
Editorial Review:
Amazon.com essential video
To many, Brief Encounter may seem like a relic of more proper times--or, specifically, more properly British times--when the pressures of marital decorum and fidelity were perhaps more keenly felt. In truth, David Lean's fourth film remains a timeless study of true love (or, rather, the promise of it), and the aching desire for intimate connection that is often subdued by the obligations of marriage. And so it is that ordinary Londoners Alec (Trevor Howard), a married doctor, and contented housewife Laura (Celia Johnson) meet by chance one day in a train station, when he volunteers to remove a fleck of ash from her eye (a romantic gesture that, perhaps, inspired Robert Towne's "flaw in the iris" scene in Chinatown).
It so happens that their schedules coincide at the train station every Thursday, and their casual attraction grows, through quiet conversation and longing expressions, into the desperate recognition of mutual love. From this point forward, Lean turns this utterly precise, 85-minute film into a bracing study of romantic suspense, leading inevitably, and with the paranoid, furtive glances of a spy thriller, to the moment when this brief encounter must be consummated or abandoned altogether. Decades later, the outcome of this affair--both agonizing and rapturous--is subtle and yet powerful enough to draw tears from the numbest of souls, and spark debate regarding the tragedy or virtue of the choices made. A truly universal film, with meticulously controlled emotions revealed through the flawless performances of Howard and Johnson, and an enduring masterpiece that continued Lean on his course to cinematic greatness. --Jeff Shannon
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Waking Life
Starring: Louis Black , Julie Delpy , Adam Goldberg , Charles Gunning , and Ethan Hawke Manufacturer: 20th Century Fox ProductGroup: DVD Binding: DVD Similar Items:
ASIN: B00005YU1O Release Date: 2002-05-07 |
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Waking Life is a film that never settles down. Or maybe it never wakes up. Regardless, Richard Linklater's animated meditation seems to strike a perfect balance between the plotless meanderings of Slacker and the unquenchable knowledge-seeking of Hermann Hesse's Siddhartha. Any way you look at it, this is a weird, original movie.As he attempts to figure out what separates dreams from reality, the protagonist (Dazed and Confused's Wiley Wiggins) hears an earful from everyone he stumbles upon. Ramblings range from the scholarly (Linklater's former college professor Robert C. Solomon gives a monologue) to the banal (of which there are plenty). Ethan Hawke, Julie Delpy, Steven Soderbergh, and Adam Goldberg all get animated cameos, basically playing themselves. The dream-centered dialogues eventually grow mind-numbing, but that's OK; the animation steals the show. Each frame of the movie, which was first shot with live actors, was painted over, and the process renders a distorted and trippy collage of sights and sounds. Linklater's film is ultimately quite poignant, but, as with any good journey, you'll need to sit through some fairly tedious moments before reaching the destination. --Jason Verlinde
Description
From the director of Slacker and Dazed and Confused comes one of the most imaginative animated features ever made. This funny, ingenious film, which Rolling Stone Magazine calls "nothing short of amazing," explores the fascinating question: "Are we sleep-walking through our waking state or wake- walking through our dreams"? Join Wiley Wiggins as he searches for answers to lifes most important questions in a world that may or may not be reality in the "most visually alive movie of the year." (Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun Times)Customer Reviews:
Typical of Linklater....talky, uneven, occasionally insightful, occasionally banal and tiresome..........2007-06-16
Was a good effort.......2007-06-12
A Great Piece Of Work........2007-06-02
Sort of awake.......2007-05-12
Real.......2007-04-03
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Before Sunrise
Starring: Ethan Hawke , Julie Delpy , Andrea Eckert , Hanno Pöschl , and Karl Bruckschwaiger Director: Richard Linklater Manufacturer: Turner Home Ent ProductGroup: DVD Binding: DVD Similar Items:
ASIN: B00002E224 Release Date: 1999-11-30 |
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This romantic, witty, and ultimately poignant glimpse at two strangers (Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy) who share thoughts, affections, and past experiences during one 14-hour tryst in Vienna somehow remains writer/director Richard Linklater's (Dazed and Confused, Slacker) most overlooked gem. Delpy, a stunning, low-key Parisian, meets the stammering American Hawke, as the two share a Eurorail seat--she's starting school in Paris, he's finishing a vacation. Their mutual attraction leads to an awkward meeting (beautifully played by each performer), and Hawke suggests that Delpy spend his remaining 14 hours in Vienna with him.Typically, this skeleton is as much plot as Linklater provides; as usual, he's more interested in concentrating his talents on observing the casual, playful conversations between his leads. His tight time frame allows the characters to say anything to one another, and topics ranging from politics to past romances to fears of the future flow with subtle finesse. The short time frame is also cruel, however, because beneath this love affair lies the painful reality that the two most likely will never see each other again and will be left only with memories--an idea Linklater drives home with an effective snapshot conclusion.
