The River

Starring:Mel Gibson, Sissy Spacek, Shane Bailey, Becky Jo Lynch, Scott Glenn, Don Hood, Billy Green Bush, James Tolkan, Bob W. Douglas, Andy Stahl, Lisa Sloan, Larry D. Ferrell, Susie Toomey, Kelly Toomey, Frank Hoyt Taylor, Ivan Green, Desmond Couch, Charles G. Riddle, Jim Antonio, Samuel Scott Osborne
Director: Mark Rydell
Studio: Universal Studios
Product Type: DVD

Average customer rating:

A legacy for my children...
History in video
Funny and Entertaining Documentary
"Keep hope alive..."
a great contemporary documentary

When the Levees Broke
Starring: Spike Lee
Manufacturer: HBO Home Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B000J10F14
Release Date: 2006-12-19

Amazon.com

Director Spike Lee's When the Levees Broke is the definitive document of he unmitigated disaster that was, and is, Hurricane Katrina. It's also a contemporary manifestation of an ancient tradition: an oral history, told by the people who lived it, with no narration and only the occasional use of archival cable and broadcast news footage in addition to Lee's own film. And a grim tale it is, an "American tragedy" subtitled "a Requiem in Four Acts," each of them about an hour long ("Act V," appearing on the third of the set's three discs, is a lengthy epilogue with new material not included in the original HBO broadcast) and focusing almost exclusively on New Orleans, as opposed to the Gulf Coast region in general.

Act I sets the scene; as the hurricane nears the Crescent City, some residents leave town, while others stay behind, figuring they'll just ride the storm out (Mayor Ray Nagin's "mandatory evacuation" order rings fairly hollow, as there's no public transportation provided for the many who don't own vehicles and thus couldn't get out even if they wanted to). The real problems begin after Katrina makes landfall on August 29, 2005. Displaced New Orleaneans crowd into the Superdome, soon to become a living hell for those stuck there; the incredibly poorly engineered levees break, flooding some 80 percent of the city; and people start dying by the hundreds, victims of drowning, lack of food, water, and medicine, and other causes. And so it goes. Act II finds the survivors struggling to keep it together while the federal, state, and local assistance they've been promised fails to show up; Act III traces the dispersal of these so-called "refugees" (as one man puts it, "Refugees? You mean they took away our citizenship, too?") all over the country, not knowing where their families, friends, and neighbors are, or even if they're still alive; and Act IV deals with the slow rebuilding of the city while insurance companies refuse to pay claims and money keeps going toward the Iraq war effort instead.

Several themes predominate here. One, of course, is the appalling performance of authorities on nearly every level, who ignored specific warnings about the levees and then professed ignorance after the fact; Lee doesn't have to go out of his way to make George W. Bush, FEMA chief Michael Brown, and other members of the Bush administration (not to mention his own mother) look bad, as they do an excellent job of that themselves. Another is the shameful ineptitude of the response; it's hard not to be disgusted when it's pointed out more than once that while we were able to provide supplies and assistance to Indonesians within two days of the 2004 tsunami, American citizens were virtually ignored for five days or more. Most of all, When the Levees Broke (which includes optional commentary by Lee for all four acts) leaves us feeling the sheer rage of the poor and dispossessed of New Orleans, where the population is 70 percent African-American. Confronted with the ignorance, arrogance, and callousness of the people whose job it was to protect them, they can point to just one cause: racism. --Sam Graham

Description

One year after Hurricane Katrina decimated New Orleans, director Spike Lee presents a four-hour, four-part chronicle recounting, through words and images, one of our country?s most profound natural disasters. In addition to revisiting the hours leading up to the arrival of Katrina, a Category 5 hurricane before it hit the coast of Louisiana, When the Levees Broke: A Requiem in Four Acts tells the personal stories of those who lived to tell about it, at the same time exploring the underbelly of a nation where the divide along race and class lines has never been more pronounced.

Customer Reviews:

A legacy for my children..........2007-06-28

I am from New Orleans and I am a victim of Hurricane Katrina. I lost my home as well as 98% of all of my possesions. Luckily, I was able to evacuate to a relative's house in Baton Rouge (about 75 miles west of N.O.), so my family and I were spared the immediate aftermath and the horrific conditions experienced by those who were unable to get out of the city.

Through this film, however, I was able to feel the pain and loss of my neighbors and friends. It was very difficult for me to watch and I broke down and cried several times. New Orleans is my home and will ALWAYS be my home. No matter where I go or end up living (I have relocated and now live about 30 west of N.O.), New Orleans will forever be a part of my soul. If you are not from there, you probably wouldn't understand. It was so damn difficult to see familiar places and people undergoing such a tragedy.

A piece of my heart died on August 29th, 2005 and another piece died when I watched this film, but I HAD to see it. It is important for eveyone to see this film because it raises many questions that have yet to be answered. How can such brutal and barbaric conditions be allowed to continue for so long in one of the richest countries in the world? Why did it take so long to get help? Why was the city so unprepared for such a catastrophe? Why have the problems NOT been solved 2 years after the event?

I still don't know any of the answers.

All I know is that I must own this film. I must have it to show my children one day (my daughter was 2 at the time the storm hit and my 2nd child is on the way) so that they never forget where we came from and the many mistakes our generation made when trying to deal with this crisis. Hopefully, others will show this to their children as well so that they can learn from these mistakes and make sure that something like this never happens again.

The ONLY pet peeve I have with the film (it's a small one) is that it seems to take the point of view of the black, underprivileged portion of the city's population. Yes, these were the majority of those that suffered in the aftermath, but Katrina affected EVERYONE in this region. I felt that the objectivity of the film should have been a bit more balanced.

As for the reviewer who thought this film was funny, I wish you peace and hope that one day your heart will be softened and you will learn to have compassion for your fellow man. Yes, New Orleanians suffered, but we are ALL citizens of the planet Earth. When a man dies, we are all diminished because we are all a part of mankind.

History in video.......2007-06-26

...such a sad account but an accurate representation of recent acts of racism, "white privilege", and the powerlessness of African Americans in the U.S.

Funny and Entertaining Documentary.......2007-06-26

I really enjoyed this documentary, from a sociological point of view. This documentary showed the brute savageness of anarchy. These residents of New orleans are pure animalistic savages 10,000 years behind the rest of civilization. To watch their lives unfold in this tragedy is an experiment I found fascinating.
I laughed and was entertained for hours. Recommended!!!!

