director: Joseph Ruben
Studio: Universal Studios
Product Type: DVD

Editorial Review:
Amazon.com
In Malaysia, three young Americans with little else in common are united in a shared enthusiasm for beer, women, and righteous hashish. Eventually, "Sheriff" (Vince Vaughn) and Tony (David Conrad) head back to New York. Lewis (Joaquin Phoenix), a spacey but good-hearted sort, stays on with the notion of helping save the orangutans. Two years later, a brassy lawyer (Anne Heche) shows up in Manhattan with the news that her client, Lewis, has spent the interim in Penang prison. Arrested for a prankish misdemeanor they all shared in, he's taking the rap for something worse: the dope stash they left him holding was a fatal few grams over the limit. Unless his fellow Americans return voluntarily to (literally) share the weight, in eight days Lewis will be hanged as a drug trafficker.

Eight days is about as long as Return to Paradise stayed on theater screens--the victim, perhaps, of Anne Heche-Ellen DeGeneres burnout in the press, or just too damn many movies out there to keep track of. Whatever the reason, it's a pity, because this is one of the most compelling movie-movies in recent memory. The screenplay turns the ethical-psychological thumbscrews with insidious effectiveness, despite the probability that the two writers brought separate agendas to the project--Wesley (Cape Fear) Strick working the complicity of the two home boys (each represents the halving of the other's prison sentence if they both agree to go back), and Bruce (The Killing Fields) Robinson revving his engines for another face-off of implacable East and irresponsible West. And director Joseph Ruben, specialist in serving up B-movie excitement with class-A skill (Dreamscape, The Stepfather), does his sleekest work yet.

Customer Reviews:

Nearly unlistenable.......2007-05-30

I had great hope for this DVD based on its description and the generally positive reviews. But wow, what a disappointment due to the poor audio. I could only make it through about 3 songs, then I just had to turn it off, the sound was bad, bad. Unfortunate as the show itself looked promising, I just couldn't listen to it. I tinkered a bit, double-checking my system, and trying all of the audio options on the DVD. I found that the 5.1 mix and the stereo mix were nearly the same, as the 5.1 mix did not use the center channel at all, and barely used the surrounds & LFE. Seriously, without looking to see which was playing, you wouldn't be able to tell the two apart. Even worse though, is that the sound that did come out was poor. As in tinny, compressed, lifeless. I don't know if I've described it right, all I know is that I had to turn it off.

Styx review.......2007-05-20

Classic Styx, revisited. Great performance, with alot of the old classic tunes. Performance is great, and even emotional with the tribute to John.
His brother looks a little stiff on base, but the music rules.

This is well worth the purchase for any Styx fan. Lots of energy and variety of performance. New drummer is very good. Added features are interesting too.

Styx concert.......2007-04-10

Styx still ROCK!!! This is a great concert, a must have for all Styx fans.

Styx Rocks.......2007-03-25

This is a great "modern era" Styx concert. It has all the original memebers except for the drummer who passed away. They still do a great rock show with a "theatrical flair". The only negative was the lack of sound from the center channel speaker. The surround is not true Dolby 5.1, still sounds pretty good though.

Styx- Return to Paradise Video.......2007-02-24

This was an excellent video of a band that i grew up with. Dennis DeYoung's voice is spectacular in this video tribute. I don't think Styx is any good without him in their lineup. It is a shame the other band members can't get over themselves and bring him back to the group. This is a super video with all the old songs and DeYoung doesn't miss a note. I highly recommend this video to true Styx fans all over the world!

Average customer rating:

Unbelievable Story
Very good movie, tough getting through the prison scenes!
Wonderful film. Good moral questions. And absolutely great story!
OSCAR???
Moral Passion Play Turns Into Tepid Romantic Melodrama--Too Bad

Return to Paradise
Starring: Vince Vaughn , Anne Heche , Joaquin Phoenix , David Conrad , and Vera Farmiga
Director: Joseph Ruben
Manufacturer: Universal Studios
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Drama | Genres | DVD | Video

Suspense | Mystery & Suspense | Genres | DVD | Video

Mystery | Mystery & Suspense | Genres | DVD | Video

General | Mystery & Suspense | Genres | DVD | Video

DVDs Under $9.99 | Today's Deals in DVD | Special Features | DVD | Video

( R ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video
Similar Items:

Clay Pigeons
A Cool Dry Place
Buffalo Soldiers
To Die For
Brokedown Palace

ASIN: B00007ELEY
Release Date: 2002-11-05

Amazon.com

In Malaysia, three young Americans with little else in common are united in a shared enthusiasm for beer, women, and righteous hashish. Eventually, "Sheriff" (Vince Vaughn) and Tony (David Conrad) head back to New York. Lewis (Joaquin Phoenix), a spacey but good-hearted sort, stays on with the notion of helping save the orangutans. Two years later, a brassy lawyer (Anne Heche) shows up in Manhattan with the news that her client, Lewis, has spent the interim in Penang prison. Arrested for a prankish misdemeanor they all shared in, he's taking the rap for something worse: the dope stash they left him holding was a fatal few grams over the limit. Unless his fellow Americans return voluntarily to (literally) share the weight, in eight days Lewis will be hanged as a drug trafficker.

