Choices: The Movie

Choices: The Movie


Starring:Mazio Royster, Dennis Larkin, Cassie Betts, Rodney Wickfall, Reginald Boyland, La Chat, Jordan Houston, Daniel Iorio, Joe Moscaritolo, Paul Beauregard, Nayali Lavender, Project Pat
Director: Gil Green
Studio: Relativity
Product Type: DVD

Editorial Review:
Description
Shot largely in Three 6 Mafia's hometown of Memphis, TN, Choices examines the conflict between right and wrong and is based on the life of an ex-convict and the choices that he makes trying to get his life on the right track.
Blood & Chocolate
Average customer rating: 3 out of 5 stars
  • A new look on werwolf movies
  • Bucharest and Special Effects Soften this Werewolf Film
  • Excellent Film. Better Than Chocolate.
  • Blood and Chocolate
  • Book and Movie Don't Mesh
Blood & Chocolate
Starring: Agnes Bruckner , Hugh Dancy , Olivier Martinez , Katja Riemann , and Bryan Dick
Director: Katja von Garnier
Manufacturer: Sony Pictures
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B000OCY7TY
Release Date: 2007-06-12

Amazon.com

When graphic novelist Aiden (Hugh Dancy) travels to Bucharest to research the loup garou legend, he nearly gets devoured in the latest female werewolf film, Blood and Chocolate. In the tradition of Werewolf Woman and Ginger Snaps, Blood and Chocolate stars Vivian Gandillon (Agnes Bruckner), a girl who's forced to face her lupine tendencies in order to discover how capable of loving Aiden she really is. Based on a book by Annette Curtis Clause, the film chronicles the lives of the remaining loup garou who are an extended Romanian family waiting for their pack leader, Gabriel, to select his new mate. His desire for Vivian means trouble when her wish to be with Aiden results in her revealing too much about the clan's secretive lifestyle. In this film, werewolves look fully human until their eyes glow with colored contact lenses while they fly through the air to then land as full-fledged wolves. Gone are the days, apparently, of films showing the transformation in all its hairy, explosive detail. A lack of scenes describing the werewolf metamorphosis make this film more a love story than a monster tale, though two forest gatherings in which the loup garou hunt human sacrifices offer some grizzly satisfaction. Unlike the aforementioned femme werewolf films, Blood and Chocolate features a girl fighting her urge to kill in a bid to unite humans with her brethren, making this movie the most peaceful in its genre. With a tame wolf as protagonist, the potential nightmare is really just a pleasant dream to unite the two disparate worlds. The question is: Do we want that to happen? --Trinie Dalton

Product Description

As a young girl living in the remote mountains of Colorado, Vivian (Bruckner) watched helplessly as her family was murdered by a pack of angry men for the secret they carried in their blood. Vivian survived the attack by running into the woods and changing into a wolf. Ten years later, Vivian is living a relatively safe and normal life in Bucharest, Romania. Vivian spends her days working in a chocolate shop and nights trawling the city's underground clubs, fending off the reckless antics of her cousin Rafe, and his gang of delinquents he refers to as "The Five."

Vivian's life begins to unravel when she has a chance encounter with Aiden (Dancy), an artist researching Bucharest' ancient art and relics for his next graphic novel. Aiden pursues Vivian until she relents and begins to see him, but she can't bring herself to tell him the truth - and lives in fear of showing him who she really is. Even though Vivian has sworn never to kill, she is as much an animal as she is human, and her love for Aiden threatens to cast him to the very wolves who saved her life and who are waiting for their chance to hunt him as prey.

Stills from Blood & Chocolate (click for larger image)







Beyond Blood & Chocolate at Amazon.com


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Customer Reviews:

5 out of 5 stars A new look on werwolf movies.......2007-07-03

Blood & Chocolate is a very good movie it takes a new look on werewolf movies and this movie is awesome.

3 out of 5 stars Bucharest and Special Effects Soften this Werewolf Film.......2007-07-01

BLOOD AND CHOCOLATE (a misnomer at best!) is another in the seemingly endless appetite-for-horror-flicks appeasers. Freely adapted from the Annette Curtis Klause's novel by screenwriters Ehren Kruger and Christopher Landon and directed by Katja von Garnier, this version of the loup-garou legend takes place in Bucharest, Romania and while the corps group of 'night creatures' carrying the mantle of the clan appears small, the group seems more updated in its views of survival in the world of 'normal man' than most: the werewolves are a normal appearing bunch who change into rather elegant wolves through computer generated magic in a manner that removes much of the gruesome element form the film. It helps.

Loup-garou child Vivian (Agnes Bruckner) witnessed the death of her parents at the hands of men in Colorado and escaped to Bucharest where 10 years later she is the next in line to be the 'bride' of pack leader Gabriel (a gaunt appearing Olivier Martinez). Her aunt Astrid (Katja Riemann) with whom she lives had been the first love of Gabriel and a tension is set early in the film about the plight of the pack versus the desire to be a normal human, a tension that will help the resolution of the film's love story. The mysterious, questioning Vivian meets young artist Aiden (Hugh Dancy) who himself has escaped America and his own demons. An obvious infatuation cum attraction occurs and though Vivian admits to warm feelings for Aiden, she knows her affair is doomed: her cousin Rafe (Bryan Dick) and his pack of five discover her tragic near crossover the line of human desire, and the crisis of the story proceeds along the lines of victim and pursuer.

The unfortunate title for the film is clumsily drawn from the negligently important job Vivian has working in a chocolate factory, hardly a comparison for the importance blood plays in the hunt and kill formula that the title supposedly represents. But then it does set up the dichotomy of choice Vivian must make, whether to obey her loup-garou destiny or enter the realm of normal human motivations and desires. Yes, it all gets pretty corny, but in many ways this 'netherworld of monster types' film rises above others in its management of the transformation scenes (actually quite beautiful) and in the acting of Hugh Dancy. In the end it is the chance to see how truly Bucharest as a city really is that makes the movie worth watching. The cast does the best it can with the weak material. Grady Harp, July 07

5 out of 5 stars Excellent Film. Better Than Chocolate........2007-06-28

I watched this film with a modicum of hesitation because it is not really my genre. I was more than pleasantly surprised to enjoy what I consider the best cinematic offering for the year to date. It is a beautiful combination of a "Werewolf in London", the "Bourne Identity" and "Before Sunrise", with Romania providing an exquisite location for what essentially is a very poignant love story, and very tastefully executed, with finesse and class and Romance. The soundtrack is simply first rate, the acting is very capable, with the two very memorable and commanding leads, and the violence is the antithesis to gratuitous. An Avid and very astute reader stated that the film followed the book very well. However, you need not have read the book in order to find this film a truly well done film, with virtually nothing lacking, with the exception of more special features. As of late June, this is the best film of the year, in any genre. After seeing this film, Lace, Chocolate, Romania, the Colorado Rockies, not so much blood, will be all that more appreciated.

1 out of 5 stars Blood and Chocolate.......2007-06-24

Blood & Chocolate [Region 99]

This movie sucked. If you read the book, please save yourself the trauma of watching this!!! The only thing that it did have from the book was the title and the names of characters. It truly traumatized me. My friend said that I sat for 2 1/2 hours saying "what the hell happened? They had the book...what the hell happened?" Needless to say I liked the book and wish I had saved the $9 it cost to watch it in theatre. I should have asked for my money back, but I was too traumatized to think straight.

