Shadrach

Starring:Martin Sheen, John Franklin Sawyer, Scott Terra, Ginnie Randall, Darrell Larson, Deborah Hedwall, Jonathan Parks Jordan, Erin Underwood, Alice Rogers, Monica Bugajski, Daniel Treat, Andie MacDowell, Michael Ruff, Muse Watson, Doug Chancey, Harvey Keitel, Rick Warner, Edward Bunker, Clarinda Hollmond, Melvin L. Cauthen
Director: Susanna Styron
Studio: Sony Pictures
Product Type: DVD

Average customer rating:

Intriguing as a story, and surprisingly entertaining as a movie
A Triumph of the Human Spirit?
A small but charming pleasure
A definite surprising sleeper......
Excellent movie

Shadrach
Starring: Martin Sheen , John Franklin Sawyer , Scott Terra , Ginnie Randall , and Darrell Larson
Director: Susanna Styron
Manufacturer: Sony Pictures
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Drama | Genres | DVD | Video

Period Piece | Drama | Genres | DVD | Video

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

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

You Are Not Alone
Valley Between (2pc)
Leolo
The Boys of St. Vincent
Put the Camera on Me

ASIN: 0767825217
Release Date: 1999-02-23

Customer Reviews:

Intriguing as a story, and surprisingly entertaining as a movie.......2007-06-16

SHADRACH (1998) starring Harvey Keitel, Andie MacDowell and narrated
by Martin Sheen (unrecognizable by voice) is especially intriguing as
a story, and surprisingly entertaining as a movie.

Although clearly sanitized, idyllic and obviously intended as a
family movie, specifically watchable by kids of all ages and genders,
the story unfolds convincingly, telling important lessons of the past
and of the present of various economic, social, politican contexts.
Perhaps this will clue-in kids on conversations and topics they need
to pick up, as they grow up.

Based in Virginia, showing a slavery legacy, the story unfolding
during the Prohibition eta (1920's, 30's), it brings to the forefront
how even the humblest, most poor segments of the population are able
to show immense decency, moral fiber and a belief in a Humanity that
too often is discounted by all other segments of the population.
Wealth accumulation, social status and material goods too often is
confused with what is moral, as the be-all and end-all of Life.

Admittedly, Keitel's Southern or Virginia accent is not the most
realistic, nor is his articulation on life, the most natural as he
plays a farmer and moonshiner, on a large farm on the outskirts of a
small town, sustaining his family during the Great Depression.

Indeed, Keitel has a quintessential city-minded demeanor, showing a
nervous, high-strung, stressed out mental process, somewhat throwing
his family off balance from the pressures he feels, even with the
animals and birds chirping outside. His wife, played by MacDowell,
exudes a confident, tolerant, positive attitude contrasting with his
own, yet both actors seem perfectly comfortable and natural in their
roles.

The soundtrack is done to perfection, with a number immediately
recognizeable by Bobby Dylan, with other folk and blues numbers most
closely associated with the Mississipi Delta.

The self-proclaimed atheism of Keitel, from the lessons of life, in
the picture, is compared to his wife's beliefs, that are strong.

The natural inclination of kids to get along, leaving aside mental
strategic, monetary, social, calculated or cultural objectives,
despite their families station in life, is shown.

The fact that a dying elderly Black man, is adopted by Keitel, who
pays his funeral and burial expenses despite utter poverty, tells a
lot about the farmer's character and ability to think things through
by himself, not showing a knee-jerk reaction to norms, mores, taboos
of society at large imposed on him and all others.

For that reason, despite atheistic, Keitel from his behavior and
morality shown, is a deeply religious man, discarding birth control,
social class or racial pigeonholing - "loving thy neighbor" as often
told.

Due to the autobiographical nature of the film, it tells of nostalgia
among the elderly, when wild rivers were clean enough to drink from
and bathe in, birds were in the backyard, the Model - T was a new
automobile, when the notion of cemetaries being compulsory for
burials was only a new innovation and law passed, when bartering was
still possible in the marketplace. Despite the funeral operator's
business - minded, hard dollars approach, he sees that handling the
deceased as an undertaked is more than just running a meat shop.

This is as clean-cut as it comes, for Keitel as an actor, considering
his "tough guy" image from a number of other works, such as Fingers,
or Scorcese's pictures, etc.

