Conviction

Starring:Omar Epps, Dana Delany, Charles S. Dutton, Anthony 'Treach' Criss, Kyle Kass, Paul Mota, Edie Inksetter, Bentley Mitchum, Jason Molleson, Jim Calarco, Dave Sokolowski, Benz Antoine, K.C. Collins, Sheldon Smith, Wes Williams, Aaron Ashmore, Harley English-Dixon, Paul MacFarlane (II), Cherion Drakes, Raoul Juneja
Director: Kevin Rodney Sullivan
Studio: Paramount
Product Type: DVD

Amazon.com

Perhaps the highest compliment you can pay to Edward Norton is that his Oscar-nominated performance in American History X nearly convinces you that there is a shred of logic in the tenets of white supremacy. If that statement doesn't horrify you, it should; Norton is so fully immersed in his role as a neo-Nazi skinhead that his character's eloquent defense of racism is disturbingly persuasive--at least on the surface. Looking lean and mean with a swastika tattoo and a mind full of hate, Derek Vinyard (Norton) has inherited racism from his father, and that learning has been intensified through his service to Cameron (Stacy Keach), a grown-up thug playing tyrant and teacher to a growing band of disenfranchised teens from Venice Beach, California, all hungry for an ideology that fuels their brooding alienation.

The film's basic message--that hate is learned and can be unlearned--is expressed through Derek's kid brother, Danny (Edward Furlong), whose sibling hero-worship increases after Derek is imprisoned (or, in Danny's mind, martyred) for the killing of two black men. Lacking Derek's gift of rebel rhetoric, Danny is easily swayed into the violent, hateful lifestyle that Derek disowns during his thoughtful time in prison. Once released, Derek struggles to save his brother from a violent fate, and American History X partially suffers from a mix of intense emotions, awkward sentiment, and predictably inevitable plotting. And yet British director Tony Kaye (who would later protest against Norton's creative intervention during post-production) manages to juggle these qualities--and a compelling clash of visual styles--to considerable effect. No matter how strained their collaboration may have been, both Kaye and Norton can be proud to have created a film that addresses the issue of racism with dramatically forceful impact. --Jeff Shannon

Product Description

Edward Norton's Academy Award nominated role as a White Supremist who sees the error of his ways while jailed for murder. Unfortunately, he leaves prison to find his brother (Edward Furlong) heading down the same path.

Customer Reviews:

Painfully searing and thought provoking.......2007-06-27

I really can't remember a more emotionally charged movie. American X will make you feel angry, frightened, uncomfortable, shocked, sad, and hopefully introspective. It plunges deep into the heart of racism and ultimately exposes the ignorance that fuels it.

Edward Norton is scary. He received an oscar nomination as he became fully immersed in this role as Derek, an angry white supremist.

One of the scenes I found most profound was a glimpse of his upbringing. He is having a conversation with his father, explaining his admiration and respect for his school teacher, who happens to be a black man with two Phds. His dad drops subtle little hints and discriminatory remarks to discredit the man, and his son takes it to heart.

That's really the point of this whole movie, that nobody is born with hatred. Sadly, sometimes it is learned.

This movie is filled with intense moments where the rage and racism are much more blatant. Derek's hatred for all minorities keeps growing, even though he doesn't bother to get to know any of them. Until he goes to prison, and his work partner shows him the error of his ways.

Although this plot development is predictable and Derek's complete change of heart unfortunately seemed a little forced, this still is an exceptional movie. There are so many human frailties exposed and subjective topics examined. It is an obvious message film with high aspirations.

What king of response it triggers depends on you.

Wow... Just Wow.......2007-06-22

A good friend of mine suggested this film, and I really didnt know what to expect going in, but after this film was over, I sat in stunned silence. I knew that racism was horrible, but I found through this film that it does not come without a terrible price..the loss of love, friends, family...and the realization that everything that you believed to be true isnt always the way things are. Edward Norton's performance takes the viewer through this journey, and its not a pretty one. He goes from an bright young man, to a vengeful bigot, to a remorseful excon with a brothers life in jeopardy, and you feel as though you are looking in on someones life in the course of 2 hrs. All of the acting in this film is first rate, and the ending wasnt quite as predictable as others might have you believe...it is quite shocking, as is much of the film. It causes quite a debate on the way people view others whos skin color is not the same. As Dr. King said, judge me not on the color of my skin, but on the content of my character. I live with racism, because I am a black man living in America...it exists, but if we educate ourselves like the main character in AHX, it wont stay around for much longer.

Makes you think!.......2007-06-10

I was skeptical when I first heard about this movie, as I was originally mis-informed as to what it was really about! I am definetly glad I finally sat down and watched this film.

After seeing this film, it has quickly become one of my favorite films that I have ever seen. As others have said, Edward Norton plays his role so well, you may actually find yourself partly agreeing with what he says. The message of the film is very well done, and the ending is one of the most shocking I have seen.

Excellent acting, directing, and story-telling. This is a film to own, and a film that has become a classic within the world of movie-making!

garbage.......2007-05-23

A waste of a fine performance by Norton. The film is an idealistic mess. Trite and melodramatic. I like the ending, because it completely skewers audience expectations, but beyond that, the film feels as if it has been patched together at the last minute. Segments don't entirely match, and most of the acting is uneven. The story is straight out of a tv movie.
If you are one of those typical film students who wears a trenchcoat, has a goatee and won't shut up about Clerks and Fight Club, this will probably be your favorite movie.

XXXX..........2007-04-03

The fear of foreign races or people, and it evolving into an actual phobia, an intense and irrational dread, in other terms, racism, has been around since primitive man began forming tribes, millions of years ago. American History X examines racism in the context of present day neo-Nazism, and similar to the German Nazis of the 30's and 40's all foreigners are blamed for everything wrong with the State. The solution to unemployment, a high cost of living, rocketing welfare and rising crime is to jettison all immigrants, foreigners, from the country so that the original people, the white's in America or the Aryan race in 30's Germany can flourish as they are truly destined to do. This notion is one of the foundational tenets of fascism, and added to this, violence and war is the only method to achieve a `pure' flourishing State.

American History X is a strong film presenting the arguments for the Right and the Left where, for the most part, the propositions on both sides have valid points, however, it is impossible to argue a subject as complex as immigration, rising crime and the cost of living by blaming these situations on a particular race of people. In fact, the argument is absurd because there are always exceptions, and as this important film points out with force and powerful emotion, racism is about hate, fear and personal anger, projected on a generality because it is convenient, a scapegoat for a lack of control and responsibility.

Derek Vinyard (Edward Norton) is an intelligent young man but somewhere along the line began to hate Black American's, Asian American's et al, and under the tutelage of an older and influential White Supremist, (Stacy Keach), becomes the leader of a `skinhead' gang in Venice Beach, trashing foreign owned grocery stores to finally be jailed for the brutal murder of two teenaged Black Americans because they attempted to steal his car. Derek is strong, passionate, and terribly angry and now, a cold blooded killer and his younger brother, Danny, (Edward Furlong) idolises him.

Edward Furlong as Danny was perfect casting as he has a sensitive and forlorn, lost gaze, almost innocent because he loves his brother so much, and when his brother is released from prison with a different point of view, at first goes a little crazy, but will go along because he worships and loves him. Of course this makes the ending that much more forbidding and terribly moving. Furlong is a talented actor and is restrained in this picture, resulting in his performance being totally believable.

