Around the Fire

Starring:Devon Sawa, Bill Smitrovich, Tara Reid, Eric Mabius, Colman Domingo, Charlayne Woodard, Lisa Burgett, Henri Lubatti, John Pirruccello, Stephen Tobolowsky, Daphne Brogdon, Blaine Walker, Manny the Hippie, Amos Glick, Heath Lourwood, Bob Morrisey, Cole Stratton, Scott Ragle, Michael McKee, Steven Anthony Jones
Director: John Jacobsen
Studio: Ardustry Home Entert
Product Type: DVD

Average customer rating:

Simon had no choices
Far-out man.
Unintentionally Hilarious - a must see
over the edge for the 21 centurey great film
So bad that it's actually entertaining

Around the Fire
Starring: Devon Sawa , Bill Smitrovich , Tara Reid , Eric Mabius , and Colman Domingo
Director: John Jacobsen
Manufacturer: Ardustry Home Entert
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Drama | Genres | DVD | Video

Drama | Independently Distributed | Stores | DVD | Video

4-for-3 Drama | 4-for-3 DVD | Stores | DVD | Video

4-for-3 All DVDs | 4-for-3 DVD | Stores | DVD | Video

Independently Distributed | Indie & Art House | Stores | DVD | Video

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

All Deals | Today's Deals in DVD | Special Features | DVD | Video

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

The Boys Club
Extreme Ops
Extreme Dating
Black Circle Boys
Robin of Locksley

ASIN: B0000B1OF0
Release Date: 2003-09-23

Customer Reviews:

Simon had no choices.......2007-01-14

Or so he thought. I really liked this story of a child being raised with making no choices of his own and what the "damage of rebellion" really caused to him. Then when he was able to make choices, they were bad ones. This is very true to life of children being raised in this kind of environment. I think that the only bad choice that Simon made was to involve himself in the drug scene of the hippies. All of the other choices that he was making was "freeing" him of his own bondage and the bondage of his family. Being freed of this bondage gave him the ability to "remember" the truth of what really happened to his mother. I do recommend this movie to anyone that has an open mind to see what choices were really being made.

Far-out man........2005-09-27

It's a story we've all heard 100 times: good boy goes to bording school, boy meets stoner, stoner takes him to hippie concert, boy makes new friends, does numerous drugs, then sells drugs, hates his father and step-mother, spirals out of control, and ends up in rehab. I couldn't decide if this film was for drugs, or against. Maybe the pros/cons of the whole scene. Overall the films story was half jam-band parking lot life, and half the ups and downs of the boy Simon. Even though I could relate to some things, overall I felt the movie was kind of a buzz-kill. No bands were actually in "Around The Fire" either. And no great acting to be found. The only "star" here was really Tara Reid (pre-implants). Overall decent for those who attend shows, but it basically just reminded me of countless losers I've known (meaning those who didn't know when to say when). Peace.

Unintentionally Hilarious - a must see.......2004-12-08

If you've ever been a fan of the jam-band scene, and still maintain some intelligence or vestige of sanity, you will vastly enjoy watching this film, again and again. Not for the soundtrack (which includes such classics as Marley, Dire Straits, Phish and Winwood), not for the actors (although there are some good ones), not for the 'authentic' lot-scene ambience. You'll love this movie because it is so unbelievably lame, you will not be able to stop laughing.

From the early scene where Andrew asks Simon what music he listens to, Simon replies "what kind of question is that?" and Andrew declares, "That's only the most important question I could ever ask you," this movie is fully loaded with some of the cheesiest and most hilariously lame moments I have ever seen. Kate Matthews, the world's most unprofessional rehab counselor, flies off the handle with no more provocation than a little junkie 'tude, then laughs at Simon for ending up in rehab. Andrew comes out with lines like "ALWAYS check the hippie pouch," and introduces Simon to guys who blow into conch shells to determine the future. A lot of guys in the movie dance with their arms above their heads, looking like complete idiots. Jennifer and Trace laugh uproariously every time Simon says something naive or stupid, leading me to wonder, was nobody else willing to be their friend before he came along? In this movie, hanging out with someone for two hours makes you a friend for life.

