The Circle

Starring:Nargess Mamizadeh, Maryiam Palvin Almani, Mojgan Faramarzi, Elham Saboktakin, Monir Arab, Solmaz Panahi, Fereshteh Sadr Orfani, Fatemeh Naghavi, Negar Ghadyani, Khadijeh Moradi, Abbas Alizadeh, Ataollah Moghadas, Maedeh Tahmasebi, Maryam Shayegan
Director: Jafar Panahi
Studio: Fox Lorber
Product Type: DVD

Editorial Review:
Amazon.com
It's a girl. The first words spoken in Jafar Panahi's The Circle should be celebratory, but instead the mood of the scene is mournful. The relatives will be furious. Director Jafar Panahi leaves the innocence of his delightful The White Balloon behind in this harrowing, passionate portrait of the plight women endured in Iran before the easing of strict Muslim law. His vision of women scrambling through streets and dodging cops like fugitives in a police state is more of a nightmarish fable than a realist drama, but no less affecting for it. Panahi drifts through the stories of a handful of women recently released from prison (their crimes are left ominously vague) with an easy grace and an angry sense of injustice that brings us full circle: back to prison, where a cell door shuts with a deafening clang that reverberates through the credits and beyond. --Sean Axmaker
Description
A woman gives birth to a baby girl. Little does she know, but she and her daughter are already unwanted. Three women are released from prison and their need for money leads them to take desperate measures. An unmarried woman seeking an abortion is rejected from her father's house by the violent threats of her brothers. Their crimes are vague, their guilt or innocence unimportant. Their paths cross, the suspense of their intrigues heightens. Their plights are often too tragically similar. Their world is one of constant surveillance, bureaucracy and age-old inequalities. But this stifling world cannot extinguish the spirit, strength and courage of the circle of women.

Dane Cook - Vicious Circle
Average customer rating:

DANEgerously Funny

DANE IS FUNNY,BUT HE HAS BEEN FUNNIER!

brain ninjas....

Amazing

Friggin' funny!

Dane Cook - Vicious Circle
Starring: Dane Cook
Director: Marty Callner
Manufacturer: HBO Home Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B000IU37TS
Release Date: 2006-11-28

Amazon.com

Dane Cook receives a rock star's welcome from a packed arena in this stand-up concert originally broadcast on HBO. But the jury may still be out on whether Cook is phenomenally funny or simply a phenomenon. He is certainly a master of the new media. Cook has savvily marketed himself on the Internet to his target college-age audience, and they have embraced him as a fellow "bro" and "dude," who would seemingly be awesome to party with. In his timbre and physicality, he has the shaggy, likeable quality of Will Farrell, another frat boy favorite. Cook is a man of his people. At one point, he is interrupted by a drunken Boston Red Sox fan who wants to shake his hand. Cook then leaps off the stage and chases him up the aisle to give him a send-off hug, all the while being clapped on the back and offered high and low fives by the cheering audience. Cook comes complete with arrested development lingo, such as "Here's what drove me banana sandwich," that will no doubt be repeated around the dorm.

Don't look to Cook for satirical insights on politics, the war, or even pop culture. His world view is much narrower. In Vicious Circle he expounds on the pleasures and traps of lying, male crying, being sneezed on, his father's robe, bad relationships, and sundry sexual matters that cannot be printed here. Cook takes awhile to get where he's going, but his digressions are often funnier than the pay offs. He puts the brakes on one story during which he mimes driving a car to remark that if he were actually driving this way, he would be all over the road. During other bits, he parses the different spray modes on Windex, and takes the phrase "being cheated on" literally. And it takes some kind of associative genius to compare a certain female body part to a high school stage theatre curtain. The less than well received Employee of the Month aside, Cook is currently king of the comedy hill. Vicious Circle offers a time capsule look at these heady good times for the great Dane. As for where he goes from here, the good news is that Steve Martin once filled arenas like this. The bad news: So did Andrew Dice Clay. --Donald Liebenson

Description

Superstar comic Dane Cook comes home to Boston in his first-ever solo HBO concert! Performing at the TD Banknorth Garden ?in the round? in front of 18,000 fervent fans, Cook delivers a hilarious, high-energy routine, touching on such universal issues as the therapeutic value of a good lie, the sincerity behind a post-sneeze ?God bless you,? cheating and its value in relationships and the shock and awe of seeing your father?s genitals for the first time. This collector?s edition 2-disc DVD set includes the original 90-minute broadcast version of the concert, and 2-hour DANEgerous extended concert, and exclusive behind-the-scenes footage.

DVD Features:
Featurette:Hilarious Behind-the-scenes featurette
Other:Dane Cook's Tourgasm Teaser

Customer Reviews:

DANEgerously Funny.......2007-06-24

This wasn't the greatest routine I've ever bared witness too but it was still pretty decent. Dane Cook's style of comedy is a little off the wall, he'll be explaining one story and then dive head first into three more before returning to the one he started previously, so sometimes it's a little hard to follow but if you are able to keep up you wont be able to stop yourself from laughing.

In this concert Cook gives us his hilarious opinions on lying, religion, crime, love, spouse vs. spouse arguments, cheating, one night stands, and much more. The funniest bit of the night, however, was the jizz about the eighty year old couple, I'm not going to spoil it for you but when you hear that line perk up and get ready to roll because that alone was worth the price of this DVD.

If you love stand up, buy this DVD. There are better shows out there, but if you're looking for a laugh this will get the job done.

DANE IS FUNNY,BUT HE HAS BEEN FUNNIER!.......2007-06-24

This guy will never be a George Carlin or Richard Pryor,but he is a funny guy in a goofball kinda way. I thought the stuff on his first CD/DVD release was funnier than this one. It is still an entertaining bit.

brain ninjas...........2007-06-17

.....of course Dane needs to rotate his material a little less frequently....but the flow of this show is brilliant.
The improv with guests coming up to the stage...was fun to watch. I would have preferred more insight back stage/before hand...more of a 'making' of.

Some great pieces though..a good ride...definetly worth the $.

Amazing.......2007-05-13

This DVD is amazing, he hits every joke right on key. Almost all of his material is new, however, if you're a Dane Cook fan, he makes reference to some of his old jokes during new ones, giving even more appreciation to the new joke. It's worth the money.

Friggin' funny!.......2007-05-07

Dane Cook is one of the best comics I've ever heard. This CD is one of best Comedy CD's that I've heard in my entire life. I was rolling with laughter!

Average customer rating:

Not up to Izzard standards
Izzard Rocks
izzard is the wizzard!
Eddie Izzard - Circle
Very nice, but not quite up to the standards he set for himself...