A Triumph of the Human Spirit?.......2006-07-26

What a beautiful idea for a film about a time in history when people would be inhuman toward each other, a poor white family unselfishly and desperately seeks to ensure that a dying black man's request is granted. My mother marveled at this. However, I stopped watching the film halfway as I could no longer put up with some of the characters' constant usage of God's name in profanity. Why can't Hollywood choose some other religion's deity to curse? This film seemed insulting to my Christian black household not because of the racism depicted in it (which does leave one uneasy) but because almost all of the sentences uttered by the father in the film had God*@!# in them. I would not recommend this movie for others to watch as the lack of respect shown towards Christians in this regard undermines what could have been an inspiring tale on the triumph of the human spirit.

A small but charming pleasure.......2006-01-13

There are so many good reviews of this film written already that I need add very little.

The acting is superb, the atmosphere of the South excellently portrayed and the comedy and underlying drama beautifully unfolds.

It brought some sun to a cold Welsh winter evening, for which I thank Harvey Keitel, Andie MacDowell and the remainder of the excellent cast. The direction is excellent and in total sympathy with the original short story written byWilliam Styron.

This is an unpretentious film that makes you feel you have spent your time well when it comes to an end. Highly recommended. I am sure you will enjoy it.

A definite surprising sleeper.............2005-03-07

In the age of blockbuster,box office hits and over paid actors this movie is such a surprise that it was even made.I was recommended this movie by netflix and at first hesistant to recieve it. but I couldnt( still can't!) get over the story the location of the south and the actors performance. Shadrach made up in his mind at the age of 99 come hell or high water that he was going to be buried at the only place he could call home the Dabney's and to revisted a favorite childhood memory. As an African-American Woman this movie is excellent and i recommend it is also multicultural a lesson for everyone.As a Mom I didnt agree with the nudity

Excellent movie.......2005-03-06

This is one of my favorite movies. I watched this with my 10 year old granddaughter because I thought it exemplified the Good Samaritan of which Jesus taught. Also I don't think strong language defines a person's heart or intentions.
Mississippi John Hurt's 'Farther Along' is magnificent as well as the rest of the soundtrack.

Average customer rating:

Lots of fun!
There's Gold (And Gore) In Them Thar Hills!
Curse of the 49er!
Honestly.... I've seen worse
Oh the humanity!

Miner's Massacre
Starring: Karen Black , John Phillip Law , Richard Lynch , Vernon Wells , and Martin Kove
Director: John Carl Buechler
Manufacturer: DEJ Productions
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Horror | Genres | DVD | Video

Slasher Flicks | Horror | Genres | DVD | Video

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

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

Blood Surf
Cheerleader Camp
Splatter University
Slumber Party Massacre III
Clownhouse

ASIN: B0000A9GLC
Release Date: 2003-09-23

Customer Reviews:

Lots of fun!.......2007-02-16

The movie is so bad, it's hilarious! The actors(?) are comatose, the story line has been done to death, it's not at all suspenseful and the ending is pathetic. This is a must see. Really, don't pass this one up.

There's Gold (And Gore) In Them Thar Hills!.......2006-06-23

You know you've made it in cheesy B-cinema whenever your flick gets picked up by the SciFi channel. "Miner's Massacre" is one of those chosen few. SciFi flicks are of two kinds: 1)decent flicks with small budgets and even smaller stars or 2)just flat out awful. "Miner's Massacre" falls into this second group. It's the tale of a bunch of nubile twentysomethings who head off into the mountains to seek out an old mine that's full of gold. Of course, by finding the gold they unleash the fury of Jeremiah Stone, claim jumper, rapist, cannibal, and all-around nasty dude. He's awakened from his evil slumber whenever the brother of one of the main characters finds his stash and sends half of a map to his sister to let her know that there is in fact gold in them thar hills. When the sister arrives, with boyfriend and others in tow, the hackin' and slashin' kicks off big time.

I have to admit that there are some pretty decents kills in this flick. The miner is actually a pretty mean looking fellow and the actor who portrays him does a decent job in the role. The special effects aren't that shabby either.

The main complaint I have with this film is that the actors in it are just horrible. There's a geeky dude named Axl, who loses his girlfriend right at the beginning of this flick when she sees him holding hands with a local named Eve. Sure, Eve's pretty, but she has a horrible "redneck" accent that completely destroys her character. The rest of the gang are typical of films such as these. They all overact, wear skimpy clothes, and seem to abandon all sense of logic in making decisions.

Of course, there are the token cameos by little known or forgotten actors such as Jeff Conaway, Karen Black, and character actor Martin Kove.

