Attraction

Starring:Matthew Settle, Tom Everett Scott, Gretchen Mol, Samantha Mathis, Josh Hutchinson, Michelle Stafford, Hilda van der Meulen, Chris Jagger, Paul Eric Jerome, Cee Cee Michaela, Joel Polis, Fred E. Ellis, Brent Roam, Rosi Maggiolino, Elmarie Wendel, R. Martin Klein, Jonathan Quint, Corie Vickers, Peter Carlin, Nichole Pelerine
Director: Russell DeGrazier
Studio: Lions Gate
Product Type: DVD

Average customer rating:

Inspirational and life-changing
Highly Recommend
the Secret DVD very good
Very Dissapointed
Specifics to Life's Success

The Secret (Extended Edition)
Starring: Rhonda Byrne , Paul Harrington , Rev. Dr. Michael Beckwith , and Neale Donald Walsch
Director: Drew Heriot
Manufacturer: TS Production, LLC
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

Self-Help | Special Interests | Genres | DVD | Video

( S ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video

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

The Secret
You: On A Diet: The Owner's Manual for Waist Management
What the Bleep!? - Down the Rabbit Hole (QUANTUM Three-Disc Special Edition)
An Inconvenient Truth
Law of Attraction: The Science of Attracting More of What You Want and Less of What You Don't

Product Features:

The Internet's #1 Smash Hit -Law of Attraction- Movie
New Extended Edition
Experience The Secrets discussed on Larry King & Oprah
Behind the Sceens, Outtakes and Commentary

ASIN: B000K8LV1O
Release Date: 2006-10-01

Product Description

The new "extended edition" of this ground-breaking feature length movie presentation reveals The Great Secret of the universe. It has been passed throughout the ages, traveling through centuries... to reach you. This is The Secret to everything - the secret to unlimited joy, health, money, relationships, love, youth: everything you have ever wanted. In this astonishing program are ALL the resources you will ever need to understand and live The Secret. For the first time in history, the world's leading scientists, authors, and philosophers will reveal The Secret that utterly transformed the lives of every person who ever knew it... Plato, Newton, Carnegie, Beethoven, Shakespeare, Einstein. Now YOU will know The Secret. And it can change your life forever.

Amazon.com

Not really a movie or documentary, The Secret is more of a video seminar, a presentation featuring a series of authors, philosophers, doctors, quantum physicists, entrepreneurs, and spiritual practitioners expounding on the powers of The Secret (probably the most well-known of the presenters is Jack Canfield, author of Chicken Soup for the Soul and The Success Principles). What is The Secret, exactly? "That principle can be summed up in three simple words: thoughts become things," proclaims writer Mike Dooley, author of Notes from the Universe. Put it another way, it's The Power of Positive Thinking and how it can be applied to attracting more money, better health, and relationships; in short, happiness. (There is a rundown of topics on the DVD Chapters menu).

Most of the material here is given in a straightforward manner, with the presenters simply talking into the camera to address the audience directly, which is good because it avoids the trap of pretense. On the other hand, the quick edits between presenters (would it hurt to let them say more than one sentence at a time?) don't help because it reduces many of their points to palatable sound bites and aphorisms. To many viewers, this may make the program come across as a series of nice ideas not rooted in reality. Plus it's somewhat spurious to claim that The Secret was well understood and practiced by specific individuals like Plato or Shakespeare (it's well known that some of the historical figures noted didn't exactly live happy or even prosperous lives, despite their achievements). But still, the primary message is one of positivity and hope for everyone. So what to make of it? In the end, programs like this generally find an audience that is open to the message, and many will probably find it to be a source of inspiration. Others will approach it with a good deal of skepticism or dismiss it as another way of marketing happiness the masses. It simply won't resonate with everyone, but if it resonates with you, you're likely to enjoy it and get a lot out of it. Those looking for more on The Secret might want to check out the companion book by Rhonda Byrne. --Daniel Vancini

Customer Reviews:

Inspirational and life-changing.......2007-07-05

The first few minutes of the DVD could have been deleted, and I would have given this a 5 star. Quite boring in the beginning--almost like a sci-fi movie, but it became much more interesting after the prologue. Great motivational speakers and good use of descriptive scenarios. I bought several DVDs and I give them to friends as gifts. They too have been inspired by the law of attraction.

Highly Recommend.......2007-07-04

This movie was such an awakening. For the people who bash it, its ok to have your opinion but just to let you know my brother is Jose Vallenilla AKA Funky Joe famous in puerto Rico. He had cancer in his tongue, brain, stomach with an 5% percent chance of living. He told me that he visualized himself living in the future and over the time through intense treatment after a year he was cancer free. He said this on television "I will not die of cancer i might slip and break my neck but cancer will not end my life. Now he is one of the most repected man in puerto Rico. He enwealthy and happy and he recommended this movie to me. Im glad i watched it.

the Secret DVD very good.......2007-07-03

I thought this was a very good review of the book however I would recommend reading the book more than just looking at the DVD.

Very Dissapointed.......2007-07-03

I was informed by someone that this movie would help a person with bipolar and was suffering with depression very seriously, such as me. There was nothing to help me with whatsoever. I am disabled and cannot work, so all I did was spend a great deal of money that I do not really have, and learned nothing in order to help my problem. I just pray that no one else makes the same mistake.

Specifics to Life's Success.......2007-07-03

This movie is well worth your time and effort if you are "serious" about learning how to better your life in general or specifically. It is the information that we all learn,or are offered to learn, in increments as we go through life but it is given here all at once.

The Last King of Scotland (Widescreen Edition)

Average customer rating:

Essential Viewing
Great Movie.
Even as fiction, very scary...
More relevant than ever!
We know you liked the film, but what about the Special Features?

The Last King of Scotland (Widescreen Edition)
Starring: Forest Whitaker , James McAvoy , Kerry Washington , Gillian Anderson , and Simon McBurney
Director: Kevin Macdonald
Manufacturer: 20th Century Fox
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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The Good Shepherd (Widescreen Edition)
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Babel

ASIN: B000NIVJF4
Release Date: 2007-04-17

Amazon.com

As the evil Ugandan dictator Idi Amin, Forest Whitaker gives an unforgettable performance in The Last King of Scotland. Powerfully illustrating the terrible truth that absolute power corrupts absolutely, this fictionalized chronicle of Amin's rise and fall is based on the acclaimed novel by Giles Foden, in which Amin's despotic reign of terror is viewed through the eyes of Nicholas Garrigan (James McAvoy), a Scottish doctor who arrives in Uganda in the early 1970s to serve as Amin's personal physician. His outsider's perspective causes him to be initially impressed by Amin's calculated rise to power, but as the story progresses--and as Whitaker's award-worthy performance grows increasingly monstrous--The Last King of Scotland turns into a pointed examination of how independent Uganda (a British colony until 1962) became a breeding ground for Amin's genocidal tyranny. As Whitaker plays him, Amin is both seductive and horribly destructive--sometimes in the same breath--and McAvoy effectively conveys the tragic cost of his character's naiveté, which grows increasingly prone to exploitation. As directed by Kevin Macdonald (who made the riveting semi-documentary Into the Void), this potent cautionary tale my prompt some viewers to check out Barbet Schroeder's equally revealing documentary General Idi Amin Dada, an essential source for much of this film's authentic detail. --Jeff Shannon

Beyond The Last King of Scotland

More from Forest Whitaker
General Idi Amin Dada
The Last King of Scotland (Paperback)

Stills from The Last King of Scotland

Description

As Ugandan dictator Idi Amin, Forest Whitaker gives "one of the greatest performances of modern movie history" (Wall Street Journal), one that the Associated Press calls "nothing short of Oscar(r) worthy." This is Amin's incredible story as seen through the eyes of Nicholas Garrigan (James McAvoy), a young Scotsman who becomes the volatile leader's personal physician, due in part to Amin's unexpected passion for Scottish culture -- Amin even proclaims himself "The Last King of Scotland". Seduced by Amin's charisma and blinded by decadence, Garrigan's dream life becomes a waking nightmare of betrayal and madness from which there is no escape. Inspired by real people and events, this gripping, suspenseful stunner is filled with performances you will never forget.

