Still Life

Starring:Gary Farmer, Jason Gedrick, Sam Malkin, Stephen Shellen, Jessica Steen
Director: Graeme Campbell
Studio: Trinity Home Ent
Product Type: DVD

Amazon.com

The idea of a soulful pimp as the hero of a movie will strike some viewers as objectionable and perhaps even repellent, but Terrence Dashon Howard's complex and fierce performance will challenge such easy moral decisions. DJay (Howard, Crash, The Best Man) hustles a small stable of whores, including corn-rowed Nola (Taryn Manning, A Lot Like Love). When he learns that former local rapper turned superstar named Skinny Black (real life rapper Ludacris) is coming back to town for the 4th of July, DJay teams up with a frustrated sound engineer (Anthony Anderson, Kangaroo Jack) and a geeky musician (DJ Qualls, Road Trip) to put together a demo tape that he hopes will be his ticket to fame and fortune. What's most impressive about Hustle & Flow is that it doesn't oversell its hero. DJay's aspirations are more economic than poetic--he's not out to create art, he just wants a better life. This lack of pretension allows the movie to capture a genuine sense of how creativity can improve people's lives, which surprises DJay as much as anyone. The movie's other strength is a keen eye for social behavior, in particular the ways in which DJay manipulates everyone around him. Howard, who's almost always stood out in every movie he's made, plays these scenes with what can only be called smooth desperation. The entire cast gives substantial performances, but it's Howard who drives the movie irresistibly forward. --Bret Fetzer

Product Description

DJay is a Memphis hustler who spends most days in a parked Chevy philosophizing about life while Nola (Taryn Manning), turn tricks in the backseat. He's not very good at pimping, but he can hustle almost anything or anyone and makes enough to keep himself and three girls satisfied and housed in his shotgun home. DJay however is in the midst of a midlife crisis; he quietly harbors dreams of becoming a respected rapper. When he learns from a local club owner, Arnel (Isaac Hayes), that rap mogul Skinny Black (Ludacris), is rolling through town, DJay decides to record his flow with the hopes of slipping his demo to Skinny. With little help from his friends and "family" DJay sets in motion the hustle of his life, and galvanizes the lives of those around him as they learn that "Everybody's gotta have a dream."

Customer Reviews:

Whoop that trick (GET EM)!.......2007-05-29

This movie really gets me. HUSTLE & FLOW, featuring a blazing turn from the enthralling Terrence Howard, is an unexpectedly wrenching movie that moves along at a beat just as pulsating as the music genre it centers around. The movie wraps you around it's finger with it's opening "calm before the storm" monologue where D-Jay (Howard) sits in his hot Chevy with Nola (Taryn Manning), his best prostitute, talking about the world. You can see this is a man doped up on some drugs while she is as well, but the artistic soul inside of him is clearly trying to push itself out of D-Jay in a way he can't yet grasp. And as soon as the audience sees the core reality and humanity of the character... the beat starts driving the film.

When D-Jay starts to rap, Howard shows you that this isn't a passion slowly coming out of him... it is a tidal wave of frustration, passion, talent, and desperation pounding against a wall of drugs, depression, and disappointment that he has built up for years. Yet, even in his childlike excitement over the new prospects in his life, he can never break free of the lifestyle and situations that life as a pimp has put him in.

This truly is a brilliant performance from Howard and he deserves the attention he has received from the Academy and other critics organizations. But it's also refreshing to know that this ensemble was recognized at SAG. It truly was some of the best ensemble work I've seen in a long time (far surpassing CRASH... which was an example of true ensemble work sure, but this is an example of true ensemble work on a superior level with the talent leaping off the screen). Taryn Manning was especially compelling in her role as D-Jay's "cheif investor". It's a shame no buzz developed around her for a Supporting Actress nomination.

I've read some reviews cite this film as ridiculous... but to me, the life of a Pimp is in some ways "ridiculous". Despite the terrible living situations and rough lifestyle... their lives are filled with over-indulgence in all the wrong things. Sex, drugs, and music. However, this movie never looks down on the struggle and dream of D-Jay... partially because of brilliant pacing, and very much so because of Terrence Howard's searing performance. After watching this film, you can't help but walk away from the TV singing "Whoop That Trick!"

True to life.......2007-04-10

I really enjoyed this movie. Although I don't have an insight on the workings of pimping, the movie did seem true to life.

Way better than I expected.......2007-04-05

Jesus changed his name...

I thought this was going to be some lame gangsta movie but I was totally suprised at this. Turns out to be a great movie about a man with a powerful gift of music in his soul, driven by his dream of simply keeping it about the music. It was only a matter of time before a movie like this was made and I'm glad it was and I'm glad I gave it a chance. One of the most moving parts of this film was when they asked the girl with the baby who was kind of just in the background to help sing a line over their beats. Turns out she can not only sing but DJay sees something in her that convinces him to give up any other woman he might get from future fame for her. It was pretty neat seeing them all come alive together holding nothing back. Gotta love happy endings too.

Best of the Best.......2007-03-12

Hustle & Flow (UMD mini for PSP) was a great film for the PSP. This goes right along with having Conan and Scarface.

Ignorance on steroids.......2007-02-23

stupidest movie of the year.Stereotypical plot,poor acting, lapses in logic,not very realistic.The rap music scores are less than fair.This movie glorifies trash-talk about life, and failure to take responsibility for oneself and the blaming of the worlds problems on the white man.For you aspiring rap stars who rate this movie so highly, I encourage you to pull your pants up,turn your hat around,get an education and a real job.

Average customer rating:

Good cast, some laughs, but overall a semi rehash of other stories.

Standing Still
Starring: Xander R. Berkeley , Roger Avary , James Duval , Marnette Patterson , and Ethan Embry
Director: Matthew Cole Weiss
Manufacturer: Weinstein Company
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Comedy | Genres | DVD | Video

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

Miss Potter
Black Snake Moan
Days of Glory (Indigenes)
Breaking and Entering
The Mistress of Spices

ASIN: B000P6R9LC
Release Date: 2007-06-26

Customer Reviews:

Good cast, some laughs, but overall a semi rehash of other stories........2007-06-21

This movie is essentially the story of marraige of a couple the day before their marraige with the arrival of old college friend and the ensuing bachelor/bachelorette parties and the wedding. Included in the story as always is some distress/secret in the bride and groom past, now confronting them. Some of the friend had broken relationships now brought back together with their mutual friend put in an awkward position. Also, thier is the best man confronted with his own future and questioning his own marriage plans to his long time girlfriend. No suprises here, many of the wedding party end up "hooking up" during the course of the evenings party, and no major suprises with any of it. Trying to be Sixteen candles meets American Wedding...maybe a touch of breakfast club/pretty in pink, just not great as a knock off. check it out, I think many may like this one, but just not my cup of tea.