Eddie Izzard - Circle
Starring: Eddie Izzard
Director: Anastasia Pappas
Manufacturer: WEA Corp.
ProductGroup: DVD
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ASIN: B0000ALA3P
Release Date: 2003-09-23

Amazon.com

No one but madcap stand-up comedian Eddie Izzard can spin comic gold out of papal history, monkeys with guns, Jesus preaching to the dinosaurs, and cafeteria food on the Death Star. Circle, taken from his stand-up tour in 2000, doesn't have the astonishingly seamless free-associative flow of Glorious or Dress to Kill, his previous specials--which is to say, he's only intermittently brilliant, instead of supernaturally nonstop brilliant. We'll take what we can get, because Izzard can slip in surprisingly stinging commentary about international politics and religion, yet his impish smile suggests that he's only pointing out the obvious. He tosses out an idea and then plays with it like a cat plays with a mouse, flipping it around, teasing it out, pouncing, and then letting it go, only to sneak back up on it just when you'd forgetten it was there. Cheeky, subversive, and very, very funny. --Bret Fetzer

Description

Live comedy with the master of sublime weirdness, Eddie Izzard, recorded in New York, 26 June 2000. Also includes a 30 minute behind the scenes documentary about Eddie's US tour. PROGRAM FEATURES * Circle feature commentary by Eddie Izzard. * Circle trivia track on feature. * Dress To Circle one-hour rough-cut of Eddie Izzard's Dress To Kill show in Paris (spoken in French). Previously released on the Dress To Kill DVD. * Dress To Circle commentary by Eddie Izzard. * 30 minute behind the scenes documentary about Eddie's US tour. * Subtitled in nine languages.

TOTAL RUNNING TIME: 2 HOURS 20 MINUTES

Customer Reviews:

Not up to Izzard standards.......2007-06-12

We are huge Eddie Izzard fans, have all his cd's and dvd's of concerts, have seen him live twice, love The Riches, but..... This dvd concert is not up to his usual genius. It is funny in parts but he seems disinterested, distracted and almost annoyed with the show. So was I.

Izzard Rocks.......2007-04-21

Eddie Izzard has to be just about the best comic around. My upper division English teacher in college showed us some of "Dress to Kill," and the class was cracking up. I watch everything of his I can get my hands on.

izzard is the wizzard! .......2007-03-27

Eddie Izzard is the best comedian of this age, no doubt.
Is he smart? Yeah! Does he make you laugh for hours? Yeah!

The point is his intellectual capacity and quality makes his show even more interesting. Comedians are observes I belive, they observe things. Think of one and only Jerry Seinfeld. He is funny, he has lots of things to say about anything. So does Eddie. But Eddie loves to talk about politics, history, war, humanity etc. He sure observes moreover he reads, he writes, he questions, he searhes. Well, it's not a piece of cake make jokes about latin empire! This is what I like most about him. He is cultivated. You may get a quick survey to history and politcs; little details about daily life in Eddie style of comments and gestures.

The show "Circle" has cultivated smart funny stories.
You can come across with James Mason, Sean Connery, Jesus, The English and of course Hitler.
He sure gives more than you want....with a fantastic make up! :)

Eddie Izzard - Circle.......2007-01-15

Hilarious. Eddie Izzard is a very clever, intelligent comedian. Not a lot of cursing.

Very nice, but not quite up to the standards he set for himself..........2006-11-03

Eddie Izzard is my favorite comedian by far and just about everything out of the mans mouth gets at least a chuckle from me. Though if you are new to Izzard I reccomend buying any of his other DvD's first, as this dosn't quite live up to his other preformances (Though I have not seen Unrepetable or Sexie yet so I can't say anything about them). That said, if you own all the other Eddie DvD's or simply must hear the Star Wars bit this is still a very fine performance that got quite a few laughs out of me.

Classical Pilates Technique: The Complete Magic Circle Mat Series (Basic; Intermediate; Advanced) & Reformer Mat Workout (Super Advanced)

Average customer rating:

Not what I was hoping for
Pilates DVD
Magic Circle adds a lot to pilates workout
Best out there!
superior Pilates workout DVD

Classical Pilates Technique: The Complete Magic Circle Mat Series (Basic; Intermediate; Advanced) & Reformer Mat Workout (Super Advanced)
Starring: Peter Fiasca
Director: Peter Fiasca
Manufacturer: Classical Pilates, Inc.
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Classical Pilates Technique - The Complete Mat Workout Series English & Spanish (Modified Basic / Basic / Intermediate / Advanced / Super Advanced)
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Classical Pilates Technique: The Studio Equipment Series (2-DVD Set)
Stamina Pilates Magic Circle with Workout DVD
A Pilates' Primer : The Millennium Edition

ASIN: B00012FNA4
Release Date: 2003-11-19

Description

THE COMMUNICATOR AWARDS, a prestigious international awards competition that recognizes outstanding work in the communications field, has conferred the 2003 AWARD OF DISTINCTION to four instructional DVD titles produced by Classical Pilates Inc.: (1) Classical Pilates Technique: The Complete Mat Workout Series; (2) Classical Pilates Technique: The Complete Magic Circle Mat Series & Reformer Mat Workout; (3) Classical Pilates Technique: The 3rd Edition Complete Universal Reformer Series; (4) Classical Pilates Technique: The Studio Equipment Series. As a winner of these four Communicator Awards, Classical Pilates Inc. joins an exclusive list of professionals who are recognized as the best within the field. Entries are judged by video production professionals who assess the highest standards of excellence and whose work serves as a benchmark for the industry.

Customer Reviews:

Not what I was hoping for.......2007-06-27

If you are used to the typical work out type video this is not for you. It's hard to explain - there is no real workout, it is one or two people demonstrating each move with a narrator. At the top of the screen they tell you how many reps to do. It goes way too fast to work out with the DVD, it is more educational to learn the moves and then do them on your own. If you already know the moves and form as I do, this will not give you a good workout.

Pilates DVD.......2007-05-17

Great DVD if you are looking to sharpen up your technique or learn new moves. It is very no frills with no music or fancy images. I would recommend for those intermediate level and above, it would be too easy to not do moves correctly if you were a beginner. Using the ring in almost all moves really changes the workout and can make even the most advanced practitioner very sore!

Magic Circle adds a lot to pilates workout.......2007-05-14

I'm new to the magic circle and love it. It has added more potential for toning to short pilates workouts. This DVD in particular is very good--the sequences are challenging while still being doable. You don't waste time between positions--they just flow one right into the other. I enjoy that there are different levels of workouts. Additionally, I would recommend the other Classical Pilates Technique DVDs.

Best out there!.......2007-04-28

I'm a pilates instructor but before I became certified, I looked very hard to find a tape that would be a no nonsence, straight pilates, no breaks workout. This was a very challenging task to accomplish until I found Classical Pilates. Every one of their tapes is excellent. It teaches REAL pilates and doesn't try sugar coating the exercises or changing them from the original method as Joseph Pilates designed. If you want to learn the real deal, Classical Pilates is the way to go!

superior Pilates workout DVD.......2007-01-29

I've been teaching Pilates Method since the 1980's, and am a stickler for the "real thing." This is an AWESOME DVD--simple (no gimmicks) and true to the real Pilates. Shows three different levels of variations for all your classes. Brings freshness to your matwork. YOU'LL LOVE IT.