"Keep hope alive...".......2007-06-17

As did many, with baited breath, I anticipated the release of Spike Lee's, When the Levees Broke. Unfortunately, this piece focused more on racial injustice than the failed emergency response of the aftermath. As are most issues related to the treatment of African Americans in this country; especially when it involves the south, this piece was heavily immersed in racial finger pointing. While I can give Lee a thumbs up for much of the footage, I'm disheartened that he failed to properly address the economic attitude of the out of step and disenfranchised African American community of New Orleans. Moreover, that no one has grasped the notion that experience rules all is remarkable. For instance, the Israelis' remarkably rapid responses to major castrophies is in direct correlation to the frequency with which they happen. While it's true that the gross lack of coordination on several levels; state, local and federal to name a few, added to the tradegy of Katrina, to place the blame solely at the doorstep of the federal government was grossly unfair. Last time I checked, this country embraced capitalism and democracy, not communism. FEMA is not a rescue organization: "FEMA works in partnership with other organizations that are part of the nation's emergency management system. These partners include state and local emergency management agencies, 27 federal agencies and the American Red Cross." (This quote was found at FEMA's website on the about us page.) And that list includes the local Police department, the local Fire Department, the city planners, the emergency medical professionals and so on. At the end of one of the tapes Mayor Nagen points out the differences between himself and Mayor Rudy Guiliani & Katrina and 9/11. He points out that 9/11 was essentially a contained event; in effect, quarantining the emergency site. And that's true! But what he failed to mention was how quickly New York City's first responders COORDINATED AND EFFECTIVELY IMPLEMENTED their efforts, completely overlooking the comical and inept nonexistent local cohesion of New Orleans first responders. It doesn't matter whether you like Mayor Guiliani or not; the fact is, he was downtown with his first responders. They all converged on ground zero like hungry locusts and started responding. (To be fair: An in-depth analysis of Mayor Guiliani's contributions reveal several shortcomings; in fact, many people believe he was more of a hindrance than help). In any event, the response seemed measured and methodical, coordinated and rehearsed and above all, professional. Something else that's rarely mentioned is the level of assistance the victims provided one another. It's now evident that in New Orleans that was not the case. BLACK ON BLACK crime soared during the Katrina aftermath. Looters, to include the police department, were caught on film; no less, stealing and looting. Isn't their motto to protect and serve? People were stealing TV's and DVD's, clothes and everything else and to what end? Electricity wasn't restored for months. If not anything else, it was a poor showing of character for some of the city's first responders. I think you would've been hard pressed to find the cops stealing during the 9/11 crisis. Keep in mind this is not condemnation of those who stepped up with intregrity. Nonetheless, this behavior has been famously celebrated by the residents of New Orleans for years. The Superdome population seemed completely paralyzed. Instead of quarantining victims' into categories, ie the sick, the weak, the young, the old, the hurt, etc; which is to be expected during major castrophies in a modern society, the citizens organized a prayer march. Talk about bringing a knife to a gunfight? These are the situations that bore leaders. If the entire population could be convinced that a prayer march was an effective means of addressing the catastrophic situation at hand, then poverty should be listed as the least of New Orleans disenfranchised populations' problems'. Most people set back as if they could do absolutely nothing except wait. Another critical question that needs to be answered is why African Americans seem so reticent about tackling or addressing the development of BLACK ON BLACK crime? And why didn't Spike Lee take the opportunity to address this phenomenon in his piece. I suspect our nation would've witnessed the exact same scenario in any and/or all of the nations major cities. It's well known that most of America's major metropolitian area's are African American strongholds, Detroit, D.C., Baltimore, Atlanta, Miami and several other cities have similiar demographics. What received no coverage was the plight of all the so-called "white-trash" in the country-side who were also seperated from their lives and loved ones. They also received little, if any, timely assistance from the government. On steel horseback and keeping hope alive, Jesse Jackson and the Rev. Al Sharpton made their requisite appearances and speeches. While Jackson didn't make an appearance in the piece, he's recorded as referring to the situation at the Superdome as a "Slavery" type situation. What's most sinister about these two phonies and their ilk is their impeccable sense of timing. These two never pass on an opportunity to address the camera's and effectively innoculate and brainwash a gullable African American audience. Another glaring misappropiation was the constant inference to slavery. OH MY GOD! First a paralyzed population questions the response of the government, but to complain about the lack of sympathy exercised on behalf of the help was infuriating. Soldiers have families too! But to compare the military staging effort to the slave trade took the cake. All military efforts in that situation involve a certain measure of disassociation to accomplish the mission. Soldiers cannot empathize or sympathize with rescuee's and properly accomplish the mission.
For the record, every ethnic group on the planet has suffered atrocities on behalf of another group. China, by way of Japan, The Irish; by way of the British, the Tutsis, by way of the Hutu's. And haven't the Jews been punished by everyone at one point or another? And who was it that coined the phrase, "Hymietown?" In any event, both men have lined their silk pockets by eloquently misleading the poor, disenfranchised masses; mostly African Americans, about the shortcomings of a nation, by focusing on the misgivings of our past with misleading; yet, sympathetic prose. For example, Jackson's famous rallying cry is "Keep hope alive," but the quote in it's entirety reads, "Keep hope alive, but never satisfied." And Lord knows he's been true to form. The inference is satisfaction once delivered, renders the deliverer useless. Translation, no more fancy speaking engagements, civic invitations or special inside the loop priviledges. Jackson has had several opportunities to put his money where his mouth is. To be honest the behind the scenes powerfully elite in D.C. have for years all but begged him to run for Mayor of that city, and he has on every occasion refused! Because, he said, "Being an elected official doesn't give me the room to manuever effectively." Translation, he does not want to be held responsible or accountable for public failures. Which puts into question the legitmacy of his Presidential bids. Not to be outdone, the Rev. Al Sharpton is a master at spinning what others say. Granted; given their tremendous political success, to be so well connected and having had for a long time, access to the world's finest educational institutions, the first family, immediate an otherwise, seem surprisingly aloof in public. It's quite evident that the Bush family has lived among the socially elite for so long, that they are completely disconnected from common class America. Although the first First Lady's comment about the new plight of some of the victims was a bit abrupt. It was delivered without malice and with good intentions. It was poor form of Sharpton to capitalize on the manipulation of that comment in the heat of battle. For the record, I know that our country garners a checkered racial past; especially down south. Hell everyone knows our past, but the fact is, sooner or later you have to learn to do for yourself. Sooner or later you have to implement a personal life strategy to find success. Parties and prayer (the well advertise means of expression in New Orleans) have never and will never suffice as an effective or efficient means of addressing poverty. I'm not a religious scholar but doesn't the inscription read, "God helps those whom help themselves?" And if that's the case, doesn't the translation mean you CANNOT depend on the government or God or anyone else for the matter, in times of need? Case in point Katrina.

Here are some points I think Lee failed to properly address:

1. Why didn't the Mayor set up shop at ground zero and use the media's cameras to communicate directly with FEMA and the White House? Provocative maybe, but given the circumstances, effective!

2. What happen to the city's first responders?

3. How come this piece didn't address the extremely high level of BLACK ON BLACK crime committed during the aftermath?

4. How could they respond without military assistance?

5. How come we didn't hear more about the intense animosity between the Mayor and the Governor?

6. How come the piece didn't delve deeper into the why's and why nots of modern building strategies of civic protection not investigated like that of other nations, ie the Netherlands, Japan and China?

7. How come the decision making City Council members weren't identified, questioned and held to task on camera?

8. Why didn't we see or hear about the shortcomings of the insurance agencies? They completely abandoned the entire Gulf coast. Some of these people paid on there policy for more than 50 years.