Peter Gabriel - Still Growing Up - Live and Unwrapped

Average customer rating:

A reminder of Gabriel's greatness
Still Growing Up
Not just shot at many places.
mildly annoying
Gabriels Art

Peter Gabriel - Still Growing Up - Live and Unwrapped
Starring: Peter Gabriel
Manufacturer: Rhino / Wea
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Pop | Styles | Music

General | Rock | Styles | Music

Album-Oriented Rock (AOR) | Classic Rock | Styles | Music

General | Music Video & Concerts | Genres | DVD | Video

( P ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video

Peter Gabriel - Growing Up Live
Peter Gabriel: Growing Up on Tour - A Family Portrait
Peter Gabriel - Secret World Live
Peter Gabriel - Play: The Videos
Pink Floyd - Pulse

ASIN: B000BF0DE2
Release Date: 2005-11-22

Amazon.com

Recorded in Europe in the summer of 2004, Peter Gabriel's Still Growing Up - Live and Unwrapped is a follow-up to 2003's Growing Up Live. The idea this time was to capture Gabriel and his band performing a variety of songs not heard on the earlier tour, with the gigs taking place in what he describes as "all sorts of smaller venues," where "we get up onstage with minimal lights and simply play the music." Of course, "smaller" is a matter of perspective; the town squares, outdoor amphitheatres, and other sites in Belgium, England, Italy, Switzerland, Germany, and France where the band appeared are still plenty big enough to hold several thousand people, and the production values are hardly what you'd call spartan. But whatever their dimensions, the shows yielded some extraordinarily powerful performances. After a haunting "The Feeling Begins" (a track from Gabriel's Passion, the score for Martin Scorsese's The Last Temptation of Christ), played solo on the Armenian doudouk, Gabriel and company take the stage and almost immediately forge a palpable bond with their audience. Indeed, what we are witnessing is as much a tribal rite as a concert, with the febrile, hypnotic intensity of the music matched by the crowd's chanted responses on such tunes as "Solsbury Hill," "Sledgehammer," and "Biko" (along with the latter, songs not heard on the previous DVD include "San Jacinto," "White Ashes," "The Tower that Ate People," and "Games Without Frontiers"; there's also a wonderful performance of "In Your Eyes" among the bonus tracks). Overall, this is a moving experience that viewers with sophisticated home systems will delight in sharing. The centerpiece of the set's second disc is Unwrapped, an approximately 70-minute "band on the road" documentary that would have been a standard variation of the form were it not for Gabriel's strong visual sense; check out the cool lighting and film projection effects used during the interviews with the artist. --Sam Graham

Description

November 2003 saw the release of Peter Gabriel's Growing Up Live DVD , chronicling his world tour, which was celebrated for its spectacular theatrics. Still Growing Up Live & Unwrapped brings Peter Gabriel together again with the award-winning director Hamish Hamilton, capturing his performances in all sorts of smaller and more intimate venues around Europe for the Live version of the DVD. For the "Unwrapped" version (Disc 2), which explores the world behind the songs, Anna Gabriel took over the director's chair with the collaboration of Hamish Hamilton. A simpler approach suggested a different set list, and Peter, Hamish, and Anna were determined that this should be filmed in a very different style. It shows Peter Gabriel as many of his fans love to see him, just playing his music.

Customer Reviews:

A reminder of Gabriel's greatness.......2007-05-15

This 2-disc collection is a reminder, once again, of Peter's greatness. The performances on the stripped down Still Growing Up Tour prove that Gabriel doesn't always need the elaborate stage and theatrics. He's fine and in his groove with his band - just playing the music. I always admired PG's funky side, as in Burn You Up, Burn You Down. And he can rock too, as in the case of The Tower That Ate People, which takes on a menacing force in this live version thanks to David Rhodes' always excellent guitar work. I saw the original Growing Up Tour in person, and only wish he had done some of these songs during that show. The extras on both discs are okay. No Self Control is of particular interest. I saw him perform this song live at the L.A Coliseum for an Amnesty International show in 1988 - and was simply astounded. The way the lights were "attacking" him...I had never seen anything like that before. A great collection to add to the Gabriel catalogue for sure.

Still Growing Up.......2007-02-15

This may be a special offering for fans. This video was shot at smaller venues throughout Europe on the Still Growing Up tour. While not as likable as Secret World and Growing Up there are some amazing performances here of some of the deeper cuts in the Gabriel catalogue. There are performances of seven songs that dis not appear on the original Growing Up disc.

While the material is worthwhile I could not rate it higher due to the multiple venue filming technique. When I buy a live DVD I want to see the entire live performance not several performances inter cut together.

The two disc set includes the concert footage on disc one while disc two contains the Unwrapped feature. This is essentially the same material re-edited with some interesting backstage footage and questions mixed in by Anna Gabriel. While it was interesting as a concept I'm not sure that the whole thing would not have worked better as an audio commentary over the main feature.

Extras include three studio videos; a couple of performances from the TV show Later with Jools Holland and a video from the P.O.V. Tour. Of special interest is a video of In Your Eyes that should have been left in the main program given the format.

In sum, if you are a fan buy it. If you just have an interest in the music its a pretty good if not spectacular rental.

Not just shot at many places........2006-11-29

I'm a little surprised by the other reviews that comment on the different tracks being from different performances. It's much worse than just that. The video from many tracks is cobbled together from footage taken from a number of different performances, *within*, not just between tracks. That is, from one second to the next as the video cuts, you have no idea whether the video is even going to wind up showing the same stage as it did seconds before (and often very obviously isn't).

As far as I'm concerned, when I buy a "live" concert DVD, I want the video to be the video of the performance that I am hearing. Isn't this one of the big advantages of DVD over live audio-only performances, which are often composed of the "best" tracks from a whole tour? OK, so they may be the best individual performances of each track, but if you want studio perfection, why not buy the studio album? You'd think that the pressures of video editing and wanting to make things look coherent would ensure that you're getting a single, coherent performance, warts and all. Just goes to show how wrong you can be. With this DVD set, not only do you have no idea whether you are seeing what you are hearing, but the editors seem to flaunt it, and it's patently obvious that much of the time you are definitely *not* seeing what you are hearing.