Average customer rating:

Pop music kills!
Suicide Club
Something Stirs Beneath the Surface
What feardotcom shoulda been
It was good but had so much potential

Suicide Club (Suicide Circle)
Starring: Ryo Ishibashi , Akaji Maro , Masatoshi Nagase , Saya Hagiwara , and Hideo Sako
Director: Sion Sono
Manufacturer: TLA Releasing
ProductGroup: DVD
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Battle Royale

ASIN: B0000CC885
Release Date: 2003-11-18

Description

A wave of unexplainable suicides sweeps across Tokyo after 54 smiling high school girls join hands and throw themselves from a subway platform into an oncoming train. Are the jumpers part of a cult? What is the connection to the website that chronicles suicides...before they happen? And, what is the connection to the Japanese all-girl pop group "Desert?" Suicide Club is a stylish, bizarre thriller that examines pop culture and disaffected youth.

Customer Reviews:

Pop music kills!.......2007-05-15

I've watched this movie twice now and its really not as weird or hard to understand as some of the other reviewers have said.Its actually really simple,people are so involved with trends and fads now that they've lost touch with who they really are,and the extremes(suicide)they will go to fit in.Good gore and good satire make this movie something special.Pop music is dangerous.

Suicide Club.......2007-05-15

This movie was an interesting one. It wasn't exactly what I expected but had an interesting plot. In a few spots it got a bit confusing but I was able to put most of it together in the end. Certainly recommended but not at a high price!

Something Stirs Beneath the Surface.......2007-05-02

Throughout the movie there's an epidemic of unexplained individual and mass suicides. The Tokyo police department tries to unearth the common thread between these tragedies only to be lead about by vague clues and an ever increasing complexity to the apparent suicides. At this point if you take this film at face value you're probably going to think it sucks because from basically the first 15 minutes of the film to the end more questions are going to be created than answered. I'm still pondering what the film was really about but I think that's what the intention of the director/writer was. It's not a movie necesarilly about closure and telling a story but more of a big "What if" kind of movie. It poses a series of questions to the viewer and only uses the movie as a vessel in which to deliver these queries.

I'm not going to go on here anymore because it's a hard movie to put in to words. I think it's meaning and quality are drastically going to change depending on the viewer. If you like movies that challenge you to think than I couldn't urge you to watch this movie more and I'll leave it at that.

What feardotcom shoulda been.......2007-05-01

This is what feardotcom shoulda been IMHO. The ending, without giving anything away, was wholly unexpected and something you'd expect from manga or anime. The concept of children being evil is not new to the big screen, or small screen (I'm thinking in particular of Serling's Twilight Zone with the child that wishes everything his* way), but one incorporating the internet/BBS'es (yes, I'm that* old LOL) is...and adds to the whole creepiness of the film. Several American movies have had similar plots to this, but the whole feeling I had while watching it was that of an anime with live characters -- especially the end (which I won't reveal). Personally this is a movie that I won't be ready for watching again for at LEAST 5 years; it was that* creepy -- though I'm glad I did* watch it, it belongs up there with the new wave of Japanese masterpieces IMHO. It's VERY intense.

It was good but had so much potential.......2007-04-19

Well, only in Japan it seems can a director comfortably make star-studded features such as this. This rather remarkable career trajectory belongs to Sion Sono, whose Suicide Club stars high-profile actors Masatoshi Nagase (Stereo Future, Electric Dragon 80,000 V) and Ryo Ishibashi (Audition, Brother). Knowing this, it is no surprise that watching Suicide Club is a special experience indeed. What to think of an opening sequence in which 54 uniformed schoolgirls commit simultaneous suicide by jumping hand-in-hand in front of a rush hour train at Shinjuku station, covering shocked commuters in geysers of blood that washes in red rivers over the concrete platform? Welcome to tonight's main attraction, don't bother buying popcorn.

"Suicide Club" starts out as a rampant satire on fads and consumerism, with suicides portrayed as just another trend and the blood and scattered body parts as its by-products. The addition of the straight-faced police investigation sits rather awkwardly with the exaggerated tone of what's come before, providing only the first of many distractions and unfortunate decisions on the part of the director. For all its incidental impressive moments, "Suicide Club" remains disappointingly unstructured. Bits and pieces are scattered throughout the film (often literally, given Sono's love for lingering on gory details), but they never add up to a coherent whole. The story is peppered with a more than generous helping of red herrings, but these soon start to obscure the already muddled central intrigue (particular when they to come out of nowhere like the Rocky Horror-esque interlude halfway through).

This is a big shame, because some the underlying themes in Sono's film are interesting: the middle-aged police officers who know where to find the clues, but who are unable to get to them because they are hidden inside the bubble gum pop music and internet chat rooms which their generation doesn't understand; the representation of suicide as a superficial fad - there are seeds aplenty for a potentially great and truly confrontational satire, but the closest thing to being confrontational Suicide Club comes is when the buckets of schoolgirl blood flow in the already notorious opening scene, covering everyone and everything, the screen included.

With its combination of outrageous shocks and earnest intentions, "Suicide Club" could have followed in the footsteps of Audition and Battle Royale as a film to appeal to critics and cult fans alike. But with Sion Sono's confused handling of the material, it's unlikely to reprise the overseas success of either of these films. Some people may get a kick out of its portrayal of blood and gore, but even then its appeal is probably limited to shocking your friends with those opening five minutes.

Disney's Sing Along Songs - The Lion King Circle of Life

Average customer rating:

my daughter gets bored
Great fun!
Lion King sing along
Circle Of Life- Extended
This is my favorite Disney sing-along video

Disney's Sing Along Songs - The Lion King Circle of Life
Starring: Jason Weaver , Jodi Benson , Mary Kay Bergman , Corey Burton , and Rowan Atkinson
Manufacturer: Walt Disney Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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Disney's Sing Along Songs - Very Merry Christmas Songs

ASIN: B00008432O
Release Date: 2003-04-01

Description

Now, only on Disney DVD ... sing, dance, and learn along with your favorite Disney songs! Join Disney's most beloved characters in their most memorable musical moments for a learning experience, developed in cooperation with educational experts, that is tons of fun for the entire family. Enjoy your favorite musical selections from the 100 Acre Wood. With brand-new songs from PIGLET'S BIG MOVIE and the option to sing along in three different languages, SING A SONG WITH POOH BEAR AND PIGLET TOO promises to keep your heart light with the happiest songs around!

Customer Reviews:

my daughter gets bored.......2007-03-07

my daughter doesn't really like this one - she gets bored

Great fun!.......2007-01-20

My daughter adores this DVD. It has so many cute songs on it and she just dances and signs the whole time it is on. Very entertaining! A+++

Lion King sing along.......2006-02-01

It was wonderfully entertaining for my 3 year old and 18 month old. They can't read but they sang their hearts out anyway.