If you decide to watch this flick, be prepared to get a typical hacker B-flick with only minimal repeat viewing potential. As stated before, the mad miner is a really cool idea and he has some wonderful kills, but it's just not enough to save this snoozer.

Curse of the 49er!.......2005-08-20

I was streolling through my local Blockbuster, looking for a good slasher flick, and I stumbled upon a little gem entitledThe Miners Massacre. I thought "what the heck?", so I rented it, expecting a mindless, gory, and fun movie.....and guess what, thats just what it is! Sporting an awesome looking killer, inventive and violent death scenes, and decent acting, this one's a winner in my book. RECCOMENDED!!!

Honestly.... I've seen worse.......2005-01-22

Unlike most straight to DVD movies, this was at least not shot with a camcorder. Though Jerimaiah Stone will never be as popular as Jason Voorhees or Freddy Kruger, he does have an interesting story and background.

Seems old Jerimiah survived the Donner party by eating his own wife and child. After that he became a crazed murderer, rapist, and claim jumper. So maybe ol' Satan had a special place in his black heart for him.

A group of young adults go to Suttersville with a map. They discover the gold, release the curse and the killing ensues. That's about the gist of it. The characters are everyday people which adds a little realism to this caper.

Eve was the best looking chick, but she got a pickaxe top the gut. other kills include....

A shovel to the throat through a windshield

A chain and hook hanging

A decapitaion scene with pretty good 'dying head' effects

A burning camero and driver

A lady being set on fire who jumps in the lake (survives?)

No nudity, which sucks for a slasher flick, but good none the less.

Oh the humanity!.......2004-08-23

"Miner's Massacre," a.k.a. "The Curse of the Forty-Niner," is one of those films that sounds great on paper but causes your nose to turn up in execution. In an effort to cover all the bases in the slasher genre, to grind out the absolute last bit of originality in a cinematic rubric long tottering on the brink of utter exhaustion, the filmmakers behind "Miner's Massacre" decided the time had come to make a picture involving a crazed, resurrected gold prospector. Well, why not? Why not resurrect a deceased gold miner and have him prey on a group of young airheads? After all, we've got a guy that victimizes children in dreams, a hockey masked maniac, a killer with a Halloween mask, and numerous enigmatic psychos whose stalk and slash activities revolve around every major and minor holiday on the calendar. I'm continually amazed at the number of low budget slasher films I see on the shelf at the local video store, and can only conclude that somebody keeps making them because I keep renting them. Sorry about that. Perhaps if I quit watching this dreck I could save millions of us one horrible viewing experience after another. I hesitate to even review this film on the off chance that my effort will inspire even one person to take this film seriously. Here goes, anyway.

"Miner's Massacre" starts when a young guy discovers gold in the old mining regions of California. Unfortunately, his discovery of a nugget awakens the spirit of Jeremiah Stone (Vernon Wells), a world-class jerk when he lived back in the nineteenth century and an even bigger brute as a manic monster now. Before the youngster bites the dust as a result of Stone's tender mercies, he sends the nugget and a crude map to his sister Claire (Carrie Bradec). Now Claire, her boyfriend, and her friends aren't the sharpest tacks on the wall, but they do understand the implications involved in finding golden treasures. So Claire and her associates hop in their cars and head out to find the gold hinted at in the correspondence from her sibling. I won't go into great detail about the dolts along for the ride since we've all seen these types before in countless horror movies, but Axl (Steve Wastell) deserves special attention. Think of a low rent Steve Buscemi, add a grating, irritating attitude, and you've got a good idea of what to expect from the Axl character. More important is the number of instantly recognizable B actors sprinkled throughout the film. Karen Black, John Phillip Law, Martin Kove, and Jeff Conaway all turn up in minor roles.

The kiddies hardly step out of their cars before the casualties start to mount up. Axl's mouthy girlfriend is the first to wave bye bye when she leaves in a huff after her boyfriend befriends local gal Eve (Alexandra Ford). There are the usual warnings from the locals about danger in the area, particularly from Sheriff Murphy (Law) and Eve's Aunt Nelly (Black), but the gold seekers continue to look around for riches anyway. And they find them, chests and buckets overflowing with gold, tucked away in an old mining shaft. Of course, taking away Jeremiah Stone's gold will have lasting consequences of a most painful sort. Only by putting every piece of gold back in the mine will these young adults have any hope of escaping with their lives. Predictably, a few of the characters don't think much about this idea, but that's expected--they'll pay for their obstinacy with their lives before the final credits roll because unbridled greed always equals a death sentence in these films. The movie's conclusion fails to deliver anything we haven't seen done better in countless other horror pictures. There is an amusing flashback sequence explaining how Jeremiah Stone's curse came about, but this short series of scenes comes far too late to arrest the movie's downward spiral.

