Paranoid

Starring:Jessica Alba, Iain Glen, Jeanne Tripplehorn, Ewen Bremner, Mischa Barton, Kevin Whately, Oliver Milburn, Amy Phillips, Gary Love, David Fahm, Peter-Hugo Daly, James Bannon, Gina Bellman, Tilly Vosburgh, Helena Hamilton, George Costigan, Sasha Turjak, Susannah Harrison, John Danks, Hania Barton
Director: John Duigan
Studio: Ventura Distribution
Product Type: DVD

Average customer rating:

Exciting and entertaining
Intelligent Dialog
Very Well Made
I appreacited the way the movie doesn't provide a pat answer about Hanssen's motivations
To Catch a Spy

Breach (Widescreen Edition)
Starring: Chris Cooper , Ryan Phillippe , Laura Linney , Dennis Haysbert , and Gary Cole
Director: Billy Ray
Manufacturer: Universal Studios
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B000OYAT3U
Release Date: 2007-06-12

Customer Reviews:

Exciting and entertaining.......2007-07-04

We rented this movie just to have something to watch over the weekend. It was fantastic. We loved it so much that we watched it again the next day and then went out and bought a copy. Chris Cooper is phenomenal. I highly recommend it.

Intelligent Dialog.......2007-07-03

This movie is an excellent charecter study of two men: the spy and the clerk who help bring him down. The dialogs are intelligent. The whole sting operation to catch Hanssen is good. All the performances are top notch. Cooper potrayed Hanssen very well. Not much real action happens during the movie. The suspense is whether spy Hanssen will figure out the sting before they can catch him in the act.

The movie does not give easy answers to the motivation of Hanssen, which is very good. The man has complexes on top of his complexes. O'Neill's motivations are complex as well. He wants to protect his wife, serve his country, but he has some respect for Hanssen as well. Hanssen has many dark sides, but his wife and his grand kids love him. Hanssen is honestly concerned about O'Neill career and marriage.

I have one small problem. They keep talking about all the technology they are using to catch Hanssen and really, they did not use it to catch him. However, they don't show any whiz bang stuff in the movie. I mean one episode of CSI has more technology exhibited. This is a very small point. Somebody mentions Hanssen mumbles a lot, which thwarts their use of all their monitoring equipment set up in the office.

The movie is thoughtful look into the world of spies. It is very reminscent of the "The Falcon and the Snowman." and is on that level.

Very Well Made.......2007-07-03

While this may not have the glamour of a Bond-esque spy adventure, this will certainly be regarded as an important and possibly classic spy movie. While I wont go into detail about the story line, which is easily found on the back of the cover, I will say it was paced perfectly and didnt drag on with filler and useless B.S. It is true that you kind of know what happens even before you put in the DVD, however the fun with this movie is watching to see how we get there. I gave this only 4 stars simply because I dont regard it as a "perfect" movie, and for the $20 price tag. I rented this for a buck at redbox and although I liked it, it wasnt enough to compell me to "have" to own it.

I appreacited the way the movie doesn't provide a pat answer about Hanssen's motivations.......2007-07-02

While all movies based on historical subjects must fictionalize events and compress timelines, it is how they do so that matters. Do they still tell the underlying truth of the story? Do they distort the substance of the story? Do they dumb it down so much that it transforms the story into something else? If it does any of these things, I tend to dislike it to the extent it does so. While this movie does make up scenes that never happened and puts actions into the hands of people that didn't do them, it still tells the truth of the story quite well for a Hollywood movie. You can read about the reality and the movie at chasingthefrog under their reelfaces link for this movie. It is quite interesting.

The movie is told through the eyes of the FBI operative who was put close to Hanssen and who was very important during the last two months of the investigation that finally caught him. This person is quite real and his name is Eric O'Neill and is played very well by Ryan Phillippe. The focus of the movie is the spy and traitor Robert Hanssen. The performance given here by Chris Cooper is superb and I hope it is recognized when awards are handed out. Chris Cooper is a fantastic actor whose range of characterizations in his many performances is breathtaking. Not only in the type of character, but their ages, in how they look, their intelligence, their moral make-up. He has it all and I enjoy everything I have seen him do.

Hannsen's wife, Bonnie is played very well by Kathleen Quinlan, and it is her devout faith that adds such a contradiction to Hannsen's character and motivation. It would be easy to paint Hannsen as using his religion cynically. However, while he certainly violated the tenets of his faith, it is clear that he holds his faith close, even while engaging in many seriously bad and compromised behaviors (beyond the spying). O'Neill's immediate superior and FBI handler Kate Burroughs and played very well by Laura Linney. She is tough enough to use O'Neill unsympathetically and yet has enough sense to know when she is pushing too hard and when to take a different tact with her inside guy.

I enjoyed this movie very much. It is smart and doesn't cheat by giving us a simple answer to the puzzle. Just as in real life, we do not know Hanssen's true motivations. Even Hanssen may not understand them. We do know he cost real people their lives and compromised the United States in profound ways. He is justly spending 23 hours per day in solitary confinement.

To Catch a Spy.......2007-07-01

Powerful performances by Cooper and Phillippe bring this rather intense film to life. Based on a true story, it offers a glimpse at the behind-the-scenes operation to catch one of the most dangerous spies in recent history.

When Eric O'Neill (Phillippe) is assigned the job of spying on his new boss Robert Hanssen (Cooper), he at first believes that he is digging up the dirt on the man's deviant tendencies, but eventually learns that Hanssen is in fact a spy for the Soviet Union, and later Russia for the last fifteen years.

Cooper is extremely believable as the devout Catholic FBI double agent who is transferred to headquarters on the pretext that he is heading a department to ensure the confidentiality of classified information. O'Neill and Hanssen eventually develop a mutual respect, but when the latter gets up close and personal with O'Neill's personal life, O'Neill finds himself taking the heat both at home and at the office.

Recommended for fans of espionage movies and thrillers, but may be a little slow for action/adventure buffs.