Hardly the trite Gen-X bitch session that many '90s films using this approach become, the film feels more like a Bresson or Rohmer piece, containing sharp perceptions--and flawed humans rather than stereotypes. The protagonists' frank revelations and heated exchanges flow in a stream-of-consciousness style, and its no accident that Linklater set the film in Vienna, where Freud invented and practiced psychotherapy. --Dave McCoy
Customer Reviews:
Lovely movie in charming Vienna! .......2007-03-10
Been there, done that.......2007-01-10
Last Box Step In Vienna.......2006-11-05
The movie was okay.......2006-11-03
A great art........2006-10-30
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Jeepers Creepers
Starring: Avis-Marie Barnes , Patricia Belcher , Jon Beshara , Jonathan Breck , and Eileen Brennan Manufacturer: MGM (Video & DVD) ProductGroup: DVD Binding: DVD Similar Items:
ASIN: B00005RHGK Release Date: 2002-01-08 |
Amazon.com
With confident style and low-budget ingenuity, Jeepers Creepers gets under your skin, provoking spine-tingling horror when college siblings Trish (Gina Philips) and Darry (Justin Long) encounter a flesh-eating demon along a barren rural highway. After a harrowing car chase that sets the movie's nerve-wracking tone, they investigate suspicious activity near an abandoned church, where a corrugated pipe leads to unimaginable horrors. What follows is a cat-and-mouse game against the regenerating demon, which feeds on fear--and selected body parts--according to a psychic (Patricia Belcher) who adds chilling portent to the routine climax in a besieged police station. Writer-director Victor Salva (Powder) emphasizes primal fear over logic, but plot holes are easily forgiven when you're scared out of your socks. A surprise box-office hit in late summer 2001, Jeepers Creepers will please even jaded horror fans with its back-to-basics frights. --Jeff ShannonCustomer Reviews:
A decent horror flick........2007-06-25
Jeepers Creepers A Poor Horror film .......2007-06-03
Fun Stuff.......2007-04-24
Scary as hell.......2007-03-06
Greatest movie monster in decades.......2007-03-05
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Brief Encounter - Criterion Collection
Starring: Celia Johnson , Trevor Howard , Stanley Holloway , Joyce Carey , and Cyril Raymond Director: David Lean Manufacturer: Criterion ProductGroup: DVD Binding: DVD Similar Items:
ASIN: 0780023420 Release Date: 2000-06-27 |
Amazon.com essential video
To many, Brief Encounter may seem like a relic of more proper times--or, specifically, more properly British times--when the pressures of marital decorum and fidelity were perhaps more keenly felt. In truth, David Lean's fourth film remains a timeless study of true love (or, rather, the promise of it), and the aching desire for intimate connection that is often subdued by the obligations of marriage. And so it is that ordinary Londoners Alec (Trevor Howard), a married doctor, and contented housewife Laura (Celia Johnson) meet by chance one day in a train station, when he volunteers to remove a fleck of ash from her eye (a romantic gesture that, perhaps, inspired Robert Towne's "flaw in the iris" scene in Chinatown).It so happens that their schedules coincide at the train station every Thursday, and their casual attraction grows, through quiet conversation and longing expressions, into the desperate recognition of mutual love. From this point forward, Lean turns this utterly precise, 85-minute film into a bracing study of romantic suspense, leading inevitably, and with the paranoid, furtive glances of a spy thriller, to the moment when this brief encounter must be consummated or abandoned altogether. Decades later, the outcome of this affair--both agonizing and rapturous--is subtle and yet powerful enough to draw tears from the numbest of souls, and spark debate regarding the tragedy or virtue of the choices made. A truly universal film, with meticulously controlled emotions revealed through the flawless performances of Howard and Johnson, and an enduring masterpiece that continued Lean on his course to cinematic greatness. --Jeff Shannon
Description
From Noël Coward's play Still Life, legendary filmmaker David Lean deftly explores the thrill, pain, and tenderness of an illicit romance in the dour, gray Britain of 1945. From a chance meeting on a train platform, a middle-aged married doctor (Trevor Howard) and a suburban housewife (Celia Johnson) enter into a quietly passionate, ultimately doomed love affair, set to a swirling Rachmaninoff score. Criterion is proud to present Lean's award-winning masterpiece a beautifully restored digital transfer.Customer Reviews:
The Sigh of Midnight Trains in Empty Stations.......2007-05-06
Wonderful.......2007-04-27
An obscure treasure.......2007-04-19
An adult movie without the embarrassment.......2007-01-11
Hilarious!.......2006-11-17
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Train Man : Densha Otoko
Starring: Takayuki Yamada , and Miki Nakatani Director: Shosuke Murakami Manufacturer: VIZ Pictures ProductGroup: DVD Binding: DVD Similar Items:
ASIN: B000KN9FAS Release Date: 2007-02-06 |
Amazon.com
A supposedly true combination of a romance and a Pygmalion story, Densha Otoko began as an on-line tale that captivated audiences in Japan: there's a novel, a TV show, and a manga series, in addition to this feature. The title character is a textbook otaku, an anime and video game nerd who divides his time between the electronics stores in Tokyo's Akihabara district and the computer in his cluttered room. One day on a commuter train, he prevents an obnoxious drunk from bothering a pretty girl. She sends him a set of Hermès teacups as a thank-you and a tentative romance begins. Train Man has no idea how to behave with a girl, so an on-line posse tells him how to dress and what to say. Ultimately, his example inspires them to go out into the world. Director Masanori Murakami effectively uses a split screen to create the on-line community. Takayuki Yamada makes a wonderfully maladroit Train Man: when he calls Hermès for the first time, he holds the phone as if he were about to commit seppuku. Miki Nakatami infuses Hermès with a winning mixture of gentleness and independence. This touching romance will delight Gen-Y and -Z members, whose lives are bound to the Internet. (Unrated, suitable for ages 13 and older: minor violence, alcohol and tobacco use)--Charles SolomonDescription
Computer engineer Otaku (the Japanese term for "geek") is an average young man, dressed in unstylish clothes and dorky glasses. But as luck would have it, he encounters a pretty young woman on a commuter train and saves her from a lecherous molester, falling in love with her at first sight. A few days later he receives a thank-you message from the woman along with a set of Hermes teacups. Having never had a girlfriend or received a gift from a girl in his life, Otaku seeks out his pals on his BBS website for advice using his codename Train_Man (Densha Otoko): "How should I ask her out?" Deeply interested in Train Man's first love, his BBS pals eagerly supply him with advice. Encouraged by their support, Train_Man undergoes a total makeover for his first-ever date with "Hermess". Little does he know that he is about to ignite an Internet phenomenon...Customer Reviews:
A movie for everyone.......2007-05-12
Kinda inspirational.......2007-05-07
For the nerd in all of us..........2007-04-23
a nerd finds love.......2007-04-01
Train Man and Hermes - A Love Story.......2007-03-29
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Brief Encounter
Starring: Trevor Howard Director: David Lean Manufacturer: CIC ProductGroup: DVD Binding: DVD Similar Items:
ASIN: B000BCF5I4 |
Product Description
On a cafe at a railway station, housewife Laura Jesson meets doctor Alec Harvey. Although they are already married, they gradually fall in love with each other. They continue to meet every Thursday on the small cafe, although they know that their love is impossible. Summary written by Mattias ThuressonCustomer Reviews:
When you feel like British, no other film will do as well........2005-12-14
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Better Than Sex
Starring: David Wenham , Susie Porter , Catherine McClements , Kris McQuade , and Simon Bossell Director: Jonathan Teplitzky Manufacturer: Sony Pictures ProductGroup: DVD Binding: DVD Similar Items:
ASIN: B00009QUH7 Release Date: 2003-07-29 |
Amazon.com
