The Sisterhood

Starring:Barbara Crampton
Studio: Image Entertainment
Product Type: DVD

Amazon.com

Grab your tissues and send the guys away, because Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood is the most pedigreed chick flick since Steel Magnolias. You can tell by the title and the novelish names of the Louisiana ladies from Rebecca Wells's precious bestseller. First there's Sidda (Sandra Bullock), a successful playwright still wrestling with her manipulative mother, Vivi (Ellen Burstyn), after a traumatic upbringing. Then there's longtime friends Teensy (Fionnula Flanagan), Necie (Shirley Knight), and Caro (scene-stealer Maggie Smith), from Vivi's secret club of "Ya-Ya Priestesses," together since childhood and determined to heal the rift between Sidda and her mom. Through an ambitious flashback structure (including Ashley Judd as the younger Vivi), screenwriter and first-time director Callie Khouri (who wrote Thelma & Louise) establishes a rich context for this mother-daughter reunion. There's plenty of humor to temper the drama, which inspires Bullock's best work in years. Definitely worth a look for the curious, but only fans of Wells's fiction will feel any twinge of loyalty. --Jeff Shannon

Description

New York playwright Sidda Lee Walker is a long way from her Louisiana hometown, but an even greater emotional distance separates her from her mother Vivi. The Ya-Yas - sworn lifelong friends of Vivi - stage an unorthodox "intervention" to bring daughter and mother together in this warm, winning adaptation of Rebecca Well's bestsellers, written for the screen and directed by Thelma & Louise Academy Award winner Callie Khouri.

Customer Reviews:

Pretty good chick flick.......2007-06-19

This isn't bad for chick flick. Sandra Bullock and James Gardner were really good in this movie. Maggie Smith was pretty funny as Caro, the friend. It's a touching story to watch. It's also very moving too.

Go Ya Yas!.......2007-03-20

While the books do give more detail I have to agree with one of the above reviewers. I think that the movie was a lot more explanatory and didn't seem to drag on as much as the novels did. As far as the acting goes, I think they all did a pretty fair job esepcially Maggie Smith who had me laughing everytime she was on the screen. The other actor who I thought stood out the most was James Garner. I loved his interpretation of Shep, the father of Sidda yet lonely husband of Vivi. The movie makes me glued to my seat everytime so much so that I don't like to miss a minute. I would definetely recommend this "chick flick" to any woman who has had a difficult relationship with their mother over the years because it show us grownup women that in reality our mothers are not perfect and just women like us.

A Cajun woman, reminiscing biographically of her highs and lows .......2007-02-01

DIVINE SECRETS OF THE YA YA SISTERHOOD, is a movie that
will appeal mainly to young kids, and those who are
typically fans of so-called chick flicks. Not everyone is
a disciple, as demonstrated by a recent tongue in cheek
joke made on the Daily Show With Jon Stewart.

Here, Ashley Judd reprises once more her type-cast role of
someone having a delinquent side to her personality, (as
also seen in several other movies in which she's a
protagonist), and does a fine job in playing the role of
a woman, reminiscing biographically of the highs and lows
of her life, when her own daughter decides to get married
and and enter an adulthood of her own. James Garner is
credible, and charismatic, now as the elder statesman, who
gives away the bride to the groom.

The cast is well chosen, in my view, and the film's
strength is mainly its originality, although it's highest
challenge at the same time, is to make a biographical
tale, that is highly personal, of any interest to the public
at large. This objective was met, otherwise this film would
not have been made.

Therefore, the viewer is provided a vision to
someone's life story, with Sandra Bullock playing the
modern, perhaps plastic woman who is confronted with the
values, traditions of another age and era, as represented by
her Mother and her friends who themselves have their own Ya
Ya "inner joke" since childhood,. She has to deal with
that, in view of reestablishing a relationship with own
family, that for many years had grown distant, cold and
confrontational. Finally, Bobby Dylan wraps the movie,
with his own number, tying his own folk image to the
Mardi Gras, and Cajun folk culture put forth in this movie
too.