Circle Of Life- Extended.......2005-08-11

This Disney DVD Sing Along Songs is an extended version of the VHS tape that cuts out the original Jiminy Cricket intros. For a newer generation of kids it gets straight to it. The new additions are Jungle Rhythm, Hakuna Matata, The Lion Sleeps Tonight, Yummy Yummy Yummy, W-I-L-D. I think it also cuts out Following The Leader that featured on the VHS edition.

Recommended for Lion King fans.

This is my favorite Disney sing-along video.......2005-01-13

I've seen almost every sing-along video, not the new dvd's that there are. This is one of my favorites. It has songs from most of the more recent movies up to The Lion King, (Aladdin, The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast.) I like the old video format better then the dvd format. Overall I would prefer the dvd, but only if it was made the same way.

Average customer rating:

Ridiculously entertaining
Fun and Entertaining!
eastwood great as always, everything else.....eh
"The Gauntlet" is hardly one of Eastwood's most substantial works...
Good Action,loved it Clint the best

The Gauntlet
Starring: Carver Barnes , Robert Barrett (II) , Teddy Bear , Mildred Brion , and Michael Cavanaugh
Manufacturer: Warner Home Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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The Enforcer

ASIN: 6305308780
Release Date: 1999-03-30

Amazon.com

Clint Eastwood is a down-and-out cop who is sent on a routine mission to pick up a witness and deliver her to the Phoenix courthouse. Sounds easy until he realizes he's been set up by the man who gave him this simple assignment. The interplay between Eastwood and the witness, a clever prostitute played by the actor's former girlfriend, Sondra Locke, is tough and playful. They obviously had strong chemistry. The story is highly implausible at times, but the action sequences are satisfying. Eastwood directs The Gauntlet very much in the style of his Academy Award-winning Western Unforgiven. Although the body count is surprisingly low for an Eastwood action film, a house, several cars, and a large bus get shot through with more holes than a big wheel of Swiss cheese. For Eastwood fans, this is the laconic hero at his prime. --Richard Natale

Customer Reviews:

Ridiculously entertaining.......2007-05-06

A one-time Steve McQueen-Barbra Streisand vehicle until McQueen met Streisand, and subsequently a Clint Eastwood-Streisand vehicle until Eastwood met Streisand, The Gauntlet sees Clint sending up his Dirty Harry image as a none-too-smart washed out drunken cop escorting Sondra Locke's foul-mouthed "nothing witness in a nothing trial" from Las Vegas to Phoenix and finding the Mob and every cop in two States determined to stop them - even the Vegas bookies are taking bets on ever-lengthening odds (70-1) on their not making it. From the days when Clint still made films in broad daylight and could film interiors without turning all the lights out and seen as wildly over the top at the time (even the famed Frank Frazetta poster art, sadly not used on this DVD, offered Clint as a Conan-esque muscular figure in ripped shirt with girl in one hand and gun in the other), now it's almost an exercise in naturalism for the genre. Sure there's more firepower on display that in all of Eastwood's previous films combined (including both Where Eagles Dare and Kelly's Heroes!), with cars, houses and buses shot to pieces with gleeful abandon while helicopters crash into power lines, but somehow Michael Butler and Dennis Shryack's script manages to sell the increasing absurdities in a perfectly conceived audience picture that's designed to entertain and does just that.

There's a nice line in self-deprecating wit that never quite crosses the line into outright stupidity and Eastwood's tight direction keeps the action moving without losing sight of the fact that it's the characters that really need to sell the film. Just as importantly the onscreen relationship between Eastwood and Locke hadn't overstayed its welcome yet as it quickly would over their subsequent films, their initial vicious sparring giving way to genuinely convincing tenderness in the later scenes, giving you a pair you can actually root for. Great fun if you're not expecting gritty realism - like the end credit says, `Law enforcement procedures depicted in this film do not necessarily depict those of any law enforcement agency mentioned herein.' No **** Sherlock.

The 2.35:1 widescreen transfer is acceptable but not always as good as it could be. The only extra is the original theatrical traler, narrated by, of all people, Casey Kassem!

Fun and Entertaining!.......2007-03-09

What can I say if you like Clint Eastwood your going to like this movie. I Have not seen this movie since it played at my local drive-in! What memories!

eastwood great as always, everything else.....eh.......2007-02-09

Being a big Eastwood fan, I bought this unseen and watched it for the first time last night. Eastwood is great, as always, although his cop character in this one displays a little more vulnerability than most of his tough guy roles. Locke's acting is over-the-top and annoying, as always. This is a pretty good action movie, but the ending is ridiculous. After blasting the hell out of this bus, the cops are just going to let Eastwood walk up the steps of city hall with a gun tucked into his waistband? I mean, no one says a word to him. And on top of that, he takes the assistant d.a. hostage and Locke's character shoots the police commissioner dead in front of the entire Phoenix police department, and nobody does a damn thing? Are you kidding? I'm all for suspending a sense of reality when watching action movies, but give me a break. This ain't no academy-award winner. Eastwood is the only thing saving this turkey.

"The Gauntlet" is hardly one of Eastwood's most substantial works..........2006-12-31

The challenge of playing the cop, Ben Shockley, in "The Gauntlet" was that the character was virtually the opposite of Harry Callaghan: he's a loser, a man resigned to doing twenty years in the force and then looking forward to collecting his pension... His car is full of empty whiskey bottles, his life is a shambles, he's never even been given a big case let alone solved one... He is sent from Phoenix to Las Vegas to 'bring back a nothing witness for a nothing trial'.

The 'nothing' witness, Gus Mally, is not the man he expects; in the first place she's a woman, Augusta Mally, secondly she's a hooker, thirdly, despite her non-stop profanities, she's a graduate of Finch College and lastly - and hereby hangs the tale - she's not a 'nothing witness'. The mob who are to be tried will do anything to prevent her testifying...

The dangers inherent in their journey together only slow1y become apparent to Shockley despite the fact that the Vegas police literally raze to the ground the couple's initial hideaway, while they remain inside almost to the last moment...

Within the turbulent situation, Shockley and Mally manage to transform their original dislike for each other and each other's way of life into a love of sorts, in the 'African Queen type tradition.' As the couple begins to understand each other, they realize how their relationship could serve each other... She would no longer need to be a whore... He could regain his self-esteem as a policeman... Shortly before the final showdown Mally telephones her mother to say she has found her man; from then on there is an added imperative that they survive in order to give their love and their relationship a chance to work out...

Sondra Locke achieved the improbably-written transformation from hooker to sociologist convincingly... But in this film, more than ever, Eastwood wasn't trying for any praise or approval from the critics; probably the reverse... The overkill is part of the entertainment' he claimed.' You just have to accept it on an outrageous level.' There were those who didn't...

But these comments only served to inform Eastwood that at least he had been excessive enough to upset some people... It would be awful to think you're being outrageous and to outrage nobody... But Eastwood knew just how far he could take an audience with him... By surviving the unsurvivable, Eastwood proved to himself once more that the mass audience will suspend all sensible disbelief - as they do in the best of the Bond films - providing the action carries them and their fantasies along...