Eight days is about as long as Return to Paradise stayed on theater screens--the victim, perhaps, of Anne Heche-Ellen DeGeneres burnout in the press, or just too damn many movies out there to keep track of. Whatever the reason, it's a pity, because this is one of the most compelling movie-movies in recent memory. The screenplay turns the ethical-psychological thumbscrews with insidious effectiveness, despite the probability that the two writers brought separate agendas to the project--Wesley (Cape Fear) Strick working the complicity of the two home boys (each represents the halving of the other's prison sentence if they both agree to go back), and Bruce (The Killing Fields) Robinson revving his engines for another face-off of implacable East and irresponsible West. And director Joseph Ruben, specialist in serving up B-movie excitement with class-A skill (Dreamscape, The Stepfather), does his sleekest work yet.

Customer Reviews:

Unbelievable Story.......2007-04-18

I would not reccommend this movie because I found the story unbelievable. There were no real substantial characters in it. The so-called characters were manipulated here and there to fulfill the demands of a preconceived plot. Vaughn acted not out of his beliefs and necessity but by what seemed to feel good at the moment, which was an obvious way for the writer to stretch out the movie.

The acting was only fair, but then what can you expect when the characters aren't given any solidness--depth, attitudes, understandings. Vaughn's "character", throughout the second act, keeps flip-flopping about returning to Malaysia until he has a bout of sex--Heche's manipulation, Vaughn's pleasure--and agrees to go. His so-called transformation near the end--becomming so compassionate and affectionate toward his friend in prison (Phoenix)--of the film was equally unbelievable. Real, believable change is often preceded by some ordeal or trauma that enables one to understand first hand the suffering of another. Only at the very end does this happen, but it should have happened much earlier for his change to be believed, from which a desire to save his friend should have developed, and not by some gratuitous sex affair.

Very good movie, tough getting through the prison scenes!.......2006-11-27

I stumbled onto this movie today, and decided what the heck, it was nothing else on anyway. Very emotionally charged film, and great acting, especially by Joaquin Phoenix. I have seen him in other movies, but this was a very good performance by him. It was really tough to watch the prison and courtroom scenes, especially that last prison scene with Vince Vaughn. It was hard not to cry. I walked away from the TV twice because the scene was so intense. What I really liked about the movie is how it slowly reeled you in at just the right pace. There were never dull moments, and made you that more curious to see how it would end. It also left you thinking about your own morality and friendships. I plan to buy this movie and add it to my collection, again Great Movie!

Wonderful film. Good moral questions. And absolutely great story!.......2006-11-22

This 1998 drama took me by surprise. I got completely involved in it. My heart beat and I felt pangs of anxiety. And I couldn't stop watching.

The film opens in Malaysia where three young American men are just plain having a good time. There are wonderful beaches, lots of girls and plenty of hashish. Then their vacation is over. Two of them return home. The third, Lewis, played by Joaquin Phoenix, decides to stay on and join a group that saves gorillas.

Fast forward now two years. As none of these Americans knew each other too well, they have lost touch. Enter Anne Heche. She contacts both John, played by Vince Vaughn and David, played by Tony Croft. She tells them she is Lewis' attorney. The story is that right after the three men separated, Lewis was arrested for hashish possession. It was such a large quantity that he is considered a drug trafficker; the sentence is death. He's been in a Malaysian jail all this time and the case has been under appeal. But the appeals have run out, and Lewis is sentenced to die in just eight days.

However, if both John and David would return to Malaysia and each serve a 3-year sentence, Lewis' life would be saved. If only one of the men return, the sentence would be six years. But either way, Lewis would be allowed to live. This is quite a dilemma. And from that point on I knew that no matter how it turned out, it would not be a pleasant ending. I couldn't help my real deep emotions that surfaced during this film. What would I do if put into that situation? A Malaysia prison is a horrible place. And in case we don't get it, there are several scenes shot there.

This is a fine film. It brings up questions of moral complexity. There are no easy answers.

Yes, the acting is good, the cinematography just right. But the thing that fascinated me the most was the story. And isn't that what a good film is really about?