Customer Reviews:

Essential Viewing.......2007-07-05

Director Kevin McDonald won an Oscar for Best Documentary Feature for "One Day in September" in 1999. His next (non-documentary) film is "State of Play" that stars Brad Pitt. He does an excellent job with this film, bringing the horrific reign of Idi Amin to the screen with enough humor & humanity to make it watchable. Jeremy Brock, who did the screenplays for Judy Dench's "Mrs. Brown" & Cate Blanchett's "Charlotte Gray," does a good job of adapting Giles Foden's novel into a workable film.

This may well be Forest Whitaker's most memorable role, despite such excellent work as in the Clint Eastwood picture of Charlie Parker's life titled "Bird" for which he won the Best Actor Award at the Cannes Film Festival & in a lesser-known drama Ghost Dog - The Way of the Samurai. In addition to the Oscar for this film, he won similar awards from the British Academy Awards, the Golden Globe & film critics awards from Boston, Chicago, Dallas-Ft. Worth, Kansas City, Los Angeles, Las Vegas, New York Film Critics + NY Online Critics, Oklahoma, Phoenix & Washington D.C. Idi Amin is known as one of the most brutal dictators in modern history, joining Lenin, Hitler, Pol Pot & perhaps Sadam Hussein in that nefarious category. In order for the film to work, Brock's screenplay had to show the various levels for the character, which Whitaker delivers with a cinematic payload. We see the humor, the paranoia, the immaturity, the ruthlessness & the bravado of the character. It is an amazing performance.

James McAvoy, who had a small part in "Wimbledon" and played in "The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch & the Wardrobe," plays the film's protagonist, Dr. Nicholas Garrin. He's a young recent graduate trying to escape the esteemed shadow of his father in Scotland, which makes him decide to arrive in Uganda, where he is ignorant of the politics. On one hand, it seems unbelievable that a character could graduate as a doctor and have such little maturity. On the other hand, we watch TV's "Grey's Anatomy" & see varying levels of maturity among doctors. McAvoy delivers a good performance as he grows up considerably before our eyes. We learn to care about the character and wonder what the next chapter of his life might be like. McAvoy will next be in "Becoming Jane," opposite Anne Hathaway as Jane Austen.

Of the smaller roles, there are some standout performances. Kerry Washington, who breezed through two "Fantastic Four" films, "Mr. & Mrs. Smith" & played Della Charles opposite Jamie Foxx in "Ray," plays Idi Amin's wife who is the mother of an epileptic child. In caring for her child and in her position as "third wife," she is seduced by Dr. Garrigan and pays the price.

Gillian Anderson, who will forever be known from her work on the TV show "X-Files," has a stunningly different blonde look and does a good job in this cameo. Simon McBurney from "The Manchurian Candidate" & the upcoming "The Golden Compass," plays the disagreeable British diplomat Stone to perfection. We really hate him, as we are supposed to do. David Oyelowo's cameo part as Dr. Junju who is the conscience of the clinic does an excellent job. Stephen Rwangyezi as Amin's assistant Jonah Wasswa does good work in a small part. "The Last King of Scotland" is not always pleasant, but Whitaker's celebrated performance makes this essential viewing. Enjoy!

Great Movie........2007-07-03

This movie is very moving. To think that stuff like that actually is still happening all over the world is crazy. Worth watching for sure. Forest Whitaker was excellent.

Even as fiction, very scary..........2007-07-03

This is said to be fiction, but the subject of that fiction is as frightening as anything you may ever see. Idi Amin certainly had charm, charisma, and all the things I've learned to avoid in people as I've gotten older. It's never what it seems... James McAvoy is really the lead, and it's his observations that create the center of this fine film. Forrest Whitaker justifiably won many awards for his powerful, insightful portrayal, though he really wasn't the lead character. Known for generally sweet-natured performances, Mr. Whitaker has a repertoire that is most respected. This display of total control and command of the character is frightening and complete, a tour de force. Anyone remember his magnificent performance as Charlie Parker in Eastwood's "Bird"? Though he wasn't the main character, this man created memorable moments (not unlike other Oscar winners with limited screen time, like Anthony Hopkins in "Lambs" or Geoffrey Rush in "Shine"). James McAvoy was given a bad rap by many, but I thought he was terrific. Kerry Washington, too was excellent, and te direction & editing were to the utmost power of the simple story being told.DVD extras are insightful, and Mr. Whitaker's humble approach to the frighteningly powerful role is well examined. The atrocities committed by Idi Amin are only history now, and the idea that such people still exist cannot be ignored. Even as fiction, this depiction of a power hungry maniac can't be discounted by a caring world public.

More relevant than ever!.......2007-07-01

The Last King of Scotland sheds light on one of the most well known African dictators, General Idi Amin Dada of Uganda, who ruled from 1971 to 1979.
A Scot doctor arrives in Africa upon graduating from University in order to distance himself from his overprotective family as well as get a feel of adventure. In Uganda he witnesses the military coup d'etat that brings Idi Amin to power. Upon stumbling across the new leader by chance he renders his medical services and before he knows it he becomes the Ugandan leader's personal physician. His problems, however, have just started...
James McAvoy, Forest Whitaker, Gillian Anderson (who looks great after losing weight and going blonde), and the rest of the cast carry out their respective roles very well.
More relevant than ever, the movie does a great job as an eye-opener to one of the most brutal leaders the Dark Continent has seen in the twentieth century. The film provides the necessary background as well as an accurate description of political and social conditions therein. British involvement is briefly touched upon, but nevertheless provides for some important insight.
Moreover, it could have been and it should have been much more graphic in showing what really took place in Uganda's "killing fields."
Hopefully more will be done to stop the ongoing genocide in the Darfur region of Western Sudan and we will not have to wait for another movie to come out after it's all over before people become aware and do that which is humane.
Similarly to movies like The Lord of War, Hotel Rwanda, and Blood Diamond to name a few, The Last King of Scotland draws attention to some very important issues facing Africa.