In the context of many of his other films, "The Gauntlet" is hardly one of Eastwood's most substantial works... The appeal of an unlikely love affair between opposites, fertilized by an unceasing barrage of gunfire was undoubted1y considerable... But as a whole, the film tended to operate rather as an exercise in special effects than as any more considered piece of social statement of the kind that gave such strength to "Dirty Harry."

Good Action,loved it Clint the best.......2006-12-06

After Dirty Harry where else do you go.Your now Ben Shockley escort cop, to your girlfriend Sandra Locke.Pretty decent actioner for these two.
The film was fun because I'd seen this flim when I was 16 yrs old.
I like Clint Eastwood in the western films 60's and 70's I was all was a big fan of this actor when I seen him a "A FEW DOLLAR MORE" "THE GOOD THE BAD AND THE UGLY".Some people say this was not a good film but I took too this film when the "cops" shot up the motel ben and gus were staying how in the world can you get out of there man go thu a undergound tunnel that's the best.The bus great scene cop blasting the bus and it's still moving.And find out his BOSS is the bad guy after all great movie time for a remake.

Average customer rating:

Elements of Comedy and Sorrow
Irish Luck in Love
Nice movie; No one is saving the world.
Good Movie, Great Book
Great characters

Circle of Friends
Starring: Chris O'Donnell , Minnie Driver , Geraldine O'Rawe , Saffron Burrows , and Alan Cumming
Director: Pat O'Connor
Manufacturer: Hbo Home Video
ProductGroup: DVD
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My Life So Far
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Valmont (Ws Dub Sub Dol Dts)

ASIN: 6304884389
Release Date: 1998-03-31

Amazon.com

A polished gem from 1995, this disarmingly sweet and dramatically insightful love story provided a charming showcase for Chris O'Donnell and, especially, then-newcomer Minnie Driver, whose performance drew critical raves and boosted her career to Hollywood. Smoothly adapted from the novel by Maeve Binchy and set in Ireland during the 1950s, the story focuses on Benny (Driver), a somewhat plump, plain-looking young woman attending university in Dublin who meets and quickly falls for Jack (O'Donnell), a handsome star of the university's rugby team who surprisingly reciprocates her glowing admiration. They're drawn together as soul mates, and their love is dramatically contrasted with a subplot involving Benny's more conventionally beautiful friend Nan (Saffron Burrows), whose appetite for older men leads her into a misguided and ultimately tragic relationship. A betrayal by Jack sets the stage for potential heartbreak, but director Pat O'Connor prevents these carefully drawn characters from resorting to sappy melodrama. They have lessons to learn about life and love, and Circle of Friends teaches those lessons with grace, humor, and heartfelt sincerity. --Jeff Shannon

Description

Three girlhood friends now at college share first loves, first kisses and first betrayals. At the center of it all is the best-looking boy on campus. Can a self-conscious dreamer hook the biggest fish in the pond? ' 'A marvelous romantic comedy' ' (Siskel & Ebert)

Customer Reviews:

Elements of Comedy and Sorrow.......2007-05-26

This is a movie that touches your heart.

Lush and green (of course) is the rich background of this Irish film, the girls are all dolls and it's an enriching film to watch.

Once you've watched it , you can't forget it as it starts with childhood and ends at the brim of adulthood, giving us, the viewers something we can all recognize,which is friendship.

Irish Luck in Love.......2006-04-14

Minnie Driver's star making film explores the 50's in Catholic Ireland and how the lives of three girls revolve around love, friendship, and choices. A semi-autobiographical tale from one of Ireland's most popular writers.

Nice movie; No one is saving the world........2006-02-14

That's basically it. It's a nice movie about learning how to grow up. I have a feeling that all over the world and all over the times people struggle at this age, at this time of their lives and with the same results. Not to give a Nietzsche quote but we learn from our mistakes and eventually the pain, the sting and the tears, end. And we are perhaps only imperceptibly, a little stronger. Love and broken hearts. One of the great, great plots. Maybe the greatest.

O'Donnell is a lot of fun. I haven't seen him lately but I am sure he will pop up; Minnie Driver is great and conveys a sense of innocence, quiet passion and a joie vivre.

The real star is Ireland. They say "post-war Ireland" but Ireland wasn't in the war. It was neutral. Still, the war raped Europe and Ireland suffered with the rest. A beautiful country; a nice story. 4 stars. Larry Scantlebury

Good Movie, Great Book.......2005-10-12

This is a very enjoyable movie with lots of familiar faces. The reason I gave it 4 instead of 5 stars is the book tells the story better. Benny becomes a much stronger character in the book, and has some additional revelations about her worth and value.
The movie hits on most of the highlights of the book. This is for all those gals who have ever been slightly awkward or overweight-- there is more to life than just your looks.

Great characters.......2005-03-01

I think I loved the book so much that I enjoyed the movie just because it let me think about Binchy's characters in different situations.

Yes, the book is completely different from the Pat O'Connor film (esp the ending and the Coldagh/Fonsie storyline...which were two of the best things about the book for me) -- but it can still be enjoyed on its own. What made me want to own the movie was the scene between Eve and Nan in Eve's cottage kitchen. I loved Eve's monologue, and it still gives me chills. The casting for Eve, Nan, Sean and Benny was perfect.

The DVD itself does not offer much by way of extras. I was hoping to see some deleted scenes, but the only bonus features available were the trailer (which made the movie seem much more dynamic and interesting than it actually was) some promotional spots, and a mini "featurette".

Le Cercle Rouge (The Red Circle) - Criterion Collection

Average customer rating:

Pacing baby!
Capers with your salad sir?
A return to majestic silence?
A very influential movie
A very influential movie

Le Cercle Rouge (The Red Circle) - Criterion Collection
Starring: Alain Delon , Bourvil , Gian Maria Volontè , Yves Montand , and Paul Crauchet
Director: Jean-Pierre Melville
Manufacturer: Criterion
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Le Samourai - Criterion Collection
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ASIN: B0000BUZKP
Release Date: 2003-10-28

Amazon.com

Crime cinema has never been so meticulously and coolly executed. Taciturn thief Alain Delon (intense and dapper in trenchcoat and fedora) and escaped prisoner Gian Maria Volonte cross paths as if by fate, bound by saving each other's life, and join with disgraced ex-cop Yves Montand for their next job: a daring jewel robbery. Le Cercle Rouge is the ultimate expression of the romantic doom that Jean-Pierre Melville established in his masterpieces Bob Le Flambeur and Le Samourai. The centerpiece heist, a wordless 20-minute sequence with masked men communicating in codified gestures, is a tour de force of cinematic efficiency that tops even Rififi in its celebration of criminal skill and nerve. Melville's cool detachment doesn't allow us to really warm up to these uncompromising pros, but his cinematic precision is spellbinding and his unforgiving world of loyalty, professionalism, sacrifice, and codes of honor is an irresistible underworld fantasy.