9. Why didn't the Coast Guard and other successful agencies receive more attention?

10. What are the ensuing plans for keeping this from ever happening again? Who's involved? How much does it cost? And are other cities following suit?

In the end, New Orleans has become famous for what some have said is their unique way of life (corruption tolerance). From the very beginning politicians have been famously corrupt in that city. And from the beginning the citizens have celebrated and supported renogade behavior. Case in point; Congressman William Jefferson, indicted on federal bribery charges, after the FBI found $90,000 in his freezer. The Speaker, understandably so, wants him out, but the National Black Caucas is protecting him. I submit to you the audience, that if, as an elected congressional representative, you cannot find a better place to hide ill-gotten gain than a freezer, that you may be too stupid to run for office, let alone re-election. And it's episodes like this that are the real drag on African American progress. If the citizens of New Orleans continue to fail to see how these and a history of other highly publicized, yet locally acceptable representative shortcomings affect their tenuous existence, then broken levees are the least of their concerns.

a great contemporary documentary.......2007-06-13

Not a Spike Lee fan I was enthraled at this films scope and insight. It not only changed my view of our government's role in disaster relief it also showed its callus disregard for the poor caught in this kind of situation. A new approach is needed in dealing with disaster relief and "heads should roll" in dealing with the last people in charge!

Average customer rating:

Best Film Ever, Test Of Wills & Character.
The bridge on the river kwai
Enduring classic
"A benchmark for war films" ? I hardly think so!
Tour de Force for William Holden

The Bridge on the River Kwai
Starring: William Holden , Jack Hawkins , Alec Guinness , Sessue Hayakawa , and James Donald
Director: David Lean
Manufacturer: Sony Pictures
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B00004XPPC
Release Date: 2000-11-21

Amazon.com essential video

Director David Lean's masterful 1957 realization of Pierre Boulle's novel remains a benchmark for war films, and a deeply absorbing movie by any standard--like most of Lean's canon, The Bridge on the River Kwai achieves a richness in theme, narrative, and characterization that transcends genre.

The story centers on a Japanese prison camp isolated deep in the jungles of Southeast Asia, where the remorseless Colonel Saito (Sessue Hayakawa) has been charged with building a vitally important railway bridge. His clash of wills with a British prisoner, the charismatic Colonel Nicholson (Alec Guinness), escalates into a duel of honor, Nicholson defying his captor's demands to win concessions for his troops. How the two officers reach a compromise, and Nicholson becomes obsessed with building that bridge, provides the story's thematic spine; the parallel movement of a team of commandos dispatched to stop the project, led by a British major (Jack Hawkins) and guided by an American escapee (William Holden), supplies the story's suspense and forward momentum.

Shot on location in Sri Lanka, Kwai moves with a careful, even deliberate pace that survivors of latter-day, high-concept blockbusters might find lulling--Lean doesn't pander to attention deficit disorders with an explosion every 15 minutes. Instead, he guides us toward the intersection of the two plots, accruing remarkable character details through extraordinary performances. Hayakawa's cruel camp commander is gradually revealed as a victim of his own sense of honor, Holden's callow opportunist proves heroic without softening his nihilistic edge, and Guinness (who won a Best Actor Oscar, one of the production's seven wins) disappears as only he can into Nicholson's brittle, duty-driven, delusional psychosis. His final glimpse of self-knowledge remains an astonishing moment--story, character, and image coalescing with explosive impact.

Like Lean's Lawrence of Arabia, The Bridge on the River Kwai has been beautifully restored and released in a highly recommended widescreen version that preserves its original aspect ratio. --Sam Sutherland

Customer Reviews:

Best Film Ever, Test Of Wills & Character........2007-05-06

This unique film had everything you could want except romance. Action, suspense, special effects, an intruiging story, themes, cinematography, diection, & locales. This is the story of a Japanese POW camp in Burma in World War two. Commanded by Colonel Saito {Sessue Hayakawa}, the mainly British captives are being used as slave labor for the construction of a railroad bridge that will link malaysia to Rangoon over the river Kwai. The Japanese commander's life depends on it's successful completion. Colonel Nicholson the British commander is a stickler for rules & when Saito declares that officers will work as well as enlisted men, he sites the Geneva Convention restrictions on officers doing manual labor. When they refuse to work, Saito has them thrown into ovens, metal containers that bake in the tropical sweltering heat. After much angst Saito relents since the bridge is behind schedule. There's a fine mix of camera shots from all possible angles showing the grinding heat draining the overworked & malnurished men, as well as breathtaking panoramas. Above all positives of this excellent film were the performances by all concerned. Alec Guinness as Col. nicholson was beyond "PERFECTION." He totally absorbs the characters essence & then manifests it. I can't think of any actor who deserved his/her OSCAR more. William Holden is also superlative in his scenes, as were stern Sessue Hayakawa & the enigmatic Jack Hawkins. The destruction of the bridge & train was a one shot chance done very well. I saw this film on TV as a young boy. Now seeing it again on DVD, it was as enthralling as ever. Buy it, you won't be disapointed.

The bridge on the river kwai.......2007-04-02

Classic movie and glad it finally came on DVD

Enduring classic.......2007-03-26

This enduring classic is (loosely, very loosely) the story of the WW2 POWs used to build the Thai/Burma railroad. The larger war becomes a personal battle between 3 forces: The Japanese soldiers looking for labor led by Colonel Saito, the British soldiers looking to serve as prisoners as dictated by the Geneva Convention led by Colonel Nicholsen (Alec Guiness winning an academy award) and the commandos looking to destroy the bridge led by Naval officer Shear.

The morality (or more specifically madness) of war is adressed in the movie. The pointless nature of armed conflict reads true today, as do issues of handling prisoners. The movie's a long one, but one of the few that justifies the added time. Every piece is indeed required in this classic.

"A benchmark for war films" ? I hardly think so!.......2007-03-19

How Amazon could rate this as a benchmark is beyond my understanding. This movie is so far removed from the reality of the episode that it is an insult to the troops who endured the events. Perhaps it would be best if Amazon relied on combat veterans to critique war movies.

Tour de Force for William Holden.......2007-02-27

This is movie is an excellent WWII prisoner of war film. I was enamored immediately and for the entire length of this film. William Holden is perfect as an American POW caught in the middle between a mission dreamed up by his British companions and desire to sit the war out. Director David Lean is the master.

Average customer rating:

tom selleck rides again
Last Stand at Saber River
Last Stand at Saber River
The first of Tom Selleck's excellent TNT Westerns
Well I'll Bow!....