However much I might might love PG, it's hard to love this DVD. Frankly, it's better without the video, but if you're going to play it with the video off, why not just listen to a CD? If I had wanted a DVD with MTV-type video fakery I wouldn't have bought a DVD that said "live" on the spine.

mildly annoying.......2006-10-31

I was really looking forward to seeing Gabriel in concert. Unfortunately, my experience was marred by the foreigh talk with subtitles between each song destroying the pace. Also, the drummer here is nowhere near as good as Manu Katche. I guess I'll have to pick up Secret World Live, even though I hear it has substandard image quality not to mention Red Rain has been omitted!

Gabriels Art.......2006-04-20

First of all I bought this DVD last December and since that time I have read very few reviews that proclaim this DVD to be anything that special. I have to disagree! This DVD is a piece of art true to form of Peter's writing, performing and talents. I just can't believe that so many people who claim to be fans don't hesitate to shoot this work down in an effort to try and be overly critical. It makes absolutely no sense to me. I feel fortunate and blessed that Peter chose to release the second leg of the "Growing Up" tour on DVD. Peter is one of the greatest artists of our time. His performances are breathtaking (with OR without the extra special props and lighting) and often bring tears to the eye - tears of great joy and sadness. Not only is the concert footage incredible, but the interview footage and commentary about the songs and the tour are also very interesting. I would call this a necessary companion to the "Growing Up Live" DVD. This DVD also has perfect audio and visual. So I just can't see what all the complaining is about. If I could, I would rate this DVD with a thousand stars! It just doesn't get much better than this.

Patsy Cline: Sweet Dreams Still - The Anthology

Average customer rating:

Patsy Live
Thrilling Look Into Star's TV Performances
Pure Patsy At Her Best!
Live Video of Patsy, not the background
A True Treasure, I Hope There Is More To Follow This

Patsy Cline: Sweet Dreams Still - The Anthology
Starring: Patsy Cline
Manufacturer: Mpi Home Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Country | Styles | Music

Nashville Sound | Traditional Country | Country | Styles | Music

Rockabilly | Oldies & Retro | Rock | Styles | Music

General | Music Video & Concerts | Genres | DVD | Video

General | Documentary | Genres | DVD | Video

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

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

Patsy Cline - Remembering Patsy
Patsy Cline - The Real Patsy Cline
Sweet Dreams
Marty Robbins Anthology
Coal Miner's Daughter - 25th Anniversary Edition

ASIN: B0009OUBGK
Release Date: 2005-09-27

Description

Patsy Cline is a singular voice on the landscape of American music. Her emotion and raw power is inescapable, and her timeless melodies continue to make fans of people from all generations and walks of life. Sweet Dreams Still is the essential video anthology of Patsy's filmed musical performances. From "country girl" to "red hot momma", this program showcases the many facets of Patsy's brilliant body of work. Hosted by Robert K. Oermann (the dean of Nashville music writers), this program features full-length clips of rare and early performances along with Patsy's last televised appearance, filmed days before her tragic and untimely death. Patsy Cline: Sweet Dreams Still is the definitive volume of hits, rarities, and personal favorites from one of America's greatest performers.

Customer Reviews:

Patsy Live.......2007-04-06

Enjoyed seeing her performances but would rather just listen. Ok for a look at history.

Thrilling Look Into Star's TV Performances.......2006-11-10

I have been a Patsy Cline fan for a long time. All I ever had to go on is her recordings, which are awesome! Now, you get to see the lady in action! It is such a pleasure to see Patsy teasing the camera with her eyes, sometimes turning out better performances than those captured on her legendary recordings. And the suplimentary material with Patsy singing "Let It Snow!" with Ferlin Husky is priceless! Patsy never recorded any Christmas material during her short career, so to hear her sing this classic is a treasure, indeed. And for those who are looking to break into the music industry, they can take a lesson from these TV performances. Patsy is graceful, and moreover, she is fully dressed! That is the way it's done, folks. Highly recommended for any music fan!

Pure Patsy At Her Best!.......2006-11-05

I have been a diehard Patsy fan since about 1985, when the movie Sweet Dreams came out. I have the Real Patsy Cline, Remembering Patsy, and now the Sweet Dreams Anthology videos. These are a must for anyone that wants to know more about this legendary singer. This video represents some of Patsy's best work. If want to see pure magic, I reccommend that you get this video!

Live Video of Patsy, not the background.......2006-04-19

I love Patsy. I bought two documentaries the same day, one was this, the anthology, the other was The Real Patsy Cline. I watch the movie Sweet Dreams with Jessica Lange over and over and always wondered what Charlie Dick was really like and what happended to him and the children. The Real Patsy Cline DVD has more of this. The Anthology DVD is more live video of Patsy. I enjoyed it, but not as much as the other one. It depends on what you are looking for. Interviews with family members, get The Real Patsy Cline, if you want live video of Patsy back in "the day", get the anthology. Hope this helps.

A True Treasure, I Hope There Is More To Follow This.......2006-03-18

This DVD collection is a unique and very rare opportunity for fans of Patsy Cline, and music historians alike. For the first time we actually have the chance to sit down and watch the magic and the music that is truly, and uniquely Patsy Cline, I would highly recommend this program to everyone, the sound is great, and they did a great job on cleaning up the video as well, trust me, these songs never looked or sounded this great in the 50's and early 60's when they first appeared.

Average customer rating:

Big Pun DVD is "one of the most shocking you'll ever see"!
The Ultimate Big Pun DVD
The Greatest of All Time!
Absolutely amazing
An eye-opener, a tear-jerker, a tribute

Still Not a Player
Starring: Big Punisher
Manufacturer: Ground Zero
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Rap & Hip-Hop | Styles | Music

General | Documentary | Genres | DVD | Video

Music Video & Concerts | Today's Deals in DVD | Special Features | DVD | Video

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

All Deals | Today's Deals in DVD | Special Features | DVD | Video

( S ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video

Big Pun Live
Terror Squad The Album
Yeeeah Baby
Capital Punishment
Blood Money

ASIN: B000065U2S
Release Date: 2002-06-11

Customer Reviews:

Big Pun DVD is "one of the most shocking you'll ever see"!.......2004-03-30

"You think you know? You have no idea". The infamous trademark quote uttered by celebrities covered on MTV's Diary seems frighteningly appropriate when talking about Marcos Antonio Miranda's controversial documentary on the late great Puerto-Rician rapper, Big Pun. This film not only highlights his many accomplishments as a popular performer but it also showcases the good, the bad, and the ugly side of an intense and self-destructive human being.