We know you liked the film, but what about the Special Features?.......2007-06-30

DVD Bonus Materials
* Seven Deleted Scenes, With Optional Audio Commentary By Director Kevin MacDonald
* Capturing Idi Amin Documentary
* Forest Whitaker: Idi Amin Featurette
* Fox Movie Channel Presents: Casting Session - The Last King Of Scotland
* Theatrical Trailer

Viewing The Last King of Scotland's Special Features section is a lot like stopping off for dessert at a fast-food restaurant after dining on a sumptuous five-course meal. In striking comparison to the feature film's nail-biting tension and riveting drama is "Seven Deleted Scenes," a special feature that is about as exciting as a bowl of boiled rice, and a nonessential theatrical trailer that should be fast forwarded. On the positive side, "Casting Session--The Last King of Scotland" is worth viewing if a behind-the-scenes peek at pre-production casting dilemmas is of interest. Fans of Forest Whitaker (and who isn't?) will appreciate the "Forest Whitaker: Idi Amin Featurette," which highlights the artistic challenges presented by Whitaker's demanding leading role. In it, the actor discusses the methodology behind his brilliant, Oscar-winning performance.

"Capturing Idi Amin" is a first-rate source of information for viewers desiring a crash course on Amin's life and Ugandan politics. The mini-documentary features insightful interviews with key people in Amin's life, interspersed with authentic film footage of Amin. Viewers can compare and contrast this nonfiction depiction of events and supporting characters with Director Kevin MacDonald's cinematic interpretation of Giles Foden's fictional thriller, on which The Last King of Scotland's screenplay is based. Foden's altered reality is mesmerizing, but reality is darned interesting too.

Average customer rating:

Recommended
A range of emotions on film
Clement Virgo's Lie With Me is self-indulgent porn masquerading as an 'art' film
a porn movie disguised as a 'b' movie
It's like watching a car wreck, only prettified

Lie With Me
Starring: Lauren Lee Smith , Eric Balfour , Polly Shannon , Mayko Nguyen , and Michael Facciolo
Director: Clément Virgo
Manufacturer: Velocity / Thinkfilm
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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9 songs - Unrated Full Uncut Version
Intimacy (Unrated, Widescreen Edition)
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Devil in the Flesh

ASIN: B000DZ95MG
Release Date: 2006-02-14

Amazon.com

Shot in sunny Toronto and set to a dreamy score, Lie With Me looks and sounds like an art film, but the end result isn't quite so lofty. The plot is thin and the dialogue superfluous, but no matter--Canada's Clément Virgo (Love Come Down) just wants to turn you on and he has enlisted two attractive, uninhibited young performers to assist in his aims. Leila (Lauren Lee Smith, The L Word) and David (Eric Balfour, Six Feet Under) meet at a party. He's with his girlfriend, but finds himself drawn to her. The feeling is mutual. She's alone, but quickly finds an unattached hipster with whom to have a tryst. David catches her in the act. Instead of turning away, he watches. They start seeing each other immediately afterwards. "I'm not hooked on danger, [I'm] hooked on sex," Leila claims, but she isn't exactly the most trustworthy narrator. She wants a purely physical relationship, while David wants something more. They return to their old lives, but the obsession refuses to die. Based on the novella by Virgo's partner, Tamara Berger, Lie With Me plays like a low-budget cross between Adrian Lyne's overrated 9 1/2 Weeks and Wayne Wang's underrated The Center of the World. --Kathleen C. Fennessy

Customer Reviews:

Recommended.......2007-07-01

Lie With Me is more than just lust and sex. David for example doesn't know what he wants they show him with his dad, which we know is an invalid. He has trust issues just like Leila. When he first sees her, I think that he is infautated with her. He helps her at the party when she becomes dizzy, he watches her when she is walking through that wooded area. Basically he is in love with her. When Leila is having sex with that guy he can't help but feel lust for her at first. I mean the guy watches her and then they make a connection. Leila is dealing with the collaspe of her parents marriage and struggling with herself and what she wants. She meets David and she feels actual love i mean she can't be away from him for one second without wanting to feel him. She talks about how when she has sex that she can feel the pleasure inside of her but wants to feel something completely different with someone else. You guessed it that someone is David she wants to love him but she doesn't know how that is why she leaves him. Then she realizes how much she wants to be with him and he pushes her away. She is persistant and then she shows herself to him. In turn he rips out her heart and tells her he doesn't want to be with her, but that is all a lie cause the hurt in his eyes shows through. I think that Leila freaks out because she doesn't know how to comfort him when his dad dies, because you comfort the ones you love in their time of need. Plus i think Eric Balfour has a nice everything in that movie. Both are passionate towards each other even in those scenes when he gets jealous or is still grieving he hurts and the one person who he loves, leaves him. I don't think that he needs a mommy i thinks he needs a lover and someone to show him who he is. Also when they show Leila like having sex form behind i think that she is scared to let someone make actual love to her but David changes that i mean he asks her out on a date. You don't date someone you just want to have sex with. I love this movie i mean yeah theres graphic nudity but its hot and steamy and the actors make David and Leila come to life. Both Eric Balfour and Lauren Lee Smith are the perfect actors to play them.

A range of emotions on film.......2007-06-24

I bought this movie out of curiosity. I love this movie because of the range of emotions many of us experience when one desires and loves. Virgo uses long scenes with few cuts and dialogue to show what's felt when one falls for another. There's lust, attachment, uncertainty, and resolution. The movie shows how one may grow or regress because of these feelings. Rather than lots of dialogue, Virgo uses the nonverbal communication to show what's felt - the trembling of the lips with anticipation, the attachment to another when kissing their arm while asleep, or the misery and disconnect from being without the other. The plot is simple, but many of us have felt the contents of the movie at some point in time. This movie is the first that has delved into the depth of these feelings and put it brillantly on film.

If you're looking for erotic scenes, they're definitely there, and add to the content of the movie. However, if you're thinking this movie is about nothing but sex, you're misled.

Lie With Me will make you think and feel for these characters. Take the 90 minutes; it's worth the time.

Clement Virgo's Lie With Me is self-indulgent porn masquerading as an 'art' film.......2007-06-23

I've learnt to spot the danger signs of an impending bad movie. One of them is when the director is also the screenwriter and producer -- in short, there's no one there to put the brakes on when the film starts to get too self-absorbed. Such is the case with this Canadian indie film that seems to have gone straight to video.

Based on Tamara Berger's novel of the same name (published by the appropriately named Gutter Press), we meet Leila (Lauren Lee Smith), a young woman at a party. She's more than a little tipsy, and looks to be on the scrawny side, dressed clearly with the message that she's there to get laid -- oops, I mean have a good time. One man there is pretty bold about eyeing her, and the pair end up in the bathroom, where he helps her to sober up a little with a drink of water. It almost turns into sex, but his girlfriend calls for him outside and he leaves. He, we find out, is named David (Eric Balfour).

She leaves the party, taking with her Shy Guy (Michael Facciolo), and proceeds to have sex with him outside, up against a chain-link fence. Sitting in his car, watching the pair, is none other than David, along with his girlfriend. David and Leila watch each other getting laid, mimicing each others actions, as it were. At this point, I had a pretty good idea of what this film was going to be about, but as I have this thing about finishing the book or film I start, I didn't turn it off right away.