1 out of 5 stars Book and Movie Don't Mesh.......2007-06-23

Have you ever read a book that you LOVE and then they turn it into a movie that just doesn't seem to match? That's what they did with Blood and Chocolate.
The movie ruined the book, and that's all there is to it.
I LOVED the book, and I had read it more than one time before I had heard that it was being turned into a movie. I was really excited, but then tonight I actually saw the movie.
At the end, for the last 5 minutes, my eyes were open REALLY wide and my mouth was wide open because I couldn't believe what was happening. The ending was almost the complete opposite of the ending in the book...which I happened to like.
If you like the book, don't see the movie.
If you've seen the movie, read the book and then yell at the movie for being so different.
Bridget Jones's Diary (Collector's Edition)
Average customer rating: 4 out of 5 stars
  • I love this
  • This movie is a classic
  • Laugh out loud funny for the dating disfunctional
  • One of my favorite romantic comedies
  • and they say nobody writes georgian comedies any more!
Bridget Jones's Diary (Collector's Edition)
Starring: Renée Zellweger , Gemma Jones , Celia Imrie , James Faulkner , and Jim Broadbent
Director: Sharon Maguire
Manufacturer: Miramax
ProductGroup: DVD
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ASIN: B0002W4SWC
Release Date: 2004-11-09

Amazon.com

Featuring a blowzy, winningly inept size-12 heroine, Bridget Jones's Diary is a fetching adaptation of Helen Fielding's runaway bestseller, grittier than Ally McBeal but sweeter than Sex and the City. The normally sylphlike Renée Zellweger (Nurse Betty, Me, Myself and Irene) wolfed pasta to gain poundage to play "singleton" Bridget, a London-based publicist who divides her free time between binge eating in front of the TV, downing Chardonnay with her friends, and updating the diary in which she records her negligible weight fluctuations and romantic misadventures of the year. Things start off badly at Christmas when her mother tries to set her up with seemingly standoffish lawyer Mark Darcy (Colin Firth), whom Bridget accidentally overhears dissing her. Instead she embarks on a disastrous liaison with her raffish boss, Daniel Cleaver (Hugh Grant, infinitely more likeable when he's playing a baddie instead of his patented tongue-tied fops). Eventually, Bridget comes to wonder if she's let her pride prejudice her against the surprisingly attractive Mr. Darcy.

If the plot sounds familiar, that's because Fielding's novel was itself a retelling of Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice, whose romantic male lead is also named Mr. Darcy. An extra ironic poke in the ribs is added by the casting of Firth, who played Austen's haughty hero in the acclaimed BBC adaptation of Austen's novel. First-time director Sharon Maguire directs with confident comic zest, while Zellweger twinkles charmingly, fearlessly baring her cellulite and pulling off a spot-on English accent. Like Four Weddings and a Funeral and Notting Hill (both of which were written by this film's coscreenwriter, Richard Curtis), Bridget Jones's stock-in-trade is a very English self-deprecating sense of humor, a mild suspicion of Americans (especially if they're thin and successful), and a subtly expressed analysis of thirtysomething fears about growing up and becoming a "smug married." The whole is, as Bridget would say, v. good. --Leslie Felperin

Description

Academy Award(R) winner Renée Zellweger (Best Supporting Actress, COLD MOUNTAIN, 2003; CHICAGO) and Hugh Grant (LOVE ACTUALLY, TWO WEEKS NOTICE) star in a delightful comedy about the ups and downs of modern romance. Bridget (Zellweger), a busy career woman, decides to turn over a new page in her life by channeling her thoughts, opinions and insecurities into a journal that becomes a hilarious chronicle of her adventures. Soon she becomes the center of attention between a guy who's too good to be true (Grant) and another who's so wrong for her, he could be just right (Colin Firth -- LOVE ACTUALLY)! Based on the best-selling book, BRIDGET JONES'S DIARY is another acclaimed crowd-pleaser from the hit makers of FOUR WEDDING AND A FUNERAL and NOTTING HILL.

Customer Reviews:

5 out of 5 stars I love this.......2007-06-11

I love this movie! First of all I adore Hugh Grant, and his wit hits a homerun in this movie. But, I am a huger Zellweger and Firth fan as well.
Who does not love the way Bridget seems to always mock, and humiliate herself, yet win people over in an instant. She's a true underdog, but a loveable character looking for love...and bullocks....trouble, and moritifying moments always seem to find her. I can watch this movie any day of the week and laugh. Plus, it has a great soundtrack.

5 out of 5 stars This movie is a classic .......2007-06-08

You don't have to be into chick flicks to appreciate this movie. I personally am not into the serious romance movies. This one made me laugh, tugged at my heart strings, and made me sigh. I believe this is one of Renee Zellweger's best performances. I never had a crush on Colin Firth until I saw this movie. His performance was outstanding along side with Hugh Grant's whose wit had me in stiches. The sequel was also a fabulous movie that I have yet to purchase. I also like the deleted scenes and take outs at the main menu. A DVD you must add to your collection. You will never tire of seeing it.

4 out of 5 stars Laugh out loud funny for the dating disfunctional.......2007-05-07

Briget Jones Diary is a amusing look at the ins and outs of the dating world for the 30 something generation. A romatic comedy which will having you laughing to the point of tears. Bridget (as brought to life by Renée Zellweger) is a 30 something gal living in London and on the hunt for love, but sometimes willing to settle for sex, and forever psychoanalyzing (and second-guessing) herself we follow her as she tries to figure out what it is she really wants.

"It all began on New Year's Day in my 32nd year of being single," she says sardonically in what is to become the running internal monologue that ties the events in the movie to the entries in her journal.
The story largely concerns Bridget suddenly going from miserably manless (in a hilarious early scene she gets drunk alone at home and sings along to Jamie O'Neal's "All By Myself") to having two suitors Mark Darcy (Colin Firth)and Daniel Cleaver (Hugh Grant)-- a situation she simply doesn't know what to do with.

I find this movie is a must see whenever im having dating issue. Its almost as if it helps to know that im not the only one who isnt in a perfect relationship package.

5 out of 5 stars One of my favorite romantic comedies.......2007-04-23

I love this movie. I've traveled to England several times and this comedy epitomizes British humor. Bridget is such an easy character to relate to, a real woman with real problems. We need more characters like her out there, women who have weight issues and can't speak in public. I thoroughly enjoyed the fight scene between Mark and Daniel, it was something that you might see real men who are wimps really doing. This movie is fantastic and I highly recommend it to all women.