A film about such a controversial subject matter cannot avoid presenting a message for the viewer. In the case of American History X, racism is not an innate condition but a learned one, passed on from generation to generation.

American History X is not a good film but a truly great one and should be viewed by all concerned about our society and the hate and fear it contains...

Average customer rating:

Not as I was hoping
A must have DVD!!
25 to life
[3.5]--These two almost pulled it off.
Great Job

Life (dvd)
Starring: Eddie Murphy , Martin Lawrence , Obba Babatundé , Nick Cassavetes , and Anthony Anderson
Director: Ted Demme
Manufacturer: Universal Studios
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Comedy | Genres | DVD | Video

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ASIN: 0783237367
Release Date: 1999-10-19

Amazon.com

Martin Lawrence and Eddie Murphy play it surprisingly straight in this film by director Ted Demme. Though there are laughs to be had, this is a story about perseverance in the face of a life of disappointment (yet the film was sold as a prison comedy). But Stir Crazy this isn't. Rather, Lawrence and Murphy play a couple of New Yorkers making a moonshine run from New York to Mississippi during the Prohibition who find themselves framed for murder and sentenced for life to a prison chain gang. As they age, the two become close friends, although the strait-laced Lawrence always resents the free-wheeling Murphy for getting him into the situation in the first place. Ultimately, these two men learn to find meaning where they can, taking value from friendship and their limited ability to affect the lives of others. At times preachy, it ends on an upbeat note; the film's biggest laughs are reserved for the final section, in which Lawrence and Murphy don age makeup and play octogenarians. --Marshall Fine

Customer Reviews:

Not as I was hoping .......2007-05-13

This was meant to be a birthday present and when he opened it, it looked somewhat bootlegg. A good one but bootlegg nonetheless. So I am not a satisfied customer this time.

A must have DVD!!.......2007-04-08

This is a must have DVD in your movie collection. Those who don't like this movie don't get the "black" or "urban" experience at all!! Trust me if you do you will agree this is one of the greatest comedies EVER!!! Why? because it is real..it hits home on some very disturbing points about race and injustice.. with...and without humor!! Isn't that the story of black America. Over coming through non violent means. Which include laughter, sports, music clubs, dreams and life long bonds!! This film touches on all that. Buy it... and get one of the black communities(and whites who understand urban culture) greatest films of all time...period!!

25 to life.......2007-02-07

before i go on to review this movie.............i would like to say.....(PAH-LEAZE) TO WHOM IT MAY CONCERN........THIS IS A MOVIE REVIEW PAGE, NOT A TELL ALL HOW YOU RECIVED YOUR PURCHASE OR YOU DIDN'T RECIVED YOUR PURCHASE PAGE! NO ONE WANTS TO HEAR DID IT GET TO YOU GOOD OR NOT, THEY WANT TO HEAR DID YOU LIKE THE MOVIE OR NOT! THANK YOU! now i really liked this movie except for martin lawrence annoying role like he did on badboys 2! i guest hollywood likes to cast him as the pesterin side kick! but in other words,it was a decent movie!

[3.5]--These two almost pulled it off........2007-02-02

Once upon a time in America, life in prison meant precisely that. There was no early parole, no time off for good behavior. If you were sentenced to life, you could pretty much count on dying a prisoner in some godforsaken camp, farm or prison. Eddie Murphy is a small-time crook in Prohibition-era New York trying to get out of debt to a Harlem mobster. He sets up a scheme of driving some Mississippi moonshine to the mobster's speakeasy in New York. He ropes in as his driver Martin Lawrence, a bank teller who has also fallen afoul of the mobster because of an unpaid gambling debt.

Murphy's character's weak nature gets the better of him and after receiving the liquor shipment, he decides to do some gambling in a rural club. He gets cheated by a local card sharp who later mouths off to the town sheriff, who murders him. Murphy and Lawrence have the misfortune of discovering the body, and being seen with it. They get, you guessed it, life in prison. The two, initially antagonistic to one another, are forced to rely upon each other in the brutal work camp to which they are sentenced. Time passes and they dream of the freedom it seems will be denied them for a crime of which they aren't guilty.

There are a lot of moving moments in "Life" and with Murphy and Lawrence, even more funny ones. There is social commentary in the form of how black men are treated in the South, but it isn't strongly told or terribly compelling. Other movies explore that subject in greater depth and with greater insight. The problem with "Life" is that the filmmakers aren't sure whether they wanted to make a comedy, an examination of prison life in the Deep South of, say, 50 years ago, or a political/social commentary on the shaft given African Americans. They decide to do all these things, and in fact their reach exceeds their grasp.

"Life" really doesn't give you any new insights into anything. It's mainly an excuse to pair two of the brightest comic minds in America. Watching the two at work individually is fascinating, but Lawrence and Murphy don't generate enough chemistry to hold any interest as a team.

Great Job.......2007-02-01

They did a wonderful job getting my product here on time, matter-of-fact it was early and the it was brand new. Thank you for the great work.

Average customer rating:

Horror/Thriller keeps the blood pumping
One of the best psychological movies ever!
Great cast, Great script, Great movie
First-Rate Mystery Thriller That Floors You With Real Shocks
A VERY CLEVER AND DARK THRILLER

Identity
Starring: John Cusack , Ray Liotta , Amanda Peet , John Hawkes , and Alfred Molina
Director: James Mangold
Manufacturer: Columbia TriStar
ProductGroup: DVD
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ASIN: B00008EY9G
Release Date: 2003-09-02

Amazon.com

With an ace up its sleeve, Identity does for schizophrenia what The Silence of the Lambs did for fava beans and a nice chianti. On the proverbial dark and stormy night, this anxiety-laced thriller offers a tasty blend of And Then There Were None and Psycho, with a dash of Sybil for extra spice and psychosis. Things go from bad to worse when 10 unrelated travelers converge at an isolated motel and proceed to die, one by one, with no apparent connection... until they discover the common detail that's drawn them into this nightmare of relentless trauma. Even as it flunks Abnormal Psychology 101, Michael Cooney's screenplay offers meaty material for a superior ensemble cast including John Cusack and Rebecca DeMornay (who wins the Janet Leigh prize in a bitchy comeback role). Director James Mangold pivots the action around one character (played by his Heavy star, Pruitt Taylor Vince, in eye-twitching cuckoo mode), and half the fun of Identity comes from deciphering who's who, what's what, and who'll be the next to die. --Jeff Shannon

Description

A whodunit revolving around a group of 10 strangers who find themselves running from a desert storm. They hole up in a roadside motel that proves as hospitable as the Bates Motel. The patrons are killed, one by one, and the survivors must try to figure out who the killer is before they, too, check out... permanently! Stars John Cusack (upcoming The Runaway Jury, America's Sweethearts), Ray Liotta (Narc, Hannibal, Unlawful Entry), Rebecca DeMornay (The Hand that Rocks the Cradle, Never Talk to Strangers), Jake Busey (Tomcats, Starship Troopers), Amanda Peet (upcoming The Whole Ten Yards, High Crimes), Alfred Molina (Frida, Chocolat), John C. McGinley (Stealing Harvard, The Animal, TV's Scrubs), Directed by James Mangold (Kate & Leopold, Girl, Interrupted, Cop Land).