The best character in the movie is Kevin, Simon's "demented friend" who is in a wheelchair and at death's door for reasons that are never explained (outside of Kevin saying "I had WAY too much fun"). He asks Simon about his experience at a concert, Simon replies, "I can't put it into words," and Kevin counters sagely: "You just did." When Kevin starts strumming his guitar, entire drum circles fall silent so he can play original compositions like "I Don't Mind Failing In This World"; creative works that make the Dude of Life seem like Mozart. He abruptly dies when the plot finds it convenient, leaving Simon - who has apparently hung out with him a handful of times - to bear the responsibility of scattering his ashes. Huh?!?

Add to this inexplicable flashbacks-within-flashbacks, the spectre of Simon's mother's death (also never explained; the movie suggests she had WAY too much fun as well), and a series of festivals and concerts during which you NEVER see a band or any musicians at all (except Kevin) and you have a film that will leave you scratching your head in puzzlement and laughing out loud at the ridiculousness of it all.

It's time to open the package!

over the edge for the 21 centurey great film.......2004-08-03

this film is a great this cast wonderful and the story is good to. If you want to show your kid's the way drugs can hurt you then show them this movie. It takes time but there is a great message at the end of this film. if you like this movie then watch over the edge.

So bad that it's actually entertaining.......2004-05-04

WORST MOVIE EVER. It was an insult to one's intelligence, and it is sure to offend anyone who identifies with any or all of the groups portrayed in the film. Clearly, this movie is a sterilized Evangelical Christian movie, portraying the "evils" of homosexuality, Jews, hippies, drug use, divorce, adultery, etc. While it doesn't specifically state that the solution to all of these problems and more is faith in Jesus Christ, it might as well. The movie looks as if those parts have been removed and reserved for the version that undoubtedly is played in youth ministries across the country. I wouldn't be surprised to learn that it was funded by the department of faith-based initiatives!
However, I have to admit that this film was wildly entertaining, bringing me to tears of laughter on many occassions. (Be sure to watch for the confused wookie checking things out during the first "lot scene".) Watch this movie with a group of friends who know what shows are really like and you'll all be laughing hysterically at the incessent stupidity and obvious flaws that persist throughout this "film". The DVD version is a must in order to get the commentary and other bonus features, and to freeze frame some of the crowd scenes. Many of our criticisms were actually validated by the film makers. Think the crowds look a little sparse?...a little dirty? Think the directors might need more film school? You'll find out all about it. (Why on earth they would admit to some of the things they do?) Then you can watch as the actors suffer through painful interviews about their pathetic characters. No one has the courtesy to ask, "Are you sorry you made this film?"

Average customer rating:

Great way to start your collection of Best Pictures
Eighteen of the best movies of all time
Best Picture Oscar Collection - fantastic present
good deal but not in collectible condition
This is a great deal; looks like they fixed the problems,,,

Best Picture Oscar Collection (18-Pack)

Manufacturer: Warner Home Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Classics | Genres | DVD | Video

General | Drama | Genres | DVD | Video

( B ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video

Special Editions | Fully Loaded DVDs | Features | DVD | Video

Drama | Boxed Sets | Stores | DVD | Video

Classics | Boxed Sets | Stores | DVD | Video

Studio Classics - Best Picture Collection (Sunrise / How Green Was My Valley / Gentleman's Agreement / All About Eve)
Classic Comedies Collection (Bringing Up Baby / The Philadelphia Story Two-Disc Special Edition / Dinner at Eight / Libeled Lady / Stage Door / To Be or Not to Be)
From Here to Eternity
The Alfred Hitchcock Signature Collection (Strangers on a Train Two-Disc Edition / North by Northwest / Dial M for Murder / Foreign Correspondent / Suspicion / The Wrong Man / Stage Fright / I Confess / Mr. and Mrs. Smith)
Lawrence of Arabia (Limited Edition)

ASIN: B0007KXRZI
Release Date: 2005-02-08

Customer Reviews:

Great way to start your collection of Best Pictures.......2007-02-03

This is the set of 18 Best Picture winners on DVD that Warner Home Video controlled the rights to as of Feb. 2005, and spans the time period 1929-1992. Some of them hold up over time, and others were given the award because of technical achievements that no longer seem important. I'll go through each one and give my opinion:

Broadway Melody of 1929 - This was the first "talkie" to win the award. The screenplay is a mediocre love story, but the song and dance numbers are good. There's even a musical number in Technicolor - "Wedding of the Painted Doll".