4 out of 5 stars and they say nobody writes georgian comedies any more!.......2007-04-19

i was pleasantly surprised upon catching up 6 years later with this chick brit flick. renee zellwegger repays england for vivien leigh being cast as scarlett, and she proves utterly charming in this modern take on a jane austen novel (and arguably better than any of the actual austen-based movies of the past decade). colin firth and even the usually smarmy hugh grant are excellent as her beaux: the boorish gentleman and the smooth bounder. great fun, but i hear the sequel is dreadful, so i shall steer clear.
Waking Life
Average customer rating: 4 out of 5 stars
  • Typical of Linklater....talky, uneven, occasionally insightful, occasionally banal and tiresome...
  • Was a good effort
  • A Great Piece Of Work.
  • Sort of awake
  • Real
Waking Life
Starring: Louis Black , Julie Delpy , Adam Goldberg , Charles Gunning , and Ethan Hawke
Manufacturer: 20th Century Fox
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ASIN: B00005YU1O
Release Date: 2002-05-07

Amazon.com

Waking Life is a film that never settles down. Or maybe it never wakes up. Regardless, Richard Linklater's animated meditation seems to strike a perfect balance between the plotless meanderings of Slacker and the unquenchable knowledge-seeking of Hermann Hesse's Siddhartha. Any way you look at it, this is a weird, original movie.

As he attempts to figure out what separates dreams from reality, the protagonist (Dazed and Confused's Wiley Wiggins) hears an earful from everyone he stumbles upon. Ramblings range from the scholarly (Linklater's former college professor Robert C. Solomon gives a monologue) to the banal (of which there are plenty). Ethan Hawke, Julie Delpy, Steven Soderbergh, and Adam Goldberg all get animated cameos, basically playing themselves. The dream-centered dialogues eventually grow mind-numbing, but that's OK; the animation steals the show. Each frame of the movie, which was first shot with live actors, was painted over, and the process renders a distorted and trippy collage of sights and sounds. Linklater's film is ultimately quite poignant, but, as with any good journey, you'll need to sit through some fairly tedious moments before reaching the destination. --Jason Verlinde

Description

From the director of Slacker and Dazed and Confused comes one of the most imaginative animated features ever made. This funny, ingenious film, which Rolling Stone Magazine calls "nothing short of amazing," explores the fascinating question: "Are we sleep-walking through our waking state or wake- walking through our dreams"? Join Wiley Wiggins as he searches for answers to lifes most important questions in a world that may or may not be reality in the "most visually alive movie of the year." (Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun Times)

Customer Reviews:

3 out of 5 stars Typical of Linklater....talky, uneven, occasionally insightful, occasionally banal and tiresome..........2007-06-16

I like Richard Linklater more as a person than a filmmaker. Here is a good example of his work. The ideas put forth are interesting and necessary, but the film overall is very ponderous, talky (almost all of Linklater's films are talky), pseudo-intellectual (like his generation, Gen X), and kind of boring in spots. The conversations veer from passable to banal, and the rotoscoping, while interesting, isn't really groundbreaking. Rotoscoping has been done for quite some time, but it looks better than it used to, because of digital technology. The film is average. I like Linklater's intelligence and ambition, and he's very personable in interviews, but his work is usually disappointing. It's not terrible, but it's not as good as it can be.

2 out of 5 stars Was a good effort.......2007-06-12

This movie takes the risk and gets silly at times. It is a series of monologues (Or an alternative description would be 'ramblings'). There is not, however, anything deep or eye-opening about it. Rather just observations from an 'altered' state of mind. As a whole, it comes off as pretentious. The rotoscoping technique used is different but not terribly inventive or original. I wasn't impressed but it was a good effort.

4 out of 5 stars A Great Piece Of Work........2007-06-02

This movie can be a barrage for the senses and can make you doubt what you might think is reality. I was moved greatly by this movie and I have loved ith from the first time that I saw it. Some of the theories in it may seem so far out there because you have never really thought about them that way before, but once they are presented to you they kinda make sense. If you like to think outside of the box then give this movie a shot and you won't be disappointed.

5 out of 5 stars Sort of awake.......2007-05-12

Unique unearthing of subjects which sort have lived in the ether of American thought for the last ten years or so. Subjects and presentations range from the 'would you please just shut up' to 'that's odd and interesting' variety.

Good to know that films like this can still be made. Every once in awhile nice to see something for people who enjoy thinking and aren't embarrassed to say so.

5 out of 5 stars Real.......2007-04-03

What is REAL??? This film shows something to discuss... is this reality?? Yes!! But... are we or am I in a dream?? Does that matter???

If u like this film, read from Peter Berger n Thomas Luckmann "The Social Construction of REALITY"
Contact
Average customer rating: 4 out of 5 stars
  • Right Down My Alley!
  • This movie is assigned watching for college Ethics class.
  • terrible
  • Great "What could be" Movie
  • Contact
Contact
Starring: Jena Malone , David Morse , Jodie Foster , Geoffrey Blake , and William Fichtner
Director: Robert Zemeckis
Manufacturer: Warner Home Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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  1. Close Encounters of the Third Kind (Two-Disc Collector's Edition)
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ASIN: 0790733226
Release Date: 1997-12-30

Amazon.com

The opening and closing moments of Robert (Forrest Gump) Zemeckis's Contact astonish viewers with the sort of breathtaking conceptual imagery one hardly ever sees in movies these day--each is an expression of the heroine's lifelong quest (both spiritual and scientific) to explore the meaning of human existence through contact with extraterrestrial life. The movie begins by soaring far out into space, then returns dizzyingly to earth until all the stars in the heavens condense into the sparkle in one little girl's eye. It ends with that same girl as an adult (Jodie Foster)--her search having taken her to places beyond her imagination--turning her gaze inward and seeing the universe in a handful of sand. Contact traces the journey between those two visual epiphanies. Based on Carl Sagan's novel, Contact is exceptionally thoughtful and provocative for a big-budget Hollywood science fiction picture, with elements that recall everything from 2001 to The Right Stuff. Foster's solid performance (and some really incredible alien hardware) keep viewers interested, even when the story skips and meanders, or when the halo around the golden locks of rising-star-of-a-different-kind Matthew McConaughey (as the pure-Hollywood-hokum love interest) reaches Milky Way-level wattage. Ambitious, ambiguous, pretentious, unpredictable--Contact is all of these things and more. Much of it remains open to speculation and interpretation, but whatever conclusions one eventually draws, Contact deserves recognition as a rare piece of big-budget studio filmmaking on a personal scale. --Jim Emerson

Customer Reviews:

5 out of 5 stars Right Down My Alley!.......2007-06-21

The type of movie I love. It is scifi, rich in mystery! The beginning is very slow. When I watch it now I skip right to the beginning of the action. From there the movie flys. You are truly kept looking for the next clue, the next answer. You want to find out what this is all about. They could have done something different with the conclusion, but I liked the change in the main characters outlook.

5 out of 5 stars This movie is assigned watching for college Ethics class........2007-06-04

This movie is rich in ethical points of view. It ranges from the insane who believe their harmful actions are saving humanity, to non-ethical behaviour by saying what ever it takes to succeed. the moral of the movie is amazingly simple yet illusive to even the wisest of Philosophers.
The special effects are fantastic, the casting is brilliant and the writing is incredibly profound. A definite 5 star movie.

1 out of 5 stars terrible.......2007-05-15

it was long, unengaging and frankly, the end was not creative in the slightest. Don't know what else to tell you.

5 out of 5 stars Great "What could be" Movie.......2007-05-12

Somewhat believable tale about potential life in the universe. Inspiring and fun to watch.