Here's a summary to the tune of "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds" by The Beatles

Picture O'Neill as a mole on a mission
With off the rack suits and nondescript ties
FBI calls him, he answers quite slowly
His role's to go ferret out spies

Surveillance cameras always on the scene
Panning right over his head
Look to the boss for the secrets he hides
But there's none

Hanssen is a spy for Russia
Hanssen is a spy for Russia
Hanssen is a spy for Russia

Follow him down to a church with a steeple
Where Hanssen communes with deities high
Everyone smiles as he meets with the family
There's no way this guy is a spy

Agent Kate Burroughs appears at the door
Takes him and shows him the way
Goes in the room with his head full of clouds
Now they're gone

Hanssen is a spy for Russia
Hanssen is a spy for Russia
Hanssen is a spy for Russia

Picture O'Neill with his role in the mission
With downloaded folders from palm pilot files
Suddenly Hanssen suspects that it's over
Gets ready to say his goodbyes

Hanssen is a spy for Russia
Hanssen is a spy for Russia
Hanssen is a spy for Russia

Amanda Richards, July 1, 2007

Average customer rating:

Talk about Deja Vu
I Need Her To Matter To You" ~ We Can't Change The Past, Or Can We?
A movie worth watching!
Captivating Movie From Star To Finish!
A pretty interesting take on reaching back into the past to investigate the present

Deja Vu
Starring: Denzel Washington , Paula Patton , Val Kilmer , James Caviezel , and Adam Goldberg
Director: Tony Scott
Manufacturer: Buena Vista Home Entertainment / Touchstone
ProductGroup: DVD
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ASIN: B00005JPD0
Release Date: 2007-04-24

Amazon.com

In his most effective thriller since Enemy of the State, Tony Scott makes time travel seem plausible. It helps that his New Orleans hero, ATF agent Doug Carlin (Denzel Washington in his third go-round with the director), spends more time in the present than the past. In order to catch a terrorist, FBI Agent Pryzwarra (Val Kilmer) invites Carlin to join forces. They have the technology to see the past. He has the expertise to interpret the data. Unfortunately, the bomb has already gone off and hundreds of ferry passengers have died. Then there's the body of a beautiful woman, Claire Kuchever (Paula Patton, Idlewild), that turns up in the vicinity of the blast. Evidence indicates she was killed beforehand. Since the FBI enables him to observe Claire prior to her murder, Carlin gets to know what she was like and finds himself falling in love. He becomes convinced that the only way to solve the case--and prove her innocence--is to travel to the past. But as Pryzwarra's colleague, Denny (Adam Goldberg), argues, "You cannot go back in time. It's physically impossible." Or so he says. Déjà Vu is constructed around a clever script and executed by a top-notch cast, notably Washington, Patton, and an eerie Jim Caviezel (miles away from Passion of the Christ). In shedding the excesses of recent years--the sadism of Man on Fire and weirdness of Tarantino favorite Domino--Scott re-affirms his rep as one of the action movie's finest practitioners. --Kathleen C. Fennessy

Description

Academy Award(R) winner Denzel Washington (Best Actor, TRAINING DAY, 2001) joins forces with blockbuster producer Jerry Bruckheimer and mega-hit director Tony Scott for DÉJÀ VU — the powerful, fast-paced action-thriller with a spectacular mind-bending twist. Called in to recover evidence in the aftermath of a horrific explosion on a New Orleans ferry, Federal agent Doug Carlin (Washington) gets pulled away from the scene and taken to a top-secret government lab that uses a time-shifting surveillance device to help prevent crime. But can it help Carlin change the past? Hold on to your seat for an explosive and intriguing thrill ride you'll want to experience again and again.'

Customer Reviews:

Talk about Deja Vu.......2007-07-06

I feel like this movie has been made before, hence the name. Can you say unoriginal??
It's stuff like this that makes me not want to take the wife and rugrats to the cinema anymore?

I Need Her To Matter To You" ~ We Can't Change The Past, Or Can We?.......2007-07-05

`Déjà vu' released in '05 stars some of my favorite male stars active today; Denzel Washington, Val Kilmer and James Caviezel. Add to the roster the talented Adam Goldberg and the devastatingly attractive Paula Patton and you've got all the ingredients necessary to provide a truly great viewing experience. Unfortunately even with a cast of this caliber the film doesn't quite deliver all the potential it could have.

Time travel movies are always popular but could be a little tricky at times. I think the script handles the scientific explanation of time travel and warping space surprising well but some sequences are a little to unrealistic and you can ask an audience to suspend reality for only so long. I also found the ending to make no sense whatsoever so that definitely is a minus. On the positive side, the romantic angle works wonderfully and Denzel Washington's love interest Paula Patton is drop dead gorgeous. `Déjà vu' combines the futuristic vision of `Minority Report' (`02) with the romantic longing of the '44 classic `Laura'. Not too bad a combination don't you think?

Repeatability Factor: Well worth at least one viewing but that's about it unless you're watching just to see Paula again.

A movie worth watching!.......2007-06-29

Deja Vu brings to the screen the story of an ATF agent as he tries to find those responsible for detonating a bomb aboard a riverboat in New Orleans killing hundreds of people. The investigation will lead to some unexpected discoveries including one that would blow most peoples' minds in a heartbeat...
There are slight hints of the X-Files, and strong elements of Timecop (Jean Claude Van Damme), Frequency (Dennis Quaid, James Caviezel), and The Lake House (Keanu Reeves, Sandra Bullock).
Denzel Washington, Paula Patton, and the rest of the cast, have truly outdone themselves with their performances, which are outstanding to say the least! All the actors, without exceptions, give it their 100% and it really shows (the chemistry is AMAZING)! Very well written and very well presented, the movie is without a doubt guaranteed to provide more than just a few thrills, not to mention a few tears.
The setting, the plot, the dialogues, and the music are all wonderful!
In conclusion, Deja Vu is a movie definitely worth watching and one to seriously consider adding to your movie collection as it is one of those films that gets you and keeps you thinking long after it's over. 4.5 Stars

Captivating Movie From Star To Finish!.......2007-06-29

Wasn't quite sure what to expect when I rented this movie.... It was a lot better than I anticipated as I thought it would be some cheesy suspense movie, but it wasn't.

It was a combination action/suspense, science-fiction, time travel, and a bit of romance thrown in at the end kind of movie. The acting was superb as well as the storyline.... With the created/fabricated technology and time travel used in movie, I wasn't sure how it all was going to fit together! But everything worked itself into a neat tightly fit package by the end of the movie.