Last Stand at Saber River
Starring: Tom Selleck , Suzy Amis , Rachel Duncan , Haley Joel Osment , and Keith Carradine
Director: Dick Lowry
Manufacturer: Turner Home Ent
ProductGroup: DVD
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ASIN: B0007OY2OE
Release Date: 2005-05-17

Amazon.com

Tom Selleck shows a harder side of his persona as a disillusioned Confederate who returns home in the waning days of the Civil War in this adaptation of the Elmore Leonard novel. His wife, Suzy Amis, isn't ready to forgive him for leaving his family behind for the "adventure" of war, and his children hardly remember him. Haunted by his actions in the war and caught in a power struggle in the Arizona territory, Selleck's soul-scarred survivor makes a last stand to protect the only thing left that matters to him--his homestead and his family. The film has its share of gunfights, showdowns, conspiracies, and Civil War rivalries, and even a runaway stagecoach, but its power lies in the somber exploration of how misunderstandings and conflicts tear at a marriage during such a volatile time, when ideals are set against duty to family. Director Dick Lowry's lean style makes the most of the gorgeous landscapes, and he creates a strong dramatic tension in the bubbling undercurrent between Selleck, who leaves behind the jovial character of his Louis L'Amour Westerns for a man hardened and embittered by war, and Amis, an excellent actress who brings to life a woman who shoots, speaks her mind, and harbors resentment just as well as any brooding male hero. Keith and David Carradine costar as Union wranglers who hold a grudge against the Confederate veteran. One of the most mature TV Westerns ever made. --Sean Axmaker

Description

Tom Selleck rides into Western adventure in grand, gritty style as Paul Cable in Last Stand at Saber River, from the novel by Elmore Leonard (Get Shorty, Out of Sight Customer Reviews:

tom selleck rides again.......2007-06-19

my husband a big western lover really liked this film. in typical tom selleck fashion he leaves the civil war after witnessing a massacar of innocents. the resulting story will please ater fans.

Last Stand at Saber River.......2007-05-12

It is an outstanding movie. It goes back to what we grew up with. A hero who is fighting against odds, but wins out in the end. Tom Selleck and Sam Elliott are the top western "story tellers" of our time. You can tell they love it.

Last Stand at Saber River.......2007-02-14

The movie was excellent and is typical of a Tom Selleck Western. It's to bad he is type-cast as Magnum PI, because he is a great portrayer of the Westerns and I would love to see him star in more of them.

The first of Tom Selleck's excellent TNT Westerns.......2006-11-04

"Last Stand at Saber River" was the first of three excellent Westerns that Tom Selleck made for TNT between 1997 and 2003 (and I'm still hoping there'll be at least a fourth one some day). Selleck has starred in five made-for-TV Westerns total, three of which are based on Louis L'Amour stories. This one, however, is based on a book by Elmore Leonard, and the difference is obvious in both the lack of idealism and in the extreme violence.

Selleck is Paul Cable, a Confederate cavalryman who has come home from the Civil War (only slightly) early. He knows the war is lost for the South, he is worn out, and he only wants to take his family back to their homestead in Arizona to live a normal life. His wife, who was told that he was dead, is less than thrilled to have him back home because she is resentful that he left to fight in the war in the first place. Suzy Amis does an excellent job as Martha Cable. She is not the stereotypical beauty who runs around in a bustle under fancy dresses. She is a tough frontierswoman who has experienced many hardships and gets her husband out of some tight spots as the movie progresses.

While the majority of the movie is good at depicting the divisions between North and South that caused the Civil War and which the Civil War then exacerbated, the subplot of the inner struggles that Paul and Martha Cable face is far more interesting. It's a great movie until the end, when we get the additional time-worn subplot of a Confederate soldier who just can't give up the Lost Cause. No, it's not Selleck's character who has this problem, but Selleck already had covered this territory in 1982's "The Shadow Riders" (though it wasn't his character who wanted to keep fighting in that movie either); John Wayne's "The Undefeated" is another well-known film with the Lost Cause plotline.

In spite of the needlessly melodramatic ending, this is a strong Western. Selleck and TNT kept getting better and better with "Crossfire Trail" and "Monte Walsh". Check out all three, and you'll join me in wishing for number four.

Well I'll Bow!...........2006-06-26

Tom Selleck takes on a serious role in this made for TV western. He stars as Confederate soldier Paul Cable, realizing the war is lost, returning to find his wife and family...hoping to pick up the pieces of a life he left behind. His wife Martha(Suzy Amis) isn't so happy to see him..she had thought him long dead..and was trying to get on with her life. With family, daughter Clare and son Davis(Haley Joel Osment), they leave Martha's father(Harry Carey Jr.) in Texas and head for Arizona and their ranch home. Upon arriving in Arizona, they find that the Union sympathizers(Keith and David Carradine) have confiscated their land..everyone still thinking he was dead. This requires them to fight for their home and for their acceptance in the rebuilding of life after the Civil War.

This is a well put together movie with good continuity. Not only does it have the western action but it also effectively shows the rebuilding of the marriage relationship between Cable and his wife. Susy Amis does a great job in portraying a wife that is ready to make her stand for family and home. Selleck puts in one of his better performances and shows that he can seriously act. Well worth adding to any western collection.

Average customer rating:

The Man from Snowy River
excellent movie
A Winner
Australian Romance
Very Good Movie

The Man From Snowy River
Starring: Tom Burlinson , Terence Donovan , Kirk Douglas , Tommy Dysart , and Bruce Kerr
Director: George Miller
Manufacturer: 20th Century Fox
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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Quigley Down Under

ASIN: B000062XG0
Release Date: 2002-05-28

Amazon.com essential video

A conventional boy-and-his-horse story set against the red rocks of remote Australian mountains. (If there's a wide-screen edition, grab it. The scenery is one of the movie's strongest features.) Tom Burlinson is Jim Craig, a young man left stranded after his father's death who is struggling to save the family farm. He proves his manhood during a hair-raising hunt over the wooded slopes in search of an escaped stallion. The great, grizzled, Australian character actor Jack Thompson (the idealistic lawyer in Breaker Morant) is the tough, older horseman who takes the lad under his wing. The director, George Miller (not to be confused with the action-master who made the Mad Max films) allows costar Kirk Douglas to mug and grimace and prance far too much in a duel role as a pair of lovable old coots who hate each other's guts. Luckily, one of the coots has a handsome daughter (Sigrid Thornton, an Elizabeth McGovern-type with grit), who also has a way with horses. So it isn't all rocks and pine trees. --David Chute

Description

With its unforgettably heroic story, its stunning cinematography, and acting performances that are uniformly excellent, THE MAN FROM SNOWY RIVER is one thrilling adventure you won't want to miss. Set during the 1880's, when the Australian frontier was as wild and dangerous as the American West, the film follows the exploits of a handsome youth (Tom Burlinson) who sets out to tame a wild herd of horses. Taking on a challenge many men had attempted before him, he rides deep into the treacherous and untamed wilderness of his native timberlands where boys become men fast - or die trying. Featuring Kirk Douglas in a remakable dual role and highlighted by a climactic chase involving 40 horsemen and 90 wild stallioins thundering across snow-covered peaks, THE MAN FROM SNOWY RIVER is destined to become a legendary film!

Customer Reviews:

The Man from Snowy River.......2007-06-08

Great sags about a Austrial cowboy wants to prove his is as good as his dad and get the girl, Jessica

excellent movie.......2007-06-02

For the people who loves riding horses in the nature, work with cattle or horses, they should watch this movie. Excellent action scenes.