Customer Reviews:

Horror/Thriller keeps the blood pumping.......2007-04-19

The movie begins with a subplot of a killer's interview. Next, on a dark and stormy night, many lives will come together. George York (John C. McGinley - Dr. Cox from Scrubs) along with his wife Alice and stepson Timothy have a blowout. Alice is hit by limo driver Ed (John Cusack) driving movie star Caroline (Rebecca De Mornay). They rush to the closest phone, which is at an out-of-the-way hotel. Joining them for the evening, also trapped by the storm and flooding, is hooker Paris (how appropriate) played by Amanda Peet, and Officer Rhodes (Ray Liotta) transporting a prisoner (Jake Busey - don't Busey's make the best bad guys?), and a young couple whose passtime is arguing.

Rhodes' prisoner escapes, and then people begin to turn up dead. Secrets are revealed, there are arguments, a lot of creeping around in the rain, and nail-biting suspense. But there's more to this movie than just the typical whodunit. Where is the connection between these people? The key to the puzzle is much more complex than you think. The plot twists and twists again in a most satisfying manner. I can't say any more without revealing spoilers.

John Cusack and Ray Liotta give stellar performances, and John C. McGinley is good in everything he does. The film is well photographed and the atmosphere is sufficiently dreary to create the required mood. This is a great movie for a group of friends and a large bowl of buttered popcorn. Keep the lights on. Enjoy!

One of the best psychological movies ever!.......2006-11-03

I really have enjoyed watching the movie...three times already and I can say that it "tickles" your mind and think a lot of things at the end of it.
Dont judge the book by its cover they say .... and its correct.

Great cast, Great script, Great movie.......2006-10-23

A solid script backed up by a great cast, John Cusack, Ray Liotta, John c. McGinley, Alfred Molina, Amanda Peet and more, are all outstanding. Brilliantly directed by James Mangold who also directed Copland, Girl Intrerupted and Walk The Line, this is one of the best thrillers I have ever seen. To say too much about the script would possibly give it away, but in the style of the Agatha Christie's novels 'Ten Little Indians' and 'Murder on the orient express', where people start dying in suspicious circumstances and later they find out they are all connected in some way. In this movie we have ten complete strangers stranded at a desert motel for the night. Sure enough people start getting killed, there is a lot of finger pointing and plenty of twists along the way to keep the audience engaged. The music score is excellent and perfectly captures the mood of the whole movie. Special features include bonus trailers, an on the set documentary and 2 very informative and interesting commentaries. One by the director and one by the writer, the latter being the better of the two. The disc features both cinema and DVD versions, although the DVD version only includes 2 extra scenes that last no longer than 30 seconds each. The only fault I have of the movie is that it seems too much time was spent in the first half of the movie bringing the characters together and laying a foundation forcing the ending to seem rushed through to conclude the movie within the 90 minutes, instead of the film being possibly edited longer. All up though, one of the best thrillers you will ever see. I have seen it many times and it is still good even when you know the ending.

First-Rate Mystery Thriller That Floors You With Real Shocks.......2006-10-20

A group of seemingly unconnected characters become stormstayed at a remote motel, where one by one, they begin to disappear. Sounds familiar but promising; while the promise is more than fulfilled though, the familiarity is not, as a classic kind of idea gives way to one of the most original and twist-filled movies around. It's astonishing how cavalier the treatment of this movie was when it first came out, regarding its genuinely shocking ending - I had the misfortune of inadvertently reading the ending in a small ad prior to its DVD release! Even with advance knowledge of the outcome, though, it was still astounding - I can only imagine how jaw-dropping it must be to witness it not knowing. Fantastic suspense; great characterization as played by a cast of well-knowns including John Cusack, Amanda Peet, Rebecca DeMornay and Ray Liotta; excellent production values; and total non-telegraphing of the plot combine to make "Identity" one of the greatest mystery shockers of all time. If you don't know the ending, do yourself a favor and see this one as soon as possible - the turns are some of the most unexpected ever. Even if you do know the gist of it, don't hesitate to see it - it'll still deliver many times over. Indispensable for fans of mystery, drama, horror, or thrillers.

A VERY CLEVER AND DARK THRILLER.......2006-08-22

There have many excellent reviews of this movie, therefore, I would only be going over what so many have already written about this wonderful film. What I will say, however, is that this is an excellent movie. This film is a great study in psychological suspense that keeps the viewer guessing as to who the killer is. Spoiler: When the 10 travelers converging at a motel on a rainy night begin to die one by one, and all in a mysterious, and supernatural type way, you begin to wonder if this is some kind of ghost story. On the contrary, we are all in the mind of a serial killer,[Pruitt Taylor Vince] and his split personalities are beginning to merge. The only way for him to succeed in becoming whole again is to discard the make-believe world that his mind has created. Therefore, we witness the killings that are perplexing, and yet real to the mind of this killer. John Cusack gives a good performance as the limo-driver, as does Ray Liotta as the policeman/escaped convict, and of course the role of the psychiatrist [Alfred Molina] trying to prevent the scheduled execution of the aforementioned serial killer, does an excellent acting performance as well. I highly recommend this movie. It is definetly different than many, if not most of the thrillers on the market today.

Average customer rating:

KEYS TO GOD
Spirituality vs. the Letter of the Law
"Lost" classic
AJ Cronin.. great old movie
Keyes to the Kingdom

The Keys of the Kingdom
Starring: Gregory Peck , Thomas Mitchell , Vincent Price , Rose Stradner , and Roddy McDowall
Director: John M. Stahl
Manufacturer: 20th Century Fox
ProductGroup: DVD
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Motion Picture Masterpieces Collection (David Copperfield 1935 / Marie Antoinette 1938 / Pride and Prejudice 1940 / A Tale of Two Cities 1935 / Treasure Island 1934)

ASIN: B000FFJ83K
Release Date: 2006-07-11

Description

A marvelous spectacle spanning six decades and two continents, The Keys of the Kingdom is the glorious epic that introduced audiences to screen newcomer Gregory Peck.

After losing his parents and his childhood sweetheart to tragedy, Francis Chisholm (Peck) joins the priesthood and devotes himself to a life of service and compassion. But Chisholm?s unorthodox beliefs raise eyebrows among his superiors, especially Bishop Angus Mealy (Vincent Price). And when he is sent to the farthest reaches of China to rebuild an abandoned mission, Chisholm faces his greatest challenge of all: to tame a hostile land, win over a superstitious people and save his parish from an invading army. Nominated* for four Academy Awards®, including Best Actor (Peck), The Keys of the Kingdom is a ?towering film stamped with greatness? (The Independent).

Customer Reviews:

KEYS TO GOD.......2007-05-17

Keys of the Kingdom is an inspiring, wonderful, and exciting movie. Gregory Peck plays a wonderful part as a priest.