Eventually, Leila and David meet up again, this time in a public playground, and in a daring moment, she exposes herself to him, making her own interest pretty well known. They move onto his apartment for sex, and the sexual compulsion between the two of them gets going. And in fact that's what most of this film is about -- we're either watching Leila and David going at it like deranged rabbits, or she's letting us know her thoughts and experiences in a voice over that supposed to be titillating and erotic, but sounds more like a bad memoir.

The relationship is pretty predictable -- lust, jealousy phase, playing house together phase, she tries to get it past sex, he withdraws and treats her like trash, they break up, and so on and so forth. Yawn. We've seen this before. While I have to say that the sex at least looks real and honest, the rest of the film isn't that interesting. David, in particular, strikes me as the sort of young man that is fashionable these days -- unshaven, grungy and without any visible means of support. He does take care of an elderly, ailing father, so I guess that's something in his favour. But who in their right mind goes about in dirty jeans without underwear? I had a strong urge to go dip him in a vat of lye.

Leila's not much better. She's perpetually rumpled in skimpy clothing that looks to be ready to fall off at anytime. It's a cheap and sleazy look, and if she's looking for true love or respect from men, it's not a way to really inspire it either. Her personal life isn't that much better -- her parents are going through a divorce, her job is a dead-end job, she seems to spend her free time on the couch watching porn, or partying it up with weed and alcohol. She's not someone I would really care to know in reality either.

In short, this is a couple made for each other. Neither one of them are very responsible, and frankly, he treats her like a piece of meat. I suppose this is what makes this a modern, young adult relationship, sex without strings or emotion. And while the sex does get interesting, I've seen far far better in x-rated film, the only thing this lacks is what is known as the money shot in the trade.

Indeed, Virgo tries to make this as arty as possible, with lots of soft lighting, on location shots in Toronto, use of colour and texture, and I guess that works. But there isn't any sort of plot in this except for the so-called romance between the two leads, and their sexual shenanigans. Oh, there's an attempt or two with the illness of one parent, and the impeding divorce, but the central relationship is so tawdry, the viewer is left with the attitude of so what? by the end.

I don't demand syrupy romance, as long as there is some sort of passion there, but these two are so out of touch with themselves, how can they possibly make it work with each beyond the rubbing together of two body parts? That was the other big complaint with this one -- no one hits a climax that fast, and here it's the slam-bam-thankee-ma'am sort of sex. I kept thinking that she must have had insides of old leather to put up with that.

This is not for children of any age, and I would suspect that most adults would find it a bit on the disturbing side. There is quite a bit of sex in this, with male and female frontal nudity, sex in public, public exposure, sex in public, in cars, with lots of foul language and every form of straight sex that can be performed. There's plenty of drug and alcohol abuse as well. But they do try with a bit of condom use -- after all, this is the age of safe sex, I suppose.

No subtitles, some lackluster trailers for other films, and a voice-over commentary from the director. Nothing really special to watch either.

This is certainly a D-list film. Those who prefer their film to have sex and be honest about it might find a few minutes worth watching, but this 100-minute clunker has nothing else going for it. Those who are looking for a love story will be turned off by the callous brutality and attitudes. It's not a likeable film at all, and I urge you to spend your time with something, anything, else.

Not recommended.

a porn movie disguised as a 'b' movie.......2007-06-21

this movie was about a female sex maniac seeking free rides in the city of angels. there were lot of love making scenes in this hollow movie. the screenplay writer was the original author of that book titled in the same name. if this movie was shot in the '70s timeline, i'd accepted it unconditionally, but regretfully, this is a 2005 movie, aids, hiv and other diseases transmitted from random sex are real. so every time when this young woman involved in free sex, i was just sick to death.
a big question here: what's the point of making this movie?

It's like watching a car wreck, only prettified.......2007-06-10

I saw this movie on cable one night and couldn't help but purchase it on DVD. There were some elements that if you take them one by one, are not great by itself, but taken as a whole, it sorta worked. The 2 main characters were openly flawed; both had their own background stories, but to me, the movie was really about the heroine. Leila (Lauren Lee Smith) was your typical hookup girl. She looks like a disheveled model with committment issues, and she has a face that sorta grows on you-- she's not pretty right away. She also doesn't say anything new (how guys don't feel love, all they think about is sex blah blah), but just like what my title suggests, it's something you can't help but watch anyway. Part of that feeling too is that the two protagonists look like they can be a real-life couple. They both look like models, but not typical (annoying) Abercrombie, just good-looking without trying too hard. David (Eric Balfour) did his part of looking good and sexy...I didn't focus on his acting too much; He certainly looked desirable enough that would merit the fuss over him. I really appreciated the scenes that showed sexual restlessness; it's late in the afernoon, there's-nothing-to-do-and-I'm-lonely/frisky and Leila is by herself...It was a relief to see that after a rebuff, Leila didn't go out shopping or hang out with the girls and sputter self-righteous crap.

Average customer rating:

"You're nothing but waste and disappointment!"
pitiful
Typical
Great fun!
Highly Recommend, Good, Solid Movie.

Notes on a Scandal
Starring: Judi Dench , Cate Blanchett , Tom Georgeson , Michael Maloney , and Joanna Scanlan
Director: Richard Eyre
Manufacturer: 20th Century Fox
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Drama | Genres | DVD | Video

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

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Similar Items:

The Queen
The Last King of Scotland (Widescreen Edition)
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ASIN: B000NIVJFY
Release Date: 2007-04-17

Amazon.com

Gold stars to all for this taut psychological thriller based on Zoe Heller's novel that that gets more insidiously twisted as it unfolds. Oscar-nominated for her chilling performance, Dame Judi Dench gives a master class as schoolteacher Barbara Covett, a frumpy, friendless, and flinty spinster who lives with her cat. A formidable presence, Barbara is standoffish with colleagues and not one for students to trifle with (not that they'd dare). Cate Blanchett, also an Oscar nominee and winner of several critics society awards for her impassioned performance, costars as Sheba Hart, the new, overwhelmed art teacher who first becomes enthrall to Barbara after she steps in to help Sheba discipline unruly students. Barbara cultivates a friendship, and insinuates herself into Sheba's chaotic life, which includes her older husband (Bill Nighy), teenage daughter, and a son with Down's syndrome. Then, Barbara catches the reckless Sheba in a compromising position with a 15-year-old student (Andrew Simpson). Seizing her opportunity, the calculating Barbara does not turn her in. Rather, she wants to "help" her. "She's the one I've been waiting for," she writes in the journals she meticulously keeps, and which provide, in voiceover, her corrosive commentary. This all sounds very Fatal Attraction, but no boiling rabbits, please; we're British. Philip Glass's Oscar-nominated score accentuates the growing menace. Though there is little in these characters to admire, (one would think GLAAD would have something to say about the predatory turn Barbara's character takes), Notes on a Scandal is a compelling tour-de-force for its Grade-A cast. --Donald Liebenson

Notes on a Scandal Extras

Cate Blanchett and Judi Dench on their characters in the film

Beyond Notes on a Scandal

Book to Movie Adaptations
More Cate Blanchett Films
What Was She Thinking? Notes on a Scandal: A Novel

Stills from Notes on a Scandal

Description

Academy Award(r) winners Judi Dench and Cate Blanchett give wickedly entertaining, Oscar-nominated performances * ? one as a woman consumed by her colleague's guilty secret, the other, a victim to her own dark obsessions ? in this sexy, stylish thriller. Dench mesmerizes as Barbara Covett, a teacher who rules over her classroom with an iron fist, yet leads a desperate, solitary life outside it. That is, until she meets radiant new art teacher Sheba Hart (Blanchett). Although at first overjoyed with her newfound kindred spirit, when Barbara discovers that Sheba is having an affair with a teenage student, her jealously and rage spiral out of control.