A Winner.......2007-05-27

I love horses, always have. And I love this video. It's one of very few that I would choose to own, rather than rent.

Australian Romance.......2007-05-13

This is an excellentwestern romance with all the thrills of fast horses anda
great cliff hanger at the end.

Very Good Movie.......2007-05-12

I do enjoy movies about horses and this one is very entertaining to me so much so that I have the video and the DVD.

Average customer rating:

A gem of a movie
Great Movie
Super coming of age movie!
Enduring friendships
Do yourself a favor and buy this film!!!

Stand By Me (Special Edition)
Starring: Scott Beach , Marshall Bell , William Bronder , John Cusack , and Dick Durock
Director: Rob Reiner
Manufacturer: Sony Pictures
ProductGroup: DVD
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ASIN: B00003CXIP
Release Date: 2000-08-29

Amazon.com essential video

A sleeper hit when released in 1986, Stand by Me is based on Stephen King's novella "The Body" (from the book Different Seasons); but it's more about the joys and pains of boyhood friendship than a morbid fascination with corpses. It's about four boys ages 12 and 13 (Wil Wheaton, River Phoenix, Corey Feldman, Jerry O'Connell) who take an overnight hike through the woods near their Oregon town to find the body of a boy who's been missing for days. Their journey includes a variety of scary adventures (including a ferocious junkyard dog, a swamp full of leeches, and a treacherous leap from a train trestle), but it's also a time for personal revelations, quiet interludes, and the raucous comradeship of best friends. Set in the 1950s, the movie indulges an overabundance of anachronistic profanity and a kind of idealistic, golden-toned nostalgia (it's told in flashback as a story written by Wheaton's character as an adult, played by Richard Dreyfuss). But it's delightfully entertaining from start to finish, thanks to the rapport among its young cast members and the timeless, universal themes of friendship, family, and the building of character and self-esteem. Kiefer Sutherland makes a memorable teenage villain, and look closely for John Cusack in a flashback scene as Wheaton's now-deceased and dearly missed brother. A genuine crowd-pleaser, this heartfelt movie led director Rob Reiner to even greater success with his next film, The Princess Bride. --Jeff Shannon

Customer Reviews:

A gem of a movie.......2007-05-30

This is a movie worth buying. With a genuine feel, the story rings true. I also like it because in the plot, there isn't clutter. It hints at things and gradually enlightens the audience as it progresses. (Rather than hitting you over the head with a sledehammer at the start and dragging out the next 2 hours. Which seems to be the popular trend these days.) Classic, timeless, and will look great in your collection.

Great Movie.......2007-05-12

I had heard about this movie. I was bored and so I asked my mom to rent it for me. I'll admit that I wasn't expecting much, but it ended of becoming my favorite movie. Something about it is so inspirational and almost makes you want to be closer to your friends. I'm 14 and was 13 when I saw it. I hadn't noticed the rating till I found it kinda fishy that it would be pg (which I read somewhere). Despite the bad language and gangs it is perfectly appropriate for kids my age and should not be rated R. In fact, I think it is target toward all audiences. I showed my dad whose into horror a sci-fi but he liked it. I'm definitely glad I got the movie.

Super coming of age movie!.......2007-05-05

Yes, see the movie "Stand by Me." It took me right back. Those boys walking down the railroad tracks were my friends and me. I even knew an Ace Merrill, but "Big Al" was nice to us boys.

At the beginning of "Stand by Me" when Richard Dryfus is remembering the good old days, you can really feel it--especially as BB King's "Stand by Me" is played in the background. A scene of only a minute--so poignant!

One night we took off on our bicycles and raided a driving range, filling two five-gallon buckets with beat-up range balls that had been left out. What an adventure! Also, a crime. Oops! Does this post count as a legal confession?

Enduring friendships.......2007-04-22

This is a movie based on a novel written by Stephen King. The powerful theme is the development of friendship during our formative years, those friendships that help form and shape our character.

The story is about a group of twelve to thirteen year old boys. The main character is played by Wil Wheaton who is Gordie, a young man who recently became invisible to his parents over the death of an older brother, the favorite, a strong athlete, foot-ball player. We see him at home, trying to talk to his mother, who does not hear or see him for she is totally overcome with grief. His father also ignores him, making him feel that he is nothing as compared to the brother that recently died.

River Phoenix, who plays Chris, is the young man that comes from a bad family, and as such, is expected to grow up to be nothing. In fact, he does not believe he can study, for who would want and support his efforts? At school, there is some money missing and everyone believes he took it, because, who else would do such a thing?

Corey Feldman plays Teddy, the son of a violent alcoholic, who was near killed by his father in a fit of rage that made him put his son's head over the fire that almost burnt his ear off.

The last character is played by Jerry O'Connell in the role of Vern, a kid who is scared of almost anything, but the one responsible for the adventure they are about to undertake, for he hears his older brothers tell the story of a body they found of a young man who has not been seen for days.

They set out to find and observe the dead body of this other kid, killed by a passing train. The reason for their desire to be the first to find this body is to gain recognition, fame, and an opportunity to be in the news, both on radio and TV. So, they are willing to walk 25 to 30 miles, through swamps and open fields in morbid fascination with a corpse that lays out there.

As they live through this adventure, they encounter danger, hunger, a ferocious dog with a fowled mouth, mean and vicious owner, a swamp where they encounter and get their bodies covered with leeches, and a near call as they try to cross a bridge... intended for trains... not people.

But as we live the adventure with the main characters, we find that this movie is about the friendship of these boys, as they help one another grow and confront their personal daemons.

As the story opens we find Richard Dreyfuss narrating the story as the adult version of the character played by Wheaton, who was the story teller of the group and grew to become a writer. During the movie, we have the rare opportunity to see very young versions of great actors of today, namely... Kiefer Sutherland and John Cusack.

Do yourself a favor and buy this film!!!.......2007-04-12

Hailed as one of the essential coming-of-age films, "Stand by Me" has stood the test of time to become a classic. Since most of the other reviews talk about the plot, I'll just talk about my opinion of the movie.

The first time I watched it, I was in awe as the credits rolled. It has since gone on to become one of my all-time favorites. Everything about this movie was executed perfectly--the writing, the performances, the direction, the score--EVERYTHING!! It made me want to be a kid again, and not many movies make me feel like that. I could relate with the characters, especially Gordie, and that's another reason this film stands out in my mind.

I don't want to keep running on, so I'll just sum it up--buy this film, you will definitely NOT be disappointed!

Average customer rating:

Creature Feature From The Far East
Overrated movie
Wonderfully original monster flick.