I would have given this 1 star, perhaps, but given the
realistic elements of this movie, the moderation of the
dialog (that doesn't pain too much the viewers), and the crisp
images of Louisiana, and the outdoors, the sincerity of
the actors, and quality of the acting, I had to raise it a
notch to 2 stars.

mothers and daughters.......2007-01-25

Roger Ebert hated this movie, but I liked it as a story of the young woman Sidda (Sandra Bullock) who comes to grips with her strained relationship with her mother through the help of her mother's three lifelong friends.

ya ya.......2007-01-16

this movie was a little strange but once it got going it got the point across.

The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants (Widescreen Edition)

Average customer rating:

sister hood of traveling pants
A well done movie
Very cute teenage girl movie.
Sisterhood For All Ages
Not as good as the book...

The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants (Widescreen Edition)
Starring: Amber Tamblyn , Alexis Bledel , America Ferrera , Blake Lively , and Jenna Boyd
Director: Ken Kwapis
Manufacturer: Warner Home Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Comedy | Genres | DVD | Video

Teen | Comedy | Genres | DVD | Video

General | Drama | Genres | DVD | Video

DVDs Under $14.99 | Today's Deals in DVD | Special Features | DVD | Video

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

Girls in Pants: The Third Summer of the Sisterhood (Sisterhood of Traveling Pants)
The Second Summer of the Sisterhood (Sisterhood of Traveling Pants)
Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (Two-Disc Special Edition)
Madagascar (Widescreen Edition)

ASIN: B000AM4PEK
Release Date: 2005-10-11

Amazonc.com

Who would expect a gimmick like a pair of magical pants to be the hook for such a smart, charming, and emotionally rich teen movie? Four close friends discover a pair of pants that fit them all perfectly, even though they're physically very different. Since all four are going in different directions for the summer, they pledge to each wear the pants for a week and then mail them to the next girl. In Greece, Lena (Alexis Bledel, Gilmore Girls) lands in the middle of a Romeo & Juliet family-feud romance; Carmen (America Ferrera, Real Women Have Curves) discovers that her estranged father is about to marry a blonde Southern belle; Bridget (newcomer Blake Lively) flirts with love at a Mexican soccer camp; and Tibby (Amber Tamblyn, Joan of Arcadia) stays home and gets a boring retail job to pay for her documentary film--but finds herself with an unwanted young assistant (Jenna Boyd, The Missing). These four stories manage to cover an amazing amount of ground (touching on race, body issues, divorce, mortality, and more) without resorting to stereotypes or easy resolutions. The engaging characters are brought to vivid life by these four talented actresses, who grab this excellent script and run with it. One of the best movies about teenage life in a long, long time. --Bret Fetzer

Description

Coming of Age Adventure based on Ann Brashares' best-selling novel about a special 16th summer in the lives of four lifelong friends who are separated for the first time. On a shopping trip, the girls find a pair of thrift-shop jeans that fits each of them perfectly and they decide to use these "magic" pants as a way of keeping in touch over the months ahead, each girl wearing the jeans for a week to see what luck they bring her before sending them on to the next. Though miles apart, the four friends still experience life, love and loss together in a summer they'll never forget.

DVD Features:
Deleted Scenes
Documentary:Suckumentary: A rough cut of the documentary Tibby and Bailey filmed over the summer.
Featurette:Fun on the Set: Behind the scenes look into the gags and laughs that the girls had on the set.
Interviews:A Conversation with Ann Brashares.
Other:Sisters, Secrets, and the Traveling Pants: A Video Commentary.

Customer Reviews:

sister hood of traveling pants.......2007-05-08

very good movie and price and shipping time the best

A well done movie.......2007-04-29

I haven't read the book yet so I have no pre-conceived notions except that there is a pair of pants. Someday I will read it and if it changes my view of the movie, then I'll update.

The movie was well done, great acting, scenery and directing. Each of the four girls was given enough development so that you feel as if you knew them and grew with them. They each had a situation that they had to grow through, yet they all kept connected together with the pants. None of them were perfect but they all supported each other, "warts" and all. It was overall pretty clean, very little language, no nudity and only one implied sex scene.

I appreciated the fact that the girls weren't bed hopping, and that the only one who had done something - had mixed feelings about it. In the end, the girls learned a little more about themselves - each taking a risk of their own. Their relationships together grows stronger through their struggles. It's the kind of group of friends that most of us long to have!

Very cute teenage girl movie........2007-03-26

I bought this for my niece as a birthday gift. She loves the books, so I took a shot. She liked the movie alot also. It's very sweet and covers very real issues.