A pretty interesting take on reaching back into the past to investigate the present.......2007-06-20

Denzel Washington always makes me want to believe in any movie he is in. Here he plays ATF agent Doug Carlin who is brought in to investigate a ferry bombing that killed more than 500 people. Some odd details start bothering him including the body of Caire Kuchever (played very well by the beautiful Paula Patton). At first she looks like another victim of the blast on the ferry, but Agent Carlin notices some things that don't match up.

Agent Pryzwarra (a nicely done turn by Val Kilmer) brings Carlin into a special investigative unit that has a special tool to view a stream from the past. I can't get into details of this team or much more of the movie because unraveling it is part of the fun of the film. You know from the title of the film that it has something to do with reliving the past, but how this film does it is pretty fresh. There is one very cool car chase that includes trying to drive in the present to keep in view the villain in a car from the past and is something I hadn't seen before.

Yes, there are things in the plot that require artificial limits on things and require the cast to say and not say or do or not do things that would make things much more mundane and realistic, but still, as a romantic thriller, it is a pretty good entertainment. And they do pull things together more neatly than one might expect from the early scenes.

So, enjoy the film. It is a pretty good way to have some fun.

The Last King of Scotland (Widescreen Edition)

Average customer rating:

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

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

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ASIN: B000NIVJF4
Release Date: 2007-04-17

Amazon.com

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

Beyond The Last King of Scotland

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

Stills from The Last King of Scotland

Description

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

Customer Reviews:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Average customer rating:

good shepard, BAD movie
CIA spies
C.I.A. Confused I Am
Boring as Heck !!!!!!
Over-hyped, over-cast, poorly written

The Good Shepherd (Widescreen Edition)
Starring: Alec Baldwin , Matt Damon , Robert De Niro , Keir Dullea , and Michael Gambon
Manufacturer: Universal Studios
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Drama | Genres | DVD | Video

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General | Mystery & Suspense | Genres | DVD | Video

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( G ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video
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ASIN: B000MXPE7O
Release Date: 2007-04-03

Amazon.com

A complicated movie about the Central Intelligence Agency and its agents, The Good Shepherd isn't your typical spy movie. Though it stars Matt Damon (The Bourne Identity films) and Angelina Jolie (Mr. & Mrs. Smith, Lara Croft franchise)--actors with considerable experience in the action-espionage genre--The Good Shepherd requires that they play more subdued and (much less interesting) characters here. The movie focuses on the career or Edward Wilson (Damon), a privileged Yale graduate who goes on to help found the CIA. He is a quiet, serious, and guarded man, even in the most intimate moments with his civilian wife (Jolie, in a role that wastes her talent). Set against a backdrop of real-life events such as the Bay of Pigs, The Good Shepherd is meticulous in creating a realistic timeframe. The film gets a jolt of excitement when Robert DeNiro (in his first directing role since 1993's A Bronx Tale) peppers the screen with appearances by Joe Pesci, Alec Baldwin, and William Hurt. But those moments are too infrequent. At 157 minutes long, the film is crammed with many factual details, but the characters are shortchanged when it comes to development. Viewers have to wonder why anyone, much less someone like Wilson who has everything going for him, would devote his life to a thankless job that brings so little happiness to himself and his family. The Good Shepherd is an ambitious but flawed film. The actors do a formidable job with a well-intentioned but meandering script. However, we meet so many characters and learn so little about each that it's difficult to drum up much empathy for any of them. --Jae-Ha Kim

Description

Matt Damon, Angelina Jolie and Robert De Niro star in this powerful thriller about the birth of the CIA. Edward Wilson (Damon) believes in America, and will sacrifice everything he loves to protect it. But as one of the covert founders of the CIA, Edward's youthful idealism is slowly eroded by his growing suspicion of the people around him. Everybody has secrets…but will Edward's destroy him? With an all-star cast including Alec Baldwin, Billy Crudup, William Hurt, Timothy Hutton and John Turturro, it's the gripping story David Ansen of Newsweek hails as "spellbinding."

Customer Reviews:

good shepard, BAD movie.......2007-07-05

Wow - I like all kinds of movies, and thought the combination of story, DiNiro and a great cast would make this a great flick...NOT. This is one of the most boring, overly complex and simply crappy movie I have ever seen. I thought the Larry the Cable Guy disaster 'Health Inspector' was the bottom of the barrel - we just found a new bottom with this one.

The main problem I find with this movie is the total focus on the dedicated, dull character Matt Damon plays. Mind you, there are a few great moments (especially when he talks to Pesci), but just no enough to make this 'compelling'. Acutally, when I see that word describing a movie on the box, I tend to think that this is really the only verb one could use because 'good' would be a stretch!

With all the really great and even mediocre movies out there, pass on this one...you'll be glad you did.

CIA spies.......2007-07-04

Movie was great - a little slow at times, but the subject matter was very interesting....

C.I.A. Confused I Am.......2007-07-03

The Good Shephard was one of those movies I had no desire to see in theaters so I rented it with a friend instead. I love movies that involve your complete attention and have to be watched more than once to catch everything- but this movie was terrible. It jumped around way too much and left little explanations for any actions that were performed. Unless you knew exactly what was going on during which year, and I'm assuming most people don't, then you become confused and aggravated trying desperatly to figure out what they are talking about. My friend was even more aggravated than I was.

I don't recommend the movie if you are looking to be educated on the birth of the CIA.

Also, there is violence and sexuality in this movie so it may not be appropriate for kids.

Boring as Heck !!!!!!.......2007-06-28

I like DeNiro, I like Damon, and I really like conspiracy movies. So I was really hyped to see this. Than I did...And it was the most boring movie I've ever seen!!! How can DeNiro who's been so fun to watch for the past 20 years and Matt Damon who I loved in the Ocean's 11, 12, and 13 movies suck it up so bad in this? Now the acting is really great and that's about the only redeeming quality about this movie, but I didn't see it to see great acting. I wanted to be entertained and this movie really didn't help there.

If you see it, than make sure your not sitting comfortably because your going to fall asleep. I did about 1 hour in and than woke up 5 mintues later to see that nothing exciting was happening and I fell back to sleep.

Over-hyped, over-cast, poorly written.......2007-06-27

I had high expectations for this film - it was hyped up pretty good, and how could it not be with the all star cast. The imagery in the film was strong and compelling, as was the subject matter. For a contemporary film, I think they did a pretty good job of splicing historical aspects of the US's conflicts over the past 70 years, into a fictional (as far as I know?) film/story.