5 out of 5 stars Contact.......2007-05-12

Contact is a movie about Astronomy and the search for signals in space from remote, intelligent life. Jodie Foster plays a gifted astronomer who struggles to keep her work and reputation alive in a very controversial field that very few people--including most other scientists--do not take seriously. Even a non-scientific audience cannot help becoming totally engulged in this story. The acting and direction are outstanding, and the special effects are stunning. The viewer is swept into a whirlwind of excitement and suspense as a world that does not yet exist for us becomes not only alive, but compellingly believable.
The Matrix Revolutions (2-Disc Widescreen Edition)
Average customer rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars
  • "oh i'm not so bad, once you get to know me"
  • Jesus analogy aside, some brave choices here
  • Lacks originality and style of acts I & II
  • Revolutions
  • More of the same...which is a good thing!
The Matrix Revolutions (2-Disc Widescreen Edition)
Starring: Mary Alice , Tanveer K. Atwal , Helmut Bakaitis , Kate Beahan , and Francine Bell
Director: Larry Wachowski , and Andy Wachowski
Manufacturer: Warner Home Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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  1. The Matrix Reloaded (Widescreen Edition)
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ASIN: B0001BKAEY
Release Date: 2004-04-06

Amazon.com

Despite the inevitable law of diminishing returns, The Matrix Revolutions is quite satisfying as an adrenalized action epic, marking yet another milestone in the exponential evolution of computer-generated special effects. That may not be enough to satisfy hardcore Matrix fans who turned the Wachowski Brothers' hacker mythology into a quasi-religious pop-cultural phenomenon, but there's no denying that the trilogy goes out with a cosmic bang instead of the whimper that many expected. Picking up precisely where The Matrix Reloaded left off, this 130-minute finale finds Neo (Keanu Reeves) at a virtual junction, defending the besieged human enclave of Zion by confronting the attacking machines on their home turf, while humans combat swarms of tentacled mechanical sentinels as Zion's fate lies in the balance. It all amounts to a blaze of CGI glory, devoid of all but the shallowest emotions, and so full of metaphysical hokum that the trilogy's detractors can gloat with I-told-you-so sarcasm. And yet, Revolutions still succeeds as a slick, exciting hybrid of cinema and video game, operating by its own internal logic with enough forward momentum to make the whole trilogy seem like a thrilling, magnificent dream. -- Jeff Shannon

Description

Provocative Futuristic Action Thriller. The Matrix Revolutions marks the final explosive chapter in the Matrix trilogy.

DVD Features:
DVD ROM Features:Links to The Matrix Online promo site and the official Matix website
Documentaries:REVOLUTIONS RECALIBRATED: The making of the final chapter of The Matrix trilogy, including a segment on Neo Realism: The Evolution of Bullet Time
Documentary:CG Revolution: The incredible special effects arsenal, including the segment Super Big Mini-Models
Featurette:SUPER BURLY BRAWL: Behind the final Neo/Smith showdown, including the segments Double Agent Smith and Mind Over Matter: The Physicality of The Matrix
Other:BEFORE THE REVOLUTION: A 3-D Matrix timeline FUTURE GAMER: THE MATRIX ONLINE: an introduction to the massively mulit-player game
Photo gallery:3-D EVOLUTION: Multidimensional stills gallery
Theatrical Trailer

Customer Reviews:

4 out of 5 stars "oh i'm not so bad, once you get to know me".......2007-06-23

Conclusion is what Revolutions is, bringing and ended to the explosive Matrix Trilogy. A direct continuation from Reloaded, Revolutions is once again more eye candy than anything else, with the actual Matrix getting less screen time than the first 2 films. The focus is on the great war in Zion city, against the machines. Its true, the best action and story in this movie all take place in the real world. But there is still plenty of Matrix involved, but only in the beginning and end of the film.

The ending is predictable, but the journey to reach the conclusion has smaller twists and turns along the way that are unexpected. The movie is very intense, in terms of action and cgi. It is truly a thrill ride and we finally get to see an army of mechs unleash their firepower upon the sentinels in Zion city. Neo and Smith face off in their final battle. Unlike the first Matrix, which incorporated a nice blend of realistic martial arts and wirework, this battle is more cgi and expands to the 2 barely fighting on any ground, thus limiting the true martial arts. Not a bad fight, but its ridiculously overdone and not very pretty.

Some say this movie is just plain bad, but I don't believe that is true. Most people want to compare it to the first Matrix, but independently its not a bad movie. While it is not nearly as good as the first Matrix, it is still a great movie, but just like Reloaded, the story effort is not as strong as the first Matrix, and the focus seems to be on the action. You'll want to see Reloaded before Revolutions, simply because Reloaded is part 1 and Revolutions is pt2.

4 out of 5 stars Jesus analogy aside, some brave choices here.......2007-05-17

You know, it's almost impossible to do a trilogy franchise and please fans of the original with episodes 2 and 3. When Reloaded came out, I listened to the masses who moaned and rolled their eyes that no one should bother and to just accept the original Matrix as the classic that it is, essentially pretending that they don't exist. When will I learn my lesson and go see for myself instead of writing things off like that?! I did the same thing with The Two Towers, which everyone told me I would hate. Well excuse me, I loved it. Every last minute. No, it wasn't Fellowship and it wasn't supposed to be, it was different and progressed the story. I feel the same way about Reloaded and Revolutions; it's essentially one enormous story (and yes, it's easy to see the Jesus and King Arthur analogies here) told in three very different films. It would be cowardice and unoriginal to duplicate the first film just to play it safe and I commend the W brothers for staying true to their vision, however and whenever that came about. I won't spoil any plot points here but there are some surprises because American audiences are accustomed to certain things and a few times this film zigs when you expect it to zag. The battle sequences at Zion are a bit long but they're well done, and while I hear a lot of griping about how they ripped off Aliens with their technology didn't we all think it was damn cool at the time and wish we'd seen it do more? I did. So here you get to see that in an insane standoff to save the city.

Reloaded and Revolutions are far more akin to one another than the original Matrix is to either and from what I hear from people in the industry, the W bros didn't know they would be doing 3 films initially so the Matrix was conceived and produced as a standalone project and then the trilogy grew out of the popularity. Now, I personally don't think that detracts from anything. Whether it was all conceived at the outset or not, they planted some very interesting seeds in The Matrix and then helped them to sprout in Reloaded and Revolutions. I liked the philosophy and ideologies lobbed out there, whether I agreed with it all or not. This franchise has balls. Once in a while I felt like the fight scenes or action got to be a bit lengthy but at the same time there was such astounding beauty within each segment it kept me hooked into it and interested.

And as for the absolute ending, all I can say is that if you need a neat and tidy Hollywood ending in order to feel satisfied (which is very common and understandable) then this will leave you frustrated or upset. I also see a corrolation between people's own attitudes about life, death and rebirth reflected in their reactions to this trilogy, though sometimes on an entirely subconscious level. I just wish I had seen them all in the theater rather than allowing myself to be swayed by the massive tidal wave of negativity I heard about the last two installments. I now own them all and I'd love to watch them in sequence sometime soon, like Lord of the Rings or the original Star Wars trilogy, to see how that brings it all together as well.