Sisterhood For All Ages.......2007-03-20

I read the book first and that of course placed the 'visual' in my mind of how the movie would be. The movie didn't stay exactly true to the book, which was disappointing. The actresses were very good and I still look forward to the second movie, but it most likely will not follow the book since it's already off course. It's a fun movie for sisters - friends - mother & daughters of all ages. I would recommend adding this to your dvd collection.

Not as good as the book..........2007-02-20

I enjoyed this movie for the simple fact that it was based on the book. It was okay but I was disappointed that events were changed so dramatically. I just don't feel that it was necessary to change certain things.

The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants (Full Screen Edition)

Average customer rating:

sister hood of traveling pants
A well done movie
Very cute teenage girl movie.
Sisterhood For All Ages
Not as good as the book...

The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants (Full Screen Edition)
Starring: Amber Tamblyn , Alexis Bledel , America Ferrera , Blake Lively , and Jenna Boyd
Director: Ken Kwapis
Manufacturer: Warner Home Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Comedy | Genres | DVD | Video

Teen | Comedy | Genres | DVD | Video

General | Drama | Genres | DVD | Video

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

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

Girls in Pants: The Third Summer of the Sisterhood (Sisterhood of Traveling Pants)
The Second Summer of the Sisterhood (Sisterhood of Traveling Pants)
Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (Two-Disc Special Edition)
Madagascar (Widescreen Edition)

ASIN: B000AM4PEU
Release Date: 2005-10-11

Amazonc.com

Description

Customer Reviews:

sister hood of traveling pants.......2007-05-08

very good movie and price and shipping time the best

A well done movie.......2007-04-29

Very cute teenage girl movie........2007-03-26

I bought this for my niece as a birthday gift. She loves the books, so I took a shot. She liked the movie alot also. It's very sweet and covers very real issues.

Sisterhood For All Ages.......2007-03-20

Not as good as the book..........2007-02-20

Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood (Widescreen)

Average customer rating:

Pretty good chick flick
Go Ya Yas!
A Cajun woman, reminiscing biographically of her highs and lows
mothers and daughters
ya ya

Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood (Widescreen)
Starring: Sandra Bullock , Ellen Burstyn , Fionnula Flanagan , James Garner , and Cherry Jones
Director: Callie Khouri
Manufacturer: Warner Home Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Comedy | Genres | DVD | Video

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

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

Steel Magnolias (Special Edition)
Hope Floats
Practical Magic
Fried Green Tomatoes (Widescreen Collector's Edition)
Two Weeks Notice (Widescreen Edition)

ASIN: B00005JLCT
Release Date: 2004-06-01

Amazon.com

Description

Customer Reviews:

Pretty good chick flick.......2007-06-19

Go Ya Yas!.......2007-03-20

A Cajun woman, reminiscing biographically of her highs and lows .......2007-02-01

mothers and daughters.......2007-01-25

ya ya.......2007-01-16

this movie was a little strange but once it got going it got the point across.

Average customer rating:

Stellar Cast Clouds Our Preconceptions of "Evening"
"We Were All In Love With Harris"
Superb performances alone simply cannot rescue EVENING from mediocrity.
Regrets
Great Actors Make A Great Film

Evening
Starring: Claire Danes , Vanessa Redgrave , Hugh Dancy , Patrick Wilson , and Natasha Richardson
Director: Lajos Koltai
ProductGroup: Theatrical Release
Binding: Theatrical Release

Amazon.com

A star-studded cast brings richness and texture to Evening, a lyrical tale of regret, unrequited love, and hope, written by novelists Susan Minot (Rapture) and Michael Cunningham (The Hours), based on Minot's book. Ann (Vanessa Redgrave) lies ill, deliriously remembering when she came to the summer home of her best friend Lila to be Lila's maid of honor (her younger self is played by Claire Danes). But the young Ann is soon caught between the hungry need of Lila's brother Buddy (Hugh Dancy) and the magnetic outsider Harris (Patrick Wilson). Meanwhile, the elderly Ann is watched by her two daughters, Nina (Toni Collette) and Constance (Natasha Richardson), who wrestle with unresolved feelings towards their mother, their choices in life, and each other. Evening starts off feeling a bit stiff and literary, but gradually finds its rhythm. While the emotional peaks and precious images feel inflated and hollow, the little ephemeral moments--the heartbreaks, yearnings, disappointments, and comforts, the flash of a smile or the widening of an eye--glimmer with warmth and honesty. It's rare that such restraint can be so compelling and so rewarding; Evening is well worth watching for the accumulating emotional power of these small moments. Also featuring Glenn Close and Meryl Streep. --Bret Fetzer