Spirituality vs. the Letter of the Law.......2007-03-24

Keys of the Kingdom by A.J. Cronin is very dear to my heart as my first life lessons on tolerance were quoted from it to me by my dear grandmother.
EVERY TIME she came to visit she quoted the passage "there are many rooms in my mansion" to make the point that no one religion has a monopoly on Heaven. The movie is especially touching as were many movies made in the 1940s. The focus is actually on life and basic human values instead of superficiality, violence and vulgar sexual content. One walks away feeling uplifted with a new or revisited insight focused on spirituality rather than the "letter of the law". Gregory Peck is believable and engaging as the humble, sweet-spirited Father Chisholm. It is difficult to believe that this was his debut film. Everyone struggling with issues of faith in today's world should view this film to get in touch with what is truly important.

"Lost" classic.......2007-02-19

I had never heard of this film until I saw it listed in a video catalog a few years ago. I don't recall it being on TV when I was young and I doubt it was mentioned when I heard people discuss the "classics." After finally seeing it recently, however, I have to say that it SHOULD be.

Gregory Peck absolutely shines as Father Chisholm, a simple priest who is dealt a "bad hand" by fate. He encounters hardships in his youth, as a young man, and especially when he accepts an assignment to lead a mission in far-off China. Through it all, he keeps himself grounded and maintains a healthy sense of optimism, oftentimes when the average person might be tempted to "give up." It is a heartwarming story of one man's struggle to follow his calling, and watching it, one will have no problem understanding why Peck was nominated for an Academy Award for this performance. Peck's Father Chisholm exhibits extraordinary resolve and determination, tempered with a sense of humility and a sincere desire to be the best person that he can be.

Five stars. A "lost classic" that deserves to be rediscovered!

AJ Cronin.. great old movie.......2007-02-07

enjoyed this movie after reading the book. great story and well acted. book and movie are excellent..

Keyes to the Kingdom.......2007-01-21

The quality of the dvd was excellent. The story was wonderful. It has been a long time since I have seen this movie. AHH! The black and white films are the best

Average customer rating:

Great movie
A Grain of Salt Review
It's a fun, vicarious thrill ride, not an art film
Double Jeopardy
One for the library

Double Jeopardy
Starring: Tommy Lee Jones , Ashley Judd , Benjamin Weir , Jay Brazeau , and Bruce Greenwood
Director: Bruce Beresford
Manufacturer: Paramount
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: 0792160215
Release Date: 2000-02-22

Amazon.com

Young Libby Parsons (Ashley Judd) is happy as a clam, and why not? She's got a loving, successful husband (Bruce Greenwood), an adorable son, and an island home to die for. One morning, after a romantic sailing expedition with her husband, Libby finds herself covered in blood. Her husband's missing, the boat resembles a murder scene, and there's a knife on the deck. One might stop right there and call for help; Libby, however, takes matters--or, more specifically, the knife--into her own hands, and the moment she does, there's the Coast Guard. Faster than you can say frame-up, Libby's been charged with murder and jailed, with her young son stripped from her custody. It's all cut-and-dried, except for one thing: Libby's husband isn't dead, and she's about to track him down. And thanks to the Fifth Amendment's double jeopardy rule, she can't be charged twice for his murder.

Double Jeopardy has a singularly seductive revenge premise and, in Judd, one of the most seductive leading ladies to grace the silver screen in recent years. So then why does this thriller feel like it came from the bottom of the Lifetime television movie barrel? Instead of taking a gritty, hard-boiled approach, the film plays up all of Libby's mushy emotions--tellingly, the director here is Bruce Beresford, whose best film, Driving Miss Daisy, is as far from thriller territory as you can get. No matter how stoically or deviously Judd plays her, Libby comes across as a soccer mom with a slight taste for blood. Only in a few scenes, specifically when she tracks her wily husband to his new identity in New Orleans, does Judd get to strut her stuff, stealing an evening gown and crashing his charity auction. Most of the time, though, this thriller offers only a smattering of suspense. Well, at least like Libby, the filmmakers can't be condemned twice for the same crime. With Tommy Lee Jones duplicating his Fugitive role, as Libby's conscientious parole officer. --Mark Englehart

Customer Reviews:

Great movie.......2007-06-30

Ashley Judd is beyond beautiful. Tommy Lee Jones is one of my favorites. The story is creative and original. Great movie.

A Grain of Salt Review.......2007-05-22

If Ashley Judd is in the movie, I AM GOING to see it. Period. It could be a four-hour documentary on elephant bathing and I'm going to watch it if Ashley Judd makes an appearance. I say that only so that people considering my review can better understand where I'm coming from in my admittedly biased review of this movie.

HOWEVER....

I did truly love the plot of this movie. It could have starred Grover from Sesame Street and Jeff Phat from the Wiggles and I would have enjoyed it pretty much the same. (well okay maybe not, but still... the actors merely ADDED to a plot that was truly amazing.)

The plot can be summed up best with one of Ashley's more famous lines. "I can shoot you in the middle of Mardi Gras and they can't touch me..."

She'd already been convicted of a murder that had never even taken place. The guy faked his own death! And in the end, he learns a very valuable lesson... Karma is a witch... and so is Ashley Judd Scorned!

It's a fun, vicarious thrill ride, not an art film.......2007-05-21

Critics can trot out all the evidence they like: Gaping plot holes, legal inaccuracies, cliched improbabilities, etc. It doesn't matter. 'Double Jeopardy' was a surprise box-office hit in 1999 because it was exciting, had two immensely likable powerhouse leads, and one intensely despicable villain. Ashley Judd's passionate unstoppability in pursuit of Bruce Greenwood's bottomless evil kept viewers riveted till the last frame. They couldn't wait to see him get his payback. And that coffin scene was extremely intense in a darkened theater. It was the talk of the season!

Don't rent this. Buy it. You'll thank me later.

Double Jeopardy.......2007-05-07

This is third time I have watched this movie, I absolutely like the premise. LEE

One for the library.......2007-04-12

Two awesome stars, Tommy Lee Jones and Ashley Judd. This was a really good movie and one that is in my library.

Average customer rating:

Identity - Ending is easily guessed by the middle.
BUY IT you won't stand it from your seat.
IT WAS A DARK AND STORMY NIGHT...

Identity [Blu-ray]
Starring: Carmen Argenziano , Marshall Bell , Jake Busey , Frederick Coffin , and John Cusack
Director: James Mangold
Manufacturer: Sony Pictures
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: Blu-ray

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ASIN: B000MNOX7Q
Release Date: 2007-04-03

Product Description

What if every choice we ever make was already made for us? What if there really were no coincidences in life and our destinies were already predetermined? Ten strangers with secrets are brought together in a savage rainstorm: A limo driver (John Cusack), an '80s TV star (Rebecca DeMornay), a cop (Ray Liotta) who is transporting a killer (Jake Busey), a call girl (Amanda Peet), a pair of newlyweds(Clea DuVall and William Lee Scott) and a family in crisis (John C. McGinley, Leila Kenzle, Bret Loehr), all take shelter at a desolate motel run by a nervous night manager (John Hawkes). Relief in finding shelter is quickly replaced with fear as the ten travelers begin to die, one by one. They soon realize that, if they are to survive, they'll have to uncover the secret that has brought them alltogether..