Sometimes the right actors can make all the difference. Without David Wenham (Boys, The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers) and Susie Porter (The Monkey's Mask), Better Than Sex would still be a sexy romp, but it would also feel very familiar. Let's face it: there is no shortage of movies about one-night stands--just because this one lasts three days does not make it original. Fortunately, Wenham (Josh) and Porter (Cin) have chemistry and charm to burn. How they meet is irrelevant; it's what they do--and say--in Cin's loft that counts. There is (tasteful) sex to be sure, but also frank talk; sometimes to each other, sometimes to the camera. Their friends even chime in on occasion, in response to phone calls and gossip about their relationship. In the end, you don't learn anything new about sex, but you do get to know two likable people, for whom you can't help wishing the best. --Kathleen C. FennessyDescription
A steamy and smart romantic comedy that explores the differences between men and women. After a party in Sydney, an attractive young man and woman share a taxi. What starts out as a one-night stand turns into 3 days of the two exploring what they really want from life and each other. Starring: David Wenham (Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers), Susie Porter (Paradise Road, Bootmen).Customer Reviews:
Almost Better Than Sex.......2007-01-10
How Many Have You Had?.......2006-02-20
A charmer from Down Under.......2004-10-30
reminding us that something really is better than sex.......2004-09-22
Like 'When Harry Met Sally' - only about sex..........2004-07-25
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Brief Encounter [Region 2]
Starring: Celia Johnson , Trevor Howard , Stanley Holloway , Joyce Carey , and Cyril Raymond Director: David Lean ProductGroup: DVD Binding: DVD Similar Items:
ASIN: B000056MKW |
Amazon.com essential video
To many, Brief Encounter may seem like a relic of more proper times--or, specifically, more properly British times--when the pressures of marital decorum and fidelity were perhaps more keenly felt. In truth, David Lean's fourth film remains a timeless study of true love (or, rather, the promise of it), and the aching desire for intimate connection that is often subdued by the obligations of marriage. And so it is that ordinary Londoners Alec (Trevor Howard), a married doctor, and contented housewife Laura (Celia Johnson) meet by chance one day in a train station, when he volunteers to remove a fleck of ash from her eye (a romantic gesture that, perhaps, inspired Robert Towne's "flaw in the iris" scene in Chinatown).It so happens that their schedules coincide at the train station every Thursday, and their casual attraction grows, through quiet conversation and longing expressions, into the desperate recognition of mutual love. From this point forward, Lean turns this utterly precise, 85-minute film into a bracing study of romantic suspense, leading inevitably, and with the paranoid, furtive glances of a spy thriller, to the moment when this brief encounter must be consummated or abandoned altogether. Decades later, the outcome of this affair--both agonizing and rapturous--is subtle and yet powerful enough to draw tears from the numbest of souls, and spark debate regarding the tragedy or virtue of the choices made. A truly universal film, with meticulously controlled emotions revealed through the flawless performances of Howard and Johnson, and an enduring masterpiece that continued Lean on his course to cinematic greatness. --Jeff Shannon
Customer Reviews:
The Sigh of Midnight Trains in Empty Stations.......2007-05-06
Wonderful.......2007-04-27
An obscure treasure.......2007-04-19
An adult movie without the embarrassment.......2007-01-11
Hilarious!.......2006-11-17
Average customer rating: |
Brief Encounter (Breve incontro) [ NON-USA FORMAT, PAL, Reg.2 Import - Great Britain ]
Director: Alan Bridges ProductGroup: DVD Binding: DVD ASIN: B000KKRIAK |
Product Description
Great Britain 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: English (Mono), SYNOPSIS: The combined star-power of two of cinema's 'greats' - RICHARD BURTON and SOPHIA LOREN - illuminates this update of one of the most poignant cinematic love stories of all time.BRIEF ENCOUNTER is Noel Coward's classic tale of a doomed romance. When unhappily married doctor Alec Harvey removes a piece of grit from the eye of fellow train-traveller Anna Jesson, little do they suspect that this chance encounter will turn into a passionate relationship. Alec relentlessly pursues Anna, but she is tormented by guilt as the fantasy dream becomes a nightmare of deceit and she realises she is betraying both her husband and her children. SPECIAL FEATURES: Photo Gallery, Interactive Menu, Featurette, Biographies,
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