Boys Life

Starring:Mary Beth Aylesworth, Mike Barbour, Steve Bilich, Wendy Brokaw, Bojesse Christopher, Dennis Christopher, Adrian Davey, Kimberly Flynn, Will Gorgess, Terry Herrington, Matt Nolan, Raoul O'Connell, Steve Rally, Richard Salamanca, Robin Stapler, Bo Strachan, Gwen Welles, Robb Willoughby
Director: Raoul O'Connell, Robert Lee King
Studio: Image Entertainment
Product Type: DVD

Amazon.com

The play's the thing in The History Boys. Unlike most stage-to-screen transitions, Nicholas Hytner assembled the entire original cast for the celluloid version of Alan Bennett's award-winning work. (The two previously joined forces for The Madness of King George.) As in Hytner's National Theatre production, a group of Sheffield sixth-form boys, Timms (James Corden), Lockwood (Andrew Knott), Rudge (Russell Tovey), Scripps (Jamie Parker), Crowther (Samuel Anderson), Akhtar (Sacha Dhawan), Posner (Samuel Barnett), and Dakin (Dominic Cooper)--the latter two standouts--spend an extra term in 1983 preparing for their Oxbridge exams. Hector (Richard Griffiths) and Dorothy Lintott (Frances de la Tour) are their regular instructors (both performances garnered Tony Awards), while Irwin (Stephen Campbell Moore, Bright Young Things) is the enigmatic new history teacher. The Headmaster (Clive Merrison) brings him on board to lend the precocious lads "polish." Irwin, however, is more interested in encouraging them to think creatively--not merely to recite facts. The boys just want to get into Oxford and Cambridge. If that means withstanding the occasional grope from Hector and harsh word from Irwin, so be it. In the end, which boy gets in where isn't insignificant, but Bennett's greater concern is what they learn along the way. If Hytner isn't always successful in reconciling the intellectual with the more earthbound, The History Boys is one of the funniest films yet about Britain's educational system--and education in general. --Kathleen C. Fennessy

Stills from The History Boys

Description

From award-winning playwright Alan Bennett (The Madness of King George) comes this delightfully witty comedy of eight boisterous-yet-talented schoolboys hoping to gain admittance to England's most prestigious universities. They're aided on their quest by two teachers, a shrewd young upstart and an inspiring old eccentric, whose opposing philosophies challenge the boys to confront the true meaning of education and the relative values of happiness and success.

Adapted from the original Tony Award winning play and starring the original Tony Award winning cast, The History Boys is an engaging, thought-provoking, and wickedly funny look at history, the pursuit of knowledge, and the utter randomness of life.

Customer Reviews:

Some plays should just remain in the theater.......2007-06-29

I thought this movie was okay and could have been better even with its funny and touching scenes (brief encounter!). Set in Yorkshire, England in 1983, and centers around a handful of boys in their final year of high school. The boys represent a rather interesting and eclectic mix: there's one who's gay, another who loves sports more than school, and another who is the valedictorian but who acts more like the class bully. Nevertheless, they're all brilliant students who are particularly apt scholars of history and the French language. When news circulates that they have a chance at getting into Oxford and Cambridge, the headmaster (Clive Merrison) hires a young Oxford graduate (Stephen Campbell Moore) to temporarily teach the kids for the "big test" and make them more well rounded students and optimum choices for acceptance, all while intruding upon their favorite History teacher's (Richard Griffiths) class time.He's obese, challenging, and eccentric. He also rides a motorcycle and endlessly quotes great poetry. He firmly agrees with A.E. Houseman who wrote: "All human knowledge is precious whether or not it serves the slightest human use." If Hector were around today he might be on the endangered species list. But Hector also has a dark side. He seems to get a sexual charge out of taking students out for intimate rides on his motorcycle, and his inappropriate behavior eventually becomes an issue in the film. His job is to prepare some promising but uncouth students for Oxford. He uses creative teaching methods and actually encourages them to think for themselves.

"The History Boys" is also very hip to British pop culture, with numerous '80s rock songs throughout, and very intellectual, with poignant poetry found in nearly every scene. Those two points alone should give anyone a solid idea what to expect going in. There's even a metaphor about relationships and sex in relation to war in history. The focus of the film is purely on the linguists and dialogue in order to drive the story and does not call on any physical or visual imagery at all; this is great on stage, but ineffective on film. The film winds down by telling a lengthy story instead of ending when it should have. Although it gets into the lives of the students and teachers well, it is not as deeply gripping as a film like this should have been.

This film does feature some incredible performances such as Rudge (Russell Tovey), who is the one with the most troubles and breaks the most bounds, also stands out the most. He's supported strongly by Posner (Samuel Barnett), an incredibly talented actor and singer who plays the homosexual boy, and Dakin (Dominic Cooper), who is the cigarette-smoking, sporty, attractive guy you don't want to mess with. The rest of the boisterous cast of students have amazing chemistry, but look like they are acting on stage and not for the camera. One last thing--I really have to mention Frances de la Tour (plays Mrs. Lintott), is practically the only woman in the film with a speaking part. She adds a lot--even more acerbically in the film. Her character has a lot to say--and anyone seeing the film would be wise to listen very closely to her precise words. Other then that, "The History Boys" should have been left untouched in its natural on-stage format and not converted to the screen.

Rubbish (Well, it is an English movie!).......2007-06-25

This movie was totally, mind-numbingly, boring! The movie was a study in character (and motives), and the relationship between teacher and student. I get that. Please don't high hand me with your intellectual reprovals. The movie was littered with references to high brow literature and poetry (most of which I have read and enjoyed) to the point that it came off sounding like an intellectual version of name dropping. I don't think the comparison to Dead Poets Society is accurate. Dead Poets Society was a much better film, in my opinion.

Anyway you slice it, though, the movie was long, laborious, and boring. I won't even go into the weird sexual overtones.

Excellent film--but let's clarify something.......2007-06-16

I've watched this film twice and enjoyed every minute of it and the finely tuned performances. Still, I feel compelled to respond to the reviewer here from England. Your review is well written and astute--until you get to slamming Dead Poets Society. To be blunt, you don't seem to grasp the reality of that milieu any more than the Americans who don't "get" History Boys. DPS presents a very accurate depiction of the claustrophobic environment at an all-boys boarding prep school in the East in that period of American history. The film accurately depicts the obsession with control and tradition at snobby, East-Coast prep schools and the teenagers' rebellious, atavistic response. It is NOT a Hollywood fabrication. We have a suicide at the end and the loss of the boys' only inspiring teacher--made a scapegoat by the administration and parents: if you think that only happens in Hollywood, you're sadly mistaken. Also, while I like History Boys a great deal, Weir has crafted a much more artistic work in DPS; it has a beautiful, at times haunting, aesthetic. The druidic scenes in the woods alone are worth the price of admission. And it may be a vehicle for Williams but even he is real, the inveterate performer loved by the students but resented by his colleauges. At the end he too is nothing but a victim of the school's warped value system and inabilty to progress. Two fine films--very different--each capturing a moment in history and both doing an excellent and entertaining job of it.