And for the love of God, let's lay off of Keanu for once! Every actor has their niche, even Jack Nicholson. Would you want to see Jack as King Lear? Probably not. I hated Keanu in Much Ado because it's not his element, but as Neo he is the perfect choice.

If you open yourself to an intense experience and let go of any expectation of seeing another Matrix, you might enjoy this film as much as I did. Again, it might help to watch even 2 and 3 together since they do have such a similar energy and really build on one another. I think this is powerful stuff that would make for some really interesting discussions with a movie group.

3 out of 5 stars Lacks originality and style of acts I & II.......2007-02-28

Revolutions was not a great climax to the Matrix trilogy. The first was sensational. It was stylistic, original, and thought provoking. The first time I watched it I was captivated the entire time and wanted more. Many people did not think much of Reloaded, but I personally loved it. It was not mind-bending like the first, but that wasn't its purpose. The Matrix asked the questions; Reloaded set the stage for a final resolution. I felt it did so with continued originality and style. The fight sequences were artistic and compelling. I don't know how Matrix fans could not have loved watching the result of Neo realizing the potential of his abilities. I can't help overusing the word, but the movie just overflowed with style. The architect scene was odd, but it had good dialogue and was a pretty fun change of direction.

Revolutions almost completely dropped all of those aspects that I enjoyed about the first two. Instead of original, it was filled with cliche. Most of the Zion battle seemed like it could have been made by cutting and pasting from dozens of war/action films. Other than the visual aspect, there was nothing original about the entire Zion portion of the movie. Amaze some people by how well you can pilot a ship. Can an unlikely character somehow find it in him to overcome all when nearly all hope is lost? I need not mention the overdone yet cliche Neo/Trinity scene. The Merovingian fight scenes were fun but basically a hybrid of the security guard fight from I and the medieval weapons one from II.

On the whole, I liked the culmination of the Neo storyline. The machine city, along with the train station, was one of the few aspects of the film that was original and interesting. On a fairly superficial note, I just did not enjoy the fight scenes with Smith. The stylistic choreography was replaced with two guys flying all over the place. Even more superficially, I always loved Smith's wisea-- lines from the previous films, but we didn't really get any more of those. Again, I thought the concept of the Neo storyline was good. It just felt like it was delivered a little less thoughtfully, almost as though that plot was the last to be worked out before some sort of deadline. The Oracle's eyes were thrown in as being important to get then barely played any part in the story. The Merovingian didn't have anything interesting to add this time around. Generally it just felt like the actual plot of Revolutions was thrown together somewhat hastily.

The movie wasn't terrible, it was just quite mediocre. Visually it had many great moments including the batman bouncers at the coat check, much of the Zion battle, and the Source. However, it mostly lacked originality and didn't fit together that well. As the final act, Revolutions could have been the culmination of an exciting, philosophical, and compelling trilogy. Instead it was just the last movie.

4 out of 5 stars Revolutions.......2007-02-20

I waited a long time to see this because everyone I know didn't like it, as it relates to the first two films. When I finally gave in, I wasn't expecting much (my sure fire method of getting more out of a film), so I appreciated it more than I expected...plus Jada Pickett-Smith is hot. However, the ending needed a little more resolution, considering the monumental storyline.

Lower your expectations, have a few beers, and watch all three films in a row.

4 out of 5 stars More of the same...which is a good thing!.......2007-02-12

A nice, tidy ending to the groundbeaking Matrix phenomenon.
The Five People You Meet in Heaven
Average customer rating: 4 out of 5 stars
  • Beautiful Moving movie
  • An Amazing movie
  • heavenly
  • Anything New?
  • Very well done
The Five People You Meet in Heaven
Starring: Jon Voight , Ellen Burstyn , Jeff Daniels , Dagmara Dominczyk , and Steven Grayhm
Director: Lloyd Kramer
Manufacturer: Lions Gate
ProductGroup: DVD
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  1. Tuesdays with Morrie
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  5. For One More Day

ASIN: B0006ZXJ3O
Release Date: 2005-02-08

Amazon.com

Based on the bestseller by Mitch Albom (Tuesdays With Morrie), The Five People You Meet in Heaven takes up where It's A Wonderful Life left off. In the Capra classic, George Bailey gets a vision of life without him. In this Hallmark Hall of Fame production, Eddie (Jon Voight), an amusement park maintenance man and war veteran, ends up in Heaven after an accident takes his life. There he meets five people from his past: the Blue Man (Jeff Richards), the Captain (Michael Imperioli), Marguerite (Dagmara Dominczyk), Ruby (Ellen Burstyn), and Tala (Nicaela and Shelbie Weigel). Each shows him how he impacted their life or they his--and not always for the better. (In these flashbacks, Callahan Brebner and Steven Grayhm play the young Eddie.) The point may seem simplistic--everyone is connected--but The Five People You Meet in Heaven finds a unique and engaging way to make it. --Kathleen C. Fennessy

Customer Reviews:

5 out of 5 stars Beautiful Moving movie.......2007-07-05

I throughly enjoyed this movie its very moving and gives you a new perspective on heaven. I highly recommend this movie you will love it.

5 out of 5 stars An Amazing movie.......2007-06-24

I thought this was such a beautiful film about life, love, and loss. It really made me cry, especially the part where Eddie sees his wife again and she says "Life has to end, Eddie. Love doesn't." And that even in heaven she still loved him and she still felt his love for her. Eddie is a old man who fixes amusment park rides. he feels his life is worthless. until he dies and finds out in heaven through meeting five different people who each had an inpact upon his life that his life was meaningful and that where he was in life was where he was supposed to be all long. it shows that even if you aren't famous, gorgeous, or rich your life is still worth something and each life is important and that the whole human race is conncected. As the Blue Man says: "Strangers are family we have yet to come to know." I mean, it's just such a beautiful movie and story and so powerful and timeless and I think it will touch viewers and readers of all ages. It's spiritual, meaningful, and gorgeous. I think probably every human being thinks that his or her life was worthless just because they weren't famous celebrities or something. But the truth is that every life is worth something, just like the old man Eddie did. He had touched so many lives and he never knew that until he died.

5 out of 5 stars heavenly.......2007-05-31

interesting, thought provoking, less saccharine than I would have presumed and delightfully diverse in characterisation. It is about chance, about ho wlives are so inextricably entwined that we can have life changing events happen to other people due to our actions yet we can and do never know about them. It's a book about maturity, yes of life and death, but also about finding meaning and reason for being human at all. And if it's not to your taste it's still a nice visual few hours anyway.

3 out of 5 stars Anything New?.......2007-05-21


Heaven Schmeaven. It's all the same. The story begins with the death of eighty three year old Eddie "Maintenance," when an amusement park ride goes wrong. From the start of the tale, Eddie's character is rather mysterious; the reader only learns that he is a hardworking, modest man, who dearly loves his wife, Marguerite, and thinks his job as "the ride man" at Ruby Pier is worthless. The seemingly ordinary story suddenly takes a sharp turn into a poor attempt to fantasy writing. Eddie magically flies through multiple color-changing skies- or supposedly, he is on his way to heaven. His well-guarded character then begins to reveal itself as he gains insight of his life in a journey through heaven. He learns how his actions affect and alter many other lives, just as the five people he meets affected his...