Customer Reviews:

Identity - Ending is easily guessed by the middle. .......2007-06-08

Very much enjoyed the film! The Blu-ray disc was HD perfection. Acting, direction, camera work, and all other crafts were very good. The "switch" at the end can be easily perceived by the middle of the story, but it did not lessen the enjoyment. A good night seeing a film at the theater -- the big screen one in my own home that is, sans noisy, rude people, no outrageous priced snacks, no out of focus projection, no soundtrack cranked up to ear drum-breaking level, and no sub-zero air-conditioning. Ah, the way movies should be seen! Identity = good, but rent, don't buy.

BUY IT you won't stand it from your seat........2007-05-07

A very interesting movie and believe me you are going to be watching with no stop vision of the screen. A good title to see it BUY IT.

IT WAS A DARK AND STORMY NIGHT..........2007-03-26

My son brought this film home from the local rental place and, though having never heard of it, I decided to watch it on the strength of the cast, which is stellar. I must say that it is a highly entertaining, atmospheric, and intriguing thriller that focuses on ten people, ostensible strangers to each other, who, through a seeming twist of fate, meet one dark and stormy night at a seedy motel in the middle of nowhere.

There, a strange fate begins to over take them, as one by one they meet up with a mysterious killer. No one knows who amongst them is the killer. No one knows who is next. Yet, there is apparently a link that binds them all. There is also a parallel story involving a convicted killer that opens the film and continues to be interjected at odd moments throughout the film. It is a story that is also interesting and becomes more so as the film continues.

There are subtle clues along the way that point the viewer in the right direction, in terms of what is really going on. The viewer, however, will generally realize this in hindsight, which is, of course, always twenty/twenty. The pace of the film is relentless. The tension is palpable. The acting is top notch. The direction is first rate, and the ending screams out, "Gotcha!".

This is a surprisingly effective psychological thriller that all those who love films of this genre should enjoy. There are enough twists and turns in the plot to keep even the most jaded viewers on their toes. While the performances of the entire cast are uniformly excellent, special kudos go to John Cusack for a truly powerful, memorable performance. Bravo!

Average customer rating:

Great Movie
Excelente
mi vida loca dvd
chicana life
Mi Vida Loca

Mi Vida Loca (My Crazy Life)
Starring: Angel Aviles , Seidy Lopez , Jacob Vargas , Devine , and Monica Lutton
Director: Allison Anders
Manufacturer: Hbo Home Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B0002DRDIW
Release Date: 2004-09-14

Amazon.com

A rare and harsh gem of a film, Mi Vida Loca tells the story of young Hispanic women in Los Angeles and the struggles they have in a life of gangs, drugs, and personal betrayal. Mousie (Seidy Lopez) and Sad Girl (Angel Aviles) are best friends from childhood, growing up in gang-infested Echo Park and remaining loyal to each other. But when Sad Girl sleeps with Mousie's boyfriend (a drug dealer who is killed) and becomes pregnant, their friendship is ruptured. As the violence of their neighborhood erupts around them, they must try to stay together as friends despite their betrayals. This is an unforgiving look at a world where women seem to have no choice but to raise their children, deal drugs, and survive by whatever means necessary. Director Allison Anders (Gas Food Lodging) structures the film as a series of unflinching and vivid anecdotes, bringing insight to a tragic side of modern society. --Robert Lane

Customer Reviews:

Great Movie.......2007-05-16

This is a great movie for any one that wants to take a look back into old times in Great L.A. It is also very fuuny and has a lot of actors that you might recognize from these type of movies. ALL and ALL great movie and a must have in any collection.

Excelente.......2007-01-17

I always enjoyed this movie from the first time I saw it. It is worth watching over and over!

mi vida loca dvd.......2006-11-10

i placed two orders from this same seller for the same dvd and both came in very quickly in excellent condition there were no problems with making my payment or anything else thank you very much will be looking forward to ordering from you agan. i got two of the same video cuz my daughter wanted her own copy and needed one for the house also

chicana life.......2006-11-07

some the true lives of chicano/a in the california / texas etc area
enjoyable

Mi Vida Loca.......2006-07-24

Great movie, definately original and something many Chicanos living is SoCal can relate to or be familiar with.

Paradise Lost - The Child Murders at Robin Hood Hills

Average customer rating:

Celluloid Propaganda
Compelling and appalling
Haunting
Johnny Cash wore black, but he's considered normal.
must-see

Paradise Lost - The Child Murders at Robin Hood Hills
Starring: Jason Baldwin , Steven Branch , Christopher Byers , John Mark Byers , and Melissa Byers
Director: Bruce Sinofsky
Manufacturer: New Video Group
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B000AYEIY0
Release Date: 2005-10-25

Amazon.com

On May 6, 1993, the mutilated bodies of three 8-year-old boys were found in a shallow creek in West Memphis, Arkansas. A short time later police arrested three local teenagers, linking the boys' killings to a satanic ritual. One of the boys confessed. The intriguing court case was about to unfold as filmmakers Joe Berlinger and Bruce Sinofsky ventured forth to make this documentary. They captured footage of not only courtroom proceedings but also interviews with the major players in trial--parents, suspects, lawyers. The documentary filmmakers, whose previous film, Brother's Keeper, is as intriguing of a crime story you'll ever see, tells this story without re-creations or flashbacks. The film makes a clear argument that the court trial may not be about witchcraft but a witch hunt. As with any great drama, the faces and situations are etched upon the viewer; however, we are dealing with real lives and real crimes (told gruesomely and necessarily by police photographs and videotape), and the impact is far greater. And so is the maddening ambivalence of the trial. Like the O.J. Simpson fiasco, a verdict is reached but the truth is questioned. Did police make fatal errors the night of the crime? Do last-minute clues lead to justice? Who's lying on the stand? As with Roger and Me and Hoop Dreams, we have a provocative single incident that holds a mirror to many of society's problems. The results are just more horrifying. The Emmy-winning film was followed four years later by Paradise Lost 2: Revelations. --Doug Thomas

Description

One of the most influential documentaries in recent years, the Sundance favorite PARADISE LOST is an emotionally raw, must-see crime doc from two of today's most exciting filmmakers--Joe Berlinger and Bruce Sinofsky (the team behind Metallica: Some Kind of Monster, Brother's Keeper). This dark odyssey began with the tragic murders of three 8-year-old boys, whose bodies were discovered in a shallow creek in West Memphis, Arkansas. The community demanded justice, and one month later the police delivered: three local teenagers accused of sacrificing the boys as part of a Satanic ritual. Despite overwhelming public antipathy towards them, defendants Damian Echols, Jason Baldwin, and Jessie Misskelley steadfastly maintained their innocence. Although the trial produced virtually no physical evidence connecting the defendants to the crime, the town, the jury, and the police felt that they had their killers, and used the young men's penchant for heavy metal music and black clothing and a fascination with the Wicca religion as evidence of their guilt. With unprecedented access to all the players, Berlinger and Sinofsky captured the events as they unfolded before their cameras. From actual courtroom footage and clandestine jailhouse interviews to behind-the-scenes strategy meetings and intimate portraits of grief-stricken families, PARADISE LOST is a shocking yet uniquely American real-life drama. DVD Features: Exclusive Trial Footage; Timeline of Events; Trial Updates; Theatrical Trailer; Filmmaker Biographies; Interactive Menus; Scene Selection

Customer Reviews:

Celluloid Propaganda.......2007-05-16

Paradise Lost is an exercise in historical revisionism. Its producers aimed at spinning history with the hope that a trio of clearly guilty murderers would be released. This alleged documentary plays fast and loose with the facts that it presents while leaving inconvenient facts on the cutting room floor to present a false picture of three innocent lads being railroaded for crimes that they did not commit.