Customer Reviews:

"You're nothing but waste and disappointment!".......2007-07-03

Cate Blanchett delivers another great performance as a lust-crazed, almost-40 teacher looking for illicit, illegal love in the arms of a 15 yo student. I found the film quite fascinating and very disturbing. The director uses Judi Dench's and Cate's acting brilliance to create a raw intensity that comes from watching adults at their most debased. The magnetism that draws the creepy spinster Dench into an obsessive adulation of Cate's character is true even for the viewer. Blanchett is so beautiful and full of live that the audience can't help but like her. This affection makes her fall from grace all the more shocking. The film was clearly inspired by recent events in America, and the director created a really fine film from such sordid material. Any true fan of Cate Blanchett must see this film!

pitiful.......2007-07-01

An extremely disturbing movie with no clear moral or even comic relief. I can't remember a single character who exhibited good judgement or self-control. Of course with moral relativity in vogue, the suggestion that one should exercise self-restraint or that there even is good and bad is old-fashioned and bigoted.

But if you want to see graphic scenes of Cate Blanchett having sex with a smallish 15 year old boy or an elderly lady lusting after Cate, then this is your movie.

Typical.......2007-06-29

Once again, modern cinema cannot resist the urge to set up and then tear down symbols of moral authority, which this film gleefully does by making a pinata out of Judi Dench's character. Behind every judgmental facade, preaches the movie, lies a twisted and lonely soul who lacks the courage to indulge her passions in the way that Cate Blanchett's character does (and whose atrocious behavior is ultimately portrayed as less culpable than Dench's). Sorry, but no matter how well acted this film was, it's the same old slashing and burning of any remaining pockets of piety.

Great fun!.......2007-06-18

After an uncomfortable hour of Middle Class coffee table navel gazing I decided "Scandal" was best treated as a comedy. A southern gothic like "Whatever Happened To Baby Jane" transposed to Blighty.

A hoot!

Highly Recommend, Good, Solid Movie........2007-06-17

This is my favorite movie with Cate Blanchett of all time. She plays the character of a wife and mother of 2, and now a school teacher. The turmoil she creates in her life seems like it is done because she is simply bored, and wants some adventure. She is beautiful, captivating, and sexy.

She becomes friendly with the character Barbara, played by Judy Dench, who is a fellow school teacher. She becomes entranced with Cate. As the movie progresses, she wants more and more of her attention, and the intimate secret they share becomes more and more convoluted.

Judy Dench is wonderful, she is eerie yet something about her character feels so familiar and close to home.

Highly recommend as a good, solid movie.

The Dreamers (Original Uncut NC-17 Version)

Average customer rating:

THE DREAMERS
perfect quality and cheap, too
Adequate productions, etc.
Great Movie!
House of 'Yes' in the War Zone or The First Tango in Paris

The Dreamers (Original Uncut NC-17 Version)
Starring: Michael Pitt (II) , Eva Green , Louis Garrel , Anna Chancellor , and Robin Renucci
Director: Bernardo Bertolucci
Manufacturer: 20th Century Fox
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B00023P4I8
Release Date: 2004-07-13

Amazon.com

A love letter to movies (and the French new wave of the 1960s in particular), Bernardo Bertolucci's The Dreamers starts with a 1968 riot outside of a Parisian movie palace then burrows into an insular love triangle. Matthew (Michael Pitt, Hedwig and the Angry Inch), an expatriate American student, bonds with a twin brother and sister, Isabelle (Eva Green) and Theo (Louis Garrel), over their mutual love of film--they not only quote lines of dialogue, they act out small bits and challenge each other to name the cinematic source. Matthew suspects the twins of incest, but that doesn't stop him from falling into his own intimacies with Isabelle. As the threesome becomes threatened, Paris succumbs to student riots. The Dreamers aspires to be kinky, but the results are more decorative than decadent; nonetheless, the movie's lively energy recalls the careless and vital exuberance of Godard and Truffaut. --Bret Fetzer

Description

From Academy Award®-winning director Bernardo Bertolucci (The Last Emperor, 1987), comes an erotic tale of three young film lovers brought together by their passion for movies -- and each other. When Isabelle and Theo (Eva Green, Louis Garrel) invite Matthew (Michael Pitt) to stay with them, what begins as a casual friendship ripens into a sensual voyage of discovery and desire in which nothing is off limits and anything is possible. Featuring an engaging, seductive cast, The Dreamers is a ?spellbinding, provocative feast!" (Ebert & Roeper)

Customer Reviews:

THE DREAMERS.......2007-07-01

Its tempting to try selling this film as the debut performance by the newest Bond girl Eva Green.

As an alternate, see my review, as well as this Amazon review by Bret Fetzer below mine.

Many would attempt judging this film as kinky with a sprinkling of frontal nudity and a menage a' trois scene thrown in (the NC-17) version. However, this Bernardo Bertolucci film would rather like to remembered as a love letter to the movies and to the average Parisian's intense love for good films. Using a backdrop of the 1968 student riots brought about by the firing of the director at the Cinematheque Francais - a temple for students and afficionados of art films, the story weaves into it the coming-of-age story of a bother-sister par and a young exchange student from America living together duing the heady days, and their evolving relationship.
-------------------------------
"A love letter to movies (and the French new wave of the 1960s in particular), Bernardo Bertolucci's The Dreamers starts with a 1968 riot outside of a Parisian movie palace then burrows into an insular love triangle. Matthew (Michael Pitt, Hedwig and the Angry Inch), an expatriate American student, bonds with a twin brother and sister, Isabelle (Eva Green) and Theo (Louis Garrel), over their mutual love of film--they not only quote lines of dialogue, they act out small bits and challenge each other to name the cinematic source. Matthew suspects the twins of incest, but that doesn't stop him from falling into his own intimacies with Isabelle. As the threesome becomes threatened, Paris succumbs to student riots. The Dreamers aspires to be kinky, but the results are more decorative than decadent; nonetheless, the movie's lively energy recalls the careless and vital exuberance of Godard and Truffaut". --Bret Fetzer
--------------------------------

perfect quality and cheap, too.......2007-05-13

For $5, a great film at an even better price...

Adequate productions, etc........2007-05-07

This was an ok flick...........always good to see up and coming artists and these were fine......Eva Green should definitely do more of these types........very sexy.....sequel might do better.........

Great Movie!.......2007-05-07

If you haven't seen it you should, if you have then you're already here to buy it.

Some of the finest modern film making, subtle, sensual, insightful.