Love it!.......2007-06-06

This is truly a brilliant film, I have not watched the stage version although I have read the play (and screenplay) and the stage version does seem more fleshed out, but that does not mean that the film is 'lousier' in any way. I won't bother with the usual themes of homosexuality, education etc. as I feel that most reviews have already mentioned this. Rather I have been reading a lot of reviews about this film (I love this show) and I thought I'd just share my opinion of some of the problems that others have raised about The History Boys.

One thing raised was the apparent lack of direction in the film. If you're looking for a film that raises questions about education, or homosexuality etc. etc., forget this show. I don't think this is Alan Bennet's objective in writing the film. Unlike, say, Top Girls by Caryl Churchill which she wrote to raise questions about feminism and socialism (just an example), The History Boys isn't so much raising points about controversial issues but experiencing it. This isn't a show with a definite objective, it does not seek to judge but rather, ponder. Something like an intellectual bildungsroman.

Many people were also offended by the apparent nonchalence at Hector's indecent groping. I think to be hung up over this issue is to fail to see what the story is driving at. This isn't really a play about homosexuality. Homosexuality within the context of the film is really just another one of life's problems and issues, not much different from socially disadvantaged boy trying for oxbridge. I don't think the boys were ever 'exploited' by Hector, in fact they seem to have the emotional upperhand over him. They treated his groping of them with disinterest, boredom and an attitude of couldn't somewhat care less distaste.

Apart from Posner I don't think the other characters are truly 'homosexual' in the context of the word. Hector is just plain lusty. Irwin and Dakin are really more pansexual than homosexual. They're attracted to one another because of the chemistry they spark off one another, gender was never really a consideration.

The film though, is set in a rather unbelievable context and has the characters spout lines that you don't hear spoken on a normal basis by normal people, but that shouldn't detract you from enjoying the show. However if you're not the typical anglophile this show may be quite hard to follow due to the multiple cultural references and the wry british wit (the latter of which seems very unappealing to americans, although I can never understand why, slapstick never seemed funny in the least.) I remember reading an article where Samuel Barnett said most of the audience at broadway didn't understand the part about sheffield (when Posner is confiding in Irwin).

Lastly the cast had an excellent chemistry and camaraderie. I'm a bit sorry I never had the chance to watch the stage play with the original cast so it would be nice if the producers release a DVD of the original stage play.

Although DVD is no subsitute for live theatre, this is still a gem.......2007-06-04

There are a few things potential viewers, particularly American viewers, need to know about this movie. It focuses on a class of young men who are trying to get into some of the finest British schools. I note this only because there are key differences between British and American schools as well as teaching methods and this may be confusing to some viewers.

I would suggest focusing on the themes of this movie as you watch it, particularly various teaching styles, the role of history in education and, specifically, what a "good education" is. Among other things, the film grapples with issues of
what the students produce, both in their written work and in their classroom discussions. Should an original paper, which is full of cleverness but not much depth, be rewarded more than a solid paper which rehashes conventional wisdom? Those are the types of dilemnas that come up, among others.

If this review hasn't led you to the conclusion that this movie is thought -provoking and geared to making one think about the role of education and styles of learning and teaching, I apologize - because that is what this film does.

Having said that, I think this film suffers from not being presented live, on stage.Often film enhances a Broadway play but I didn't find that the case here. Some of the "students" seemed to be too old and a certain intensity and spontaneity was lost. I would strongly suggest getting a copy of the play in book form and doing a comparison. Better yet, see a live performance.

Still, I think this is worth seeing on DVD, especially since it has extra commentary by Nicholas Hytner and Alan Bennett. There are a couple of featurettes about making the movie and the History Boys around the World.

I can't give a top flight rating to this because it fell short of what I'd experienced of this play before....but it shows effort, is far above the typical fluff shown in theatres and is certainly timely, focusing on education and its role in one's entire life. It is also an excellent introduction to comparing one educational system (British) with other systems, changes and all. The History Boys: A Play

Average customer rating:

Absolutely Timeless
Good for class
saving the banter and redundancies of previous reviews...
Breathing Life into School
a great and inspiring film......

Dead Poets Society (Special Edition)
Starring: Robin Williams , Robert Sean Leonard , Ethan Hawke , Josh Charles , and Gale Hansen
Director: Peter Weir
Manufacturer: Buena Vista Home Entertainment / Touchstone
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ASIN: B000B8QG1S
Release Date: 2006-01-10

Amazon.com essential video

Robin Williams stars as an English teacher who doesn't fit into the conservative prep school where he teaches, but whose charisma and love of poetry inspires several boys to revive a secret society with a bohemian bent. The script is well meaning but a little trite, though director Peter Weir (The Truman Show) adds layers of emotional depth in scenes of conflict between the kids and adults. (A subplot involving one father's terrible pressure on his son--played by Robert Sean Leonard--to drop his interest in theater reaches heartbreaking proportions.) Williams is given plenty of latitude to work in his brand of improvisational humor, though it is all well-woven into his character's style of instruction. --Tom Keogh

Description

In an age defined by crew cuts, sport coats, and cheerless conformity, he not only broke the mold ... he reinvented it. Academy Award(R) winner Robin Williams (Best Supporting Actor, GOOD WILL HUNTING, 1997) delivers an extraordinary performance in one of the most compelling motion pictures of all time. Williams stars as English professor John Keating, a passionate iconoclast who changes his students' lives forever when he challenges them to live life to the fullest and "Carpe Diem" -- seize the day! Keating's unconventional approach meets with irrepressible enthusiasm from his students, but the faculty at staid, exclusive Welton Academy prep school is, to put it mildly, not amused. Featuring a star-marking performance by Ethan Hawke and over three hours of never-before-seen bonus materials, this Special Edition of DEAD POETS SOCIETY will captivate and inspire you again and again.

Customer Reviews:

Absolutely Timeless.......2007-06-16

Some of the more cynical movie critics out there have been quick to slam 'Dead Poets Society', mistaking its beauty and idealism for over-sentimentality. In my view these critics simply need to open themselves up a little more.

The arrival of John Keating in a strict boys boarding school, blows open the lives and minds of all his young students. Perhaps this is where the film finds a place in the hearts of so many viewers. Many people will have spent their schooldays mired in tedium and waiting for someone to truly engage them. This is the gift that Mr. Keating bestows upon his students. The movie is a subtle, beautiful and moving examination of human relations.

The movie works heavily with the idiom that still waters run deep. Todd Anderson is new to the boarding school and extremely quiet. His shy nature is what guides him into the purview of Mr. Keating and allows him to become a sort of poetic protegé. The relationship between these two is one of the most touching parts of the movie and is sure to reach even the hardest of cynics out there.