"Still Not A Player" interviews those who knew rapper Christopher Rios the best. From his closest friends and family to the many rappers who had the privledge of performing with him. It explains how Pun grew from a young child selling drugs in the streets of the Bronx into a multi-platinum rapper who tipped the scales at over 700 pounds. It also goes into detail about the physical abuse that Pun's wife, Liza, suffered at his hands. This proves to be one of the most disturbing moments on the film as we are shown actual security footage of the massive Pun hitting his wife in the face with a gun. We are also told the stories of his "final days" as he unsuccesfully battled to overcome a severe weight problem caused by an imense eating disorder.

"Still Not A Player" is far from the usual MTV-style "artist profile" that one might assume it to be. Miranda gives us one of the most honest portraits of an artist that one can display. This isn't just about a talented man's struggle to reach the top. This isn't just a paint-by-numbers description of his music career. This movie tells the story of Christopher Rios in a way that many documentary-makers would be too afraid to. It's honest even when the subject matter is not flattering. It shows us the good-natured side of Rios, the caring father, the over-the-top prankster, as well as the bad side, an abusive husband, a violent addict. It's all here. Whether you are a fan of Big Punisher or just a casual listener, this documentary could perhaps show you a side to him that you never even knew about.

The Ultimate Big Pun DVD.......2002-08-14

I have seen many documentaries before, but this one is by far one of the most telling and tearjerking ones ever made. I run the first website ever created as a tribute to Big Pun, through my site I provide a great deal of information about Christopher Rios and his music. Although I considered myself an expert on Big Pun, I was blown away by how much the DVD revealed that I previously wasn't aware of. There are rare interviews with him, video clips of him hanging out with his crew, and a DVD special feature photo album accompanied by music that even the toughest Pun fan would have trouble keeping a dry eye watching. Its raw, gritty, and real, even providing us with some of the darker aspects of Big Pun's life that I wasn't expecting to see on film. I have never seen another hip hop film that came close to what this documentary has, I strongly recommend it to music fans everywhere. This DVD is more than what you would ever expect it to be.

The Greatest of All Time!.......2002-08-13

BP is the tightest lyricist of all time, and this DVD gives everyone an inside look at how Christopher Rios became Big Pun. You are not a hip hop fan or a Big Pun fan if you have not seen this DVD. It goes real deep, and you the fan get to see and hear things that you would have never known. Get the DVD, and keep Big Pun's legacy going!

Absolutely amazing.......2002-06-22

I honestly thought this was going to be a VH1 Beind the music type of deal.Was I wrong!Still not a player is a no holds barred look at Big Pun. The life this poor man led is unbelievable.Forced by his own mother to sell drugs as a little kid,he ran away and lived on the streets.Director Marcos Miranda takes us on a sometimes hellish journey through the life of one of hip hops greatest players. Pun's wife Liza pulls no punches either. This is true blue hip hop right here folks.Watch it with a loved one.You will be talking about this afterwards.The extra materials are great too.There's a long video of Pun and his friends riding in a limo that's terrific.Also an interview he did on the street.I haven't seen anything to match this film in raw and real terms.

An eye-opener, a tear-jerker, a tribute.......2002-06-21

This DVD has to be one of the most moving exercisings in filmaking I have ever seen. While many people on the outside probably never heard the name "Big Pun", this tribute to him really struck a nerve and made me shed a tear. This film documents Pun's life and struggles. I am a real hip-hop fan and seeing real MC's tell Pun's story with FULL disclosure from his family and friends really hit home for me. Everything from laughing at ghetto [stuff] and ghetto jokes to being shocked out of my skin at the domestic violence that he was capable of. After watching this film I went from a Pun fan to actually feeling asthough I knew him and I was heart-broken at the end of this fine film.

Description

Laughter may be the best medicine, but Western Swing music undoubtedly comes in a very close second as documented in Still Swingin', a documentary that traces the history of Western Swing music as well as legendary singer Bob Wills' pivotal role in keeping this unique musical form alive for generations. A musical phenomenon that reached its peak popularity during the Depression and just afterward, Western Swing is still going strong - over 70 years later! This special edition DVD features over four hours of bonus programming, including archival clips of Bob Wills' appearances in B-westerns during his career in Hollywood where he and his band performed with cowboy stars Gene Autry, Tex Ritter, Russell Hayden, and Charles Starrett. Bonus Features: Over Four Hours of Bonus Programming including: Special Interviews with Luke Wills; Lorene Wills; and The Texas Playboys (Bobby Koefer, Casey Dickens, Truit Cunningham, Glenn Rhees, Curly Lewis, Clarence Cagle)| Ninety-minutes of live concert footage recorded at the historic Cain's Ballroom featuring The Original Texas Playboys and Jody Nix and The Texas Cowboys| Bob Wills' "Soundies": "OK Oklahoma" from "The Last Horseman", "Yodel Mountain", "Three Miles South of Cash", "Blue Prelude", "Deep Water", "Sittin' on Top of the World", "Ida Red" from "Go West Young Man| Famous Western Swing tunes: "The Texas Playboys Theme", "Right or Wrong", "Misery", "Take Me Back to Tulsa", "Hawaiian War Chant", "Laugh to Keep From Crying", "Roly Poly", "Bubbles in My Beer", "Faded Love", "Four or Five Times", "My Window Faces South", "Spanish Two-Step", and "A Big Ball's in Cow Town", among others. Specs: 2-DVD9s; Dolby Digital Stereo; 303 minutes; Color/B&W; 1.33:1 Aspect Ratio; MPAA - NR; Year - 2005; SRP - $19.99.

Customer Reviews:

Not what it is cracked up to be but OK for the hard core fan like me.......2006-04-28

This DVD is pretty good, but it is not at all what the advertisements make it appear to be. Watch out!

The ads make it iseem like this is a large collection of videos of Bob Wills. Such things exist. There are lots of video from Bob Wills's TV performances in the 1950s and early 1960s and lots of film from his movies and musical short subjects. On this DVD, you don't get to see them except spliced clips without much explanation.

The DVD ad and introductions suggests that on it you will see video of the great 100th Anniversary of Bob Wills performance Asleep at the Wheel did in tribute to Bob Wills at Cains dance hall in Tulsa. However, you don't. You see some cuts from a sound check performance Asleep at the wheel did on KVOO the afternoon before that great performance with a few guest stars. And there is not much of that!

These DVD provide little real information about Bob Wills. There is just a small bit of general information that is sometimes inaccurate in the first DVD.
Tommy Duncan is named, but only in a way that people who already know who Tommy was could understand. Wills is presented as if he were the only person in the Western Swing arena. No mention is made of the vast array of other Western Swing bands.