The Criterion DVD restores the film, which was originally cut by 40 minutes for its American release, to its full-length director's cut. Additionally, it features new interviews with Melville's assistant director Bernard Stora and friend and expert Rui Nogueira, rare archival interviews with the director and his cast, and a new introduction by filmmaker and Melville fan John Woo among its wealth of supplements. --Sean Axmaker

Description

Master thief Corey (Alain Delon) is fresh out of prison. But instead of toeing the line of law-abiding freedom, he finds his steps leading back to the shadowy world of crime, crossing paths with a notorious escapee (Gian Maria Volonté) and an alcoholic ex-cop (Yves Montand). As the unlikely trio plots a heist against impossible odds, their trail is pursued by a relentless inspector (André Bourvil), and fate begins to seal their destinies. Taking its title from Buddhist lore, Jean-Pierre Melville's Le Cercle rouge combines honorable anti-heroes, coolly atmospheric cinematography, and breathtaking set pieces to create a masterpiece of crime cinema.

Customer Reviews:

Pacing baby!.......2007-03-15

I love 70' cinema. There is something about the photography, the pace and the style that speaks to me very strongly. 70' cinema showed me that a strong movie does not need an overdoze of over-the-top action or be a special effect galore to be thrilling, and Le Cercle Rouge directed by Melville is celluloid proof of that. Le Cercle Rouge's narrative, atmosphere, details and beautifull photography glues you to the screen. The movie take it's time to show you what occurs on screen, no scene is rush and the pacing enable you to really soak up the story. An a very good story at that - well acted by Delon, Montand, Volonté and espacialy Bourvil - about escaping, getting out, struggling and robbing a jewllery, but mostly a story about the collision of intense men on different side of the law. So sit back, relax and enjoy Melville's amazing work.

Capers with your salad sir?.......2006-05-13

Standing on the rooftop, looking down into the empty square, three thieves are about to meet in The Red Circle. I like me a good caper film, and Le Cercle Rouge shot right to the top of my favorites, along with Heat and Rififi. I'd have to go; Rififi's silent heist then Le Cercle Rouge's no-nonesense burgle closely behind.

Alain Delon plays Corey, an unflappable theif who is on the cusp of being released from prison, when a guard convinces him to go for a gigantic jewelry heist at a shop the guard's relative is employed at. Corey's job will be to assemble a team somehow and fence the jewelry, basically do everything. The guard insists. Meanwhile, a man named Vogel (Gian Maria Volont?) is being escorted to Paris by the police for some unknown crime (at least I may have missed the mention). These two men's path eventually meet, and that of a third, to pull of a jewel heist of biblical proportions. All of this happens as Vogel is being hunted by nearly all of France's police might.

The subtlties of Le Cercle Rouge are endless, with the best aspect being the ommission of superfluous patronizing on the part of Jean-Pierre Melville. Even the actors employed a certian "economy of motion" (one of my very favorite phrases) that kept things fresh and natural. I don't really know what to add other than an extended recap. It's a must see for fans of the previously mentioned films.

A return to majestic silence?.......2006-04-25

Everyone likes the cooly created, memorable heist movie. Alain Delon provides the antihero, Melville provides the cool, and a handful of other great talent (Yves Montand, Gian Maria Volonte, and Andre Bourvil, mostly) arrives to add a crisp engaging movie...

...with very little dialog. This is great, because one certain aspect of the genre tends to be a lot of dialog involving the quick-witted and their various repartees. This movie, however, could be watched with the sound completely off and not too terribly much would be missed. Not to say the sound is bad, oh no, the jazzy soundtrack and the crisp audio catching the little movements makes the slow, patient deliberation of the patients very compelling.

What's also really neat about this film is that the color cinematography is pretty fantastic. Usually when it comes to cinematography, black and white movies tend to stick out in my mind, but this film has some very strong and beautiful imagery that makes the movie pure visual pleasure to observe.

--PolarisDiB

A very influential movie.......2006-02-26

(1970) An exceptional movie, a film noir à la française simply amazing of minimalism and master. This movie is probably after Le Samourai, from the same director Jean Pierre Melville (used this alias because was in love with the Moby Dick book) on the most influential movie on contemporary film making. Jim Jarmush (Ghost Dog), John Woo (The Killer) and many more, loudly claim their admiration for Melville's work and Le Cercle Rouge. John Woo recently announced his will to remake Le Cercle rouge along with three other french film noirs (all featuring Alain Delon).
Andre Bourvil is amazing of sobriety (knowing that he used to be a stand up comic and comedian) as Commissaire Mattei aging cop, decided to do anything to arrest Vogel (Gian Maria Volonte) who escaped from him at the begining of the movie, this role would be the last one for Bourvil, he died just right after the shooting. Lino ventura was Melville's first choice. Alain Delon (After Le Samourai in 1967) plays a small crook, getting out a of jail (set in Marseille) heading to Paris for a heist (idea given to him by one of the wardens), when he encounters Gian Maria Volonte character (Some may have seen him in Sergio Leone's For a Few Dollars More in 1965). Yves Montand is probably the best character, playing an alcoholic ex cop, taking part of the heist by will of redemption (the scene where he is hallucinating is purely amazing), Melville was gonna use Jean Paul Belmondo for the role. Guns are here pure accessories only used for the final shotdown. Great tribute to the original film noir era, slow movie but never boring, great character description are what makes Le Cercle Rouge this masterpiece which continues to fascinate every movie fan round the world.

A very influential movie.......2006-02-26

Average customer rating:

Circle of Iron
GREAT MOVIE ! Unique and interesting
The Silent Flute
Mystery
Interesting Find

Circle of Iron
Starring: Richard Moore (IV) , David Carradine , Jeff Cooper , Christopher Lee , and Roddy McDowall
Director: Bruce Lee
Manufacturer: Blue Underground
ProductGroup: DVD
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ASIN: B0002TVX0A
Release Date: 2004-09-28

Amazon.com

Bruce Lee and James Coburn conceived the story for this unusual blend of fantasy, martial arts adventure, and Zen mysticism that should please cult-movie collectors and action aficionados with a taste for the offbeat. The bland but serviceable Jeff Cooper stars as a lone warrior who sets out to find the mysterious Book of All Knowledge. He faces numerous physical challenges on his journey, chief among them David Carradine in four roles (including a half-man, half-monkey), as well as numerous philosophical conundrums. While the dialogue by Sterling Silliphant (In the Heat of the Night) and Stanley Mann (Eye of the Needle) occasionally teeters into self-parody, the action and pace rarely lags, and the fine supporting cast, which includes Christopher Lee, Eli Wallach, and Roddy McDowall, lends a degree of gravity to the proceedings. One wonders how the film would have played with Lee in the cast (it had been a pet project of his for years, but was completed years after his death), but the end result is certainly watchable and entertaining. Blue Underground's DVD includes a wealth of extras, including a typically laid-back interview with Carradine, commentary by director Richard Moore, trailers and TV spots, an alternate title sequence, and, most intriguing of all, Lee's original script with Coburn and Silliphant (accessible only via DVD-ROM). --Paul Gaita

Description

The Adventure Epic Written By Bruce Lee - His Dream Project He Would Never Live To See!