Sound familiar? First off, the whole flying ordeal is unreal. Yes, it is dealing with heaven, and heaven is considered a supernatural place where anything can happen, but come on. The events that occur in this novel are too far-fetched and unrealistic to be mere coincidences or an illustration of how our lives are connected. This leads me to another shortcoming. The underlying message of the novel is overused. Unoriginal. Trite. The lesson taught by this fable deals with the common idea that we are all connected in some way. All our actions affect others. They alter, set up, or have indirect influences upon other lives. Albom might as well transcribe the storylines of the movie "Crash" or the television show "Six Degrees," both of which revolve around the same theme, and call it The Five People You Meet in Heaven. Overall, the novel is just too predictable.

The unrealistic nature of the novel makes it seem like Albom worked too hard to make his point. For example, the first person Eddie meets in heaven is the Blue Man. The Blue Man is a man (obviously) who also worked at Ruby Pier in the freak shows for his blue skin. His relation to Eddie's life is revealed through a story about a little boy who threw a ball too far across the street. The little boy and his brother run across the street to get it. They meet an incredibly obese woman and an incredibly hairy man from the freak show. They run away, scared. Now apparently, according to Blue Man, the little boy did not see a car that was coming his way. The man behind the wheel slams on the brakes and "somehow regains control," just like that. The car rolls on, but... Oh no! The adrenaline rush from the near-tragedy makes the man feel so dizzy that his "head drops momentarily" but somehow within that moment, he collides into a parked truck. He's bleeding, he's dizzy, and then he has a heart attack. He dies. Then Albom has Blue Man end his story by calling Eddie "little boy," revealing the unpredictable and unforeseen truth that Eddie was the little boy! Wow, didn't see that coming!

First, the chain of events is very unlikely. Second, the chain of events is very unsurprising. What's expected of a novel with an overplayed underlying message? The story tries too hard to evoke emotions or "pull at the heartstrings," and to elicit the notion that we are all connected to the point that it seems unreal. The trite idea is boring, and makes the storyline way too predictable.

--H. Choi

5 out of 5 stars Very well done.......2007-05-15

I read the book and the movie is very true to the script. It is a little long but worth the time.
The Bridges of Madison County
Average customer rating: 4 out of 5 stars
  • Terrific
  • Why no Widescreen version?
  • One of the BEST!
  • A love story with Passion
  • To find true love at the wrong time and place...
The Bridges of Madison County
Starring: Michelle Benes , Brandon Bobst , Art Breese , Annie Corley , and Pearl Faessler
Manufacturer: Warner Home Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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  1. Out of Africa
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ASIN: 0790729369
Release Date: 1997-03-26

Amazon.com

Some called it a snooze-fest, while others tearfully clutched their Kleenex. In any case, Clint Eastwood was an unusual and (as it turned out) perceptive choice to direct and costar in this lush adaptation of Robert James Waller's phenomenally bestselling novel. Meryl Streep costars as Francesca, the lonely Iowa farmer's wife who is instantly attracted to Robert (Eastwood), the photographer from National Geographic who is in the area to photograph the bridges along Iowa's rural roadways. The two fall in love while Francesca's husband and children are away at a county fair, but the story's passion and lasting appeal derive from their decision to part forever after just a few brief days of intimate connection. Superbly acted with an emphasis on quiet, graceful moments of tender revelation, the film builds to a crescendo of powerful and conflicting emotions. Like David Lean's Brief Encounter (to which it bears marked similarities), The Bridges of Madison County is destined to become one of the classic movie love stories. --Jeff Shannon

Customer Reviews:

5 out of 5 stars Terrific.......2007-06-15

A very mediocre, sappy book became a terrific movie. Mr. Eastwood and Ms. Streep breathe life into their roles, making the characters people you'll care deeply about. The dilemma Ms. Streep's character has at the end of the movie and its resolution are completely believeable. There is no right answer; there is only the answer that hurts the fewest number of people. There isn't one misstep in the entire film. I can watch it over and over. It never gets old.

4 out of 5 stars Why no Widescreen version?.......2007-04-29

The movie on this DVD "has been modified to fit your TV screen." Who makes these awful decisions? Why is there no version in widescreen?

5 out of 5 stars One of the BEST!.......2007-04-17

This DVD is a true classic, one of the most beautiful grown up romance stories. Each time I watch it I fall in love again!

5 out of 5 stars A love story with Passion.......2007-03-29

I read the novel couple of years back, but got a chance to view the movie recently on DVD. It was an excellent movie that followed the novel. I'm sure there are many people who identify themselves with the characters. I loved Robert Kinkaid in the novel and Clint Eastwood did justice to that role. I recommend this movie.

5 out of 5 stars To find true love at the wrong time and place..........2007-03-20

...and to perhaps never recognize you found it indeed, but until way past its time. This is what this beautiful movie is all about. Soulmates eternally searching and loosing each other in an endless sucession of human lives, happen to cross each other's path one day, in the middle of nowhere. No one expected it to happen. No one seeked for it to happen. And yet, all surroundings (including family and social conventionalisms) are bound to become mere accidents. And love fulfills itself. A love, so brief and yet so meaningful and powerful that will be forever treasured in their hearts. Like a candle that lits only as they encounter. Isn't this the stuff all tragedies, dreams, dramas and everlasting love stories are made of? This beautiful, beautiful movie perfectly showcases Clint Eastwood's uniqueness as a Director, a trademark he will carry on all the way up to masterpieces like "Mystic River" or "Million Dollar Baby". Such a deep and profound touch that reaches people's hearts. The product of a genius in the making. I loved it.
The Heart of the Game
Average customer rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • To win- get a great coach
  • Shown in Russia
  • All Net
  • Heart of the Girls
  • Great movie
The Heart of the Game
Starring: Ludacris , Joyce Walker (III) , Devon Crosby Helms , Maude Lepley , and Bill Resler
Director: Ward Serrill
Manufacturer: Miramax
ProductGroup: DVD
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Similar Items:
  1. The Heart of the Team: Life Lessons On and Off the Court
  2. Half Nelson
  3. The Guardian
  4. Babel
  5. Blood Diamond (Two-Disc Special Edition)

ASIN: B000LXGXX4
Release Date: 2007-02-27

Amazon.com

The Heart of the Game is, simply put, one of the most enjoyable and joyous documentaries ever made. For several years, the movie follows a girls' basketball team called the Rough Riders from a Seattle high school as they strive to win the state championship, and in the process discovers heart-wrenching twists of fate, vivid and compelling characters, colorful dialogue, and a nail-biting conclusion. The Heart of the Game starts with Bill Resler, a professor of tax law who agrees to become the head coach for the girls' basketball program at Roosevelt High School. He swiftly challenges the players with demanding drills and wild metaphors (each year he picks a different theme for the team, from "pack of wolves" to "tropical storm")--and the girls take him on, pulling together into a potent team. But when a girl from a poor neighborhood named Darnellia Russell joins the Rough Riders, her skill takes their fortunes even higher--until she unexpectedly has to quit. From there, the movie takes more and more compelling turns, carried along by the winning personalities of Bill and Darnellia. The Heart of the Game, like Hoop Dreams, works first as an exhilarating sports movie, but has a rich human story that will make it fascinating to people who don't care about basketball. First-time filmmaker Ward Serrill lucked out with the material, but he clearly labored to shape what must have been thousands of hours of footage into a taut, headlong movie. His labor paid off. See this movie. --Bret Fetzer

Description

Go courtside for a true-life rush like no other in this passionate and inspirational documentary in the same powerful tradition as HOOP DREAMS. Director Ward Serrill brings the camera up close and personal to capture the Roosevelt Roughriders girls' basketball team during six turbulent seasons, taking us far beyond the court. You'll meet Bill Resler, the tax professor turned hard-driving unorthodox coach who turns the team around — and Darnellia Russell, the talented inner-city tough girl who battles off-court threats to regain eligibility. You'll meet a real team full of drive, toughness and the unbridled desire to make history.