The Host (Two-Disc Collector's Edition)
Director: Bong Joon-ho
Manufacturer: Magnolia Pictures
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Art House & International | Genres | DVD | Video

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ASIN: B000PKG8TW
Release Date: 2007-07-24

Customer Reviews:

Creature Feature From The Far East.......2007-06-03

Despite having one of the best looking movie monsters ever found outside of Hollywood and having a strong political message there is something missing in "The Host" that prevents it from being wholly worthwhile. It was a box office smash in its home country of South Korea and is doing great business here in the states in its limited release so it has obviously struck something of a chord. The cynic in me says that it has everything to do with its close proximity, style wise, to Hollywood. It looks and acts like a run of the mill "War of the Worlds" wannabe. So now Koreans can see a special effects bonanza made specifically for them and the art house snobs here can sneak away to their independent cinemas and enjoy a guilt free B movie. Not that this is a bad movie, don't misunderstand me. There is a ton to love here. It is just that the truly awesome scenes that live within this picture are scattered widely throughout the two hours, and the downtime between them really sucks the life out of you. The absolute best scene happens early on and it involves our first glimpse at this toxic created monster who emerges from the sea. It wreaks havoc all through the surrounding area with special effects that look so good they would even impress my dad. The scene is refreshingly light on its feet and focused on fun. But for every perfectly executed scene like that there are three to four that feel off and unnecessary. Plus, at least for me, once the CGI contact high wears off your interest will begin to wean.

Not content to just proclaim this monsters existence, Bong Joon-ho points his blame right here at us Americans. The dirty deed involves one of those useless meatheaded military types, American of course, forcing a man to pour dirty chemicals down the drain. Later, when those dirty chemicals are all grown up and living in the form of a giant reptilian beast (I will leave the description of its mouth to the grad students) the US is there to spread lies, paranoia, and martial law. Then, finally, when all is said and done our government, which we are so loyal to, blames the Koreans for the whole thing. The plot centers around a misfit family group who are looking for their 7th grade relative who was snatched up by the monster and placed in a sewer somewhere. Her dad is overtly incompetent, falling asleep on the job, allowing her to get abducted, turning the family in to the virus phobic government. Will dear old bum of a dad be redeemed by slaying something evil? Take your best guess. Lots of the film takes place in the sewers of Korea as they hunt for the little girl, and quite honestly this is some pretty ho hum stuff. Joon-ho seems much more adept at filming American style spectacles as opposed to the more domestic family situations. Not that I can complain, there is probably enough visceral monster mayhem here to keep all you philistines happy. Plus there is oodles of humor that can best be described as physical irony that takes place in the theater of the absurd. Just that it goes on for way too long and by the end starts to feel. . .Asian. How you make a horror movie that starts off this enjoyable fall asleep is beyond me but somehow here it has been pulled off. ***

Overrated movie.......2007-05-27

I was one of the audience that's swept away by the hype of this movie. It's critically acclaimed and also well received by audience world-wide. The local newspaper stressed us to watch the movie before it's butchered by Hollywood. So, I did just that. Perhaps, I went to the cinema with over the top expectation and reality never managed to match that. Yes, I gave credit to where it's due. This movie came about because of one actual incident that happened in South Korea where poisonous pollutants were dumped into the Han River. In other words, The Host was actually not an entertainment movie per say but a protest movie. Surprise, surprise, the media & the Americans were branded as "villains" of the movie for building up a paranoia akin to the SARS virus that broke up in Asia few years ago and also of the Americans endeavouring to cover up the "problem" that it triggered at the first place, which was rather similar to Hollywood version of Godzilla storyline. The Host was patchy at best and there were funny moments too. Having said that, the focal point of the movie was a simple Korean Park family that simply went around living their own lives until they were interrupted by this monster that was a metaphor for the intervening factor in Korea. Nobody would take heed of the ordeal & believed what they had to say about their missing family member until they had to resort to one another for support. Don't expect a linear progression of storyline where the monster would be slain and everybody would live happily ever after. The special effects was mediocre and critics specified that it's to pay homage to B-grade movies. It's entirely up to audience to decipher what's real and what's deliberate. Otherwise, a watchable movie.

Wonderfully original monster flick........2007-05-16

Pay no mind to the countless comparisons to "Jaws", "Alien", and the rest of the monster classics that a quality film like this always draws. This one stands on its own as an original mix of harsh political commentary, family drama, black comedy, and horror. The metaphor for the hysteria over the asian SARS epidemic is thick and the accusatory tone towards America's interventionist ways and the alarmist media's sensationalism is thicker. But don't think this is some heavy-handed self-serving political film that wallows in its own symbolism; this film is about the importance of family pulling together and taking care of each other when noone else will. Oh yes, and there's a monster in there somewhere too.
I'm going to drop a few minor spoilers now so if you want to go in completely cold and experience the full thrill I received viewing this movie you might want to go watch the film now. Alright, on with the content review. Let me put it this way, I got my money's worth in the first 20 minutes of the film. The sudden appearance of the beast breaks the most entrenched of monster movie standards: the slow reveal. The almost complete lack of buildup shocked me as the monster came charging out of the background in its high-velocity and unsettlingly awkward gait with ferocious momentum sending humanity flying left and right. What follows is one of the greatest rampage sequences ever seen by human eyes. I was absolutely thrilled by it and only the most jaded of film fans could feel otherwise. In fact, aside from a few gaping plot holes, my only real complaint about this movie is that it climaxes so soon. That's not to say the rest of the film isn't good, but it never reaches that fever pitch again.
As the trigger-happy government declares quarantine and almost immediately begins asserting it's will on the victims -even as they still mourn their lost family members- the media spreads word of a deadly and highly contagious virus that the creature is carrying (hence, "the host"). But as the film progresses, we don't see the evidence of any abnormal sickness, just the paranoia of the people in reaction to the media's hysterics and government's jumping to conclusions. As our protagonists, the Park family, search for their little girl (Hyun-seo, taken to the monster's den for later consumption) we come to see that when the government is incompetent and overbearing and the general populace is collectively terrified of the guy standing next to them the only things you can rely on are your own family and what you can see and do for yourself.
The ne'er-do-well Park family consists of Hyun-seo's father, a slow-witted narcoleptic, her aunt who's a professional archer with a tendency to freeze under pressure, a college-educated alcoholic of an uncle with a hot temper who can't find a job, and a caring grandfather who holds them all together. The dysfunction of the family is humorous to watch, but the devotion they all share in the search for their little girl is touching; and that's the real heart and soul of this film. The monster is menacing, the government is corrupt, the Americans are comically over-the-top self-serving jerks, the populace at large are terrified for all the wrong reasons, and the real disease is the paranoia spread by the media but the Park family's struggle is the real story here and it's a great one.

Average customer rating:

good movie
TWO BIG TOES UP!!
Funny and Interesting
A Fun, Interesting Comedy-Thriller
ON the money today.

Sneakers (Collector's Edition)
Starring: Jo Marr , Gary Hershberger , Robert Redford , Sidney Poitier , and David Strathairn
Director: Phil Alden Robinson
Manufacturer: Universal Studios
ProductGroup: DVD
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ASIN: B00008OE4W
Release Date: 2004-12-28

Product Description

Robert Redford leads an all-star cast in one of the most satisfying suspense films! Computer expert Martin Bishop (Redford) heads a team of renegade hackers including a former CIA employee (Sidney Poitier), a gadgets wizard (Dan Aykroyd), a young genius (River Phoenix) and a blind soundman (David Strathairn) who are routinely hired to test security systems. But Bishop s past comes back to haunt him when government agents blackmail the sneakers into carrying out a covert operation: tracking down an elusive black box. Along with his former girlfriend (Mary McDonnell), Bishop s team retrieves the box and makes a stunning discovery the device can break into any computer system in the world. With factions from all sides willing to kill for the powerful box, Bishop and his team embark on their most dangerous assignment ever in this exhilarating high-tech caper from Phil Alden Robinson (Field of Dreams).