As mentioned, Milton Brown, Wills's partner and close friend is not mentioned, so there is of course no mention of Brown's Band "The Musical Brownies" which many credit as being the first full scale Western Swing band. A knowledgeable person could have easily done this while this video was showing stills of the Light Crust Doughboys including Brown, Bobby Dunne, Durwood Brown, and other Brownies.

The first DVD has too much music by Red Steargall and Tracy Boyd who are country western Hat Act singers who do a few Wills influenced songs. Unfortunately, there is not enough music by Asleep at the Wheel.

This, the top Western Swing band in the last 30 years, does performi at the soung check at Cains with Wills' guitarist and arranger and band manager Eldon Shamblin and master fiddler Johnnie Gimble. There is some nice music with the great Leon Rausch bassist and singer joining in as well as Joe Frank Fergueson, also a bassist and singer (and I believe cousin) for Wills on and off in the 1930s and 1940s.

Two people who could have said a lot about Wills that is more than just fan praise are Gimble and Shamblin. On other videos, not this one, they do say interesting things about Wills. Even here among all the kind of useless praise, Eldon points out the problem of the early band was that the musicians were so bad. He's elsewhere commented about how he thought Wills was "nuts" selecting musicians based on their looks, i.e. Wills believed a guitarist looked one way and a fiddler looked one way etc. Shamblin who was a professional studio guitarist at a Tulsa CBS radio station became the musical master of the band and helped Wills hire better and better musicians, many out of the lower ranked white swing bands.

Eldon either played or managed Wills group from the 1930s until the band broke up in the mid 1960s with time off in the late 1940s and the mid 1950s to work with Leon McAuliffe's band in Tulsa. He is an acknowledged musical genius and received a lot of praise since the 1930s. The film inaccurately quotes Rolling Stone as claiming he was the greatest rhythm guitar player in the country, but it was actually Rolling Stone quoting Downbeat from the 1930s. Most who know rhythm guitar, including Eldon were he living, would probably put Freddie Green, Eddie Durham, and a few others ahead of him.

Likewise, Gimble is just very smart, very thoughtful and seems to have a very keen mind about the Wills legacy. He even plays Wills main fiddle in the clips shown here, though we aren't told this. He can tell you, for example, about one of the fundamental questions in Wills life, his alcoholism. Wills's problems with the bottle was involved in most of the big decisions of his life from quitting barbering and becoming a full time musician to the breakup of his classic band in 1949, to his going from Columbia to MGM in the mid 1940s. Unfortunately, Gimble is not asked any questions of this kind.

The second DVD is better. There are no Hat Act singers. It contains performances by true Western Swing peformers. The first band is a band led by Jody Nix, son of the great Hoyle Nix, a great Texas Fiddler and contemporary of Bob Wills, whose Band Wills used as his own in the mid 1960s. Nix who used to be a drummer but has really mastered the Texas ranch dance fiddle style that his father and Bob Wills played. He has a crack swing jazz musician on electric mandolin and fiddle in his band and creates a good but interesting sound.

However, the best thing in the whole DVD is a performance of a Texas Playboys and Johnny Lee Wills and his Boys survivors group including Bob Koefer on steel, Gleen Rhees on Tenor and Soprano Sax, Truit Cunningham vocals, leader and bass, fiddlers Curly Lewis and Bob Boatwright, Eldon Shamblin on guitar, Clarence Cagle on piano and Luke Wills on vocal. Of course, even in 1994 when this was filmed except for Eldon, all of the great stars of Wills Top bands in the late 1930s and 1940s like Leon McAuliffe, Louis Tierney, Jesse Ashelock, Jim Joe Holly, Herbie Remmington, Noel Boggs, Cameron Hill, Lester Barnard Junior, Millard Kelso, Tiny Moore, and Alex Brashear had died. Most of this group joined Wills in the late 1940s or 1950s. Curly Lewis and Clarence Cagle were actually more well known as members of Johnnie Lee and His Boys, which was like the farm team for the Texas Playboys.

While they are probably not as hot as they were 10 years before at the large scale Bob Wills 50th celebration in 1984, these guys are having fun playing some good Western Swing music, cutting up for the audience, and giving you a flavor of the breadth of real Western Swing. Pianist Clarence Cagle who continued working as a session pianist for rock, blues, and country recordings into the 1990s really outsmokes them all. Bob Boatright, who is probably the youngest of the bunch, does some great fiddling as does Curly Lewis.

However, this second CD is worth it if you buy this at remaindered prices.

However, you don't see much real Bob Wills here. You don't see any complete tune played by Wills and the Texas Playboys. You don't learn much about Western Swing if you buy this.

The King of Western Swing on Video!.......2005-12-26

I have been in love with the unique sound of Bob Wills and His Texas Playboys for over a quarter century, and I never grow tired of listening to his wonderful records. Although he and his band appeared in many movies in the 1940's, and his records have sold in the millions, films clips of Bob and the band are hard to come by. This documentary, packaged in a deluxe two-disc DVD, goes a long way toward correcting that imbalance.

The first time I first saw a clip of a Bob Wills performance was during a trip to the Country Music Museum in Nashville in 1978. The clip I saw that day was Ida Red, and I have been looking forward to seeing it again for almost 30 years - now I can, for it's included amongst the vintage performance clips offered on this DVD.

For anyone who doesn't know, Bob Wills was a fiddle player who played his first professional gig as a young boy, substituting for his father at a barn dance. Although he grew up around Western music, the Wills family lived in a poor area where there were many black families, and very early he was exposed to and grew to love the Blues and other forms of traditional African-American music. Legend has it that he once rode fifty miles on horseback to attend a Bessie Smith recital, and was the only white person in the audience. He was one of the founding members of Milton Brown and His Brownies, the band credited with creating the style of music now known as Western Swing. When he started his own band, the Texas Playboys, he took a cue from Count Basie and included Brass, Horns and rhythm instruments, and if he couldn't claim to actually invent Western Swing, he certainly perfected it. In the 1940's he was one of the highest paid bandleaders in the US.

There are a few DVD (and some VHS) programs that offer biographical data and film clips of Bob Wills. All are of varying quality - unfortunately, few video records of Bob Wills performances have survived in pristine condition; the clips in this particular set are about the best I've seen, which isn't saying much. Still true fans will find these clips exciting and priceless, and even the uninitiated will find them quite enjoyable. Some of the vintage performances included here are: a 1944 one reel short, "Warner Brothers Presents Bob Wills and His Texas Playboys" which provides a brief (and somewhat inaccurate) bio and history of the band, as well as several songs, including a wonderful version of In My Adobe Hacienda featuring an unidentified female vocalist. There are five or six shorts made for television in 1951; each presents a complete song, usually with Bob's preferred male vocalist, Tommy Duncan. Some of these titles are: Yodel Mountain, Deep Water and two versions of the aforementioned Ida Red (one is a movie clip) among others. There is also an additional movie clip from the early 40's.