Customer Reviews:

4 out of 5 stars To win- get a great coach.......2007-06-06

The kids are great, the coaches better. If you love the game, this is for you.

4 out of 5 stars Shown in Russia.......2007-05-13

We showed this film among a group of our Russian friends to help them understand high school sports, and they enjoyed it. I'm not much of a basketball fan myself, but I was totally drawn into this story which is more than about girls basketball. I'm very happy that this documentary has enriched the perspectives of many who do not have the opportunity to experience this first-hand.

5 out of 5 stars All Net.......2007-05-08

A superb sports documentary with multiple foci.... a unique coach, girls athletics, race relations, class clashes. Very well done and thoroughly enjoyed by my coaches and students. Tells it with impeccable truth through the lens of reality. Watch it, Enjoy it and share it with folks who love athletics.

4 out of 5 stars Heart of the Girls.......2007-04-22

There are two story lines here, one an unqualified celebration of the state of girls' prep sports after a generation of Title IX's beneficial impact, and another the very qualified consideration of the state of some individual girls' athletic lives after a generation of Title IX's less beneficial side-effects. Heartbreak, fury, exultation are the viewer's rewards. Only quibble is that the climactic game was documented in too abbreviated a manner.

5 out of 5 stars Great movie.......2007-04-16

I saw this film when it was in limited release during the summer of 2006. I loved it then. Well worth owning for the additional footage of an amazing team and coach!
Defending Your Life
Average customer rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • DEFENDING ALBERT BROOKS
  • A Pleasant Comedy
  • Heavenly
  • Thought provoking afterlife
  • got it from Netflik and then bought it here before it was even over!
Defending Your Life
Starring: Wil Albert , Sage Allen , Gary Beach , Roger Behr , and Beth Black
Manufacturer: Warner Home Video
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Similar Items:
  1. Mother
  2. Death Becomes Her
  3. Heaven Can Wait
  4. Real Life
  5. Looking for Comedy in the Muslim World (WS)

ASIN: B000056WRG
Release Date: 2001-04-03

Amazon.com

Albert Brooks proves there's laughs after death with this almost heavenly comedy--almost heaven as in Judgment City, where recently perished Daniel Miller (Brooks) learns whether he is worthy of advancing to a higher plane of existence or will be sent back to earth for another incarnation.

His fate will be determined in a very special trial, during which scenes from his life are replayed on a giant screen. "Isn't it realistic?" a judge asks. "It makes some people nauseous." While the steely prosecutor (Lee Grant) will try to prove that Daniel failed in life to face his fears and insecurities, his glad-handing, reassuring defender (Rip Torn) will argue on behalf of this hapless "little brain" (a Judgment City term for residents of earth).

As Woody Allen did for the future in Sleeper, so does Brooks create an original vision of the afterlife. In Judgment City, white-robed residents can eat as much as they want without guilt or fear of gaining weight. They can also visit the Past Lives Pavilion, where they are greeted by a hologram of--who else--Shirley MacLaine.

Daniel finds himself touched by an angel. Meryl Streep gives an enchanting performance as Julia, whose exemplary life is in stark contrast to his. During her trial, the court watches in rapture as she saves not only children, but a cat from a burning building.

Daniel and Julia are a match made in Judgment City, but first Daniel must summon up the courage to express his true feelings for her, or she will surely advance without him.

Defending Your Life is Brooks's most ambitious film and, with Mother, his most accessible. --Donald Liebenson

Description

Immediately following his death by bus, Daniel finds himself in the afterlife facing his past. If you can't make a case for having lived a full and fearles

superb music score won an Academy Award.s life, you must go back to Earth and try again. But Daniel doesn't want to go back after he meets Julia in this heavenly fable written and directed by Albert Brooks.

Customer Reviews:

5 out of 5 stars DEFENDING ALBERT BROOKS.......2007-07-01

This is Mr. Brooks at his side-splittingest and most sardonic as he prepares to enter the afterlife and must defend the decisions he made in life. This film is clever on all levels. Casting Meryl Streep as someone who has nothing to defend was a stroke of genius. Watch for Shirley MacLaine in a howlingly funny cameo. I have watched this again and again to make up for all the people who didn't see it in the theaters. I have given it as a gift many, many times to people who have never heard of it. I hate to use the term "feel-good" as it is overworked with regard to film, but when this one ends, I'm happy that I watched it.

5 out of 5 stars A Pleasant Comedy.......2007-06-27

I agree with most of what good things everyone says about this movie - I saw it in the theatre when it came out and bought it on DVD, although I'm a tad disappointed there aren't any extras on the DVD. Albert Brooks has always made me laugh but it's nice to see Meryl Streep possibly enjoying a film role for once - it seems like a good pairing of two cerebral actors - you may laff when you hear Brooks' name and the word cerebral in the same sentence but his movies have always made me think he has a good insight into the human psyche. The middle of the film where Lee Grant shows his various mistakes is hilarious and make you think that Brooks' character is just outside of being passed on to Heaven, until the last part of the movie - Rip Torn is his usual funny self, and his ambiguity and vagueness comes off as funny.

5 out of 5 stars Heavenly.......2007-06-10

A good look at The Other Side a.k.a. Heaven. Eating whatever you want, past life regression, moving on. A movie I believe gives people some real good insight into the afterlife. A positive outlook for paradise.

4 out of 5 stars Thought provoking afterlife .......2007-05-12

Family friendly (no bad words), thought provoking movie about the afterlife and what might happen to get all the way into the pearly gates....reviewing your life....not just the bad and good you did, but how you handled yourself (self doubt, self confidence, etc.). I enjoyed it and have watched it at least 3 times.