To any potential viewer of this film, all I would say is open yourself up. This is a beautiful fim and will perhaps show what those schooldays could have been, given a little inspiration in the faculty.

Good for class.......2007-05-07

I used this in my class after reading several of the poems. Outstanding! Gave students a lot to think about.

saving the banter and redundancies of previous reviews..........2007-05-01

Unarguably, one of the finest films in the history of cinema.

Breathing Life into School.......2007-03-17

`Dead Poets' Society' feels like a classic from start to finish. The movie finds Robin Williams in a break-out role that transcends his earlier, comedic work. Which is not to say he isn't funny at times in this movie; it's just that he's more well-rounded. If we didn't care about the poor lads at Welton Academy, the whole film would fall apart. A boarding school with the highest academic standards, Welton is presented as the epitome of 1950's conformity and convention.

It all begins when alumna, John Keating (Williams) replaces a deceased English professor at the aforementioned school. It's school motto is "Tradition, Honor, Discipline, and Excellence". It lives up to the standards, even if the emotional needs of the all-male institution don't seem to be met. Keating comes into the classroom, tearing at the textbook--literally, as well as metaphorically--while giving a context and a passion to find the meaning of poetry in their young lives. Digging out his old yearbook, they discover he was a decorated academic figure with a colorful past: He belonged to "The Dead Poets' Society," a secret, male-bonding organization off the school's extracurricular path. Wanting to emulate their "Captain, My Captain," as he takes from Walt Whitman, they reinstate his contraband club by skirting curfew and meeting in their teacher's former lair, a cave, where they perform pagan rituals of passion and enjoyment. Of course the whole affair is bound to bump heads with tradition and the administration, but the developments admirably keep our studied interest.

While columnist George Will has stated objections to the movie, noting that gratitude back then was higher and the tragedy presented in the film was far lower, the main mentor is a mouthpiece of caution. Good judgment is part and parcel to enjoyment of life. Who then can argue that pursuing one's passion is the goal and impetus to avoid making life "a life of quiet desperation," as he quotes Thoreau? In a separate column, Will did argue that the fifties weren't "The Dark Ages" they have been reported to be, significantly citing the advent of Alan Ginsberg, a Beat Poet, as his evidence. Nevertheless, 'Dead Poet's Society' supports a vision to grab the gusto in life and jealously guard one's dreams. Even though the actual cave scenes sometimes leave something to be desired, they are important for the development of the flow and the plot of the movie. They certainly are genuine. Making poetry a living art to try and match the soul is work of a real mentor. Even taken with a grain of salt, the movie's message is convincing and important.

a great and inspiring film.............2007-03-14

DEAD POET'S SOCIETY remains a very important film, to me. It reiterates the importance of being true to oneself in the face of conformity and alludes to the quote from scripture, "Ashes to ashes, dust to dust." Poetry teacher John Keating (Robin Williams), hired by Welton Academy Prep School (an all boys school) to teach their young students about Henry David Thoreau. His class leads to more than just a revival of poetry, but is also a visionary experience for the young men in Mr. Keating's course. The teacher inspires Neil Perry (Robert Sean Leonard), Todd Anderson (Ethan Hawke), Knox Overstreet (Josh Charles), among others to Carpe Dieum ("Seize the Day"). The boys revive the Dead Poet's Society, a club that Keating himself belonged to in prep school. The study of poetry leads to the examination of their life's purposes and brings about a chain of important, life-changing events for all involved (I don't want to spoil the plot with any specific details).

Director Peter Weir (PICNIC ON HANGING ROCK) paints a compelling and sensitive portrait of the lives of young men, who were inspired and instructed by a truly visionary teacher. Not only do the actors deliver strong and engaging performances, but it also leaves the audience inspired.........

Average customer rating:

Brings back memories!
Typical Eighties teen comedy
THIS IS A GREAT MOVIE!!!
Teen madness
If you love Phoebe Cates...

Private School
Starring: Phoebe Cates , Betsy Russell , Matthew Modine , Michael Zorek , and Fran Ryan
Director: Noel Black
Manufacturer: Universal Studios
ProductGroup: DVD
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ASIN: B00049QJBG
Release Date: 2007-03-06

Amazon.com

Take Animal House, throw in a dose of television's Bosom Buddies and you get the Phoebe Cates/Matthew Modine sex farce Private School. The 1983 film was shot one year after Cates won fame in Fast Times at Ridgemont High (thanks primarily to her little red bikini), and two years before Modine won rave reviews for his work in Vision Quest. While neither star gives a stellar performance in Private School, both are appealing and likeable, even with the ridiculous premise. Chris (Cates) attends an all-girls private school, while horndog Jim (Modine) matriculates at the nearby all-boys school. In order to get close to her, Jim and his friend dress up like girls and befriend Chris and her hot posse. When Chris' sexy rival Jordan (Betsy Russell) tries to woo Jim away by riding a horse, Lady Godiva style, the stage is set for a catfight. Throw in a guest appearance by Sylvia Kristel of Emmanuelle fame and double entendres abound. The soundtrack is full of songs by '80s staples such as Rick Springfield, Vanity Six, and Bow Wow Wow, whose "I Want Candy" is played throughout a peeping shower scene. Though cheesy and intended for teenage boys, the film has an almost innocent charm compared to some of the current fare in theaters. --Jae-Ha Kim

Description

Private School is where kids leave parents behind, and learn what growing up is really about. It's a romantic comedy from the same people who brought you the hilarious Private Lessons. Starring Phoebe Cates, with a special appearance by sensuous Sylvia Kristel as the sex education teacher whose classes are the best attended on campus. Chris Ramsay (Cates) and Jim Green (Matthew Modine) are experiencing the joys and pains of first love. She goes to the Cherryvale Academy-he attends nearby Freemount. When Chris gets a rival for Jim's affections, it sparks off a battle royale of zany pranks that turn both schools upside down with laughter. Private School features a soundtrack of hits from artists like the Stray Cats, Vanity Six, Bow-Wow-Wow and Rick Springfield.

Customer Reviews:

Brings back memories!.......2007-05-30

I received this DVD last night and ordered it because of Phoebe Cates, who I am still in love with! She is such a beautiful woman!

This movie is typical 80's fare, guys chasing women and trying to get some any way they can! That pretty much was a reflection of my own thinking at that time and loved these movies when they came out. Of course, throw in Phoebe Cates and potential skin shots, and I am there!

Realistically, its not that great of a movie, unless you love Phoebe! That's pretty much the only reason I bought this movie!

PS the sound is in MONO! I forgot that few movies were in stereo at that time!

Typical Eighties teen comedy.......2007-05-21

I gave this three stars because it is a typical eighties teen comedy whose most redeeming features are its female cast. The scene with Betsy Russell riding a horse though, is a scene not to be missed.