Beyond Evening

Evening the novel by Susan Minot
Vanessa Redgrave Essential DVDs
More DVDs with Claire Danes

Stills from Evening (click for larger image)

Product description

As Ann Grant (Academy Award® winner Vanessa Redgrave) nears the end of her life, she confesses to her daughters (Academy Award® nominee Toni Collette and Tony Award-winner Natasha Richardson) the story of a weekend 50 years earlier when she met the one true love of her life. In those two days of passion, Ann (played as a young woman by Golden Globe-winner Claire Danes) learns that the choices we make often lead to unspeakable joys and even to unbearable tragedies, but always to the twists of fate that shape the story of our lives. As the daughters piece together this extraordinary story of their mother's past and present, it brings them all together in a way none of them could ever have imagined.

Customer Reviews:

Stellar Cast Clouds Our Preconceptions of "Evening".......2007-07-06

"Evening" is a chick flick. Let's get that out of the way right away. You will be hard pressed to find any straight guys gathering together to see "Evening" at the local multiplex. The only straight guys that will be in then theater for this film are the husbands, friends and boyfriends of the women who want to see this movie.

But I think the term `chick flick' doesn't even begin to paint the whole picture. "Evening" is a beautifully photographed, well-written film starring some of the best actresses of a couple of generations. Anyone who appreciates well-made films should seek this out, whether they are female, male, straight or otherwise. But I have a feeling that no matter how much I try to convince you otherwise, if you are intent on seeing "Die Hard 4", you probably aren't interested in also watching "Evening". Right? Or am I the only freak out there? (See my review of "Live Free or Die Hard" to discover how much of a freak I am).

Ann (Claire Danes) arrives at the Providence estate of her best friend, Lila (Mamie Gummer, Meryl Streep's daughter); to serve as Maid of Honor for her friend's wedding. Flash forward fifty years and Ann (Vanessa Redgrave) is on her death bed and telling confusing stories of that weekend fifty years before, confusing her grown daughters, Constance (Natasha Richardson, Vanessa Redgrave's daughter) and Nina (Toni Collette). As the daughters try to help their mother rest peacefully, they try to come to terms with their own relationships, both with their mother and with each other. The night nurse (Eileen Atkins) helps Ann deal with the pain, but also serves as a sort of guide to the magical, fateful events so many summers ago. As soon as Ann arrives for the wedding, Buddy (Hugh Dancy), Lila's alcoholic brother, asks Ann to help him stop the wedding. Lila doesn't love her fiancée and should really marry Harris (Patrick Wilson), the son of a former housekeeper. But Lila realizes she must go through with the marriage because her mother (Glenn Close) would have a fit. As Ann and Harris get to know each other, they begin to fall in love, much to both Buddy and Lila's dismay. Many years later, Lila (Meryl Streep) visits Ann on her death bed to provide her with some comfort before her friend passes away.

"Evening", directed by Lajos Koltai (a cinematographer who has worked on many, many Hollywood films) and written by Michael Cunningham ("The Hours") and Susan Minot, based on her novel of the same name, is a well-made film exploring the `mistakes' a couple of women make and how these mistakes effect the rest of their lives.

The multigenerational story is told through a series of flashbacks and flash-forwards. Beginning with Redgrave, as Ann, on her deathbed, we see some of her memories and this seems to be the binding thread to the narrative. As Ann floats in and out of consciousness, she remembers various snippets of this big moment in her life. After this rhythm is established, we realize we are going to watch various moments, told in a pretty free flowing pattern. Yet, the moments from the past are told in chronological order and seem complete, so it is less confusing than it may seem from my description. But these moments are highlights of this event, and some of the connecting bits are left out, some of the less important moments which seem lost to Redgrave's character's memory.