With that said, the characters were poorly developed, and the film itself lacked any real emotion. I think the best way to describe the flaw in this film is that I was aware I was watching a film - a good film makes you forget you're even watching a film, and you effortlessly empathize with the characters. The poor writing was directly responsible for this. The film was predictable as well - (spoiler warning) - you knew that the brother was going to tell Matt Damon that Angelina Jolie was pregnant was soon as you saw him on the beach - and, you knew that the poetry professor was going to come on to Matt Damon as soon as he said 'I'd like to see you in my office'...The formulaic Hollywood film factory at its best/worst.

The Bourne Identity (Widescreen Extended Edition)

Average customer rating:

The Bourne Identity - A Truely Awesome Movie!
Bourne Identity
Shame on who made this
Action packed and re-watchable!
Though not a masterpiece, a movie worth watching

The Bourne Identity (Widescreen Extended Edition)
Starring: Matt Damon , Franka Potente , Chris Cooper , Clive Owen , and Brian Cox
Director: Doug Liman
Manufacturer: Universal Studios
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Action & Adventure | Genres | DVD | Video

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Similar Items:

The Bourne Supremacy (Widescreen Edition)
Ocean's Eleven (Widescreen Edition)
Ocean's Twelve
The Italian Job (Special Collector's Edition)
Casino Royale (Two-Disc Widescreen Edition)

ASIN: B00023B1LC
Release Date: 2004-07-13

Amazon.com

Freely adapted from Robert Ludlum's 1980 bestseller, The Bourne Identity starts fast and never slows down. The twisting plot revs up in Zurich, where amnesiac CIA assassin Jason Bourne (Matt Damon), with no memory of his name, profession, or recent activities, recruits a penniless German traveler (Run Lola Run's Franka Potente) to assist in solving the puzzle of his missing identity. While his CIA superior (Chris Cooper) dispatches assassins to kill Bourne and thus cover up his failed mission, Bourne exercises his lethal training to leave a trail of bodies from Switzerland to Paris. Director Doug Liman (Go) infuses Ludlum's intricate plotting with a maverick's eye for character detail, matching breathtaking action with the humorous, thrill-seeking chemistry of Damon and Potente. Previously made as a 1988 TV movie starring Richard Chamberlain, The Bourne Identity benefits from the sharp talent of rising stars, offering intelligent, crowd-pleasing excitement from start to finish. --Jeff Shannon

Customer Reviews:

The Bourne Identity - A Truely Awesome Movie!.......2007-06-14

Hip, clever, well written/acted/filmed/directed! A visual feast from start to finish! Matt Damon is Jason Bourne! A must own for all action fans! A truely awesome movie!

Bourne Identity.......2007-06-11

Great fast-paced action, lots of special racing scenes. Great, but simple plot which is vastly improved by Matt Damon's acting. I would recommend this movie to anyone's DVD library.

Shame on who made this.......2007-06-10

This is a great movie but whoever made the dvd really messed up the captions. The extended version has no captions and the other it is more subtitles and difficult to turn on. If the extended has no captions someone tell me the point of buying this dvd?

Action packed and re-watchable! .......2007-05-26

I don't know about this extended version, I saw the movie in the theater and then on pay per view several times. Great suspense, excellent fight scened, Matt Damon at his, in my opinion, best. Great editing and direction, this movie does not slow down and is one of my all time favorite action suspense flicks.

Though not a masterpiece, a movie worth watching.......2007-05-20

The Bourne Identity brings to the screen the story of a young man dragged out of the Mediterranean Sea and without a clue as to who he is. His only lead is a bank account in Zurich. His problems, however, have only just begun...
Matt Damon is amazing in his respective role though the rest of the cast fail to follow with the exception of lovely Julia Stiles who seems to have quite a bit of potential.
The setting, the plot, the dialogues, and the music are all good, but nothing extraordinary.
In a nutshell, it's probably not a movie you would want to add to your collection, but it will provide for an evening's entertainment.

The Bourne Supremacy (Widescreen Edition)

Average customer rating:

A Worthy Sequel!
HD Version No Better than Non-HD
James Bond meets Jack Bauer
supreme moview
Will you please stop shaking the camera!!!

The Bourne Supremacy (Widescreen Edition)
Starring: Matt Damon , Franka Potente , Brian Cox , Julia Stiles , and Karl Urban
Director: Paul Greengrass
Manufacturer: Universal Studios
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Action & Adventure | Genres | DVD | Video

Thrillers | Action & Adventure | Genres | DVD | Video

Espionage | Action & Adventure | Genres | DVD | Video

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( B ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video
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The Bourne Identity (Widescreen Extended Edition)
Ocean's Eleven (Widescreen Edition)
The Chronicles of Riddick [HD DVD]
Ocean's Twelve
The Italian Job (Special Collector's Edition)

ASIN: B0002ZDVEU
Release Date: 2004-12-07

Customer Reviews:

A Worthy Sequel!.......2007-06-14

A great action sequel to the first movie! I can not wait for the next one!

HD Version No Better than Non-HD.......2007-05-27

This is a great movie - but don't bother buying the HD version as it is not a noticeable improvement in picture quality from the original. I have a very good regular DVD player that uploads to an HD output by interpolating the missing pixels from a regular DVD and outputing it in 1080 HD. The good HD movies are much, much better than the interpolated regular DVD movie (Chronicles of Riddick, Enter the Dragon are much, much better) whereas the average HD movies - like the Bourne Supremacy - don't look much different. Save your money and buy other HD movies that make a difference in picture quality. If you don't own this movie - then buy it because it is amazing - if you own it in regular DVD format already - don't bother buying the HD version as the picture quality is not much better and doesn't justify the extra spend.