THIS IS A GREAT MOVIE!!!.......2007-05-07

THIS IS ONE OF MY FAVORITE MOVIES SINCE I WAS A TEENAGER. IT'S ALL ABOUT COLLEGE SEX! GUYS WILL BE GUYS WHEN IT COMES TO SEX! SOME WILL LIE ABOUT WHO THEY HAVE DONE IT WITH JUST TO MAKE THEMSELVES LOOK LIKE STUDS AND OTHERS JUST DON'T LIKE TO TALK ABOUT IT! A BIG BUSTED GIRL TRIES TO BREAK A COUPLE WHO ARE REALLY IN LOVE UP AND MORE HILARIOUS SCENES THAT YOU'LL HAVE TO SEE FOR YOURSELF! I LOVE IT!

Teen madness.......2007-04-11

I found this an amusing movie starring Phoebe Cates. If you like the antics of teenage girls and boys and a weird parent, you might enjoy this movie.

If you love Phoebe Cates..........2007-04-06

...then you will love this movie. I saw this movie when I was a young boy of like 12 or 13 and I've loved it ever sine. I fell in love with Phoebe Cates from this movie and have followed her career from this to Fast Times to the TV Movie, Baby Sister, to Gremlins and to Lace I and Lace II. It's a shame she retired from the business. Thoug she did act in The Anniversary Party with her best friend, Jennifer Jason Leigh and her husband, Kevin Kline and her 2 children Owen and Greta.
So, Private School wasn't a great movie, but it was fun and funny and will always hold a special place in my heart. This along with Zapped and Screwballs (a bad Porky's rip-off) will always hold dear and true to my heart.
Plus, Phoebe Cates sings 2 songs in this movie that are on the Soundtrack, which is hard to find.
All in all, this is a fun movie with lots of gratuitous nudity of young women and Betsy Russell as Jordan almost steals the show, with her bare backing horse scene. Also, for a young Matthew Modine, looking really fine.

Average customer rating:

The fabulous Bridges boys
Okay, I'm in love with Jeff Bridges...
The Story and the Actors are just as Fabulous!
SAME OLD TRANSFER
Still Fabulous After all these years.

The Fabulous Baker Boys
Starring: Jeff Bridges , Michelle Pfeiffer , Beau Bridges , Ellie Raab , and Xander Berkeley
Director: Steven Kloves
Manufacturer: MGM (Video & DVD)
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ASIN: B000LP6KMQ
Release Date: 2007-01-30

Amazon.com essential video

An inspired casting gimmick, a wonderful mood, a grown-up love story--all this in The Fabulous Baker Boys, but the only thing anybody ever talks about is Michelle Pfeiffer on top of a piano. Granted, it's a showstopper: clad in a slinky dress, Pfeiffer rolls around on the Steinway while she purrs out a languid version of "Makin' Whoopee." Adding to the seductive vibe is the fact that she's not singing to the audience, but to the sullen piano player (Jeff Bridges) whose fancy she has captured. Bridges and his real-life brother, Beau, play two lounge entertainers whose act has grown stale; they're not above doing "Feelings" for the tourist crowd. They've hired songbird Pfeiffer (who does her own sexy singing) to spice up the routine, a strategy that pays off in spades. The three actors are terrific, with the fabulous Bridges boys playing neatly off their own sibling rhythms. Writer-director Steve Kloves captures the feel of second-rate Seattle clubs, and Dave Grusin's jazzy score keeps propelling the film forward. The story itself might have come from a 1940s romance, yet Kloves and his actors keep it unusually modern and thoughtful. And then there's Michelle Pfeiffer rolling around on top of a piano.... --Robert Horton

Description

Jack and Frank Baker are stuck in a rut. Playing the same tired tunes night after night, the brothers are in desperate need of change. So when they meet a sultry songbird named Susie Diamond, their future starts to sparkle. But when life in the limelight brings old rivalries to the surface as Jack and SusieÂ's relationship heats up, the Baker boys soon find their act Â- and their lives Â- growing more entertaining than either of them may be able to handle!

Customer Reviews:

The fabulous Bridges boys.......2007-05-27

The lounge act of Frank and Jack Baker (Beau and Jeff Bridges) has fallen on hard times, but things pick up when they add a girl singer (Michelle Pfeiffer) to the act. She becomes the catalyst for some big changes and serious soul-searching, mostly on the part of brother Jack, who is a gifted jazz pianist. The best thing about this movie is the trio of great performances at its core. The Bridges brothers have a real sibling chemistry that can't just be acted. The screenplay itself is pretty formulaic, but the actors breathe life into it.

Okay, I'm in love with Jeff Bridges..........2007-02-15

Let's cut to the chase -- this movie had two pluses going for it before I ever watched it --I play the piano, and I'm in love with Jeff Bridges. Ever since I saw him in some schmaltzy romantic comedy with Sally Field (I think he was her true-life boring-handsome fiancee, and her dead rake-charming ex-husband was James Caan), I've been truly smitten. His handsome head of hair, his charming grin, his unbelievably sexy voice, his ....well, do I need to go on? In "The Fabulous Baker Boys", we see his nuanced character acting. Brother Beau (also irresistable in his own way), as the responsible father-figure brother, and Michelle Pfieffer as Suzy Diamond (one of her very best roles ever), make a terrific ensemble act for what could have been an all-too-predictable story. Who cares if it's predictable, I say? At the end of the movie, you really don't care, because the character development in this movie is fabulous. The acting is fabulous, and most of all, the movie score is fabulous. Dave Grusin rules! I own this movie, and when I'm feeling really down, I watch it, because it reminds me that perfection on all levels is all that really matters.

The Story and the Actors are just as Fabulous!.......2007-02-07

the Baker Boys is one of those special movies that you get more out of everytime you view it. For anyone that plays or performs or has wanted to perform music, they will surely relate to the gritty pitfalls and problems that are endemic to the sub-culture world of the gigging musician.

In this movie, you have two brothers with an unusual act, having side to side pianos, and at a juncture in their lives when the act is already starting to stale out, add a singer, who just happens to be the impossibly beautiful Michelle Pfeiffer, singing her own parts in the movie, and she serves as a catalyst to bring about a change in all of their lives.

there are several keynotes intense dialogue scenes involving a confrontation between the brothers and between Michelle and Jeff Bridges that are some of the best ever put on celluloid.

and the clincher is the soundtrack masterminded by the great Dave Grusin, which covers many styles and moods.

Anyone who hasn't seen this one yet is in for a special treat!

SAME OLD TRANSFER.......2007-02-05

This DVD has new packaging but uses the same old non-anamorphic transfer and Dolby Digital Surround sound as the old version. MGM needs to release an anamorphic version with 5.1 Dolby Digital!!!