Grand Hotel - Won in 1932 and contained a great ensemble cast about the personal lives of guests in a fancy Berlin hotel. This is a great one that still is worthy viewing today.

Mutiny on the Bounty (1935) - Probably the best of all the pictures about the famous mutiny. Still good viewing today. An odd aside - all of the nominees for best actor that did not win were from this film - Clark Gable, Franchot Tone, and Charles Laughton.

The Great Ziegfield (1936) - After the Hays code was fully in effect, the personal aspects of Ziegfield's life had to be modified for the screen. Still, a great movie with a great performance by William Powell as the famous showman.

The Life of Emile Zola (1937) - One of those period pieces that just didn't grab me. It is a very skillfully done film, very artistic, and Paul Muni gives a tremendous performance in the title role. It's hard to believe the articulate and gentile Emile Zola is being portrayed by the same actor who was equally convincing in "Scarface".

Gone with the Wind (1939) - This movie charts the life of a Southern belle who always wanted what she didn't have and took for granted what she did have as she lives through the Civil War and reconstruction. It is the most popular film of all time and probably the biggest money-maker if you factor in inflation. It was shown in movie theatres until it made its TV debut in 1976.

Mrs. Miniver (1942) - This is a good film, and it has great acting, but it is one of those films that probably won because of the times. It depicts how the British coped while under seige during World War II as experienced by one British family headed by Mrs. Miniver.

Casablanca (1943) - This one probably won because of the wartime theme, but it is a great piece of moviemaking that just gets better with time. The chemistry between Ingrid Bergman and Humphrey Bogart just oozes off the screen. It's more what's not said than what is in this film. The fact that Bogart didn't win best actor was one of the great injustices of all time.

An American in Paris (1951) - Of course the point of this film not the plot, it is Gene Kelly's dancing, which is fabulous as always. It inspired the quickly thrown together and even more popular "Singin In the Rain".

Around the World in 80 Days (1956) - A fun adventure, David Niven is great, and how they got all of those stars to play bit parts I'll never know. However, it really doesn't hold up as a great movie 50 years after the fact.

Gigi (1958) - The academy award winner in the year of my birth just does not inspire today. There are a couple of good songs, but not many. Plus the screenplay is antiquated and outright campy by today's standards.

Ben-Hur (1959) - One of those great Bible-era epics of the 50's. Even though it is a story on a large scale, it is all of the small scale stories going on that make it great - revenge, love, loyalty, loss.

My Fair Lady (1964) - One of the great musicals starring Rex Harrison in one of his greatest and most amusing roles. Nobody did stuffy British low-key comedy like Rex. He was robbed when it came to best actor, but fortunately the Academy rectified the situation a few years later.

One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (1975) - Jack Nicholson is a rebel confined to a mental institution. When he doesn't conform, the evil nurse Ratchett has him lobotimized. A great film that will stir emotions even today.

Chariots of Fire (1981) - I personally love this film about the 1924 Olympic games and the conflict between God, country, and conscience seen through the eyes of two men - one a Christian who wants to be a missionary, the other Jewish who wants to be an insider in British society. It's a love it or hate it kind of film - either you find the internal struggles of these men compelling, or you'll find it torture to sit through.

Amadeus (1984) - Another of the modern era Oscars where you either love the message and love the film, or it puts you to sleep. I really loved this one too, partly because Mozart has always interested me, and partly because Salieri was such a ridiculous creature thinking he could best God by destroying Mozart. Didn't he ever realize that the fact that he recognized Mozart's talent before everyone else did was a talent in itself? If you can't build Microsoft yourself, then the next best thing was to have bought stock in it in 1975.

Driving Miss Daisy (1989) - The story of a wealthy elderly woman and her driver from 1948 up to the mid-70's. In spite of the difference in their races and the place - Georgia - they have much in common and slowly become friends. She is Jewish and he is Black in a time and place that wasn't ordinarily welcoming to either group of people. This is a sentimental favorite of mine, plus there's some good comic one-liners in it too.

Unforgiven (1992) - A different kind of Western in which Clint Eastwood wins his first award for Best Director. Eastwood is out to avenge the scarring of a prostitute in return for money when the justice the sheriff metes out on the offending cowboy is just not satisfactory to the prostitute or her friends. Eastwood plays an ex-criminal widower trying to make a go of farming when this assignment lands in his lap. In the end, he doesn't have a hard time finding his "inner killer". A really great film. Who'd have thought in 1965 that Ramrod Rowdy Yates had it in him?