James Bond meets Jack Bauer.......2007-05-21

The Bourne Supremacy picks up two years after the original film ended and continues to shed light on Jason Bourne's adventures. The former assassin returns to Europe to find out why he is still hunted down by the CIA.
Matt Damon, Karl Urban (from LOR!), and the rest of the cast carry out their performances very well (Matt Damon is once again amazing in his respective role!).
Moreover, it was a pleasure to see the lovely Julia Stiles, though a bit more exposure would have been just right...
Overall, the setting, the plot, the dialogues, and the music are all good.
In short, The Bourne Supremacy is a movie definitely worth watching and one to seriously consider adding to your movie collection!

supreme moview.......2007-05-17

1The movie Bourne Supremacy was a great movie by writers Robert Ludlum and Tony Gilroy. 2Since this first started as a book in the 1980's, the movie writers needed to update the story almost immediately 3Straightfowardly the movie director, Paul Greengrass, kept the title of the book which is Bourne Supremacy. 5When the movie was released on July 23 2004, audiences loved it because it had realistic action. The run time of the move is 1 hour and 49 minutes. 6Its rating is PG-13. 4Filming in multiple locations across the world, making the magnificent movie was not easy. The main actors are Julia Stiles, Matt Damon, Joan Allen, Franke Potente, Brian Cox, and Karl Urban.
The main spy characters are Jason Bourne, Ward, and Landy. 2During the movie the minor characters in the movie are Nicky, Marie, Jarda, and Danny Zorn who do not show up very often. 5While in India, Jason and his girlfriend Marie are living off the grid when suddenly they are attacked by a rogue assassin. Who is the rogue assassin working for? 6Marie dies. 3Urgently Jason takes up on his role as a secret agent. 4Moving, advancing, and targeting swiftly across the globe, Jason Bourne infiltrates the spy network in Berlin, Moscow, and New York City.
1 The CIA is looking for some Russian documents which are highly prized. 5While the CIA is searching, a rival spy destroys the documents and frames Jason. Jason finds out closely afterwards. 3Quickly Jason has to prove, show, and verify his innocence by finding a mole inside the CIA. 6Jason is chased very often. Jason must evade people. Jason gets revenge. 2In the chase scene, Jason flees the Berlin police because the CIA declared him a public enemy in Germany. 4Fleeing from the CIA, Jason is looking for evidence while staying out of the radar of the CIA.
3Eventually Jason kills his rival, almost at the very end. 5While in Moscow, Jason talks with a daughter of a high-ranking Russian politician whom Jason killed years ago. 1Jason eventually discovers, notices, and perceives that Ward, the veteran director, is the mole. 2After Jason discovers him, Ward gives Jason the evidence. Then Jason turns it over to Landy as she is getting ready to go back to the USA. 4Taking his gun, Ward kills himself. Landy sees that Ward committed suicide because he was incriminated. 6Jason calls Landy. Then he disappears like a ghost at the end of the movie.
The movie was amazing.1The action was very realistic throughout most of the movie. 2At every turn, guns fire, cars race, and charges explode. 4Engrossing the viewer, the movie shows how the spies of the fictional world operate. 3Quietly spies blend into certain areas where military forces can not go because it is too dangerously, obviously, and unwisely an area they should be in. 5While real spies have to keep their cover, movie spies like Bourne get to use more action which is exciting. 6This was a great movie.

Will you please stop shaking the camera!!!.......2007-05-09

I loved the first bourne movie and I would have liked this one a lot more if the director hadn't felt the need to shake the camera violently everytime a good action scene was on. You know, it really doesn't help me enjoy the movie when I feel extremly dizzy after a car chase scene. What the hell was this director thinking?. The story was actually pretty good but I just couldn't take the camera shaking. I just hope to god that the director doesn't do the same thing with the third bourne film.

Average customer rating:

Brilliant low-key film
Get On the Boat, Do Your Job, Get Back Home
A little disappointing
Taut suspense!
Treacherous Treat

Breach (Full Screen Edition)
Starring: Chris Cooper , Ryan Phillippe , Laura Linney , Caroline Dhavernas , and Gary Cole
Director: Billy Ray
Manufacturer: Universal Studios
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Drama | Genres | DVD | Video

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DVDs Under $9.99 | Today's Deals in DVD | Special Features | DVD | Video
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ASIN: B000OYAT44
Release Date: 2007-06-12

Customer Reviews:

Brilliant low-key film.......2007-06-26

Breach is amazingly excellent, and is a much more complicated film than the trailers for it made it appear. The trailers advertised it as a cat-and-mouse game between an up-and-coming newbie and a diabolically clever and seasoned veteran. Not so. Hanssen in the movie is not vilified as a devious traitor so much as presented as a seriously disturbed individual suffering from a crippling need for attention and recognition. In short, he's a sad, mentally ill individual. Rather than eagerly anticipating the moment of his capture, I found myself actually feeling sorry for him. This humanness made the film much more poignant and effective than it would have been had they played it as a Ludlumesque spy thriller. Cooper, by the way, deserves an Oscar. Phillippe simply should not have been used. One peculiarity that bugged me throughout the film though was that both lead actors sported such copious amounts of makeup that it was easily visible in all of the scenes. Every close up of Phillippe painfully revealed not only that he wore eyeliner, but mascara and lipstick as well. Oh well. One other minor thing that irked me throughout the film was all the stupid stuff thrown in it about lie detection. This was obviously thrown in to up the "intrigue factor," and only ended up resulting in a glaring inconsistency in the film: If Cooper's character can tell when Phillippe's character is lying every single time they play the "lie detection game," then why can't he ever tell when he's lying throughout the rest of the film? Annoying. The obvious answer is that you really can't tell when someone is lying, unless they contradict themselves. Research on polygraphs show that they can't outperform chance, and that neither can trained agents.

Get On the Boat, Do Your Job, Get Back Home .......2007-06-22

"The Robert Hanssen spying case, which broke in early 2001, was -- it is so clear now -- the harbinger of 9/11, a big honking symptom of the entrenched, institutional problems at the FBI that let big clues slip by, clues that might have prevented the horrors of that day. In the annals of disgruntled employees, Robert Hanssen, career FBI agent, is close to the top of the list. He was intel, and, as Hanssen (Chris Cooper) explains to the agent wannabe assigned to work as his assistant, Eric O'Neill (Ryan Phillippe), the intel side of the FBI gets no respect. Hanssen is a computer expert, and he's been railing at the Bureau to upgrade its antiquated systems for years -- no one listens, because it's only the guys with guns who are paid any heed, only the guys with guns who get the big promotions. It is the "organizational arrogance" of the FBI, Hanssen assures O'Neill, that has prevented Hanssen from advancing as he deserves to... and, the unspoken undertone is, that prevented the many warnings of 9/11 we've heard about -- field reports from intel agents, for instance --from being given the weight of urgency they deserved. And, oy, don't get Hanssen started on the lack of interagency cooperation between the FBI and the CIA. (We see that lack almost sink the FBI's investigation into Hanssen, too.) " Peter Travers

At one point Eric O'Neill, played so ably by Ryan Philippe becomes so discouraged with his FBI career he goes to his father to discuss whether he should quit. His father tells him the philosophy of his seafaring father, which is an analogy for life. "Get on the boat, do your job, and get back home'. Eric O'Neill is a surveillance-op for the FBI and his goal is to be promoted to a full Agent status. On one day he is called into a meeting with Agent Burroughs, played by Laura Linney. She tells him he is being assigned to the desk of Robert Hanssen, and that Hanssen is suspected of posting explicit sexual content on the Internet. His job will be to watch Hanssen's every move and to report back to Burroughs. Within a short while O'Neill doubts his job, as he has come to respect Hanssen.