Still Fabulous After all these years........2007-02-02

The most recent DVD release from MGM/20th Century Fox of The Fabulous Baker Boys, in spite of indifferent sound, is still a wonderful viewing experience. Thanks to the latest copy protected but still crisp video transfer, the glorious photography of Michael Ballhaus is well served showing Jeff and Beau Bridges, Michelle Pfeiffer and the mostly cold wet city of Seattle in spot on performances. Released to the big screen in 1989, The Fabulous Baker Boys, (performed by the real brothers Bridges,) is a timeless journey into the mysteries and intrigues of a fifteen year- two piano - lounge act made fresh again by the addition of an engaging and beautiful singer, (suprisingly underplayed by Ms Pfeiffer.) While most of the keyboard music in the film is provided by the great Dave Grusin, Ms Pfeiffer more than adequately holds her own both as actor and singer. And yes her wonderfully choreographed scene atop a piano of "Makin' Whoopee" is in a class by itself. So here is a bare bones and economically priced DVD release of a film which begs for a deluxe makeover but for the moment still shines handsomely in spite of its sub run treatment. Enjoy.

Average customer rating:

Like Putting on a Comfortable Robe
~I love Tobey Maguire~
---Standin' on the gallows with my head in the noose Any minute now I'm expecting' all hell to break loose...
What can you say...
Funny, tragic, and delightfully twisted.

Wonder Boys
Starring: Philip Bosco , Jr. Robert Downey , Frances McDormand , Michael Douglas , and Richard Thomas
Director: Curtis Hanson
Manufacturer: Paramount
ProductGroup: DVD
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Wonder Boys: Music from the Motion Picture (2000 Film)
Election
You Can Count on Me

ASIN: B00003CXDJ
Release Date: 2001-03-13

Amazon.com

Wonder Boys is one of those movies in which more twists and turns disrupt the life of the hero in one weekend than would bother most of us our whole lives. Professor Grady Tripp (Michael Douglas) is an aging one-novel wunderkind at a small Pittsburgh college who's laboring on his seven-years-in-the-making, 2000-plus page second opus with no end in sight. The morning of the college's literary lollapalooza, WordFest, Grady's wife leaves him; that evening, his mistress (Frances McDormand) announces she's pregnant (she's also the chancellor of the school, as well as the wife of Grady's boss). Grady's voracious editor (Robert Downey Jr.) is also in town, transvestite date in tow, determined to read the highly anticipated new book; there's also the nubile student (Katie Holmes), who seems more than willing to ease Grady's pain. And then there's James Leer (Tobey Maguire), the mordant and brilliant writing student who's the catalyst for Grady's lost weekend, which involves a soon-to-be-dead blind dog, a stolen car, and the jacket that Marilyn Monroe wore when she wed Joe DiMaggio.

Had enough flights of fancy? It's only the beginning, and in the hands of director Curtis Hanson (L.A. Confidential) and screenwriter Steve Kloves (The Fabulous Baker Boys), Wonder Boys will have you begging for more. Adroitly adapting Michael Chabon's novel and distilling it to its droll, melancholy essence, Kloves and Hanson have fashioned a briskly unsentimental and darkly funny tale; these characters may be down on their luck, but they sure don't feel sorry for themselves. Douglas, by turns dryly sarcastic and sincerely heartfelt, single-handedly makes up for years of alpha-male posturing as the passive pothead Tripp, and whoever thought of pairing him with the resilient McDormand is brilliant--they convey the complexities and history of their relationship in a single glance or movement. And under Hanson's guidance, the rest of the cast is truly exceptional, with Maguire in a breakthrough performance and Downey at his manic best. The ending of Wonder Boys may feel a little too pat, but after everything these characters have been through, a happy ending seems a just reward. --Mark Englehart

Customer Reviews:

Like Putting on a Comfortable Robe.......2007-05-28

Wonder Boys is one heck of a great movie. Personally, I thought it was very entertaining and featured excellent acting from some incredibly talented actors. Michael Douglas is tremendous as a professor (Grady) that had a novel published and has spent the next several years trying to recapture the writing magic. There is no surprise that the movie is based on the novel Wonder Boys: A Novel by one of the more talented newer novelist out there: Michael Chabon of the just released The Yiddish Policemen's Union: A Novel.

Additional fine acting comes from the inimitable Frances McDormand who plays the married muse of Grady. Toby McGuire plays a confused student of the Pittsburgh college. Robert Downy plays an addictive personality serving as Grady's literary agent. This dysfuctional group of players make for a fun movie about friendship and all its different manifestations. A highly recommended 5 star movie.

~I love Tobey Maguire~.......2007-05-10

I'm a huge fan of Tobey Maguire's and I really enjoyed this film. He is one of the main stars in it. If you like Tobey then you'll enjoy this film.

---Standin' on the gallows with my head in the noose Any minute now I'm expecting' all hell to break loose..........2007-04-21

...People are crazy and times are strange I'm locked in tight, I'm out of range I used to care but - things have changed. -- Bob Dylan

One of the best movies about writers and writing I've seen, "Wonder Boys" is centered around Grady Trimp (Michael Douglas in one of his most enjoyable performances), the college professor and the author of one very good book who has written over 2000 pages of his eagerly expected (at least by his impatient editor, Robert Downy, Jr - where is this guy?) second book but still is not sure when and how it ends. During one strange weekend, Grady would have to deal with his wife leaving him, his married girlfriend's pregnancy, the stolen Marylyn Monroe's priced jacket, a dead dog in his car's trunk, his obviously very talented but troubled student, and the most serious question of all - to write or not to write? ...Oh, and there is also that song by Bob Dylan!

What can you say..........2007-01-16

What can I say its a movie. It came in great condition, the disc wasn't scratched.

Funny, tragic, and delightfully twisted........2007-01-04

Wonder Boys (Curtis Hanson, 2000)

I ended up seeing a lot of movies-- a whole lot of movie-- the weekend I saw Wonder Boys, and it was by far the best of them. Rare is the movie, these days, that's laugh-out-loud funny. Rarer still is that movie actually a drama, a sort of absurdist metatragedy about the decline and fall of a University professor who seems bound and determined to destroy his life and his career in the shortest possible time.

Grady Tripp (Michael Douglas) is that professor, a man who wrote one vastly popular, critically acclaimed book seven years before, and has been unable to finish its follow-up. On the weekend of a big to-do at the school where he teaches, his editor, Terry Crabtree (Robert Downey, Jr.), comes into town to get a look at this legendary manuscript Tripp has spent the last seven years writing. At the same time, James Leer (Spider-Man's Tobey Maguire), a neurotic student, has just finished his own manuscript; his relationship with Sara Gaskell (Frances MacDormand), the University chancellor's wife, is going through a rough patch; and his boarder, Hannah Green (Katie Holmes), has picked the worst of all possible times to turn up the pressure on him to get involved romantically with her. Everything's lined up for either salvation or damnation, or possibly both, and Tripp seems bound and determined to figure out as many ways as possible to stick his fat in the fire while still leaving himself that one last road. As we all know, however, the road to hell is paved with good intentions...