This package is a good value at eleven dollars per Oscar winner, especially when you consider one of those Oscar winners is Gone with the Wind. Plus it has a good sampling of Oscar winners from all genres up to 1992. Depending on how you feel about the more modern Oscar winners (post 1965) that are usually slower, more thoughtful films, you may or may not feel the same. To me the only real dud is Gigi.

Also note that if you buy this set, "Studio Classics Best Picture Collection", and the new "Best Picture Collection", you'll have 29 of the soon to be 79 best picture winners. Not a bad start on your collection.

My only real complaints are that there have been four changes that should be incorporated into the pack to really make it complete as of Spring 2007 based on what is available, although it might require a price increase.
1. Ben-Hur is now available in a 4 disc special edition that includes the silent version of the film.
2. Cimarron, Best Picture 1930-1931, was released on DVD in 2006 by Warner Home Video and should be included.
3. After this pack was released "Million Dollar Baby" and "The Departed" won Best Picture for 2004 and 2006, respectively. These films are not included.
I'm really just pointing out minor flaws because, compared to all of the other studios, Warners has done the best job of putting all of the Best Picture winners they control into one attractively priced package.

Eighteen of the best movies of all time.......2005-09-26

This set contains 18 Best Picture winners from the Warner Video library. A few of them are fairly basic, with limited extras (Broadway Melody, Grand Hotel), while others are multi-disc deluxe editions (Gone with the Wind, Ben Hur). If you're looking to get your collection off to a start, with some of the all-time classics, I haven't seen a better boxed set than this one.

Best Picture Oscar Collection - fantastic present.......2005-09-21

This made my father very happy - has all the golden favourites and is great value.

good deal but not in collectible condition.......2005-06-11

It's a bunch of oscar winning movies from warner brothers with a great discount. but collectors beware of this set :

1. First of all, most of the items are not sealed. many of them looks like new, but some are not brand new, at least look like used!
2. I talked with 3 persons who purchased this item. all of them had complains about ruptures at the edge of some boxes which had caused with a blade or a sharp instrument.
3. there is not a huge outer box. only a wrap around all items.

after those negative points, lets say that, all of the DVDs are the best releases of each item. my word is, it's a good deal but don't expect to receive all of them in collectible condition! I don't want to blame warner but it seems that some of these DVDs are clean returned to market items!

This is a great deal; looks like they fixed the problems,,,.......2005-05-28

I purchased this set when the price was $140. However, I did not get Casablanca or Cuckoo's net SE's, but after I contacted AMAZON twice and waited for a while, they corrected the problem to my full satisfaction! I have never been happier with their service!

But, this is a great set because it has 18 of the best picture winners.

It has some of the best ones, and all the discs are the top of the line editions! way to go!!!

Now, if they could opnly get the last three best picture winners on DVD, I'd have them all!

Average customer rating:

Simon had no choices
Far-out man.
Unintentionally Hilarious - a must see
over the edge for the 21 centurey great film
So bad that it's actually entertaining

Around the Fire
Starring: Devon Sawa , Bill Smitrovich , Tara Reid , Eric Mabius , and Colman Domingo
Director: John Jacobsen
Manufacturer: Ardustry Home Entertainment
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Drama | Genres | DVD | Video

4-for-3 All DVDs | 4-for-3 DVD | Stores | DVD | Video

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

All Deals | Today's Deals in DVD | Special Features | DVD | Video

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

The Boys Club
Extreme Ops
Extreme Dating
Black Circle Boys
Robin of Locksley

ASIN: 157848300X
Release Date: 2000-08-08

Customer Reviews:

Simon had no choices.......2007-01-14

Far-out man........2005-09-27

Unintentionally Hilarious - a must see.......2004-12-08

over the edge for the 21 centurey great film.......2004-08-03

So bad that it's actually entertaining.......2004-05-04

Average customer rating:

Simon had no choices
Far-out man.
Unintentionally Hilarious - a must see
over the edge for the 21 centurey great film
So bad that it's actually entertaining

Around the Fire, Deluxe Edition
Starring: Devon Sawa , Bill Smitrovich , Tara Reid , Eric Mabius , and Colman Domingo
Director: John Jacobsen
Manufacturer: Ardustry Home Entert
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Drama | Genres | DVD | Video