O'Neill confronts Burroughs and the real story is told. Hanssen has been feeding top secret information to our enemies for twenty years, and the damage is in the millions of dollars and dozens of lives. Now O'Neill finds himself pitted against one of the finest minds in the FBI. A real cat and mouse game begins.

The drama and suspense in this movie is overwhelming, but so finely tuned that as the story unravels, you begin to feel you are part of the action. This story is partially known as the story begins. However, the story progresses and the finely detailed life of Robert Hanssen is laid bare. The power of the finale is not diminished at all. The ending is ambiguous and we are left to wonder about the man Hanssen. This is a delicious story of the real world of politics and espionage. The real story is that of the relationship that develops between O'Neill and Hanssen. The mind games that are played and built leave us bewitched and bothered. Chris Cooper is phenomenal as Hanssen. One of the better acting roles I have seen this year. Ryan Philippe playing O'Neill is the perfect foil.

Heartily, highly recommended. prisrob 6-22-07

A little disappointing.......2007-06-18

The Robert Hanssen story--that of an Opus Dei (extremely conservative) Catholic making kinky movies of him and his wife and their sexual experiences is by nature titillating. The contradiction between the rabid anti-Communist and his selling secrets to the Soviet Union is intriguing. So my interest in this case had led me to read a lot about it, and to anticipate this film eagerly.

I regret to say I found the film less in line with the depth of the story than I would have liked.

To be perfectly honest, despite how much I admire Chris Cooper's acting, I wondered how he could play Hanssen who he doesn't resemble. Cooper didn't let me down (though, frankly, I don't recall from what I read that Hanssen was as arrogant as the character in the film seemed. But perhaps I don't remember that, or that character was made that way "for dramatic effect.)

There was a little discussion in the script of Hanssen's sexual deviance. There was one line referring to his taste for "a stripper." That's where I felt the film was less accurate than I'd have liked. And I therefore think the film's theme, of Hanssen's overwhelming, conniving brilliance, was inaccurate. Allow me to explain.

The script indicated that Hanssen was so smart that the bureau didn't see through his clever, shrewd planning. In real life, the "stripper" issue was a major issue, not just a script one-liner. Hanssen had a relationship with a dancer at a club I'm familiar with in Washington. More important, my reading indicated that he took her to some FBI event in I think Tokyo, or somewhere in Asia, and the FBI didn't notice. Here's an Opus Dei Catholic travelling with a young woman he's not married to and the bureau didn't notice? So one can infer the bureau's ineptitude rather than Hanssen's brilliance.

Indeed, authors don't know that Hanssen had more than a platonic relationship with the stripper. And I don't recall from what I read that Hanssen was taking movies of him and his wife and their sexual activities. I think he described them in lurid detail on what was ostensibly his web page. And at least one author indicated that he wasn't absolutely sure it was Hanssen's web page. (All right, there was solid evidence that it was--or couldn't have been someone else's--but it wasn't cut and dry). But movie or not, sexual or not, something pretty blatant, something a school kid would have noticed the bureau didn't see. I'm afraid in that sense, the film left the FBI off with much less guilt than I would have.

My spouse was concerned that there wasn't enough discussion of Opus Dei and Hanssen's affliation therewith. Indeed, in one of the deleted scenes, there was a little more said about Hanssen's daughter sleeping on a board, for example. But to me that wasn't something the script needed to dwell on more than it did.

Overall it was a pretty good thriller, the type that keeps you on the edge of your seat despite your knowing what's going to happen. And the bonus material asks some of Hanssen's colleagues why they think Hanssen did what he did. While I won't give away their answers, they seem pretty reasonable. But if you want a more accurate view of what happened, I suggest you read many of the fine books available on the subject.

Taut suspense!.......2007-06-18

Even though viewers know how this film will end, the writing is so good that the suspense builds pretty much constantly throughout the entire film. Acting and production values are excellent as well. The scenes between O'Neill and his wife were, for me, the weakest element; it just didn't ring true to me that he could keep her at such a distance throughout his difficult assignment. The final scene also struck me as a bit too melodramatic. But the rest of the film had me going for sure -- I'd give it four and a half stars for its genre.

Treacherous Treat.......2007-06-13

Based on a true story, 'Breach' gives us a nerve-wrenching tip-toe spy story taking place within the FBI. Young agent aspirant, Eric O'Neill (Ryan Phillippe) proves to be the kind of wunderkind his agency needs to do some in-house spying. At first he finds his mission nearly impossible, but his target is near-retiree curmudgeon Robert Hanssen (played with finesse by stock jerk-villain actor Chris Cooper, who here shows greater spectrum). He is prompted by his stridently clinical supervisor (Laura Linney in a starchly cool performance) who tells a story that seems to belie the facts. Relying on poker-face strategies, all players sort out mutual duplicity until the facts are revealed. In the meantime, like many spy dramas of late, the protagonist must balance his ambition with the love of his life.

Fascinating, this nail-biting drama is all the more tangible for being real. The hypnotic score gives a proper old-fashioned element that works so well in this thriller. With a solid story-line that seldom gets convoluted, 'Breach' is a treat for such a treacherous tale.