At the height of his international fame, the legendary Bruce Lee - along with his friend and student James Coburn and Oscar®-winning screenwriter Stirling Silliphant - began to write what he believed would be the greatest achievement of his film career. Five years after his mysterious death, Lee's vision would finally be realized. David Carradine (KILL BILL), Christopher Lee (THE LORD OF THE RINGS), Roddy McDowall (PLANET OF THE APES) and Eli Wallach (THE GOOD, THE BAD AND THE UGLY) star in this acclaimed cult hit that brings Lee's personal philosophy to the screen with a still-potent combination of mysticism, humor and martial arts mayhem.

CIRCLE OF IRON - also known as THE SILENT FLUTE - has now been remastered from its original negative and features exclusive Extras that honor the legacy of Bruce Lee, including an all-new interview with David Carradine.

"The Most Elaborate And Most Beautiful Martial Arts Film To Ever Come Our Way!" -The New York Post

"Striking And Surrealistic!" -The Soho News

EXTRAS INCLUDE:
• Playing The Silent Flute: Interview With Star David Carradine
• Audio Commentary with Director Richard Moore
• Bruce Lee's The Silent Flute: A History By Davis Miller & Klae Moore (text essay)
• Alternate Title Sequence
• Theatrical Trailer
• TV Spots
• Poster & Still Galleries
• First Draft Script By Bruce Lee, James Coburn & Stirling Silliphant (DVD-Rom)

Customer Reviews:

Circle of Iron.......2007-05-12

A classic of Zen Philosophy. A bit far-fetched, but nevertheless entertaining and funny.

GREAT MOVIE ! Unique and interesting.......2007-04-29

This is one of my all time favorite movies ... every line is clever and the scenery and soundtrack music are beautiful ... the fight scenes are some of Carradine's best ... I love the simple but clever plot, the moods and the cinematography ... it takes you to a different place and time ... When i was a kid i would watch this over and over on late night Cinemax. I would put this movie in with the likes of Excalibur (another of my favorites). If you like Excalibur, get this movie. This one is much lower budget but a hidden gem.

The Silent Flute.......2007-04-07

"Circle of Iron" is either a whimsical martial arts movie or a profound exploration of the nature of man, depending on how seriously the viewer takes the philosophical side of martial arts. Based on a story by Bruce Lee, the movie features a quest by a young martial artist named Cord (played by game good humor by Jeff Cooper), who is in search of a mysterious book of knowledge. He is sometimes accompanied on his journey by a blind seer (played by David Carradine) who alternately teaches and challenges young Cord. The seer seems to materialize almost at random along the journey, announcing himself by playing a "silent flute' that only Cord can hear. In a remarkably versatile performance, David Carradine also plays a series of opponents Cord must confront in his journey to the book. The solid supporting cast includes Christopher Lee, Eli Wallach, and Roddy McDowell.

The movie alternates between the mythic landscape over which Cord travels, and the various set-piece but not always obvious obstacles he must overcome. Cord starts out believing that fighting is the solution to every challenge, but comes to understand that more subtle arts must be learned. At the heart of the movie is Cord's slow journey to self-knowledge, one finally fulfilled at his destination on a distant island presided over by a order of monks who guard the book of knowledge

This movie is recommended to fans of the early days of the martial arts genre, of which this movie is a better than average example. Both the humor and the philosophy are gentle, and the fighting sequences are more rhythmic than brutal. Be sure to watch an included interview with David Carradine for some insights on the making of the movie.

Mystery.......2007-03-28

Unfortunately they cut out the most part of the "DEATH"- sequence, so that the film lacks in coherence.

Interesting Find.......2007-03-22

I found this film at a video store, it was a special $.99 rental. It was the first time I have ever seen this film. I was draw to it with the mention of Bruce Lee and David Carradine.

Now that I have watched the film and found out a little of its back story, I find the film passable at best and frankly wouldn't mind seeing it remade. David Carradine himself is great but as you watch the film you find that you wish he either took the role of Cord for himself, or he just added it to the other 4 he was already playing. Cooper is practically unwatchable. Though I did enjoy some of the notable stars in the film, I could have done without the scene involving Eli Wallach as it was a silly addition that was not needed.

The martial arts in the film are enjoyable though at times slowly paced, David does well seperating each of his characters even during the fight scenes.

I would also like to note, though Lee may have developed this story, he himself did not possess the acting chops to play the roles Carradine played, at least not as well as David did. Now the seeker, Lee could have done alot with that role. It is a shame he did not live long enough to have been involved.

I do reccomend this film to all those that enjoy martial arts in general and Carradine in particular.

Average customer rating:

You won't be disappointed
Subtitles?
Top-flight writing and acting
There is a lot of "there" here... this is possibly the best film you've never seen.
Costumes were good.

Mrs. Parker and the Vicious Circle
Starring: Jennifer Jason Leigh , Campbell Scott , Matthew Broderick , Peter Gallagher , and Jennifer Beals
Director: Alan Rudolph
Manufacturer: Image Entertainment
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ASIN: B000BZN1OQ
Release Date: 2006-09-05

Amazon.com

The press kit's historical notes should be standard issue for anyone who sees Alan Rudolph's (The Moderns, Choose Me) look at the famous intellectuals who dotted New York's finest hour in the 1920s. If you only know the names of Dorothy Parker, Robert Benchley, et al. in passing, this movie will hardly generate more study. These writers and thinkers, most famous for having lunch daily at the Algonquin Hotel, seem as weightless and thin as the fictional ones in The Moderns. Most luminous is Mrs. Parker (Jennifer Jason Leigh), whose passion for unhappiness is rarely interrupted. Leigh, in a performance that viewers seem to love or loathe, swirls "witty" dialogue with pure force and must be praised for keeping your interest in a life that was so dreary. The chief problem is not the performances (Campbell Scott is quite fun in a change-of-pace role); it's that the movie comes off as a taped show on stage: the characters are not real and it's all dress-up. Rudolph illustrates his main character's writing (done far too seldom in writers' bios) by having Leigh speak Parker's poetry directly into the camera. --Doug Thomas

Description

Cigarette smoke and laughter... The hollow clink of martini glasses and biting one-liners... This was the famed lunch scene at the Algonquin Hotel's Round Table of the 1920's, home to a circle of mutually supportive young artists that defined the heyday of New York sophistication and a literate era of wit and intellect. At the heart of the round table sat Mrs. Dorothy Parker (Jennifer Jason Leigh), one of the sharpest, most biting wits of the past century. But beneath the raucous laughter is a darker and richer tale filled with passionate affairs, friendship and tragedy, all captured in this striking masterpiece of unrequited love and self-destructive impulses from acclaimed director Alan Rudolph (The Secret Life of Dentists, Choose Me).