OSCAR???.......2006-10-20

This film was amazing! Naturally the one's you never hear about are the one's that deserve the most attention. The beginning was a tad bit slow, especially when it came to Vaughn making up his mind to go or not. Ultimatly his performance made up for that. Even though Phoenix is rarely seen throughout the film, his roll is so touching and heart wrenching it puts a lump in my throat just thinking about it. I think there should have been Oscar nod's all around! It really begs the question, would you do the same for another? Share this wonderful film with friends and family it truly is one of the best films of all time.

Moral Passion Play Turns Into Tepid Romantic Melodrama--Too Bad.......2006-10-14

In the American adaptation of "Force majeure," we get a great setup. "Return to Paradise" poses the moral dilemma of whether someone would be willing to give up several years of freedom to save another's life. It's a fantastic, sticky ethical quandary and one that I think is presented quite well in this film. Vince Vaughn and David Conrad play two guys who are asked this question--as a buddy they left in Malaysia is about to be put to death (on a drug charge for which they all bore responsibility).

As we see these two wrestle with the implications, the doubts and the ambiguities--this film is at its strongest. How far will you go to be a "good" person, and is it worth it? Very weighty issues.

The first half of this film is solid, solid material. The lawyer who approaches them, played by Anne Heche, also gets involved with Vaughn personally. I could have done without this romance--but as characters struggling and conflicted and despairing, I suppose there was some basis for them to be drawn together. Another outside force, however, is a newspaper reporter played by hard-as-nails Jada Pinkett Smith. For those of you who have seen the patented Pinkett Smith hard-as-nails performance--it's really not much to see. And her character is pretty pointless, as well--a plot convenience to be revealed at a later time. But even though it was far from perfect, this half was thoroughly compelling.

Sadly, the film ventures to Malaysia for the remainder of the movie. What becomes painfully obvious now is that our romance has moved to the forefront of the picture. Joaquin Pheonix, as the prisoner, has yet to be fleshed out as a character. We don't see any real relationship between he and Vaughn or he and Heche. This is a fatal flaw! As we move into melodrama, I was surprisingly unmoved. Intellectually, I knew I should care but the film never bothered to emotionally invest me. So while I was left cold having hoped for so much more--then the big surprise courtroom revelation (see plot convenience mentioned in above paragraph).

Ultimately, the romance was again played up for the finale. With Phoenix being a character construct or plot device--instead of someone we knew and cared about--the film kills itself. Far from being an awful movie--what could have been powerful and emotionally devastating is really just mundane. KGHarris, 10/06.

Average customer rating:

Unbelievable Story
Very good movie, tough getting through the prison scenes!
Wonderful film. Good moral questions. And absolutely great story!
OSCAR???
Moral Passion Play Turns Into Tepid Romantic Melodrama--Too Bad

Return to Paradise
Starring: Vince Vaughn , Anne Heche , Joaquin Phoenix , David Conrad , and Vera Farmiga
Director: Joseph Ruben
Manufacturer: Polygram USA Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Drama | Genres | DVD | Video

Suspense | Mystery & Suspense | Genres | DVD | Video

DVDs Under $7.49 | Today's Deals in DVD | Special Features | DVD | Video

( R ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video
Similar Items:

Clay Pigeons
A Cool Dry Place
Buffalo Soldiers
To Die For
Brokedown Palace

ASIN: 6305353298
Release Date: 1999-04-27

Amazon.com

Customer Reviews:

Unbelievable Story.......2007-04-18

Very good movie, tough getting through the prison scenes!.......2006-11-27

Wonderful film. Good moral questions. And absolutely great story!.......2006-11-22

OSCAR???.......2006-10-20

Moral Passion Play Turns Into Tepid Romantic Melodrama--Too Bad.......2006-10-14

[18 Feature Films] Seven Doors to Death, Hot Rod Girl, Blonde Savage, They Made Me a Criminal, Silver Horde, Bird of Paradise, Outpost in Morocco, Renfrew of the Royal Mounted, Dark Room, Aerialist, Return of Michael Campion, Peter Hurok's Store Part 1 & 2, Goodbye Grandpa, Where Are They?, Executioner, Explorer, Encounter

Average customer rating:

[18 Feature Films] Seven Doors to Death, Hot Rod Girl, Blonde Savage, They Made Me a Criminal, Silver Horde, Bird of Paradise, Outpost in Morocco, Renfrew of the Royal Mounted, Dark Room, Aerialist, Return of Michael Campion, Peter Hurok's Store Part 1 & 2, Goodbye Grandpa, Where Are They?, Executioner, Explorer, Encounter

ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Documentary | Genres | DVD | Video

Product Description

SPECIAL FEATURES: Digitally Mastered, Interactive Menus, Chapter Selections, Digitally Enhanced Audio 5.1

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