Average customer rating:

Shooter [Blu-ray]
Starring: Ned Beatty , Tate Donovan , Danny Glover , Levon Helm , and Elias Koteas
Director: Antoine Fuqua
Manufacturer: Paramount
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: Blu-ray

Action & Adventure | Blu-ray | Formats | DVD | Video

General | Blu-ray | Formats | DVD | Video
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ASIN: B000QUEQBS
Release Date: 2007-07-31

Amazon.com

A movie that would not have been out of place in the run of paranoid-political thrillers of the 1970s, Shooter works an entertaining variation on the assassination picture. Mark Wahlberg, carrying over good mojo from The Departed, slides neatly into the character of Bob Lee Swagger, master marksman. Swagger has retreated from his duty as an off-the-books hired gun for the military, having become disillusioned with his government (switching on his TV at his remote mountain cabin, he mutters, "Let's see what kind of lies they're trying to sell us today."). Ah, but the government needs Swagger to scope out the location of a rumored attempt on the life of the president, so a shadowy government operative (Danny Glover) begs Swagger to use his sniper's skills to out-fox the assassin. From there--well, spoilers are not fair, since the movie has a few legitimate shocks and a very nice wrong-man scenario about to unfold.

A novel by the Washington Post's Pulitzer Prize-winning film critic Stephen Hunter gives the movie a logical spine, even if the premise itself is the stuff of conspiracy theorists. Wahlberg gets support from Michael Pena, as a skeptical FBI agent; Kate Mara, as a trustworthy widow; and Ned Beatty, trailing along memories of Network, as a supremely cynical Senator. Along with the well-executed action sequences (the previously unreliable director Antoine Fuqua gets it in gear here), the movie includes a few potshots at the Bush administration. No, that doesn't put Shooter at the level of The Parallax View or All the President's Men, but it provides some tang along with the flying bullets. --Robert Horton

Beyond Shooter

More Sniper / Hit Man Movies on DVD
More DVDs with Mark Wahlberg
The Novel

Stills from Shooter (click for larger image)

Average customer rating:

Sci Fi At It's Best
Campy Drama / Sci-Fi Classic
One of the best sci-fi movies of the 50's
The Day the Earth Stood Still
The Earth Stood Still This Movie Moves On

The Day the Earth Stood Still
Starring: Frances Bavier , Marshall Bradford , John Burton , Wheaton Chambers , and James Craven
Director: Robert Wise
Manufacturer: 20th Century Fox
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Genres | DVD | Video

Classic Sci-Fi | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Genres | DVD | Video

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Alien Invasion | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Genres | DVD | Video

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DVDs Under $9.99 | Today's Deals in DVD | Special Features | DVD | Video

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ASIN: B00005JKFR
Release Date: 2003-03-04

Amazon.com essential video

A hallmark of the science fiction genre as well as a wry commentary on the political climate of the 1950s, The Day the Earth Stood Still is a sci-fi movie less concerned with special effects than with a social parable. A spacecraft lands in Washington, D.C., carrying a humanoid messenger from another world (Michael Rennie) imparting a warning to the people of Earth to cease their violent behavior. But panic ensues as the messenger lands and is shot by a nervous soldier. His large robot companion destroys the Capitol as the messenger escapes the confines of the hospital. He moves in with a family as a boarder and blends into society to observe the full range of the human experience. Director Robert Wise (West Side Story) not only provides one of the most recognizable icons of the science fiction world in his depiction of the massive robot loyal to his master, but he avoids the obvious camp elements of the story to create a quiet and observant story highlighting both the good and the bad in human nature. --Robert Lane

Description

The Day The Earth Stood Still depicts the arrival of an alien dignitary, Klaatu (Michael Rennie), who has come to earth with his deadly robot, Gort (Lock Martin), to deliver the message that earthlings must stop warring among themselves--or else. After being shot at by military guards, Klaatu is brought to a Washington, D.C. hospital, where he begs a sympathetic but frank Major White (Robert Osterloh) to gather all the world's leaders so he can tell them more specifically what he has come to warn them about. Losing patience, Klaatu slips into the human world, adapting a false identity and living at a boarding house where he meets a smart woman with a conscience and her inquisitive son. Both mother and son soon find themselves embroiled in the complex mystery of Klaatu, his message and the government's witch hunt for the alien.

Customer Reviews:

Sci Fi At It's Best.......2007-05-18

This movie earned a Golden Globe and it's message still holds true today.

Campy Drama / Sci-Fi Classic.......2007-05-12

Who knew that actress Patricia Neal and good old Francis Bavier (Aunt Bea from Mayberry fame) would ever appear together, along with Michael Rennie, in this sci-fi-cult screamer of a black-and-white classic, and that we will forever remember the line: "Gort! Klaatu Barada nikto!" This item is worth having just as a peerless piece of 50's memorabilia! Get it, watch it... and Wikipedia it for little known factoids!

One of the best sci-fi movies of the 50's.......2007-04-24

If ever a film could capture the very essence of syrupy conception while making us love it with utter devotion, this is it. The story is perfectly linear in construction, the characters neat and tidy. The story unfolds before you like a clean, speckled linoleum walkway. Just put on your high-tops and stroll along, glass of milk in one hand, cookies in the other. This is the film that reminds the peacenik in us that those higher powers, you know - the guardians of intergalactic peace we just know are out there, are watching, waiting for that single telltale act of malicious intent from homo sapiens that will bring down every last heat ray of righteous fury the outer space cops can muster and "leave our world a burned out cinder."

You'll love the fact that huge diamonds are the currency on the space cops' planet, and that he carries a few million dollars worth in the pockets of his borrowed woolen suit for change. You'll especially love the fact that just three little words, constructed of strangely Germanic phonemes, when spoken to a ten-foot tall robot awakened with a boy scout's flashlight, can belay its built-in command to destroy our world. Watch in bug-eyed awe as Michael Rennie's hands play over those big `ol light bulbs that double as his flying saucer's controls, waving this way and that, as he launches the most complex shipboard functions. Gasp agog as you discover that the cop's ship is made of material so tough that it's un-scratchable, un-filable and un-blowtorchable. Watch the space cop scribble the answer to a monstrously long mathematical equation on Albert Einstein's doppelganger's chalkboard to get the pipe-smoking professor's attention. It's pure poetry I tell you.

The Day the Earth Stood Still.......2007-04-04

This is the original classic movie that everyone should see. The props and the technology of film making has advanced but the differences in our world are the same. Man only does one thing well. He finds improved ways of killing each other. In this movie, though many years old, man is faced with a dilemma. Live in harmony or be eliminated by higher intelligence. Let's face it folks, no intelligent life form would want to have anything to do with a race of people that only excell at murdering each other and their own environment! It is a great movie.