All-Star Cast! Featuring Jennifer Jason Leigh (Single White Female, Fast Times at Ridgemont High), Campbell Scott (The Exorcism of Emily Rose), Matthew Broderick (The Producers, Ferris Bueller's Day Off), Peter Gallagher (TV's The O.C., American Beauty), Academy Award winner Gwyneth Paltrow (The Royal Tenenbaums, Shakespeare in Love), Heather Graham (Boogie Nights, Lost in Space), Jennifer Beals (TV's The L Word, Devil in a Blue Dress), Andrew McCarthy (Weekend at Bernie's, TV's Kingdom Hospital), Wallace Shawn (Clueless, The Princess Bride), Martha Plimpton (Parenthood, 200 Cigarettes), Lili Taylor (High Fidelity, Short Cuts), James LeGros (Living in Oblivion, The Rapture), Nick Cassavetes (Face/Off, director of The Notebook), Stephen Baldwin (Posse, Threesome), Stanley Tucci (Big Night, The Devil Wears Prada), Keith Carradine (Nashville, The Long Riders) and Jon Favreau (Elf, Swingers).

Customer Reviews:

You won't be disappointed.......2007-01-15

Critics moaned when Jennifer Jason Leigh was tapped to portray Dorothy Parker, the Grand Lady of Barbed Words whose light shone brightest in the colorful 1920s. And, predictably, many critics trashed Leigh's performance. But, while Leigh made her name making sexy comedies and sexy thrillers, she actually does an excellent job here as the witty wordsmith in "Mrs. Parker & the Vicious Circle." OK, so she played a sexy wordsmith, getting naked with fellow writer Charles MacArthur (Matthew Broderick) for an eye-candy romp. But the sex and nudity, for all its visual appeal, could have hit the cutting-room floor without much being lost from the film. The romance that makes this film worth watching is the romance that never happens: Parker's non-romance with humorist Robert Benchley (Campbell Scott).

Let's face it, Broderick shared top billing with Leigh because he's a name. But it's Scott who deserved it; it's Scott's Benchley who provided an excellent foil for matching wits and barbs with Parker. They were, it seems, the perfect match -- but the film tells us they never consummated for fear of losing what closeness they already had.

Parker, Benchley and, to some extent, MacArthur were part of the Algonquin Round Table, the so-called "vicious circle" of the title, a regular gathering of the luminaries of the writing field back in the good ol' days of Prohibition. And director Alan Rudolph assembled a fine cast to round out the circle: Robert Sherwood (Nick Cassavetes), Edna Ferber (Lili Taylor), F. Scott Fitzgerald (Malcolm Gets), Harold Ross (Sam Robards) and Alexander Woollcott (Tom McGowan), among others, plus occasional cameos by the likes of Will Rogers (Keith Carradine) and a lively Harpo Marx (J.M. Henry).

We get to see them talk and drink at New York's Algonquin Hotel, we get to see them drink and talk at private parties. We also get to see them put on a variety show, the highlight of which is Benchley's fumbling financial report. Occasionally, we see a few of them working, as writers and editors of Vanity Fair and the fledgling New Yorker.

The film plays havoc with chronology, jumping around in the '20s, '30s, '40s and '50s, interspersed with brief scenes of Leigh reciting a few lines of Parker's immortal poetry. But most of the film is set in the '20s, and that's where the real color lies. (To drive that point home, Rudolph had later scenes filmed in black and white, while the early stuff in the '20s is in vivid color.) The Round Table comprised some of the finest literary minds of the age, and the lines popping out of their mouths throughout the film are classic literary gems. The best are traded between Parker and Benchley, who flirt outrageously across the years but never "misbehave" -- with each other, anyway -- like so many of their peers were doing.

Some of the best scenes are shot at the Table, with the camera panning from face to face as they drop lines -- many of which today crowd the pages of any good book of quotations -- with machine-gun rapidity and a surgeon's precision.

Of course, Parker's life wasn't all grins and giggles, and Leigh manages to show us the pain beneath the giddy facade. Parker, like many of her friends, was an alcoholic. She was unlucky in love and kept outliving her beloved dogs. She attempted suicide a few times; the movie shows only once. She was proud, but often too poor to sustain her lifestyle. She survived most of her friends, sank into senility and, despite her wishes, died on a sunny day. She also excelled in a field and an era dominated by men, and her name and writings outlasted the work of many of her male contemporaries.

This isn't a feel-good film by any stretch, but it's not dark and depressing, either. It's a slice of life -- in this case, a slice of several extraordinary lives from a very different time. The dialogue borrows heavily from the characters' actual words, and it's some of the most sparkling dialogue to show up on the big screen in a very long time.

by Tom Knapp, Rambles.(n e t) editor

Subtitles?.......2006-10-20

Does someone know if this DVD has English subtitles or at least closed captioning? Thanks!

Top-flight writing and acting.......2006-10-17

I had owned this film in the VHS version, and it wasn't easy finding the DVD version but finally was able to get it via Amazon.
If you have any interest in the New York literary society of the 1920s; in the writers Dorothy Parker, Charles McArthur, Robert Benchley,Alexander Woolcott, etc; or if you just enjoy watching great acting, you should not be disappointed with this film. Even Harpo Marx (as a character) makes a brief appearance.

There is a lot of "there" here... this is possibly the best film you've never seen........2006-10-02

Simply put, a remarkably well written, well acted, well cast, well directed film about Dorothy Parker, her immediate round circle of friends and their successes and failures in life and art. It is also a portrait of the creative process -- from the emotional lows that generate artistic incentive, to the short lived highs that act like temporary band-aids for writers, painters, etc. It all makes for some real drama and Jennifer Jason Leigh is perfect in this role. She's subtle, and dramatic when need be. Her dialog, her one liners and their delivery might allude you, like the many cameos of famous people of the times, if you don't pay close attention. However, it's worth every minute if you do. To paraphrase Mrs. Parker, there is a lot of there here in this film.

Costumes were good........2006-09-29

Jennifer Jason...Can someone PUHLeeze tell me why she ALWAYS plays the same role! ANd why all of her characters have seriously bad elocution!The so called ~Bostonish...or upper crust--east coast accent does Not include..slurring your words as if a consonant was too much WORK. It as if her upper lip is never engaged at all..Not even to smirk! Does she have a BOTOX complex..USE YOUR FACE..Including your upper lip...
But then again...Maybe she was acting JUST like Dorothy Parker..WHo ahem..happens to be dead..! ( no disrespect intended..)

Jennifer Beals played her little tiny wee part with so much more depth and nuance..WHY didn't she play Parker..I believed her character! Gwyneth..Love her..! Bit part..but she added a much needed warmth to the film..

I cared for one character..And the best part was his bit giving a financial report..I thought that was BRILLIANT..! BRavo..But Mr. Benchley was the most endearing and 3 dimensional character..THANK YOU..

WIll someone Please make this film over..And Do it right..! And don't just call up your buds..for a tupperware party and say..HEY..Lets make a movie..! Dorothy Parker deserves MUCH MUCH better..I can't EVEN imagine the biting remarks she would print..How about.. 'It's all about me..And I hated it..!But the costumes were nice..!

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