Paradise Lost is a dishonest documentary in that while the producers never state their opinions directly, they deliberately omit certain facts while twisting other facts so that they can present a distorted version of what really happened. For instance, the producers want you to believe that the convicted killers were really innocent, that there was no real evidence against them. The makers of this documentary want you to believe that the 3 teenagers were convicted due to their love of heavy metal, the works of Stephen King, the fact they wore black T-shirts and because there was a "satanic panic" in the community.

The documentary producers also use John Mark Byers, the stepfather of one of the victims, as a red herring. They insinuate that Byers should have been the top suspect instead of the 3 convicted punks. They conveniently leave out the fact that Byers had an airtight alibi and was cleared of suspicion following an intensive police investigation. This so-called documentary implies that since Byers is mentally slow, then he could have been the real murderer.

Paradise Lost was made along the lines of a Michael Moore documentary sans the comedy. Like a Moore documentary, Paradise Lost shows some of both sides of an issue, but upon further examination, it is clearly one sided. In this case, the bias is on the side of the convicted criminals. Facts that point towards guilt are either glossed over or entirely left out. Contrary to the movie, the trio were not convicted just because they wore black or liked heavy metal music. That is a gross distortion of the evidence against them.

Paradise Lost is one of those documentaries where if you do not know much about the subject, your response likely will be that what happened to the 3 convicts was a horrible miscarriage of justice. However, if you actually know a good deal about what really happened, your reaction is that the documentary itself was nothing but a sham and a fraud.

Paradise Lost is a sham and a fraud that is not worth either your time or your hard earned money. It is most definitely not recommended.

Compelling and appalling.......2007-03-02

I saw this movie in a theatre ten years ago and recently saw the DVD version. It's pretty obvious that these boys are innocent. It's even more obvious they never got a fair trial.

I'm impressed by Damien, the young man accused of satanism. He's smart and articulate and he kept his cool.

But what's even more appalling is that, given the publicity attached to this case, the young men remain in prison. Why hasn't the governor commuted their sentences? With so many holes in the prosecution's case -- absence of blood being just one -- why have appeals failed?

Paradise Lost describes a 20th century witch hunt. And that's our justice system.

Haunting.......2007-02-07

This documentary is brilliantly made - no commentary, just footage of the incidents, interviews with the people involved in them, all of which speak for themselves. But it's a haunting message they tell - a haunting, horrific murder and some haunting questions about the justice system's response. The film does not pretend to give answers - it doesn't preach, it just asks questions. Those questions continue to reel inside me, long after viewing - the guilt or innocence of the young men charged with the crimes, the guilt or innocence of others and, perhaps for me the most disturbing question of all: will we ever know for sure just what happened? Like pretty well everything that HBO is involved in, I found this to be really top-shelf documentary production.

Johnny Cash wore black, but he's considered normal........2007-01-23

I'd like to think that people are getting more open minded regarding justice and the law. With the recent explosion of court and police shows on tv, nearly everyone is getting interested in the subject, and tries to be their own detective, figuring out what's right and what's wrong while looking at both sides of the story. Unfortunately, that's only recently, and the events that take place in Paradise Lost were anything but handled that way. I don't think I've ever been disgusted or disappointed when seeing the outcome of a trial for anything, but this one had me shaking my head in disbelief each time the verdict was made. This isn't my own personal feeling on the more southern states, but documentaries like this certainly don't help the more city-slicker's view of that area, seeing how one-sided things can be. The fact that a little over 10 years ago, people were using the "they wear black and listen to heavy metal, so they must be Satanic" really makes me feel sorry for the older people of that age. Let's hope that my generation, as pitiful as it seems most of the time, is more open minded on such subjects. Anyway, Paradise Lost is one of the few movies to really get me. At two and a half hours long, most documentaries would bore you with false info and a one-sided argument, like Michael the Hutt Moore does. Here, everything goes by fast thanks to flawless editing, interesting people, and the best defense attorneys one could ever wish to see.

In May of 1993, 3 small boys were found murdered (amongst other things) in a shallow creek in West Memphis, Arkansas. What was done to them is pretty graphic, so you're better looking up info on that on your own rather than me explaining it here. Seemingly right away, police got a supposed confession from Jessie Misskelley who claimed his friends Damien Echols and Jason Baldwin did it. All three of them were seen as outcasts in school and by the rest of the community for listening to bands like Metallica and Slayer, wearing black shirts, and not being into the typical things people in that area were. So, naturally, the police went after them since they'd be the ones who'd do such a thing, what with being different and all. The problem is, there's nearly no evidence to support that any of the 3 boys were involved. Jessie's confession is filled with holes, and the officer questioning him more or less tells him what the right time was for them to be there, after Jessie changes the time on when it happened more than 3 times in his story. His IQ of 72 doesn't help matters either. The murders were done by a professional, obviously, having no blood, foot prints or anything of that sort at the scene of the crime. The scene was left clean- no teenagers could've done it that well, especially some of the skinning that took place...in the dark, and it would've had to have been underwater since no blood was found. One officer even admits to LOSING evidence later in the trial. But, the city made up their mind before the trial even began. All that mattered to them was that someone was going to pay for a crime, regardless of if they did it or not.

As a few have said, the real heroes here are the defense lawyers. These guys are some of the best I've ever seen, and go into detail as to why the boys are innocent, providing enough proof that it couldn't possibly have been them. I'm wondering why nothing they said seemed important to the jury at all, since everything they said and questioned made 100% sense. One lawyer even comes up with a case that shows that one victim's stepfather could have done it, and provides enough evidence. He admits to beating his son shortly before the murder took place, can't easily explain why his own blood was found on a murder weapon, and changes his mind about what the police asked him and how he answered several times. Again, despite the proof that he's more than likely the real culprit, his case is dismissed after just a few minutes. I don't know if this is as bad, or worse, but some of the parents involved here can easily be seen as just as heartless as the killer(s). One mother is smiling and cheering before she's interviewed by a news station just because she's "on tv". Another more or less makes death threats to all 3 boys if they were ever to be let out of prison, while another pair practices at a shooting range and names the 3 targets after the accused boys. The boy's stepfather who is accused later on even goes on into detail about how he hopes terrible things will happen to all 3, and what he'll do to their graves each year if they die before him. Naturally, most would feel sorry for the parents of the lost children at first, but when everything's almost done here, you realize that they've lost their humanity and only care about revenge. Sadly, Paradise Lost doesn't work out like an episode of Law & Order. All 3 accused boys are still in prison today, DNA testing was only cleared just recently, and the real murderer is still at large. Considering that the 3 families of the victims were involved with a Parents of Murdered Children meeting, seemingly for the state, it shows that the person(s) who did this probably did those ones in as well. A sequel is available right now, and I just read that a third one is in the works. Lets hope that justice is served soon. The movie isn't one sided, but it's obvious that all 3 boys were innocent.