When Curtis Hanson is on his game, he's one of the best in the business, and he's definitely on his game here. It helps that he pulled in a fantastic stable of actors to realize Steven Kloves' fabulous script, from the justly famous Michael Chabon novel of the same name. This is a fun, fun movie that got far too little exposure during its brief theatrical run; rediscover it now. ****

Average customer rating:

Excellent!!!
Kevin Kline's Best Starring Role Yet
Very inspirational with a lot of good lessons
The Best Movie I Have Ever Seen!
Cheaters Never Prosper or Do They?

The Emperor's Club (Widescreen Edition)
Starring: Kevin Kline , Emile Hirsch , Embeth Davidtz , Rob Morrow , and Edward Herrmann
Director: Michael Hoffman
Manufacturer: Universal Studios
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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Dead Poets Society (Special Edition)
Finding Forrester
School Ties
Mr. Holland's Opus
Stand and Deliver

ASIN: B00008NFR4
Release Date: 2003-05-06

Amazon.com

Comparisons to Dead Poets Society are inevitable, but The Emperor's Club achieves a rich identity all its own. In the honorable tradition of great teacher dramas like Goodbye, Mr. Chips, Kevin Kline is well cast as Mr. Hundert, longtime teacher of classics and assistant headmaster of St. Benedict's Academy for Boys. There he encounters a defiant student and senator's son (Emile Hirsch) who desperately needs--but ultimately rejects--Hundert's lessons on leadership, integrity, and the shaping of character. Adapted from Ethan Canin's short story "The Palace Thief," the film is conventional to a fault, its flashback structure unfolding in Hollywood shorthand. But its noble sentiments remain potently intact, allowing Kline a performance of great emotional nuance while imparting lessons of universal value. "This is a story with no surprises," as Hundert says, but The Emperor's Club may surprise you with its admirable portrait of a life well lived. --Jeff Shannon

Customer Reviews:

Excellent!!!.......2007-06-17

Why don't they make more quality movies like "The Emperor's Club"? A great family movie.

Kevin Kline's Best Starring Role Yet.......2007-03-14

Kevin Kline has been something of a Hollywood mystery. Up until recently, he was an actor who excelled in supporting roles such as his Academy Award winning performance in A Fish Called Wanda. However, his performances in starring roles have generally been flat.

However, with The Emperor's Club , Kline has turned the corner with starring roles. Kline's excellent performance in this movie could be due to the unusually high quality of the script and other elements that constitute this movie.

For instance, the high schoolers in this movie actually look like high school age youth instead of a bunch of 20-somethings. Unlike most movies about educators, this movie is not about English class. Instead, it is about the decidedly untrendy subject of classical studies. The Emperor's Club is about a good man who would have fit in perfectly with 1950's society trying to impart the importance of classical learning and such classical standards as duty, honor and discipline, to the youth of the 1970's.

The Emperor's Club showcases Kevin Kline's best ever performance in a starring role and that combined with other excellent elements such as the script and Edward Herrmann's outstanding performance as a headmaster makes for a truly outstanding movie.

Very inspirational with a lot of good lessons.......2007-02-28

A very inspirational movie with
a lot of great lessons for
the young and old.

The Best Movie I Have Ever Seen!.......2007-01-25

I thought "The Emperor's Club" was one of the best movies I've ever seen. It taught me a lot of valuable life lessons. Such as to do the right thing. To be respectful to others and to listen to your teacher or mentor.

Cheaters Never Prosper or Do They?.......2006-09-29

This is a great film and rates only 4 stars because it is not without some flaws but those flaws are minor in comparison to the message the film brings. On the negative side the subplots are thin and not explored. The motivation for some of the action is missing or only implied. Kevin Kline is an excellent actor but because he must substitute expression for dialog he frequently comes across as suffering from acute constipation. BUT THIS IS A GREAT FILM -- especially today when cheating is so rampant and seems to be so accepted.

The movie rests on three moral issues. The teacher is highly motivated and truly believes in morality, virtue, dedication, and service to others. When confronted with a student with great potential but poor values and worse motivation, he compromises in order he thinks to salvage the student. The headmaster when confronted with the knowledge that there has been cheating elects to ignore it. Should the teacher expose the cheater for what he is? The cheater only believes in winning at any cost and if that cost is cheating then so be it, because he places no value on honor, integrity, or honesty. Is a life built on sham, selfishness,and devoid of virtue and honor worthy of respect? Is the price of cheating paid in self-respect? Can hyprocrisy substitute for honor, commitment, and integrity? These questions are mostly left open for the audience to decide and for this reason this is a great movie to watch with your teenage children or even young adults. Too often the temptation to cheat in order to win seems like the easy path and others that take that path -- as they do in this movie -- seem to be the winers in life, but at what cost? This movie explores that question without preaching or even providing an answer. Anyone who believes in honor, virtue, and fair play should see this movie.

Average customer rating:

Really enjoyable!
I loved it
A good adaptation
Douglas McGrath Nicholas Nickleby is the Better Version
Virtue - and audiences - rewarded

Nicholas Nickleby
Starring: Stella Gonet , Andrew Havill , Henry McGrath , Hugh Mitchell , and Poppy Rogers
Director: Douglas McGrath
Manufacturer: MGM (Video & DVD)
ProductGroup: DVD
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ASIN: B00009MEJ4
Release Date: 2003-07-22

Amazon.com

While it necessarily streamlines the Charles Dickens classic, this delightful adaptation of Nicholas Nickelby captures the essence of Dickens in all of its Victorian splendor and squalor. With Charlie Hunnam (the U.K. Queer as Folk) doing noble work in the title role, this quintessentially Dickensian tale begins with the death of Nicholas's father, and the subsequent scheme by his cruel uncle (Christopher Plummer, perfectly cast) to separate Nicholas from his now penniless sister and mother. Stuck in a squalid school run by the evil Mr. and Mrs. Squeers (Jim Broadbent, Juliet Stevenson), Nicholas escapes with his loyal friend Smike (Billy Elliott's Jamie Bell), whose lineage will determine the greedy uncle's fate. As he did with Jane Austen's Emma, writer-director Douglas McGrath has crafted a prestigious production that shifts effortlessly between comedy and tragedy without compromising its warm, inviting tone. His dialogue rings true throughout, inspiring a stellar cast including Nathan Lane, Alan Cumming, Edward Fox, and Timothy Spall. Dickens himself would almost certainly have approved. --Jeff Shannon

Customer Reviews:

Really enjoyable!.......2007-06-22

I usually like all adaptations of classics, because the film always starts with a great story. Some are done better than others and director Doug McGrath did a really good job with this one. I haven't read the novel so I can't compare the film to the book but the film felt complete in itself--I didn't sense that anything essential to the story was missing.

Everything about this is well done- the script, the settings, costumes, music, all of it. The cast is superb--a really fine group of established, talented actors and it's a pleasure to watch them. Some reviewers here didn't like the lead actor, Charlie Hunnan, but I thought he was perfect for the role--young, innocent (the director said he was looking for someone "lamblike") and certainly handsome. I quickly became engaged in the character, Nicholas, due to the qualities of this young man--his charm and earnestness. Tall, blond, with great cheekbones, he is the essence of a romantic hero, at least in my book.