Format: DVD MOVIE

Amazon.com

This enjoyable thriller, written and directed by Phil Alden Robinson (the screenwriter of Field of Dreams), follows a raggedy group of corporate security experts who get in over their heads when they accept an assignment poaching some hot hardware for the National Security Agency. Robert Redford plays the group's guru, an aging techno-anarchist who has been hiding from the feds since the early 1970s; his companionable gang of freaks includes Dan Aykroyd, David Strathairn, Mary McDonnell, the late River Phoenix, and Sidney Poitier, as a veteran CIA operative turned "sneaker." The technological black box that everybody is after, an array of computer chips that can decode any encrypted message, isn't a very plausible invention, but it's a serviceable McGuffin, and the megalomania of the master plotter played by Ben Kingsley has more resonance than most. Modest inferences can be drawn about the very latest high-tech threats to civil liberties. --David Chute

Customer Reviews:

good movie.......2007-04-14

Delightful caper flick enhanced by its deft handling of a rather preposterous plot. Great characters and terrific casting (Dan Aykroyd's conspiracy theorist perpetually sparring with ex-CIA agent Sidney Poitier, Ben Kingsley brilliant as usual, etc.) plus a really good score. The technology in the movie is completely dated but it holds up anyway. One of my favorites.

This DVD comes with a clever and insightful though not earthshattering director's commentary.

TWO BIG TOES UP!!.......2007-03-24

One of my top 20 movies of all time.
A must see!!! Two big toes up!!!

Funny and Interesting.......2007-01-17

This movie is one of my favorites. It is funny and interesting to watch the cloak and dagger suspense. Funny to see the "old technology"

A Fun, Interesting Comedy-Thriller.......2007-01-15

There are movies that give you the impression the actors/actresses were having the time of their lives making it. Sneakers is a prime example of this.

I am used to seeing Ben Kingsley (my favorite actor) portraying a historical protagonist (in the movies "Ghandi", "Schindler's List", "Joseph", and "Moses". This is the first time I've seen him as a bad guy, and he does an excellent job at this.

I do have some objections to this movie. There is some sexual humor that was not necessary. Also, I could tell that the makers of this film would love to see a one party system in politics, with the party I identify with no longer existing (this is a Hollywood movie: of course you can guess which party is picked on here!)

But these are minor points. This is a creatively written movie. The acting, as stated, is enjoyable to watch. I would definitely recommend it.

ON the money today........2007-01-13

I saw this movie in the theaters back in 1992 and it was great. It is timeless in that everything about the security and technical issues outlined in the movie are relevent today if not more. When Cosmo states" it's all about the information, what we hear, see, etc.." is so right on in our over connected world of the internet, cable news, podcasts, cell phones, camera phones, intrusive web cam/phone technologies, blogs, wirless, blackberries, rfid, youtupe, myspace, online ecommerce, protocols, protocols and more protocols.

It is all about the network today and the information that flows through it. Do you remember how your life was pre 1995 internet and cell phones?
Can you imagine your life without your various access points to the internet, its content and your cell phone?

Cosmo was wrong when he said it is no longer about energy, it is still today for without the energy you have no means to propogate the information.

They nailed it then and it is relevent today. Scary.

Great movie and got me excited to try my hand at a little black/white hacking.

Average customer rating:

Why No Widescreen?!
Return to Snowy River
Great Movie.
Very Good Movie
Deserving of No Less than 15 Stars.........

Return to Snowy River
Starring: Tony Barry , John Bird , Tom Burlinson , Peter Cummins , and Brian Dennehy
Director: Geoff Burrowes
Manufacturer: Walt Disney Video
ProductGroup: DVD
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ASIN: B00005JLHX
Release Date: 2003-04-22

Description

Australia's breathtaking Victoria Alps set the backdrop for this spectacular epic saga. Tom Burlinson and Sigrid Thornton, two of Australia's brightest film talents, star in a fast-paced, action-packed story of a stormy romance caught up in a violent feud between landowners. Acclaimed actor Brian Dennehy (LEGAL EAGLES, COCOON) gives a gripping performance as the powerful patriarch determined to keep them apart. Visually unforgettable and packed with rugged adventure and masterful stuntwork, RETURN TO SNOWY RIVER is a thrilling and memorable film!

Customer Reviews:

Why No Widescreen?!.......2007-06-30

This is a great movie, but it was originally shown in theaters in the 2:35:1 Widescreen format. I know some people like the full screen format over widescreen, but so much of the beauty and landscapes are lost in pan and scan full screen. Why can't this film be released with both pan and scan & widescreen. I know I am not the only person who would like to see it released in widescreen. Please consider a re-release Disney for the widescreen audience. Thanks

Return to Snowy River.......2007-06-08

Gotta watch both to get the full affect of the Man of Snowy River... Great love story...

Great Movie........2007-05-13

The ladies love this! Pop it in, and watch 'em cuddle right up into your arms.

Very Good Movie.......2007-05-12

I have the first movie and the second on video and Dvd and I do enjoy them very much.

Deserving of No Less than 15 Stars................2007-04-10

As I said for the First part of this Masterful Storyline, forget what you hear about the Director and the Producers, this story is Given to you not by them but by a Masterful Storyline, Wonderful Acting and Scenery unlike any you will see Anywhere.

Sequals Often do NOT match up to their predecessors, yet This one Equals its First part in All ways possible.

It is NOT to be missed, and it will Demand that you watch it over and over, finding New things at each viewing.

Average customer rating:

My only review ever....
a wonderful documentary about an amazing man.....
Inspirational for artists
One of the best movies I've seen in a long time!!!
Spectacularly serene!

Andy Goldsworthy's Rivers & Tides
Starring: Andy Goldsworthy
Director: Thomas Riedelsheimer
Manufacturer: New Video Group
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Documentary | Genres | DVD | Video

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Andy Goldsworthy: A Collaboration with Nature
Passage
Winged Migration
Time
Touch the Sound - A Sound Journey With Evelyn Glennie

ASIN: B0002JL9N6
Release Date: 2004-09-28

Amazon.com

Andy Goldsworthy's Rivers and Tides is a truly beautiful, Scottish-German 2001 documentary about artist Goldsworthy, a Scotsman whose medium is nature itself and whose preferred studio is the outdoors, particularly where water forever flows, rises, and/or retreats. The soft-spoken, secluded Goldsworthy is seen hard at work making ephemeral sculptures out of bits of ice in the trees, or building tall, mysterious cones from loose rock, which stand like spiritual sentinels in forests and on shorelines, overgrown by plants or swallowed daily by high tides. Filmmaker-cinematographer Thomas Reidelsheimer goes to great and sometimes inexplicable lengths to make visual corollaries to Goldsworthy's ideas about underappreciated relationships between light, color, movement, balance, and fluidity of form in the real world, making Rivers and Tides a lively and always surprising cinematic gallery. Some of Goldsworthy's most miraculous natural installations--stone walls that snake through hundreds of feet of forest and stream, for instance--show up in the last half-hour. --Tom Keogh

Description

Wildly praised by the nation's top critics, the smash theatrical hit RIVERS AND TIDES is a mesmerizing, poetic and curiously contemplative portrait of revered Scottish sculptor Andy Goldsworthy, whose long-winding rock walls, icicle assemblages and other intricate, druidic masterpieces are made entirely of materials found in the wild. Gorgeously shot and edited by director Thomas Riedelsheimer, RIVERS AND TIDES is an intoxicating study of the fragile relationship between man, art and nature.