Since this is a documentary for HBO, filmed back in the early 90s, the picture quality isn't going to be that great. There's a lot of grain and out of focus shots, but none of it takes away from the presentation. What do you expect? The audio's just the same, recorded on low-quality microphones. Sadly, there aren't any subtitles or captions you can turn on to help with the heavier accents of some people. But I'm sure you'll want to watch the movie more than once, and you'll figure out any questionable phrases upon the second viewing.

The extras here aren't much, but at least we get something. Damien Echols Trial Testimony is just extended footage of Damien talking about what he's into and why he dresses the way he does. It was summarized already in the movie, but it helps out on showing that the community didn't like him before the trial even began. Timeline of Events is just that, and is represented by screens showing where and when things happened. It's good to check out if you might have missed anything, but not quite necessary. Lastly is a Trial Updates file that you can download from the disc. Though, you'd be best off just looking up any info on the West Memphis 3 and going from there since this file's semi-outdated now.

I know 2 other movies have been made since this, but they could've piled on some more extras. Surely there was some other good trial footage taken out like the footage of Damien explaining his ways and such. The movie itself is amazing though, and really makes you wonder how people can still backtrack from all the proof that 3 boys are innocent, and stick with the whole "they wear black and listen to heavy metal" excuse.

must-see.......2006-04-04

this documentary takes you inside the robin hood hills case, and for me it made me doubt the outcome and imprisonment of the three teenagers. it is honest, graphic and sad, but i think it takes you inside better than most other documentaries i've seen.

Average customer rating:

I want a TANK too!
TANK!
a fun old movie in great shape
This was PG!?
Never hack off a Sgt. Maj., especially one with his own tank

Tank
Starring: James Garner , Shirley Jones , C. Thomas Howell , Mark Herrier , and Sandy Ward
Director: Marvin J. Chomsky
Manufacturer: Universal Studios
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B0003JAOCC
Release Date: 2004-12-28

Amazon.com

This enjoyable nonsense stars James Garner as a career military man (and private owner of a Sherman tank) who ends up on the wrong side of a redneck sheriff (G.D. Spradlin) by interfering in a bullying deputy's treatment of a prostitute. The corrupt lawman gets his revenge by arresting Garner's teenage son (C. Thomas Howell) on a phony drug charge and locking him away on a brutal prison farm. After taking some lumps there, the poor kid's dad decides to haul out his prized tank and do a little rearranging of the terrain. While the plot sounds like some antiauthority potboiler from the early '70s and the characters are all stick figures, Garner's golden warmth gives this movie some nice dimension. Directed by Marvin J. Chomsky (Victory at Entebbe). --Tom Keogh

Product Description

James Garner stars in this story of love, honor and loyalty, featuring Shirley Jones,G.D. Spradlin and Jenilee Harrison. Sergeant-Major Zack Carey (James Garner) is completing his final stint of duty at a post in a small southern town. After defending a prostitute (Jenilee Harrison), he finds himself doing battle with the town s maniacal Sheriff (G.D. Spradlin). When the Sheriff jails Zack s son Billy (C. Thomas Howell) on a phoney drug charge, the Sergeant takes justice into his own hands - with help from his personal World War II Sherman Tank!

System Requirements:

Running Time 114 Min

Format: DVD MOVIE

Customer Reviews:

I want a TANK too!.......2007-05-21

This movie is still a great watch even after 23 years! I'm not just saying this because my father (James Newton)had a part in it, but even after I showed friends they enjoyed it too! It makes you want to join the Army just to have a tank of your own. Hoo Ahh!

TANK!.......2007-03-08

The last time I saw this movie, I was a kid. One day, I saw it on TV, and decided I wanted to have it on DVD. Amazon had it. I love this movie! Cheezy 80's aside, you gotta love the Sherman tank opening up a can of whoop on them good ol boys! A perfect additon to your war movie/80's movie collection!

a fun old movie in great shape.......2007-01-10

THis is a fun movie for the entire family! It shows that life is not always fair or pleasent but that standing beside/behind the people you charish is a precious thing. It also has enough action to be exciting and not sappy.

This was PG!?.......2005-06-18

I am surprised that this had a PG rating. Many characters swear, and I don't mean the PG-13 stuff. Also, there is brief nudity here. In fact, the scene is a bit masochistic and some may get a pleasure from it. This film has many familiar faces from the 1970s and early 1980s.

Never hack off a Sgt. Maj., especially one with his own tank.......2005-05-18

This film will never be remembered as great cinematic art. It will never ever be remembered as great comedy. As drama, it is fairly hokey. That doesn't matter, though. It is fun.

The story is of a Sergeant Major who accepts his last post outside a small southern town. This SGM, however has his own Sherman tank that he and his son restored. The problem is that the town and the entire county is run by a corrupt sherrif who is into liquor, prostitution and bribery. The SGM makes the mistake of hacking of this sherrif so the sherrif arrests the son on a bogus drug charge and sends him to a hellhole of a prison camp. It seems that nothing the SGM can do will help his son so he takes matters into his own hands, fires up the tank and rides to the rescue. From there, is is a chase to the state line.

Most of the elements of this movie are extremely predictable. Stereotypes abound. You almost know what is going to happen before it happens. That does not detract too much from the fun of seeing it happen, though. Some of the antics are so patently absurd as to be unworkable but they work in this movie, whether or not they would ever work in the real world. Its just silly fun.

James Garner is extremely likable as the sarge. This is by no means his greatest work but it looks like it was fun to make. Shirley Jones plays his wife and C. Thomas Howell is the wronged kid. So too are their performances less that stellar but they get the job done.

The good guys win. So does the viewer. Don't expect high art, just the fairly frequent laugh.

Average customer rating:

"I'm happy, tonight. I'm not worried about anything. I'm not fearing any man."
A lesson for us all
There are more important lessons to be learned than death with dignity
Hog of a story
Very good movie, grab a box of tissues.

A Lesson Before Dying
Starring: Don Cheadle , Cicely Tyson , Mekhi Phifer , Irma P. Hall , and Brent Jennings
Director: Joseph Sargent
Manufacturer: Hbo Home Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B0000399WJ
Release Date: 2000-01-25

Amazon.com essential video

On a bright sunny day in 1948, Jefferson (Mekhi Phifer) sets off down the road to go catch some fish; by the end of the movie's opening sequence, he is the one who's been caught, and wrongly accused of the murder of a white shopkeeper. Racial inequality, at the time, is so pervasive in Louisiana that the white defense lawyer's argument at Jefferson's trial is that his client is not worthy of conviction: "You might just as soon put a hog in the 'lectric chair as this," he declares. Outraged by this statement, Jefferson's godmother (Irma P. Hall) does not want her godson to die as a hog. To this end she enlists the reluctant aid of the black community's teacher, Grant Wiggins (Don Cheadle), to teach him to "be a man." As Grant and Jefferson get to know each other (and the viewer gets to know them both), it's not clear which of them needs the lesson more. As in Ernest J. Gaines's award-winning novel, the movie goes beyond the conflict between the races to explore divisions that splinter the black community: education versus religion, dark skin versus light. And, thanks to masterful performances from Cheadle and Phifer as well as a thoughtful screenplay by Amy Peacock, A Lesson Before Dying goes even further, examining what it means to be human and the responsibility a man has to himself and to his community. Originally made for HBO, this adaptation of Gaines's novel richly deserves to be seen by a wider audience. --Larisa Lomacky Moore

Customer Reviews:

"I'm happy, tonight. I'm not worried about anything. I'm not fearing any man." .......2007-04-09

From screenplay, to cinematography, and most certainly through the exceptional performances, this superb film is a tearjerker you can feel good about - on many levels.