Basically, the story tells of two different events in these character's lives. Lila's wedding was a big event for everyone involved. One woman marries a man she doesn't love, one woman falls in love with another man and an event causes them to remain apart. There is a lot more at work in this story, but this is the gist of it. In the modern day story, Ann's pain medicine causes her to fall in and out of consciousness. In these moments, she talks with her night nurse (Atkins), who at times is a nurse and at others, seems to be a sort of guide into the other world, helping her keep her thoughts and memories as clear as possible. In these moments, her ramblings also cause her daughters (Richardson and Collette) to ask questions about their mother and about their own lives and to make some decisions.

The story is multilayered and shifts back and forth, seemingly at whim, but it is very easy to follow.

The cast for this film is fantastic. Many of the best actresses of three generations are apart of this film, along with two up and coming actors. I know the film is getting some negative reviews and I think perhaps they are letting their expectations get ahead of them. Any film with this cast has to be good, and I think the expectations for this film are high, maybe too high. "Evening" is a very good film. But with a cast like this, many clearly expect it to be a great film. It isn't a great film.

Claire Danes is very good as Ann. As soon as she arrives at the estate of her friend, we get that she is a `free spirit'. She is wearing clothes she found at some shop in the `village'. Naturally, Lila's rich friends assume Anne is talking about a village in Africa or something, but Anne is from New York and is talking about Greenwich Village. More to her credit, she doesn't really care what they think about her, or her clothes. She is there to support her friend, Lila, and her brother, Buddy (Dancy).

Ann quickly suspects something is wrong; Buddy pleads with her to stop the wedding and Ann finds Lila crying on more than one occasion. She quickly learns Harris (Wilson) is the problem. Lila is in love with him, whether she will admit it or not, and as he is the son of a former housekeeper, she can't marry him. Buddy is also a raging alcoholic and everyone tries to control it, taking away his champagne bottles, but Buddy is a grown boy and manages to get through the barriers his family and friends set-up. As Ann gets to know Harris, they become attracted to one another, and Lila and Buddy realize this, setting off a chain of events that will all but guarantee Ann and Harris never get together.

Throughout, Danes portrays Ann as a free spirit, yet a caring young woman. Sure, she makes mistakes, but she recognizes when there is a problem and tries to correct it. But these events seem to stamp the rest of her life. We see brief glimpses of a couple of moments later in her life and they don't seem to be especially happy.

But then, as we watch Ann, as played by Redgrave, we get the sense despite some occasional unhappy moments, she is, overall, very pleased with her life. Redgrave is such an accomplished actress that she can make even a character who is laying in bed for the entire film seem real and interesting and, in a way, lively. Ann is on pain killers so she has lucid moments when she seems more lively and involved in the lives of her daughters and the memories she is living through. When the pain killers take over, she has moments that are more dreamlike; her night nurse appears in a beautiful dress straight out of the 50s. It is a great performance and really helps to make Ann seem more real and more human.

Mamie Gummer, Meryl Streep's daughter, plays Lila in the 50s. It is actually a bit freakish to watch her because she is the spitting image of her mother and even sounds just like her. Her role is a bit difficult to identify with, she is marrying the `right type of man' rather than the man she really loves. I think this is a difficult concept for us to understand as this is, hopefully, not something that is really practiced these days. Because she seems so upset about getting married to this man, we don't really understand why she doesn't just marry Harris. Then, later, when Meryl Streep takes over the role, Streep makes Lila come alive. Streep has one extended scene in the film, but it is a memorable one. As she talks with her old friend, lying together with her in bed, we finally start to see some of the thinking behind this decision made so many years ago.

Toni Collette plays Ann's younger daughter, and the daughter with the most problems. Throughout the film, she has to come to terms with her relationship with her mother, her older sister (Richardson) and her boyfriend. As her mom's story begins to come into focus, and she realizes her mom did love them, and care for them, she makes some decisions which seem as though they will change her life for the better.

Strangely, the two daughters of other actresses in the film come off the weakest. Gummer is good, but it isn't until her mom takes over the role that we really begin to connect with it. And Richardson seems merely bitter or pissed off throughout.

Glenn Close plays Lila's mother, a wealthy woman who probably also married for the wrong reasons. In her few scenes, her character is interesting, but the role is too small to allow her to do anything monumental with it.