The Earth Stood Still This Movie Moves On.......2007-03-19

After so many years this movie couldn't have been written better today than it was back then. A great theme ahead of it's time with a great cast. I wish they could still make movies today like they did back then. Unfortunately most of these older movies have lost their moral meaning throughout the 60's, 70's, 80's, and whatever was the 90's. It just goes to show that just because something is new doesn't make it better. Watch this movie and you will know what I mean.

Average customer rating:

Nice to look at, but that's the only good thing I can say about it...
More an homage than a movie
A director's indulgences turn a fine novel into an auteur's dream gone bad
Worth Seeing.
Was there another book of the same title....

The Good German
Starring: Jack Thompson , John Roeder , George Clooney , Tobey Maguire , and Cate Blanchett
Director: Steven Soderbergh
Manufacturer: Warner Home Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Action & Adventure | Genres | DVD | Video

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DVDs Under $7.49 | Today's Deals in DVD | Special Features | DVD | Video
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ASIN: B000OY8NBK
Release Date: 2007-05-22

Amazon.com

Despite its flaws, The Good German is a welcome gift for every film lover who laments that "they don't make 'em like they used to." Steven Soderbergh's affectionate, knowing tribute to the black-and-white melodramas of Hollywood's golden age may lack the emotional depth and romantic passion of Michael Curtiz's Casablanca--the 1946 classic it intentionally emulates--but as Soderbergh approximates Curtiz's studio style, he delivers a shimmering, shadowy reminder that movies can be enjoyed for the sheer pleasure of their craftsmanship. Once again serving as his own cinematographer (credited as "Peter Andrews"), Soderbergh went to great lengths to technically and aesthetically re-create the look and feel of a Curtiz production, and Joseph Kanon's source novel (adapted by Quiz Show screenwriter Paul Attanasio) provides a twisting plot set around the historical Potsdam conference in post-World War II Germany. An American military journalist, Capt. Jake Geismer (George Clooney) is in rubble-strewn Berlin to cover the event, and is quickly drawn into a murder plot involving his appointed driver (Tobey Maguire), an old flame-turned-wartime prostitute (Cate Blanchett) and her missing husband, a scientist who possesses pivotal secrets coveted by Americans and Russians in a pre-Cold War bid for power.

Violence, sexual content, and salty dialogue make it clear that this R-rated drama is a brashly contemporary homage to films of a bygone era, and not a slavish attempt to copy the past. This yields mixed results in terms of the film's overall appeal; it's gorgeous to look at, but the plot and performances exist in a vacuum, and the entire film feels oddly disengaged from any sense of genuine human emotion. It's probably fair to say that Soderbergh had more fun making the film than most people will have watching it. And yet, as Clooney's character is repeatedly beaten and deceived on his path to cynical enlightenment, The Good German has many qualities that make it recommendable, not the least being the pleasure of following a talented director as he indulges his penchant for bold experimentation. --Jeff Shannon

Description

Who knows what American journalist Jake Geismer (George Clooney) expected to find in postwar Berlin? Peace, maybe. Or at least a story. But certainly not Lena (Cate Blanchett), his beautiful, embittered one-time love. And not the trail of secrecy and deception that leads from Lena to the scheming young corporal (Tobey Maguire) who's her new lover...and to a murder no one seems interested in solving. Except Jake. Steven Soderbergh directs three of today's top talents in this zigzag thriller that's both an atmospheric homage to 1940s filmmaking and a deft modern film noir. The Good German is "haunting and hypnotic, it's pure moviegoing bliss" (Peter Travers, Rolling Stone).

Customer Reviews:

Nice to look at, but that's the only good thing I can say about it..........2007-07-05

It's beautifully filmed. Cate Blanchette in B&W, filmed in profile, is classic. Aside from that, the film is a horror. Wooden acting. One-dimensional characters. Boring and predictable plot. Utterly unbelievable story (Jewish woman married to S.S. man and NOT sent to the camps?! Uh-huh... Whatever...). Toby Macguire trying to be threatening is just toooo comical, as are the numerous scenes where George Clooney gets the heck beaten out of him.

As someone fascinated by the era in which this film is ostensibly set, I was too disappointed for words by how rotten this movie was. You'd think that a story like this would have at least a little bit of emotional impact, or would be somewhat interesting, or would maybe at worst be suspenseful fluff, but this movie really had nothing to recommend it except for being pretty to look at. It might be better as an art exibit, viewed with the sound turned off, purely for visual effect.

More an homage than a movie.......2007-07-01

There's times where I don't really care for Steven Soderbergh movies. Traffic I felt was a compelling if overlong drama that had an aura of self-importance, like it was intentionally made to be one of those "important" films. The Good German sometimes feels like the same way: like it wants to be a classic noir film although the intent of course was for it to feel like a film that would've been made at RKO in the old days. While there's some things that feel out of place and just a genuine feeling of sluggishness, it's still a good homage to a classic time period.

Jake Geismser (George Clooney) is in Berlin covering the Potsdam Conference with Winston Churchill, Joseph Stalin and President Roosevelt. He meets driver Tully (Tobey Maguire) who's a nice guy until he's left alone in where he becomes a scheming, violent firebrand. His girlfriend is prostitute Lena (Cate Blanchett) who of course has to be Geismer's ex. But the name "Emil Brandt" pops up which gets everyone riled up and a murder happens which gets Jake investigating on who the culprit is and what's so important about Emil Brandt.

I will say this: this film has the perfect 1940's feel, from the shadows to the staging, the overdramatic music and it's even presented in full-frame. Even if you don't like the movie, you got to admit they nailed the feel. As far as acting, we do have Clooney and Blanchett who almost were born to be in black and white with Blanchett looking the best. Only misstep was Maguire since he's not really menacing so much as he goes into temper tantrums. If he did this performance in Spider-Man 3, that movie would've benefited. He even rabbit punches a girl in this just so the filmmakers can let you know this guy's tough. Classically trained actors just needed to look at you to know he's not one to cross; Maguire has to actually be given something violent to do.

The problem with the movie as a whole is that it's just...kind of boring. It's as if more attention was paid to the look than t