I'm finding it difficult to say anything good about the film. Certainly, seeing Karen Black screech her way through the role of Aunt Nelly provides a measure of enjoyment, but that's about all the movie has going for it. Martin Kove, Jeff Conaway, and even John Phillip Law only turn up for a few minutes before moving on to what one hopes are greener pastures. About ten or twenty minutes into the film I began to hope that the gore would save the day, a hope that turned out to be illusory. Stone carves up a few of the kids, and then collects their blood in a bucket, but nothing really happens beyond that. I thought that a film as derivative as "Miner's Massacre" would try to ramp up the violence in an effort to stand above the crowd of B grade slasher films--guess again. It's all rather tame and uninteresting. The same applies to the acting (mediocre) and the pace (plodding).

Extras on the DVD consist of three trailers for "Snake Island," "Killer Buzz," and "Global Effect"--three films that look no better than this movie. "Miner's Massacre" might slightly appeal to fans of low budget horror films, or completists that simply must see as much in the horror genre as they possibly can. For everyone else, I can think of a huge list of films preferable to this one. I recommend anything in the "Friday the 13th," "Nightmare on Elm Street," or even the "Leprechaun" franchise in place of this film. The lack of significant gore, ineffective cameos from faded stars, sloppy performances, and all around cheesiness of "Miner's Massacre" make this DVD a dangerous journey indeed. Watch at your own risk.

Average customer rating:

Shadrach
Starring: Martin Sheen , John Franklin Sawyer , Scott Terra , Ginnie Randall , and Darrell Larson
Director: Susanna Styron
Manufacturer: Filmax
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

Product Description

Spain released, PAL/Region 2 DVD: it WILL NOT play on standard US DVD player. You need multi-region PAL/NTSC DVD player to view it in USA/Canada. Languages: o English (subtitles) o Spanish (subtitles) o English (Dolby Digital 2.0) o Spanish (Dolby Digital 2.0) Synopsis: Susanna Styron made her feature directorial debut with this family drama, an adaptation of a 1978 short story by her father, novelist William Styron (Sophie's Choice). Paul Whitehurst (voice of Martin Sheen) recalls Depression-era events in Tidewater, Virginia, when he was ten years old. In the summer of 1935, lonely young Paul (Scott Terra), with his strict father (Darrell Larson) and fatally ill mother (Deborah Hedwall), is raised in a boring, middle-class way of life, so mundane it leads him into a friendship with the lower-class Dabneys, once aristocratic but now reduced to poverty on the former Dabney plantation. Bootlegger Vernon (Harvey Keitel) is married to earthy beer-drinking Trixie (Andie MacDowell), and Paul enjoys the fun-loving lifestyle of this couple and their seven children. Shadrach (John Franklin Sawyer), a 99-year-old former slave, turns up one day at the Dabney house after walking barefoot from Alabama to Virginia, where he was born into slavery. Since Shadrach's wish to be buried on the Dabney's land violates Virginia law, the request sets a variety of racist attitudes and conflicts into motion. Shown at the 1998 LA Independent Film Festival. Special Features: o Biographies o Filmographies o Interactive Menu o Scene Access o Trailer(s)

Average customer rating:

Intriguing as a story, and surprisingly entertaining as a movie
A Triumph of the Human Spirit?
A small but charming pleasure
A definite surprising sleeper......
Excellent movie

Shadrach
Starring: Martin Sheen , John Franklin Sawyer , Scott Terra , Ginnie Randall , and Darrell Larson
Director: Susanna Styron
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Drama | Genres | DVD | Video

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

You Are Not Alone
Valley Between (2pc)
Leolo
The Boys of St. Vincent
Put the Camera on Me

ASIN: B000066CUH

Customer Reviews:

Intriguing as a story, and surprisingly entertaining as a movie.......2007-06-16

A Triumph of the Human Spirit?.......2006-07-26

A small but charming pleasure.......2006-01-13

A definite surprising sleeper.............2005-03-07

Excellent movie.......2005-03-06

DVD:

DVD

DVD

DVD

The Art & Science of Traditional Shotokan Karate-Do - Kumite #1

Casey's Shadow

Return From The River Kwai [1988]

DVD: Kickboxing Volume 3 by Hector Echavarria

Bandidos - Ihr Gesetz ist Mords und Gewalt!