Not a fan of the last 4 minutes though.. other than that better than great till that point.

House of 'Yes' in the War Zone or The First Tango in Paris.......2007-04-26

When Bernardo Bertolucci makes a new film, I want to see it. I know it will be visually beautiful, deep and meaningful. Even when he is not completely successful - his films are difficult to forget. It applies to "The Dreamers" (2003)

In this film, Bertolucci returns to Paris of 1968. His First Tango is as shocking as Last one - it received NC-17 rating for very open scenes of nudity, masturbation, sex, and the hints to incest. But it is not just about sex - it is about film itself. It was the time when Pauline Kael said, "Bertolucci and Brando have altered the face of an art form". It was the time when a crowd in Chicago would line up under umbrellas on the sidewalk, waiting in the rain to get into the next screening of Godard's "Weekend." It was the time when movie makers became the Artists. It was the time when closing down of the famous Cinematheque Francais in Paris by the government started the student culture riots which became the part of youthful rebellion all over the Western World.

Young American, Mathew, a devoted movie buff (Michael Pitt who by the opinion of several reviewers looks like cross between Leo DiCaprio and Macaulay Culkin. I found him looking more like young Roger Ebert would've. ) becomes friends with two French students and fellow movie lovers, twins Isabella (Eva Green, in a star making debut) and Theo (Louis Garrel) and accepts their invitation to stay with them at their apartment while their intellectual parents are away for vacation.

All three are big fans of movies - they not only talk about movies, they live their favorite scenes. "The Dreamers" is Bertolucci's love letter to cinema, and his irony toward people taking it so seriously that the real world is ignored.

When Matthew moves in with the twins, the result closely resembles "Last Tango in Paris". Much of the film's second half occurs in that apartment, as insular as Marlon Brando and Maria Schneider's more than thirty years ago. Flirting becomes passion becomes dark and dangerous games to see how far someone will go. The difference is that the kids of "The Dreamers" are not as complicated and interesting as Paul or Jeanne (especially Paul, one of the greatest performances by genius Brando).

With this wistful ode to sex, cinema, and the heated atmosphere of the '60s, Bertolucci has proved that he is still on the top of his game. I will be happily waiting for his next film.

Average customer rating:

one more person willing to love this film
Best movie ever.
TOP 100 MOVIES OF DANY LYNEN
"Harold and Maude, a Cerebral Love Affair"
Harold and Maude timeless, naughty and quirky...

Harold and Maude
Starring: Harvey Brumfield , Eric Christmas , Bud Cort , Cyril Cusack , and Gordon Devol
Manufacturer: Paramount Home Video
ProductGroup: DVD
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ASIN: 6305882592
Release Date: 2000-06-27

Amazon.com essential video

Black comedies don't come much blacker than this cult favorite from 1972, and they don't come much funnier, either. It seemed that director Hal Ashby was the perfect choice to mine a mother lode of eccentricity from the original script by Colin Higgins, about the unlikely romance between a death-obsessed 19-year-old named Harold (Bud Cort) and a life-loving 79-year-old widow named Maude (Ruth Gordon). They meet at a funeral, and Maude finds something oddly appealing about Harold, urging him to "reach out" and grab life by the lapels as opposed to dwelling morbidly on mortality. Harold grows fond of the old gal--she's a lot more fun than the girls his mother desperately matches him up with--and together they make Harold & Maude one of the sweetest and most unconventional love stories ever made. Much of the earlier humor arises from Harold's outrageous suicide fantasies, played out as a kind of twisted parlor game to mortify his mother, who's grown immune to her strange son's antics. Gradually, however, the film's clever humor shifts to a brighter outlook and finally arrives at a point where Harold is truly happy to be alive. Featuring soundtrack songs by Cat Stevens, this comedy certainly won't appeal to all tastes (it was a box-office flop when first released), but if you're on its quirky wavelength, it might just strike you as one of the funniest movies you've ever seen. --Jeff Shannon

Customer Reviews:

one more person willing to love this film.......2007-06-27

Ok, so like 272 people have had wonderful things to say about this film and what more could I possibly add to the discussion? This movie has over the years fed my soul and "reason to be". It is a beautiful reminder that after all the education and family and work stuff there are still other reasons to remain here. To choose to live. As imperfect as it all is. As sad as our mortality can make us. Life has an aspect to it that is so rich, so lovely, so enchanting, so alluring, that, provided we are capable to slowing down long enough to take a good look at it, can be loved and embraced and followed, like a moth following a candle. Finding yourself wasn't just a sixties slogan, it had to do with letting go of those things we think are important, so that we might truly begin to embrace those things that are essential to happines and to life. Harold and Maude is about all that and more. And as Forest Gump once said, "That's all I have to say about that."

Best movie ever........2007-06-24

The more I watch this film the better it gets, so many subtleties. I bought a copy for my brother to show it to his teenage kids.

TOP 100 MOVIES OF DANY LYNEN.......2007-06-23

THIS MOVIE IS HEART MOVING, AND TEACHES A VALUBLE LESSON IN THE GAME OF LIFE!

"Harold and Maude, a Cerebral Love Affair" .......2007-06-11

This is a terrific movie and has been one of my favorites since I first saw it on VHS late last century. Now it is available upon DVD which means it has a very good quality picture reproduction from the celluloid original upon which it was originally recorded and the audio is as good as it was in the theatre. I just need to acquire the audio components upon which to listen to this movie so I can visually and aurally go back in time, also I can watch it over & over and not have to worry about tape degradation. Amazon.com made acquiring this movie a very good and most cost effective endeavor for me; I will be a customer for the rest of my life and encourage friends of mine to shop @ Amazon.com.

Harold and Maude timeless, naughty and quirky..........2007-05-28

Harold and Maude is a movie that brings to light an assortment of social and familial issues. Both actors do an outstanding job of portraying their characters in pure form. Love this movie!

Average customer rating:

Soooo good!
A real "vibration-raiser"
The original "Secret"
Is not worth it
Amazing insight!

The Law of Attraction In Action
Starring: The Law of Attraction in Action
Manufacturer: Hay House, Inc.
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | New Age | Styles | Music

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Introducing Abraham - The Secret Behind "The Secret"
The Law of Attraction: The Basics of the Teachings of Abraham
The Secret (Extended Edition)
The Celestine Prophecy
Law of Attraction: The Science of Attracting More of What You Want and Less of What You Don't

ASIN: B000L43ALQ
Release Date: 2007-01-03

Product Description

On this inspirational DVD program, Esther and Jerry Hicks present the teachings of the Non-Physical entity Abraham, whom Esther calls infinite intelligence and Jerry refers to as the purest form of love Ive ever encountered. The Law of Attraction is never more evident than in the pulse of an Abraham-Hicks Art of Allowing Workshop. And this is one of the year s best, so sit back, relax, allow, and attract.

Customer Reviews:

Soooo good!.......2007-07-05

If you liked The Secret - you will love these DVDs. They are The Secret put to practical, everyday use.