The crippled orphan, Slake, is brilliantly played by Jamie Bell. It's a hard part, I think and the temptation to overdo the pathos is great. He did it just right and won the hearts of most all viewers, as you can read here. I felt that Anne Hathaway was the weakest link but she's not bad and fortunately, she's only in the last part.

Having seen quite a few hyper-arty films lately that seem to eschew any real action, emotion or....God forbid....an ending that offers real emotional resolution, I found this to be a wonderful relief. Goodbye artiness, bring back art!

I loved it.......2007-05-18

Little Smike broke my heart and after renting it I went out and bought my own copy.

A good adaptation .......2007-04-17

This movie, which was a wonderful adaptation to Dickens' masterpiece, did a good job at covering a very lengthy and in depth novel. I will not bother to summerize the movie - I guess that others have done that - so I will instead just say that this is a good and relaxing adaptation. If you want to just sit down and enjoy a very good adaptation to this novel, than this is the movie for you. It is only a few hours, so you do not have to be constantly changing the DVD's and sit for hours on end, and the acting is superb. I would highly recommend this movie to anyone who likes the novel Nicholas Nickleby and wants a nice and uplifting movie. One things, however, is that it was heavily abridged, so if you want more details - or if you are trying to skimp out on having to read the entire book for an assignment - then you will want one of the other box sets. Otherwise, this is a good movie. It also has a wonderful soundtrack to accompany it, by a wonderful Mrs. Portman. One of my favorites.

Douglas McGrath Nicholas Nickleby is the Better Version.......2007-04-05

This is the better version to watch and have in your private collection. It has all the elements without going over the top. All the actors do a fine job and a always enjoy Anne Hathaway.
I would enjoy watching this version over John Dellimore version of Nicholas Nickleby anytme.

Virtue - and audiences - rewarded.......2006-09-01

Despite being overlooked on release, Douglas McGrath's wonderful 2002 version of Dickens' tale of good rewarded captures both the feel and the sound of Dickens remarkably well. This world is indeed lived in, and the characters are vividly realised. The underplayed theatricality of Nathan Lane's opening and closing narration, allied to a strong sense of the cinematic sets the perfect tone right from the start, and its reprise at the ending is almost a well-deserved bow from the filmmakers.

It's even good enough to overcome the void at its center that is Charlie Hunnam, clearly cast for his looks since acting isn't a strong point. Indeed, it's bizarre that in a film with so many Americans, Canadians and Australians in its cast, the most unconvincing accent comes from a Brit, but Geordie Hunnam's curiously Scouse accent sticks out like a sore thumb, not only at odds with the rest of his family but also making him sound like a bored Beatle throughout - a kind of benign George Harrison without the `tache or the personality.

Thankfully his blandness is more than compensated for by some excellent work by Christopher Plummer's villainous uncle, avoiding the usual caricature the role inspires, and Jim Broadbent, Juliet Stevenson and Heather Goldenhersch (boasting such a perfect English accent I was surprised to find she was American) as the hideous Squeers family, embracing it and pulling it off magnificently, while Nathan Lane and Dame Edna Everidge are truly inspired casting as the open-hearted but financially challenged theatricals Mr and Mrs Crummles. There's fine work from Timothy Spall, Tom Courtenay, Phil Davis and, most surprising of all, even Edward Fox as well. It doesn't avoid the sentimentality but manages to turn it into genuine emotion, not least because no-one falls into the trap of wildly overplaying - even Dame Edna.

All in all an unexpectedly delightful, genuinely likeable, sincerely heartwarming film that deserved more success than it found - but as Mrs Crummles notes, in the great struggle between "those aged combatants art and commerce... art, it would appear from the receipts, is in its usual position of jeopardy."

Average customer rating:

plight of the refugee
Dissapointing to Say The Least
Great Informational Tool, Subtitle Malfunction
powerful and compelling documentary......
Great Information But Not-So-Great Documentary

POV: Lost Boys of Sudan
Starring: Peter Kon Dut , and Santino Majok Chuor
Director: Megan Mylan , and Jon Shenk
Manufacturer: New Video Group
ProductGroup: DVD
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Darfur Diaries: Message From Home
Frontline: Ghosts of Rwanda
Sometimes in April
They Poured Fire on Us from the Sky: The True Story of Three Lost Boys from Sudan
God Grew Tired Of Us: A Memoir

ASIN: B0002V7NYI
Release Date: 2004-11-02

Amazon.com

Lost Boys of Sudan, which premiered on PBS's P.O.V. series in 2003, is a gripping documentary about young refugees from the Sudanese conflict as well as a moving story of survival and acclimation in a strange and daunting land. The film centers around two young Dinka tribesmen who must flee a vicious civil war in their homeland and risk thirst, starvation, and animal attack to reach refugee camps thousands of miles away in Kenya in Ethiopia. Once there, the "lost boys'" journey begins again, as they are resettled in Houston, Texas, and must start new lives in a completely alien country. Eventually, their adjustment to 21st century life becomes the film's main focus; can they join American society and still retain their tribal connections? Told in simple but powerful images, Lost Boys of Sudan affectingly addresses themes of home, acceptance, family, and what it means to be a member of society--both America and the global community. --Paul Gaita

Description

Winner of an Independent Spirit Award and named Best Documentary at the San Francisco International Film Festival, LOST BOYS OF SUDAN follows two teenage Sudanese refugees on an extraordinary journey from Africa to America, offering a gripping and sobering peek into the myth of the American Dream. In the late `80s, Islamic fundamentalists in Sudan waged war on the country's separatists, leaving behind over 20,000 male orphans, otherwise known as "lost boys." For those who survived this traumatic ordeal and found their way to refugee camps, som were chosen to participate in a resettlement program in America--a distant place so presumably full of hope and opportunity that the Sudanese sometimes call it Heaven. But what if a free ticket to "Heaven" turned out to be anything but? Sidestepping conventional voice-over narration in favor of real-time, close-quarters poignancy, LOST BOYS OF SUDAN focuses on Santino and Peter, members of the Dinka tribe, during their first life-altering year in the United States. Safe at last from physical danger--but a world away from home--the boys must grapple with extreme cultural differences as they come to understand both the abundance and alienation of contemporary American life.

Customer Reviews:

plight of the refugee.......2007-06-04

Good film showing the struggles of two refugees' integration into American society. Shows the everyday struggles of two young men that have known nothing but hardship. This documentary shows bits of life in the refugee camp, through their transition and first year in America. Would've liked to have gotten more of their back story, as it is an amazing story of survival.

Dissapointing to Say The Least.......2007-01-17

Unless you are interested in the challenges posed by introducing a number of displaced youth who have grown up in an extremely deprived and disjointed society to the United States, this movie will not "do it" for you.