Patrick Wilson, who made a splash as the stay at home dad in last year's "Little Children" plays Harris, the man torn between at least three different people. He is good as the son of a former housekeeper who now finds himself invited into this world, he seems to regard this environment with a healthy disdain. When Harris and Ann start to let their mutual attraction guide them, I became more involved in their characters.

Hugh Dancy plays Buddy, the happy drunk who is trying to save his sister from a lifetime of misery. The role is very over the top and seems more than a little cartoony; sure, people act like this, but it is very difficult to make this type of character work. Unfortunately, because the character doesn't seem all that real when he becomes the lynchpin of the entire story, it falls a little flat.

For a long time during the film, I appreciated the performances, but it wasn't until a scene between Wilson and Danes that I started to become emotionally affected by the characters. This scene happens quite late, so it takes a while to become fully involved in the story.

"Evening" is a beautiful film to watch and it is a very good film, but I think many people will expect the film to be great, based on the pedigree of the writer and the actresses involved.

"We Were All In Love With Harris".......2007-07-06

Based on the Susan Minot's novel by the same name with a screenplay written by her and Michael Cunningham (THE HOURS) and starring Meryl Streep, Vanessa Redgrave and Glenn Close, three of the best living actresses, EVENING would have to be worth seeing and indeed it is. Ann (Vanessa Regrave), bedridden, terminally ill and in and out of dementia, mumbles the word "Harris," a name unknown to both her grown daughters Constance (Natasha Richardson, Redgrave's own daughter) and Nina (Toni Collette). The audience soon learns, as the plot jumps back and forth between the present and the 1950's, that Harris (played by the young Kevin Costner look-alike Patrick Wilson) is someone that everybody was in love with, including the young Ann (Claire Danes) and her best friend Lila (Mamie Gummer), although both women married other men. Ann's daughters do not find out Harris' identity until late in the film.

Although the film is sentimental and predictable, it is saved by acting of the highest order. The friend I saw the movie with was blown away, in her words, by Redgrave's performance; but I, as always, was besotted by Ms. Streep who only appears near the end of the film in a very small role as the elder Lila-- she describes herself as an "old lady"-- but is, as always, perfect. (Watch her, for instance, as he descends the stairs with the caution that only an older person has.) Of course it is not difficult to see her as Lila in old age since her own daughter who bears an eerie resemblance to her of course plays the younger Lila. Glenn Close as the stylish matron and mother of Lila is wonderful. Buddy (Hugh Dancy) as Close's troubled and often inebriated son is good as well.

The film is about missed opportunities (see Ian McEwan's treatment of a similar theme in his latest novel ON CHESIL BEACH), first loves, settling for less, but at the end of life-- the elder Lila says that she has been both extremely happy and very unhappy-- it all seems to even out, at least in EVENING.

This is one of those movies that I liked much more the day after seeing it and upon recollection, a good sign that it indeed is a fine film.

Superb performances alone simply cannot rescue EVENING from mediocrity........2007-07-01

This will undoubtedly be the toughest review that I have ever written. I went into this film with the highest of expectations. I was not disappointed with any of the acting as it is uniformly superb (surprisingly most from Hugh Dancy in a "Greek Chorus" commentary performance that I found truly touching!).Oscar nods for acting would not surprise me in the least for a number of these fine professionals! I was charmed and lulled with Jan A.P. Kaczmerak's hauntingly poignant original soundtrack. The camera shots are beautiful. The set design and costumes are appropriately period.I will probably remember much of what I saw and mull it over in the coming years.I truly wanted to be bowled over by this film, but I left the theatre feeling flat, confused and unfulfilled. The shifting back and forth between the time frames was not at all a problem (I was already comfortable with THE HOURS and THE NOTEBOOK and YA-YA) so that wasn't it.

My conclusion was that the screenplay just simply didn't come together in a way that made me feel or identify with the characters. I felt that the entire film left loose ends dangling and that each character was not developed enough for me to feel as though I knew and understood their longings, fears, motivations and angst.There are so many unanswered questions in this screenplay that seemed to never have any explanation or resolution. (There is one glaring continuity error concerning Buddy and Anne's College days that those of us who saw it questioned how the script supervisor could have missed it!) The movie seemed to try to be deeper than it really was, and that much ado was made about nothing. If this film is about life's regrets and missed chances, mother-daughter relationships, women's limited choices in the 1950's and the folly and "caste" system of the New England wealthy then I have definitely seen all of that done better and far more effectively elsewhere.