Customer Reviews:

My only review ever...........2007-06-11

This movie brings peace. The music so beautifully matches the art that it left me breathless.

a wonderful documentary about an amazing man............2007-06-06

I was really blown away by ANDY GOLDSWORTHY'S RIVER & TIDES, the first time I saw it on the big screen in the movie theater in 2003. In all honesty, the big screen is the best way to fully experience the magic of Scottish artist Andy Goldsworthy's remarkable natural works of living and moving art. Since Goldsworthy's sculptures are made from transitory material he finds in nature (discs of melting ice that he so elegantly places near and around rootbound trees, cones made out of bits of pebble, just to name a few examples), none of his pieces last forever. But, really, what does in this world? Human beings spend so much time feeling to be master in command over nature, one another, material and living objects, and RIVERS & TIDES truly brings the message of the temporary state of nature and humankind in the world. It ebbs and flows, and Goldsworthy's unassuming but dutiful continuity as a true natural artist, working with the medium of mother nature, to design intricate visual sculpture and installations out of the elements we take for granted all too often. This is an especially timely film in this day and age, where we are questioning what is to be done to work toward sustainability and conservation in the world. Highly reccomended!

Inspirational for artists.......2007-05-28

I am an artist who sometimes gets too bound up with striving toward perfect realism and detail. When I first came across books of Goldsworthy's work, I was intrigued and liked the work. But, it wasn't particularly inspiring to me for my own work. Then, I saw this DVD and something happened in my head. It reminded me of how my art started when I was a kid...playing with the materials that were available in nature and just goofing around. The sheer joy of that was recaptured in my artist's heart by watching this film. For this touch to the past, I'm grateful to Mr. Goldsworthy and give him my public thank you here.

One of the best movies I've seen in a long time!!!.......2007-05-17

Rivers and Tides fascinated me. I am an artist myself and the fact that he creates art and installments that will eventually be taken by the river, tide or by the ever-changing aspects of nature is something that intrigues the Buddhist philosopher in me. It gives a concrete experience of "impermanence" that anyone can contemplate because it is portrayed within the framework of this artistic film. Upon watching it a second and third time I was a little disquieted by the interaction he had with his wife near the middle of the film, but I figured that it was his artistic temperament coming out. I enjoyed sharing this film with friends who are also artists.

Spectacularly serene!.......2007-05-17

The brilliant conceptions and thoughtful, meticulous excecutions of the stunning, evocative, nature-inspired sculptures by this sensitive, intelligent artist have been beautifully documented. Goldsworthy's articulate explanation of each installation adds to the viewer's potentially transcendental viewling experience, but they can be turned off without hindering the pure enjoyment of the awe-filled visual experience. I whole-heartedly recommend this 2 DVD set to people of all age who wish to have yet another justification to celebrate the beauty of this planet and the poetry of artistic vision and expression.

Average customer rating:

Red River
Great Western, slightly disappointing ending.
A Massive Cattle Drive on the Chisholm Trail
Red River
Red River in color?

Red River
Starring: John Wayne , Montgomery Clift , Joanne Dru , Walter Brennan , and Coleen Gray
Director: Howard Hawks , and Arthur Rosson
Manufacturer: MGM (Video & DVD)
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: 6304696612
Release Date: 1997-11-19

Amazon.com

Any short list of the all-time greatest Westerns is bound to include this 1948 Howard Hawks classic about an epic cattle drive. Red River features one of John Wayne's greatest performances. Like his Ethan Edwards in John Ford's 1956 masterpiece The Searchers, the Duke plays an isolated and unsympathetic man who is possessed by bitterness. Wayne is Texas rancher Tom Dunson, who adopts a young boy orphaned in an Indian massacre. That boy, Matthew Garth (played as an adult by Montgomery Clift in his screen debut), becomes Dunson's assistant and heir apparent--until Dunson's temper gets out of control during a long cattle drive and Matt intervenes to stop him. From that moment on, Dunson swears he will kill Matt. Red River has everything a great Western ought to have: a sweeping sense of history, spectacular landscapes, stampedes, gunfights, Indian attacks, and, of course, Walter Brennan as Dunson's crusty old cook and comic sidekick, Nadine Groot. As a special bonus, the film also features the legendary Harry Carey (upon whom Wayne would base some of his gestures in The Searchers) and his son Harry Carey Jr., who became a fixture in Ford and Hawks Westerns. Red River is essential for anyone who loves Westerns, or movies in general. This one's a real beaut. --Jim Emerson

Description

One of the finest westerns ever made, this "monumental, sweeping and powerful" masterpiece (Variety) features impassioned performances, stunning cinematography and adventure on a grand scale. Starring John Wayne, Montgomery Clift (in his screen debut), Walter Brennan, Harry Carey, Sr. and Noah Beery, Jr., Red River is a hard-hitting, action-packed adventure that captures the grandeur, majestyand dangerof the wild American West.Wayne gives "one of the best performances of his career" (Cinebooks) as Tom Dunson, a self-made cattle baron who'll do anything to protect his way of life. So when plummeting livestock values demand that he drive his herd through thetreacherous Chisholm Trail, Tom proves that he'll risk anything to reach his destination even his own sanity.

Customer Reviews:

Red River.......2007-06-25

Director Howard Hawks gave western icon John Wayne another indelible, ruggedly stubborn character to play in his masterful "Red River," a high point of their many collaborations. Populated by colorful supporting characters, including the salty Walter Brennan as camp cook Groot Nadine, "River" combines psychological drama, action, and suspense in a stirring, expansive western landscape. The final settling of scores between Wayne and Clift is unforgettable.

Great Western, slightly disappointing ending........2007-05-24

I thoroughly enjoyed this film. It's rare to see John Wayne playing a bad guy but he carried it well. The photography was great but the film suffers from contrast particularly during some of the frequent night time scenes. Images are almost lost in the dark of the night due to the limitations of old black and white film. If the light dark contrast could be adjusted, the film would benefit greatly. Beyond that, the acting was great, particularly Montgomery Clift. My lone complaint was the ending. It has a sudden character twist where Wayne shifts gears 180 degrees and everyone just seems to pass it off and forgive his characters actions through out the movie simply because he suddenly turns over a new leaf