I believe very strongly that if you know Bob Wills records, but have never seen him perform, then you're missing half the picture. From his hundreds of records, many fans know that Bob was most famous for his "calls" or "hollers". When the band got hot, he would frequently holler "Ahhhhh-hahhhh" or prod them along with such exclamations as "Take it away, Leon" or "Here's that old piano pounder". Or, if the band was playing below his expectations, he would shout, "Johnny in key, please" or virtually anything else that came into his mind. But a key part of his performance was his animation - when the band played, he would dance around, clown with the band, and make expressive and entertaining gestures and faces, all while leading the band with a baton, or his fiddle, or just his hands. In short, his physicality during his performances was a show in itself. Anyone who loves the music of Bob Wills will find these video performances priceless, despite the limitations of their quality.

The DVD also includes many extras; there are interviews with original band members, and performances by Western Swing artists Tracy Byrd and Asleep at the Wheel. There are also fascinating interviews with Bob's surviving siblings, Luke Wills and Lorene Wills. An additional bonus consists of extensive contemporary concert footage that runs about 90 minutes, including Asleep at the Wheel and surviving members of the Playboys. The contemporary footage includes such Bob Wills numbers as Right or Wrong, Take Me Back to Tulsa, Hawaiian War Chant, Roly Poly, Bubbles in My Beer, Faded Love, and Big Balls in Cowtown. There is also an historic performance of the Johnny Lee Wills classic, Four or Five Times, featuring Luke Wills.

For many years during the height of his popularity, Bob and his music were rejected by the orthodox country music establishment for being too "jazzy" and ignored by the jazz world for being too "hillbilly". Western Swing is a blend of jazz and western music - it is primarily dance music, with a strong emphasis on vocals (like country), but it also includes jazz instruments like saxophone and trumpets. What makes it most unique are instruments that are traditionally associated with country music (like fiddles and steel guitars), being employed in a "swing" or jazz fashion. Almost every performance by Bob Wills Texas Playboys incorporated spotlight solos, improvisation and other musical trademarks generally associated with jazz. In other words, his band and his music are totally unique.

Fortunately, there was a revival of interest in Bob Wills and his music which started in the 1960's and continues to this day. After his death in 1974, there was an explosion of new Western Swing bands, with young admirers anxious to copy the Bob Wills sound and keep Western Swing alive. Even country music has finally paid him his due, for today Bob Wills is proudly embraced and revered in country circles as a pioneer and a true original. He is now acknowledged as one of the first to incorporate African American rhythm and Jazz into country music, and his influence has been acknowledged by such diverse artists as Elvis Presley, Willie Nelson, Merle Haggard and even Elvis Costello.

For those who are interested, there is another DVD, "Fiddlin' Man - The Life and Times of Bob Wills" which is also available. Besides a biography, it presents many additional film clips (actually more than "Still Swingin'") but the video quality varies greatly, and some of the clips display video quality that is poor indeed. Still, if you are a devoted fan, I recommend that you acquire both.

Average customer rating:

For a Hepburn Fan
A minor television movie keeps Katharine Hepburn busy in her 80s
A Feel Good movie!!!

Laura Lansing Slept Here
Starring: Karen Austin , Brenda Forbes , Merrilyn Gann , Schuyler Grant , and Katharine Hepburn
Director: George Schaefer
Manufacturer: KOCH VISION
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Comedy | Genres | DVD | Video

General | Drama | Genres | DVD | Video

4-for-3 Comedy | 4-for-3 DVD | Stores | DVD | Video

4-for-3 Drama | 4-for-3 DVD | Stores | DVD | Video

4-for-3 All DVDs | 4-for-3 DVD | Stores | DVD | Video

General | Indie & Art House | Stores | DVD | Video

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

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

Mrs. Delafield Wants to Marry
Biography - Katharine Hepburn (A&E DVD Archives)
One Christmas
The Rainmaker
State of the Union

ASIN: B0009NZ6O8
Release Date: 2005-08-09

Product Description

With a glittering cast that includes Katharine Hepburn and Karen Austin in lead roles, LAURA LANSING SLEPT HERE is a humorous family movie. Hepburn plays Laura Lansing, a novelist who undergoes an identity crisis as, despite her fame and fortune, she feels something is missing from her life. Entering into a quest to return a degree of normalcy to her life, Lansing's attempts provide many comedic moments, as well as a salient lesson for the famous author.

System Requirements:
Running Time: 97 Min.

Format: DVD MOVIE

Customer Reviews:

For a Hepburn Fan.......2007-05-07

As a Hepburn fan I really enjoyed this film. Hepburn as usual plays herself, and having read many books about this wonderful actress I realised just how much like herself is Laura Lansing. But then I believe the part was written especially for her.

A minor television movie keeps Katharine Hepburn busy in her 80s.......2005-08-11

Four-time Academy Award winner Katharine Hepburn was in her early 80s when she made this television movie in 1988. After she won her fourth Oscar for "On Golden Pond" (1981) she did nothing for three years until she made "The Ultimate Solution of Grace Quigley" (1984), and then a couple of years later she started making movies for television periodically. "Mrs. Delafield Wants to Marry" (1986), "Laura Lansing Slept Here" (1988)," "The Man Upstairs" (1992), "This Can't Be Love" (1994) and "One Christmas" (1994). In between those last two she made her last theatrical film, when she upstaged Warren Beatty and the luminous Annette Benning in "Love Affair." None of these television movies matched Hepburn's earlier efforts on the small screen, such as "Love Among the Ruins" and "The Corn in Green," but they gave the legendary actress something to do.

Hepburn plays the title character, a wealthy and world famous novelist who is shocked when she is told that her publisher has turned down her latest book. Her agent (Lee Richardson) suggests that she should retire because clearly she has lost touch with her readers. Lansing thinks otherwise and makes the bet that she can live with a typical family in the suburbs for seven days. If she cannot survive such a mundane existence then she will give up writing forever. So the great Laura Lansing shows up at the home of Walter (Joel Higgins) and Melody Gomphers (Karen Austin), and immediately takes over the place. Having spent decades being waited on hand and foot, she expects the Gomphers to do the same.