My closing remark is WHY WOULD ANYONE HAVE OBSESSED OVER HARRIS ARDEN???? The character was so underdeveloped that apart from being a good looking Patrick Wilson, WHAT WAS THIS CHARACTER'S ALLURE?

I really feel bad that 3 1/2 stars is the best I can do for EVENING. This movie, adapted from Susan Minot's novel,seems to me one of the film industry's best missed chances that perhaps they will regret as a mistake.

Regrets.......2007-06-30

(2 1/2 *'s) `Evening' brings measures of regret. Ann (Vanessa Redgrave) is on her deathbed, and she is dying of cancer. Her daughters Constance (Natasha Richardson) and Nina (Toni Collette) come to talk and get some resolution in their own lives. Meanwhile, Nina and Hannah spar with one another. Nina regards Hannah as having a `House and Garden' life, while she has trouble settling on one job or lover. Both have their own resentments toward one another. Both children look for closure and wisdom from their bedside chats. Ann, however, has her own regrets. ("You don't know your life from your mistakes," she broods.)

The movie often cuts back to her youth when she was a bridesmaid. Her best friend Lila (Claire Danes) is getting married, but she is miserable. Ann is a devoted friend and will do everything to avert her impending marriage to Carl for the real love of her life, Harris (Patrick Wilson), a former housekeeper's son. She also sings at Lila's wedding. This takes place in the midst of a storybook mansion with a lot of talk about love and relationships, regrets and lack of fulfillment at an early age. Lila's brother Buddy (Hugh Dancy) is like Sebastian of 'Brideshead Revisited,' Brideshead Revisited (25th Anniversary Collector's Edition). Which is an analogy he would completely understand, since while swilling too much alcohol, the would-be writer keeps quoting and swiping lines from famous novels without delivering one of his own. All of the lives seem solidified as plans and actualities assert themselves the way John Lennon wrote, "Life is what happens to you when you're busy making other plans." Memory fast forwards to meetings with family and friends, and we see their lives gel years earlier just after the wedding and as the drama comes to an end. An Irish nurse maid, looking like a fairy godmother, dotes on Ann and has her think of a happy time in her life. The results are an insult to an 'Our Town' memory.

'Evening' is a mixed outing. It starts off with self-conscious soap-opera dialogue that speaks of large matters in trivial ways until later when things actually start to happen. The result is that it takes a long time for us to care about the characters and what happens to them until it's almost too late. All the performances are excellent, but beg for better material. It has a lot of girl talk that's been done so much better before. I can only think of mother-daughter conversations in bed in scenes of 'Terms of Endearment' that were so much more effective. And the regrets about Mr. Right were more poignantly presented in one portion of 'Nine Lives' than the composite of this picture. I did go into this film with "great expectations," however. Seeing the likes of Streep, Redgrave, Collette, Close, and Wilson in one movie, I felt disappointed. Much of the development is too sentimental and trivial to merit our attention. Nevertheless, what momentum is initially lost gets better, and Hugh Dancy as Buddy, unexpectedly gives the highlight performance in this beautiful, but often ineffective movie. Thoughtful at times, it left me with a lot of "star-gazing" regrets of my own. (Based on a book by Susan Minot)

Great Actors Make A Great Film.......2007-06-25

Saw a preview of this this past weekend and I was wonderfully surprised. Everyone turns in the type of performance you would expect, and I'll be the first to admit I was looking to be let down by this film, thinking that there was no way the cast could live up to my expectations, and that no director could finagle that much talent on screen. It was a good time, and I recommend seeing it.

Romantic Comedy Collection (Must Love Dogs / Rumor Has It.... / The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants)

Average customer rating:

Romantic Comedy Collection (Must Love Dogs / Rumor Has It.... / The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants)
Starring: Romantic Comedy Collection
Manufacturer: Warner Home Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Comedy | Genres | DVD | Video

General | Drama | Genres | DVD | Video

DVDs Under $14.99 | Today's Deals in DVD | Special Features | DVD | Video

Comedy | Boxed Sets | Stores | DVD | Video

Drama | Boxed Sets | Stores | DVD | Video

Cinderella Story & Sisterhood of Traveling Pants

Average customer rating:

Cinderella Story & Sisterhood of Traveling Pants
Starring: Hilary Duff , Jennifer Coolidge , Chad Michael Murray , Dan Byrd , and Regina King
Director: Mark Rosman , and Ken Kwapis
Manufacturer: Warner Home Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Comedy | Genres | DVD | Video

General | Kids & Family | Genres | DVD | Video

Comedy | Kids & Family | Genres | DVD | Video

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

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

The Devil Wears Prada (Widescreen Edition)

ASIN: B000NA1WEA
Release Date: 2007-05-22

Description

An ideal pair-up for a Girls' Night In! Fairytale romance gets a modern makeover in A Cinderella Story [Side A]. Hilary Duff stars, scrubbing diner floors, coping with wicked siblings and all the while dreaming of Princeton (the perfect spot for a would-be princess to find a prince). But maybe she has a Prince Charming already: Her anonymous e-mail pal (Chad Michael Murray) arranges to meet her at the Halloween dance. In The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants [Side B], four friends experience heartbreak and joy while sharing a magical pair of jeans that fits each differently sized girl perfectly. It's a growing-up tale just the right size for teens and tweens.

Slumber Party Pack (A Cinderella Story / The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants / What a Girl Wants) (Full-Screen Edition)

Average customer rating:

Slumber Party Pack (A Cinderella Story / The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants / What a Girl Wants) (Full-Screen Edition)
Starring: Hilary Duff , Jennifer Coolidge , Chad Michael Murray , Dan Byrd , and Regina King
Director: Mark Rosman , Ken Kwapis , and Dennie Gordon
Manufacturer: Warner Home Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Comedy | Genres | DVD | Video

General | Drama | Genres | DVD | Video

Comedy | Boxed Sets | Stores | DVD | Video

Drama | Boxed Sets | Stores | DVD | Video

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

High School Musical (Encore Edition)
New York Minute (Widescreen Edition)
Sleepover
Uptown Girls
The Lizzie McGuire Movie

ASIN: B000GI3RXS
Release Date: 2006-09-12

Average customer rating:

Sisterhood (UMD Mini For PSP)
Starring: Barbara Crampton , Michelle Borth , Mark Fitzgerald , Sara Michelle Ben Av , and Brenda Blade
Director: David DeCoteau
Manufacturer: Image Entertainment
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: UMD for PSP

General | Universal Media Discs | Stores | DVD | Video

Horror | Universal Media Discs | Stores | DVD | Video

Science Fiction & Fantasy | Universal Media Discs | Stores | DVD | Video
Similar Items:

The Hillz (UMD Mini For PSP)
Man of the House (UMD Mini For PSP)
Ninja Scroll (UMD Mini For PSP)
From Dusk Till Dawn (UMD Mini For PSP)
Talladega Nights - The Ballad of Ricky Bobby (UMD Mini for PSP)

Accessories:

Sony PSP PlayGear Amp
Sony PSP Comfort Grips Black
Sony PSP Psyclone Nodus Sound System
Sony PSP Travel Case

ASIN: B0009KQOCY
Release Date: 2005-06-28

Description

Empowered with the ability to read people's thoughts and move objects with the power of her mind, Christine always knew she was special. At college she draws the attention of abnormal psychology professor Ms. Masters, who urges her to infiltrate the most exclusive sorority on campus, the BATS. Led by super seductress Devin, these unholy sisters use witchcraft, torture and mind control to influence others and fulfill their darkest desires; now it's up to Christine to battle Devin and her sexy sisters... if she doesn't become seduced by the darkness herself. From director David DeCoteau (creator of the popular The Brotherhood series) and featuring scream queen Barbara Crampton (Re-Animator), this enticing and diabolical shocker takes a look at what really goes on at a sorority house when the lights go out!

Average customer rating:

The Sisterhood
Starring: Rebecca Holden , Chuck Wagner , Lynn-Holly Johnson , Barbara Patrick , and Robert Dryer
Director: Cirio H. Santiago
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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

( S ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video
ASIN: B00005QB90

DVD:

DVD

DVD

DVD

Family Reunion: The Movie

Wire In The Blood - Shadows Rising

Brainy Baby: Laugh & Learn (REGION 1) (NTSC)

DVD: The Celts - Rich Traditions & Ancient Myths

Verraten