5 out of 5 stars got it from Netflik and then bought it here before it was even over!.......2007-05-04

Awesome for helping you see that fear can hold us back in our lives! and funny
Before Sunset
Average customer rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • It grew with me
  • Beautiful Sequel Extends the Realism and Genuine Feelings From the First Film
  • Definition of Yummy, anyone?
  • Beautiful Encounter in Paris!! Lovely movie!!!
  • Lovely Film... As Magical as the First... Fine DVD from Warner
Before Sunset
Starring: Ethan Hawke , Julie Delpy , Vernon Dobtcheff , Louise Lemoine Torres , and Rodolphe Pauly
Director: Richard Linklater
Manufacturer: Warner Home Video
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  1. Before Sunrise
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ASIN: B0002YLC24
Release Date: 2004-11-09

Amazon.com

In 1994, director Richard Linklater (Dazed and Confused, Waking Life) made Before Sunrise, a gorgeous poem of a movie about two strangers (played by Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy) wandering around Vienna, talking, and falling in love. Ten years later, Linklater, Hawke, and Delpy have returned with Before Sunset, which reunites the same characters after Hawke has written a book about that night. Delpy appears at the final book reading of his European tour; they have less than two hours before Hawke has to catch a flight to New York...and in that time, they walk around Paris, talk, and fall in love all over again. It sounds simple, perhaps dull, but it's written with such skill and care and acted with such richness that it's a miracle of filmmaking. On its own, Before Sunset is moving and wonderful; seen right after Before Sunrise, it will break your heart. --Bret Fetzer

Customer Reviews:

5 out of 5 stars It grew with me.......2007-06-08

I loved this movie. I remember watching the first one when I was a teenager and I loved it then. All the conversations where real and intimate. I hate movies where the two people fall in love and you can't really tell why because they hardly ever talked to each other. In Before Sunset you see how their words really effected the other person. I love the way they captured the realistic discomfort and timidness of meeting a lost love and through time seeing the longing of what could have been. Very realistic in its conversations and feelings. I loved it.

5 out of 5 stars Beautiful Sequel Extends the Realism and Genuine Feelings From the First Film.......2007-05-16

I was a huge fan of Before Sunrise when it came out. I loved the simplicity and realism of two young people, who just met, walking around a beautiful European city like Vienna, and getting to know each other.

You might wonder what they have left to talk about in this film since they tackled so many subjects in the previous one. Believe me, they have plenty to talk about, and you wish that this film would never end.

The story takes place nine years after the previous film. Jesse is now a successful author who is doing a book tour throughout Europe. Paris is his last stop. He's sitting in a small book shop, answering questions from some readers, when he looks over his shoulder and sees Celine standing there. The film takes off from there as Jesse and Celine spend a few precious hours together before Jesse must be at the airport to make his flight.

Ethan Hawke (Jesse) and Julie Delpy (Celine) both co-wrote this screenplay along with the director. It's obvious that these two actors know their characters so well, that I'm sure that even they had spent those "nine years" wondering how it would end. Does Jesse come back for that six-month-later reunion? Does Celine? Do people, who really live so far away able to keep, what seems to be an unlikely promise?

I'm not going to relate anything else about the story here for those who have not seen the movie yet. This is a film where the thrill is in the journey, not the goal. Each step that Jesse and Celine make as they walk around Paris, is another step in that journey.

I recall telling friends about the first film and what it was about. They couldn't understand how a movie about two people walking around could be so good. But just like that first film, their conversations are so real and enthralling. I think part of the reason that it's so compelling is that when these two characters are together, they are themselves. There is no fakery or need to put on another face in order to impress the other. Perhaps because they are in a time crunch, they figure that there's no need to be anything other than genuine because they don't feel that they'll ever see each other again. There is a powerful scene in this film that is a recognition and a tribute to that "genuiness" and why they feel more comfortable with each other than with anyone else they've ever been with.

I've always said that sometimes the best stories are the simple ones. And this one is simple, yet again. These two simple, yet real characters, captivate the audience again with their genuine conversation that holds nothing back, and invites the audience to try and do the same.

5 out of 5 stars Definition of Yummy, anyone?.......2007-05-08

This movie is a phenomenal collection to your movie library. It stars Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy who make the perfect match on screen. The movie is not meant to be fancy pants, but laid back and conversation.

It takes place on the streets of Paris and Jesse and Celine meet by again after a nine year break. They converse on topics broad and small and the denouement of the previous film, Before Sunrise, is worth the wait for the this sequel. I won't spill anything, but this is definitely a delightful, funny, and intellectual watch.

5 out of 5 stars Beautiful Encounter in Paris!! Lovely movie!!!.......2007-03-14

This movie is an unexpected sequence for the lovely Before Sunrise and a great surprise for its fans! The characters reunite in another incredible setting: a beautiful Paris in summertime! They walk through charming and not obvious places in Paris, they chat about their lives and what they have done since their first meeting in Vienna 10 years before... And they discover that they have important things in common about their feelings about each other and about what could have happened if things have occurred in a different way 10 years before...
It is a beautiful view of how few moments can be so strong and present in our lives! And that we should strive to make these moments last forever...
I can't wait to the third sequence!!!

5 out of 5 stars Lovely Film... As Magical as the First... Fine DVD from Warner.......2007-03-10

I avoided watching this sequel until now, mainly because I didn't want to spoil the magic of "Before Sunrise". Despite the open-ending of the first film, I always expected the couple to meet again for their promised Christmas in Vienna. So to me the first film had a decidedly happy ending. "Before Sunset" of course is based on the premise that they didn't. Still I wasn't disappointed. "Before Sunset" is a lovely film, as beautiful as the first and ends on a suitably ambiguous and equally optimistic note. Filmed in real time, and taking place 9 years after the first film, it shows the pair meeting again, this time in Paris, the City of Love. Jesse (Ethan Hawke) is now a successful writer on a book tour promoting his latest bestseller, an autobiography based on their one night in Vienna. Celine (Julie Delpy) of course lives in Paris and comes to his book-signing. They have one lovely summer afternoon together before he has to fly back to America. Like the previous film they spend it walking, chatting, flirting, teasing and now reminiscing, as Celine takes him through the beautiful streets of her home city, including a picturesque boat trip down the Seine. Watching the film is like slipping into a pair of comfortable old shoes, or as others have said, like meeting and catching up with old friends again. The whole film is a single long chat as they reveal how their lives turned out, why they didn't meet before this, what might have been, and rekindle the romantic spark that came to life 9 years ago. The dialogue is witty and always engaging and you never want it to end. The chemistry between the pair is as palpable and electric as it was 9 years ago. All throughout you long for them to stay together.

The script was written by Richard Linklater in collaboration with both actors which might explain the close affinity the actors have for their roles and the deep chemistry they exhibit. It's like they are not acting at all; as if we were given the privilege of eavesdropping on two close friends deep in an intimate conversation. Absolutely delightful. Can't wait to see them in another 9-10 years as they recount what has happened since. That would be a treat indeed. Both actors have aged visibly but they wear the years well and it's nice to see actors who don't try to disguise their age onscreen. It adds immeasurably to the realism of these characters.

The film is presented in a modified form to perfectly fit the new 16:9 (1.78:1) widescreen TV. It is not in the original theatrical aspect ratio of 1.85:1 contrary to what is stated on the backcover. The picture looks fine and I couldn't detect any major composition problems. Colours are fairly strong and natural. Black levels are accurately set with good detail in the darker scenes. The DVD comes with the obligatory theatrical trailer. There is a also short but treasurable 10-minute "On the Set" featurette with the director and 2 stars talking about their collaboration in making the film and how they wove their own life expeiences into their characters' fictional lives. Good to know that another sequel is still possible 9 to 10 years down the line. Let's keep our fingers crossed.

DVD:

  1. Bonjour Tristesse
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  3. Desperate Hours
  4. The Bitter Tears of Petra von Kant
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  8. Yanks</