However, when she is informed she cannot have the bathroom all to herself because it is the only one in the house, she shows she is willing to be accommodating by drawing up a strict schedule assigning everybody a specific time they may have it use. Meanwhile she refuses to let anybody watch any television, will not let the kids listen to their music, and threatens the baby when he dares to cry in her presence. Of course, this is only the first part of the story, where the unwanted guest turns the life of the entire Gomphers family upside down. But in the second act she will start helping them with their various problems, including the fact that Walter is paying attention to the Xerox girl at work while Melody dreams of the sexiest man on soaps (Nicolas Surovy), who just happens to be a friend of Laura's. Will this jeopardize her bet or simply given Laura Lansing the material for her best novel in years?

That was a rhetorical question. "Laura Lansing Slept Here" is a pretty predictable, but Hepburn must have liked screenwriter James Prideaux because he wrote the script for not only this television movie but also "Mrs. Delafield Wants to Marry" and "The Man Upstairs" (writing television movies for Katharine Hepburn is not a bad gig). All three movies were directed by George Schaefer as well, so there must have been a high comfort level. Unfortunately none of the cast is anywhere near the same level as Katharine Hepburn, although Austin is certainly game (her character faints on meeting Lansing, not because she had read any of Lansing's books but because she has seen the writer on talk shows and she scares here).

The most interesting scenes are between Hepburn and Schuyler Grant, who plays the Gomphers daughter Annette. Some will recognize Grant from the "Anne of Green Gables" mini-series or even from "All My Children," but she also happens to be Hepburn's great-niece (Hepburn's sister Marion married Ellsworth Grant, and their children included Katharine Houghton [Grant], who was with her aunt Kath in "Guess Who's Coming to Dinner," and Jack Grant, Schuyler's father). Maybe it is just me, but it sure seems that Hepburn saves her best moments for her scenes with her great-niece and you end up wishing that there was more for the two of them to do together because it would have made for a much better movie. But the early scenes where Lansing takes over just strike me as more mean-spirited than funny, so I end up rounding down on content myself with knowing there are a whole lot of better Katharine Hepburn movies out there.

With the release of "Mrs. Delafield Wants to Marry" and "Laura Lansing Slept Here," my collection of Katharine Hepburn movies is now complete. The rest of her television movies have previously been released on video, and while not all of her theatrical movies are still available I have copies of all of them (yes, even "The Iron Petticoat," the travesty she did with Bob Hope). "Mrs. Delafield" is the better of the two, helped by both a more intelligent script and the interesting choice of Harold Gould as Hepburn's leading man. But for fans of Hepburn the thought of not having something in our movie collection is unthinkable and these DVDs are reasonably priced. However, there are no extras and the scene selection menu is one screen with the titles of chapters appearing around Hepburn's picture.

A Feel Good movie!!!.......2005-08-04

The wonderful,legendary Katherine Hepburn rules in one of her later roles as a disillusioned novelist trying to find her way.It's a feel good movie that's finally on DVD!!!!!!!

Average customer rating:

Keep on Rompin' in the Free World!

Still Alive & Kickin'
Starring: Ronnie Hawkins
Manufacturer: Casablanca Int'l
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Rock | Styles | Music

General | Music Video & Concerts | Genres | DVD | Video

( S ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video

In Concert
Jerry Lee Lewis: Greatest Live Performances of the 50s, 60s and 70s
Don't Knock the Rock / Rock Around the Clock
Loose Grooves: Funkin' Live in England 1980
Live From Austin Tx [Region 2]

ASIN: B000FVQWEW
Release Date: 2007-01-30

Description

Narrated by Dan Aykroyd, this film on DVD celebrates Ronnie Hawkins, the man, his life and his music. Winner of the 2005 Gemini Award for Best Biography, this outstanding music documentary directed by Anne Pick features excerpts of live performances and classic Hawk hits. It follows a year in The Hawks life, from his diagnosed with terminal pancreatic cancer to his miraculous cure. From Wanda, his wife of 42 years, and his kids, to friends like Bill Clinton, David Foster, Robbie Robertson and Kris Kristofferson, to strangers on the street, everybody is pulled into this truly unbelievable time in the life of this living music legend.

Customer Reviews:

Keep on Rompin' in the Free World!.......2006-12-30

This documentary chronicles the career of a living rock legend (Rompin' Ronnie Hawkins) and of his bout with pancreatic cancer. His relationship with other musicians such as Robbie Robertson, Kris Kristofferson, and Billy Ray Cyrus and their high regard for him is testimony to his place of prominence in the history of Rock and Roll/Rockabilly. The documentary is well made and the appearances by Bill and Hilary Clinton and the tribute song by Paul Anka is, by itself, a sufficient reason to buy the DVD. For anyone who thinks that Michael Jackson invented the "moonwalk" this film will be an eye opener! This truly oustanding film deserves a prominent place in the history of rock and roll.

Average customer rating:

A sleeper gem
Calmness and peacefulness of human nature exploited by some people
110 min trip to another place
Beautiful movie that was well thought of
Great movie......but not for big $$$$

Still Breathing
Starring: Lou Rawls , Brendan Fraser , Joanna Going , Steven Lambert , and Chao Li Chi
Director: James F. Robinson
Manufacturer: Polygram USA Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Comedy | Genres | DVD | Video

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

Twenty Bucks
The Scout
Gods and Monsters
Flashback
Mrs. Winterbourne

ASIN: B00004YA1G
Release Date: 2000-10-17

Amazon.com

After a limited theatrical release in 1998, Still Breathing gained a small but loyal following on cable TV as the kind of movie that die-hard romantics love to discover. It's a formulaic tale of opposites attracting, with creaky themes of predestined romance, but there's a lot to admire in the way first-time writer-director James F. Robinson has handled this material. With Brendan Fraser and the underrated Joanna Going as well-matched costars, this potentially sappy romance is instead a calm and soothing affirmation of unconditional love. It's ostensibly a comedy, but the stars and director give it something extra by slowly but surely developing a credible connection between San Antonio street performer Fletcher McBracken (Fraser) and Los Angeles con artist Roz Willoughby (Going).

Having seen Roz in a vision as the love of his life, Fletcher is drawn to L.A., where Roz--targeting Fletcher as her latest mark in an art-dealer scam--is as cynically damaged as Fletcher is spiritually grounded. He's the cure for what ails her, and their awkward return to San Antonio (a lovely, sunlit location) reveals that Roz is initially too cold to fall for Fletcher's charms. As she comes to life--a process that Going expresses with convincing subtlety--Still Breathing achieves a quality of quiet warmth and grace. An overlooked gem with abundant charm and sex appeal, the movie's also blessed by an easygoing supporting cast including Ann Magnuson, Angus MacFadyen, and Hollywood veteran Celeste Holm as Fletcher's equally good-natured grandmother. --Jeff Shannon

Customer Reviews:

A sleeper gem.......2007-06-29

Like many others, I discovered this movie on cable tv. What a little gem! Joanna Going gives a flawless performance as a jaded and hardened Los Angeles scam artist who secretly yearns to be loved. Fraser, the only weak link in the movie, plays the Texan who has a vision of Going and predictably melts her by the end. The music, visuals, and cameo by Celeste Holm combine to make this a classic worth watching many times over. Fantasic cinematography!