A real "vibration-raiser".......2007-06-27

I'm a big fan of Esther/Jerry Hicks/Abraham and I never miss them on Hay House Radio on a program called "Ask and It Is Given", excerpted from workshops which are pretty complete audio presentations in themselves.
But this DVD was the first chance I had to actually watch a workshop--and I felt a lot more good energy from it. Abraham speaks through Esther, and the words and body language are logical and loving. Watching the participants' faces during all this is very moving.
Abraham states that the magic key of manifesting what we want is to keep our vibrations elevated--to "be as happy most of the time, as much as possible". Sometimes a hard day at work or a bad dream the night before can make that a tall order--however, I can absolutely state that merely watching this DVD has raised my happiness level when nothing else would work.
Whatever your belief system or philosophy may be, this is a riveting presentation, and I plan to get the upcoming DVD!

The original "Secret".......2007-06-27

Before there was "The Secret" there was "The Law of Attraction". Read the book, then watch this DVD...it's amazing to see Abraham in action. If you truly want to manifest good things in your life, "The Law of Attraction" is a must!

Is not worth it .......2007-06-15

I bought this DVD & I found is not worth it. It's just recorded from one of the public courses they offer just to save money. Also I didn't find this DVD is helpful to learn from it.

Amazing insight!.......2007-06-07

Have to see it for yourself & take it in. This is something that everybody can benefit from watching.

Average customer rating:

A classic film by Ms. Ross!!!
Good but not Great
DIANA ROSS RADIATES SUPERSTAR GLAMOUR IN A FUN FILM!!
Excellent
Miss Diana Ross

Mahogany
Starring: Diana Ross , Anthony Perkins , and Foch
Manufacturer: Paramount
ProductGroup: DVD
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ASIN: B000B5XOSY
Release Date: 2007-05-01

Amazon.com

One simple question, people: Do you know where you're goin' to? And furthermore, Do you like the things that life is showin' you? These questions are posed in the unavoidable theme song (a huge Seventies hit) from Mahogany, a splashy, diva-sized vehicle for Diana Ross. Miss Ross was hot off her unexpected and critically approved starring role in Lady Sings the Blues when she embarked on this musical, a rags-to-riches saga of a Chicago girl who dreams of being a fashion designer but becomes a supermodel instead. Original director Tony Richardson was replaced behind the camera by Motown founder and puppetmaster supreme Berry Gordy, who knew something about turning Ross into an idealized vision of femininity (for more on their relationship, check out the fictionalized version in Dreamgirls).

Ross looks a little overwhelmed by the plot machinations, which take her from the orbit of a regular-guy activist (Billy Dee Williams) into the glam world of European fashion--the latter courtesy of a cranky, unstable photographer played by Anthony Perkins. Perkins is sky-high fun in this thing, as though he suspected the movie was in trouble and decided to let the tics and nerviness fly. These days Mahogany is treasured either as a fond childhood memory or as a ripe camp-fest, and that's probably about where it belongs. Still, it looks positively restrained next to the other big diva musical of the same historical moment, Barbra Streisand's 1976 A Star is Born. --Robert Horton

Customer Reviews:

A classic film by Ms. Ross!!!.......2007-06-13

This film just happens to be one of my favorite films of all time. Diana Ross gives another stellar performance. I would have to say that this film should have done well at the box office. Thankfully, I own it on DVD. Billy Dee Williams is so damn sexy. Add this film to your list of favorites!!!!!!!

Good but not Great.......2007-06-10

I thought that Diana's performance in this movie was good, it wasn't great. I would have love to seen the other characters in the movie reaction to her success. How did Diana's(Tracy's) character discover her love of fashion, why did the film not bring her success to America. None the less, the movie was good not great.

DIANA ROSS RADIATES SUPERSTAR GLAMOUR IN A FUN FILM!!.......2007-06-09

This is a super camp movie because of the incredibly implausible script. However, it is also incredibly entertaining with a wonderful musical score. Diana Ross looks gorgeous in unbelievably glamorous costumes, jewels, make-up and furs. And, in spite of the movie's flaws, Diana's acting is really good while poor Anthony Perkins is atrocious. Beautiful scenes of Rome, Italy! This is a must for any Diana Ross fan! Unfortunately, some of the scenes, notably the "Kabuki Fashion Show" have been cut for the DVD while other unnecessary scenes have been left in. It is a tragedy she didn't make may more movies after this one.Mahogany

Excellent.......2007-06-08

I absolutely love this movie. It is definitely a keepsake. Oh and the price was just lovely. Amazon is the place to purchase DVDs.

Miss Diana Ross.......2007-06-03

People can say what they want about her,but what a good movie I always wanted this movie but could never find it. Thanks to the making of Dreamgirls I was able to enjoy one of my all time favorite movies.If you're out to look for something special either rent or make a purchase of this one.

Average customer rating:

Vertigo
Hitchcock at his trippiest.......
Criterion Collection would have done a superior job!
Compelling!
One of Hitchock's best!

Vertigo (Collector's Edition)
Starring: Isabel Analla , Raymond Bailey , Barbara Bel Geddes , Paul Bryar , and Ellen Corby
Manufacturer: Universal Studios
ProductGroup: DVD
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ASIN: 0783226055
Release Date: 1998-03-31

Amazon.com essential video

Although it wasn't a box-office success when originally released in 1958, Vertigo has since taken its deserved place as Alfred Hitchcock's greatest, most spellbinding, most deeply personal achievement. In fact, it consistently ranks among the top 10 movies ever made in the once-a-decade Sight & Sound international critics poll, placing at number 4 in the most recent survey. (Universal Pictures' spectacularly gorgeous 1996 restoration and rerelease of this 1958 Paramount production was a tremendous success with the public, too.) James Stewart plays a retired police detective who is hired by an old friend to follow his wife (a superb Kim Novak, in what becomes a double role), whom he suspects of being possessed by the spirit of a dead madwoman. The detective and the disturbed woman fall ("fall" is indeed the operative word) in love and...well, to give away any more of the story would be criminal. Shot around San Francisco (the Golden Gate Bridge and the Palace of the Legion of Honor are significant locations) and elsewhere in Northern California (the redwoods, Mission San Juan Batista) in rapturous Technicolor, Vertigo is as lovely as it is haunting. --Jim Emerson

Customer Reviews:

Vertigo.......2007-06-27

Hitchcock's psychological tingler was not a huge success on release, but understandably has achieved cult status over time. Ambitious, dense and more than slightly twisted, "Vertigo" is both an elaborate puzzler and a meditation on man's basest fears and desires. Though perhaps a trifle old for the part, Stewart brings a barely suppressed desperation to Scotty that resonates, while Novak is ideal in a dual identity role, playing Madonna-like Madeleine, and the garish, earthy Judy, whom Scottie meets later in the saga. Glorious San Francisco locales, and a peerless Bernard Herrmann score complete this winning package from the master of suspense.