The most intruiging phenomenon in the entire film is the obvious mistrust and lack of connection between poor African-Americans and poor Africans, beyond the color of their skin.

For the most part, the situation exists between most working-class Africans and the African-Americans with whom they are lumped up with and have to coexist with at work and home (if they live in predominantly black neighborhoods) and is therefore nothing new, unless you are of a different race.

Great Informational Tool, Subtitle Malfunction.......2006-07-06

This film provides a great informational tool about the struggles and opportunities of refugees trying to make it on their own in a new place. As a history teacher, I am excited to show this to my class to demonstrate assimilation and acculturization. My one problem, and this is a big problem, is that a great deal of the subtitles go way off of the TV. This made seeing what they were saying difficult. I couldn't even see the information at the end. I have a pretty big TV, so I'm sure that this might be a persistent problem. Also, the deleted scenes have no subtitles. But all in all, this is a great glimpse of their lives. The most eye-opening is the tension between African Americans and the Africans. Ironically, the boys from Africa got along better with their white friends than the African Americans. Also interesting is the "help" the church tried to give. They keep delivering all of this furniture to the boys' tiny apartment, yet the lady from the church (who looks just like actress Shelly Long) virtually ignores their pleas for help in finding jobs and educational opportunities. She walks away from them and says "They're angry"

powerful and compelling documentary.............2006-01-16

For anyone unfamiliar with the plight of the numerous lost boys of Sudan, I really reccomend you check out this powerful, compelling, cautionary and very educational film, that looks at two young men who made it out of the turbulence of their country and were able to make a life for themselves in the United States. The Lost Boys consist of some 200,000 (or more) young Sudanese refugees, orphaned, left orphaned and alone in the African nation of Sudan. One connection out of the poverty and desolation of their country, is if they are able to obtain sponsorship through church-based programs in the United States. The two boys profiled in this film were recipients of this sponsorship.

While one journeys to Texas, to seek out work, buy a car and also attend classes at the local high school, the other's journey takes him to a small (predominantly Caucasian) town in Kansas, who attempts to integrate himself into a foreign, and a culture for which he finds himself, both, daunted and isolated.

I believe everyone should see this film, and, in fact, I think it should be implemented in the high school curriculum as a pre-requisite for all students. It is important that we all receive an education in the personal struggles of refugees, like these two young men. This film only scratches the surface, into this subject matter. There are so many important stories, like this, that need to be told!

Great Information But Not-So-Great Documentary.......2005-09-21

For me, the thing that makes a documentary enjoyable is a.) Is the information new and engaging? and b.) Is it presented in a coherent and even-flowing fashion? On the first point, THE LOST BOYS OF SUDAN delivers. We get to hear about the little known religious war in Sudan that killed (and continues to kill) millions of people. Most of those that were murdered (let's call it what it is) were adults. And left behind are their children who flee to refugee camps. Tens of thousands of children made it to these tent cities where they've grown up or died. But a few of them are lucky enough to get access to America, and fly into Houston to become U.S. citizens. This documentary follows the lives of two of THE LOST BOYS and we get to see how leaving their native lands affects them, and how American culture clashes but ultimately enfolds them. Great information.

On point "b", though, the film gets a serious thumbs down. The editing was terrible, a patchwork quilt of events rather than a concise look at these boys' lives. The information was just too broad. They show us their struggle with grades, language, driving, sports, living together, paying rent, jobs, trying to find girlfriends, etc., etc., etc. I would've liked to have seen them focus on a select few items and get us into the microcosm of these issues. For instance, I would've enjoyed learning more about their struggles to get into schools while working at the same time. But all we get is one basic phone call that one of the boy's makes where he talks to family about this issue ...and that's it. We don't hear anymore about it. There were other instances in the film where similar things occurred, too (subjects brought up and then suddenly dropped.)

But even with these problems, the documentary is interesting and informative.

For truly excellent documentaries, though, try DARK DAYS or BORN INTO BROTHELS.

Average customer rating:

Excellent movie, stupid distributers
SHAMEFULLY NOT ON DVD!!!

Rally 'Round the Flag, Boys!
Starring: Paul Newman , Joanne Woodward , Joan Collins , Jack Carson , and Dwayne Hickman
Director: Leo McCarey
Manufacturer: 20th Century Fox
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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Broken Arrow

ASIN: B000P6XPX8
Release Date: 2007-07-10

Customer Reviews:

Excellent movie, stupid distributers.......2007-03-01

Distributers and Hollywood moguls take note, you could make a lot of money simply by making this movie available on DVD. This is an excellent sex comedy starring Paul Newman, Joanne Woodward, Joan Collins, Dwayne Hickman, Tuesday Weld and a lot of other really fine actors. Max Schulman was a genius at making us believe the unbelievable in his books and this movie carries on that wonderful trait. Please, dummies, make this available. Please? I found this for sale on DVDR on ioffer.com. If the idiots won't release it for commercial sale, then this is obviously the only way to get it.

SHAMEFULLY NOT ON DVD!!!.......2006-09-28

THIS IS ANOTHER GREAT CLASSIC STARRING PAUL NEWMAN,JOANNE WOODWARD AND JOAN COLLINS THAT UNFORTUNATELY ISN'T ON DVD.DISTRIBUTORS TAKE NOTICE!!PLEASE MAKE IT AFFORDABLE AND ACCESSIBLE!!

Average customer rating:

Absolutely Timeless
Good for class
saving the banter and redundancies of previous reviews...
Breathing Life into School
a great and inspiring film......

Dead Poets Society
Starring: Robin Williams , Robert Sean Leonard , Ethan Hawke , Josh Charles , and Gale Hansen
Director: Peter Weir
Manufacturer: Walt Disney Video
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Similar Items:

Mr. Holland's Opus
Stand and Deliver
Finding Forrester
The Emperor's Club (Widescreen Edition)
Patch Adams - Collector's Edition

ASIN: 6305144168
Release Date: 1998-11-10

Amazon.com essential video

Description

Academy Award(R)-winner Robin Williams delivers a brilliant performance in one of Hollywood's most compelling and thought-provoking motion pictures. Williams portrays passionate English professor John Keating who, in an age of crew cuts, sports coats, and cheerless conformity, inspires his students to live life to the fullest, exclaiming ... "Carpe Diem, lads! Seize the day. Make your lives extraordinary!" This charistmatic teacher's emotionally charged challenge is met by his students with irrepressible enthusiasm -- changing their lives forever. Magnificently directed by Peter Weir (THE TRUMAN SHOW), DEAD POETS SOCIETY earned unparalleled praise among audiences and critics alike. Discover for yourself what all the cheering's about!

Customer Reviews:

Absolutely Timeless.......2007-06-16

Good for class.......2007-05-07

I used this in my class after reading several of the poems. Outstanding! Gave students a lot to think about.

saving the banter and redundancies of previous reviews..........2007-05-01

Unarguably, one of the finest films in the history of cinema.

Breathing Life into School.......2007-03-17