The movie's most compelling quality is its clear-eyed view of racism in America's deep south. The black people we meet all have distinct personalities complete with problems, strengths, fears, disappointments, and ambitions - just like anybody else. They are people first, black people second. Racism, in all of its cruel and unjust stupidity, does not define them; it is simply the water they swim in, the air they breathe. This unbiased neutrality imbues A Lesson Before Dying with real force.

Every life is seen through the lens of racism. Jefferson (Mekhi Phifer) is the purest of victims, Grant (Don Cheadle) is the intellectual wrestling with fight or flight, Tante Lou (Cicely Tyson) is fierce in her belief that self-discipline holds the answer, while the unforgettable Miss Emma (Irma Hall) embodies all we've ever learned about the abiding courage and astounding endurance of black women, still strong enough to love, give, and do what it takes to defend their own.

This is a tough-minded picture that asks a very hard question. Everyone knows Jefferson is innocent, they also know he will be executed. But how can Grant help him die with dignity? Why is that such an important goal - a gift to himself, to Miss Emma, and to the children of the town? This quest touches everyone.

Don Cheadle is always worth watching, he was haunting in Hotel Rwanda. The good news is that his exceptional performance here is one of many that are woven together into a powerful, and very American story. Highly recommended.

A lesson for us all.......2006-04-07

A "Lesson Before Dying" is a powerful and passionate film, so beautifully written and so beautifully acted it is one of those rare exceptions where the film adaptation is better than the book. Mehki Phifer gives a powerful performance as Jefferson, a young man sentenced to die for a crime he did not commit. He truly brings honesty and humanity to a young man who is seen by white society as inhuman. And Don Cheadle brings compassionate and dignity to the teacher who must help Jefferson stand tall.

I can't say enough about "A Lesson Before Dying." The injustice committed will anger you, the fate of Jefferson will sadden you, but ultimately knowing these people and sharing in their lives, and seeing dignity and love rise from the ashes of a cruel and uncaring world make the anger and sadness worth it all.

There are more important lessons to be learned than death with dignity.......2005-09-27

In Louisiana in 1948 a young black man named Jefferson (Mekhi Phifer) makes the fatal mistake of accepting a ride from another pair of young men. When they stop at a local store to get some beer the other men do not have enough money and the white storeowner will not give them credit. Guns are drawn and everybody ends up dead but Jefferson, who is arrested for the crime. Since this is a question of black and white justice in the South before the Civil Rights Movement, Jefferson is condemned to be executed. The fact that he is innocent of the actual killings is not important to this 1999 HBO movie adapted from the novel by Ernest J. Gaines ("The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman"). Nobody is going to save Jefferson from his fate. The focus here is not on justice, but rather on death with dignity.

The key moment is not what happened in the store but rather what is said during the trial, when Jefferson's defense attorney, a white lawyer, seeks to save his client's life by saying that Jefferson is like a hog. That is to say, as a Negro Jefferson is no more intelligent than a hog and not capable of understanding what he is doing, therefore he should not be convicted. The jury, no doubt well acquainted with the practice of barbeque, has no more qualms about having Jefferson executed than they would of slaughtering a hog for a feast. But Jefferson's mother, Miss Emma (Irma P. Hall), and his aunt Tante Lou (Cicely Tyson), are outraged that the boy has been called a hog. So they badger local schoolteacher Grant Wiggins (Don Cheadle), the only educated black man in town, to visit Jefferson in jail and convince him that he is a man and not a hog.

Now, this is certainly an interesting idea. After all, the premise of white supremacy is that Negroes are not human, with the idea that they were property rather than people codified in the U.S. Constitution as well as implicit in the practice of slavery. If Jefferson accepts this characterization, advanced by his own attorney and inherent in the social system in which he lives, then convincing him otherwise is a noble effort. The flaw here is that I was not convinced that Jefferson thought he was a hog rather than a man. Maybe my problem is that Jefferson is played by an actor who is playing a doctor on "ER," not to mention the fact that I reject the idea of racial superiority or inferiority. But since his family accepts the fact that the white justice system is going to kill Jefferson I would be inclined to think he would be of a similar mind and that he would not take his lawyer's simile to heart. However, you really have to accept the premise or else the movie cannot have the requisite transformations at the end.

"A Lesson Before Dying" which won the 1999 Emmy for Outstanding Made for Television Movie, is one of those movies adapted from a novel where I have not read the book but I end up thinking the depth it provides probably fixes a lot of the film's shortcomings. Obviously I think the fault is to be found in Ann Peacock's Emmy winning screenplay, because the performances by the cast and as good as you would expect them to be, but if you buy the story's premise from the beginning then you will not be having a major problem with director Joseph Sargent's film. Given the Civil Rights Movement to come what becomes interesting is not so much the battle by Wiggins to communicate with Jefferson, but the conflict between the teacher and Reverend Ambrose (Brent Jennings) over what is best for the condemned young man. Does death with dignity preclude salvation or does the quest for salvation require acceptance of your fate?

Ultimately, the character who learns the most is Wiggins, as the teacher becomes the student. Wiggins is a college educated black man in a place where few of either color get such formal education. He resists being asked to do this task because it means going backwards, giving up some of his own dignity to go with hat in hand to ask the white men to be allowed to meet with Jefferson. The fact that Wiggins wants to marry a light-skinned Negro woman becomes part of this equation as well, because "A Lesson Before Dying" indicts the schoolteacher for turning his back on his race (indeed, there is a scene where his remarks to his students are as demeaning as those of any of the white characters). By the end of the film life with dignity is the goal.

Hog of a story.......2004-11-15

During the first half of the 20'th century (and before) there were many injustices perpetrated against the negro. Those stories need to be told and understood. This movie tries to tell such a story but failed because it ignored the historical realities. I lived in a place much like the one in the movie in the 50's and was overwhelmed with the liberties the movie took with "the way it was."

First, had anybody white or black been caught with their hands in a cash register with 3 dead people around, they'd have been sentenced to die.

Second, the black people in those days were very poor. There were also poor whites. In the movie, these poor blacks wore cloths from Norstrom's! Not the way I remember it.

THird, there were some powerful white landowners that might have behaved as depicted in the movie. However, I often heard stories of charitable acts to the poor blacks. My father, who owned a grocery stroe, gave them food at Christmas. He forgave numerous blacks when he caught them red handed shop lifting. The cruelty and arrogance of the whites in the movie do not reconcile with my memories. Although I will readily admit such folks existed.

My grandparents had about 20 blacks that worked for them. My mother's nanny was black. I would characterize the relationship as one first of employer-employee, and second as one of affection. My grandmother, and I saw this many times, would be more of a supervisor not a bourbon drinking white ninny. I think my grandmother was more represntative of the way it was than the white woman in the movie. My mother and father tell stories of working right along with the blacks picking cotton.

Fourth, the bla