Hitchcock at his trippiest..............2007-06-01

VERTIGO remains one of the most thought-provoking films I have ever seen. I still remember my first taste of this film (at least thirteen years ago!). It's safe to say (without exaggeration) that it changed my life and how I view cinematography. Yes, I know that is a tall statement to make about this movie, but it's well-merited. Why? For starters, Alfred Hitchcock's depiction of the medical condition of vertigo (extreme dizziness onset by perceived or actual drops in height--example: standing at the top of a tall staircase and glancing down at the ground floor from where you stand) feels like, both, a deep acid trip (complete with spinning imagery and disorientation), as well as a really extreme look at the effect of this condition on Scotty (James Stewart), a retired policeman, hired by an old friend to follow his beautiful wife (Kim Novak) who believes is possessed by the dead soul of a mad woman. Of course, this woman also has a penchant for ascending to great heights and attempting to jump off of them. This only adds another twist to Scotty's pursuit of the woman.

Alfred Hitchcock always had a flair for bringing the ironic, gothic and darkly comedic all to the foreground, in his films. Cinematography was one way he achieved (and manipulated) these emotions in the stories he wove so eloquently, on screeen. VERTIGO is no exception. What's more, Kim Novak is a very compelling and beautiful actress who stepped out of her more "cheesecake" roles to play the role of Madeleine, a very deeply disturbed (and perhaps, psychologically pursued?) woman with a secret. What's more, I love James Stewart, here. His relationship with Madeleine is conflicted and borders on pseudo-erotic. Of course, I won't divulge more plot details here. I just figured dropping that clue would tease and tantalize you enough to want to see this great film for yourself. I am so glad that it was given the kudos it deserved, with a re-released DVD addition. Great news!!!

Criterion Collection would have done a superior job!.......2007-05-28

This mesmerizing film has been part of our culture for over a half-century. While it has its flaws -- especially in a script that reaches it's climax too early, and tacks on a final twist that is so unsatisfying-- it's a legacy film worth all the praise it has received.

James Stewart and Kim Novak are each remarkable, and the cinematography is perhaps the best of any Hitchcock film. Indeed, so many compelling moments in the film have no dialogue, the camera work is amazing. Bernard Hermann's score is consistently fine, though at times overbearing. The complexities of plot and use of symbols and colors throughout the movie are dazzing.

So why not five stars? Because Universal Home Video screwed up this particular remaster so badly, it interfered with my enjoyment in a BIG way. While the visual transfer is acceptable, the sound remastering is gruesome, with the score blasting several decibels above the voices, with reengineered sound effects produced on a Foley stage, and some critical dialogue marred by rolloff distortion. (Some viewers care about this stuff; others don't.)

Here's the beef. No corporation has the right to re-engineer a film -- especially one of this caliber -- in a way that alters the intent of the fimmaker. If one adds to that the weird balance of score and voice on the DVD, the occasional man-made distorion and trumped-up sound effects -- it's just not right. As for anamorphic widescreen, forget about it. It's not here.

I buy Criterion Collection remasters more than any because they are faithful to the originals, because their extras are meaningful, and because the company simply respects great movies. Their DVDs may cost a little more, but the payoff is worth it. Hopefully, Criterion will secure the rights to this beautiful chiller some day so the next generation can see it the way filmgoers did in the 1950's.

A wonderful psychological thriller poorly transferred and remastered by a company that should have known better.

Compelling!.......2007-04-23

This timeless thriller is one I love to watch often on a Sunday afternoon. One of Alfred Hitchcock's greats! James Stewart plays the police detective Scottie Ferguson who suffers from vertigo when in high places after the accidental death of a police friend during a roof chase. The accidental death is partly Scottie's fault and he bears the mental scars. Before he can recover from one blow, he's given another when duped by a beautiful woman and an old friend who have a sinister plot and a part for Scottie to unwittingly play.

Chrissy K. McVay - Author

One of Hitchock's best!.......2007-04-05

This haunting, mysterious, romantic movie about obsession is amazing every time I watch it. Although Hitchcock didn't originally cast Kim Novak as the source of Jimmy Stewart's affections, he later admitted that she made this movie what it is. The beautiful San Francisco Bay Area is truly a memorable "character" in this fabulous classic.

Average customer rating:

OK
He got his Kicks
Find out what a billionaire does in his spare time
Watchable caper flick
Excdellent!

The Thomas Crown Affair
Starring: Pierce Brosnan , Rene Russo , Denis Leary , Ben Gazzara , and Frankie Faison
Director: John McTiernan
Manufacturer: MGM (Video & DVD)
ProductGroup: DVD
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Accessories:

The Thomas Crown Affair: Music From The MGM Motion Picture

ASIN: 6305657947
Release Date: 2000-01-04

Amazon.com

For the Hollywood remake rule, which dictates that an update of an older film be inferior to the original in almost every aspect, The Thomas Crown Affair stands as a glorious exception. The original 1968 film, starring a dapper Steve McQueen and a radiant Faye Dunaway, was a diverting pop confection of mod clothes and nifty break-ins, but not much more. John McTiernan's new version, though, cranks up the entertainment factor to mach speed, turning what was a languid flick into a high-adrenaline caper romance. Thomas Crown (Pierce Brosnan) is now a man of industry who likes to indulge in a little high-priced art theft on the side; Catherine Banning (Rene Russo) is the insurance investigator determined to get on his tail in more ways than one. If you're thinking cat-and-mouse game, think again--it's more like cat vs. smarter cat, as both the thief and the investigator try to outwit each other and nothing is off-limits, especially after they start a highly charged love affair that's a heated mix of business and pleasure.

What makes this Thomas Crown more enjoyable than its predecesor is McTiernan's attention to detail in both the set action pieces (no surprise from the man who helmed Die Hard with precision accuracy) and the developing romance, the witty and intelligent script by Leslie Dixon (she wrote the love scenes) and Kurt Wimmer (he wrote the action scenes), and, most of all, its two stunning leads (both over 40 to boot), combustible both in and out of bed. Brosnan, usually held prisoner in the James Bond straitjacket, lets loose with both a relaxed sensuality and a comic spirit he's rarely expressed before. The film, however, pretty much belongs to Russo, who doesn't just steal the spotlight, but bends it to her will. Beautiful, stylish, smart, self-possessed, incredibly sexy, she's practically a walking icon; it's no wonder Crown falls for her hook, line, and sinker. With Denis Leary as a police detective smitten with Russo, and Faye Dunaway in a throwaway but wholly enjoyable cameo as Brosnan's therapist. --Mark Englehart

Description

Thrill-seeking billionaire Thomas Crown (Brosnan) loves nothing more than courting disasterand winning! So when his world becomes too stiflingly safe, he pulls off his boldest stunt ever: stealing a priceless paintingin broad daylightfrom one of Manhattan's most heavily guarded museums. But his post-heist excitement soon pales beside an even greater challenge: Catherine Banning (Russo). A beautiful insurance investigator hired to retrieve the artwork, Catherine's every bit as intelligent, cunning and hungry for adventure as he is. And just when Thomas realizes he's finally met his match, she skillfully leads him into a daring game of cat and mouse that's more intoxicating and dangerous than anything either of them has ever experienced before!

Customer Reviews:

OK.......2007-03-27

This movie is OK, but I prefer the original version with Steve McQueen. This remake is too Hollywood for me, with too many unbelievable stunts. The original was better.

He got his Kicks .......2007-02-07

Despite my misgivings I actually enjoyed this movie. I found it to be very entertaining. Pierce Brosnan is rich, affluent and board. He steals art treasu