Calmness and peacefulness of human nature exploited by some people.......2007-03-26

STILL BREATHING, will be an acquired taste for many people, or
better appreciated by those who are fascinated by the game of
seduction between humans. It may be a bore for others with a
smaller attention span or perhaps a touching picture for the
right kind of audience, of chick flicks perhaps.

It fully succeeds in its aims, of establishing an inner peace,
calling attention to being in touch with one's own inner child
or innocence, and emphasizes the human and social aspects of
people, vs the physical, intellectual, for example.

The strong point of this picture, is the strong visual component
that is appealing, the calmness and peacefulness that also
characterized Brendan Fraser's appearance in an earlier movie,
PASSION OF DARKLY NOON. As such, the script appears to have been
tailor-ordered, custom fitted, made to order for Fraser, who
reprises his role as a low-key, in-control, modest, unambitious
man who seeks out the more artistic, introspective aspects that
life has to offer, as his central goal.

Both Joanna Going and Ann Magnuson are amusing in their rapport
with Fraser's character, bringing their own personality and
strong style to the visual aspects of the movie, contributing to
the appeal to audience coupled with some soft piano numbers over
the 90 mins of the movie, and some percussion or horn numbers,
too, forming the soundtrack.

It's a time-travel for viewers, until a certain point, at which
Going's character reveals her secret, that she is a grifter,
playing rich or modestly wealthy single men for their cash, in
exchange for the illusion of romance or of a personal
relationship. At that juncture, the movie seems to slow down
considerably, and the script becomes perhaps over-worked,
over-intellectualized, overwhelming viewers with a flood of
literary, musical, and visual artwork aspects. By thrusting
these onto the audience, the viewers are drawn back out of the
story and into their reality again, from the boredom, and those
excesses.

As a rental, this is a good movie. As a theatrical release, it
will have its moments. Seeing Fraser squirm to deliver
entertainment is worth the price of the ticket alone, much like
trying to fit a square peg into a round hole, because he does
succeed in pulling off the acting successfully.

110 min trip to another place.......2006-10-21

I don't know if there is such a place as the one depicted in the movei. But it makes me beleive there is..............and I, too, deserve to be able to go there. I love, and get more out of this movie each time I see it. The only down side is that it has to end.

Beautiful movie that was well thought of.......2005-09-26

I saw this movie in 2000 in TV and immediately bought it. Since then, I have seen it multiple times and always discovered something new. The first time director, James Cameron, has done an amazing job in the movie. He has thought of a lot of small details and used his contacts to get an amazing cast. Brandon Fraser was OK, but it was Joanna Going and Celeste Holm that do an amazing job. It was called a chick flick, but I personally found a lot of parts that I personally could relate to. The music pieces from Chopin to La Traviata to Blues pieces were well mixed in the movie. I also found the pieces in San Marcos river with the little children very charming. Though the movie may not have outstanding screenplay, the camera work was lovely. Ann Magnusen was superb as the hard headed con woman who is Joanna's friend. I liked the first half more than the second half. It was hilarious to see how Joanna gets rid of the person, Paolo Seganti, whom she cheats with the help of Angus Macfadyen. The painting that she wishes to buy is so bad.

Some dialogs that are beautiful are when Joanna says that, "My world is about greed and money and ambition and successes." To this Fraser replies, "The basic human desires. That is funny because my opinion of art is that it is about truth and beauty and redefining an imperfect world in a perfect way." The initial part where he creates a portrait of Joanna and shows it to his friends and they completely understand it is excellent. It is almost as though they are a cult of people who live in a separate world. The music pieces and its mixing is outstanding. The parts where they have the band in the party with the tuba version of Chopin is lovely. The original music by Paul Mills is also superb. The camera work with Joanna is the dark is also special. Another special piece is the games Joanna and Fraser play with each other. There are multiple purposes to this movie, it took me a while to understand them and appreciate them. The initial one of finding true love is the obvious one, the ones underneath are also special. These include making a cynic appreciate the beauty in the world, forgiveness and so on. Overall a very scripted movie that was delightful, it took my breath away. It makes me understand the fact that a really satisfying movie does not require a lot of money to be spent on, just good thought, good cast and imaginative story with good direction. I am sorry for people who do not have the DVD of the movie. I wish that it was more easily available.

Great movie......but not for big $$$$.......2005-05-02

I absolutely love this movie, so it was a shock to see the DVD being sold for outrageous prices! No matter how rare it is. So not to take anyone away from Amazon, I myself am a huge addict of this site. However, I feel obligated to tell you how to get this movie without having to deplete your savings account. Target's WEBSITE has the DVD, although they say it will be available to be shipped in 4-8 weeks. I don't know about you, but I'd rather wait a month or two to get it than spend close too or OVER a hundred dollars.

I'm sorry Amazon.com, I love you! I just dislike some of your sellers price gouging.

Average customer rating:

With Little Talent, Very Little Is Accomplished.

Still Life
Starring: Gary Farmer , Jason Gedrick , Sam Malkin , Stephen Shellen , and Jessica Steen
Director: Graeme Campbell
Manufacturer: Trinity Home Ent
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Horror | Genres | DVD | Video

Thrillers | Mystery & Suspense | Genres | DVD | Video

General | Mystery & Suspense | Genres | DVD | Video

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

4-for-3 All DVDs | 4-for-3 DVD | Stores | DVD | Video

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

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

Flags of Our Fathers (Widescreen Edition)

ASIN: B0001Z4OX8
Release Date: 2004-04-20

Description

A struggling artist notes that in order to succeed, you need to kill yourself. Once the wheels are set in motion however, things get out of control. Soon, the price of fame grows much higher than expected... and keeps growing.

Customer Reviews:

With Little Talent, Very Little Is Accomplished........2005-08-08

Filmed in a Toronto that is meant to depict New York City, this carelessly produced low-budget piece is loosely organized from its beginning, with most of its shortcomings stemming from a scenario concerning a serial killer operating in a rundown artist's loft district, the victims being indigents who, after being shot in the head, are ensconced within oversized picture frames and arranged as pastiches of popular paintings, e.g., Whistler's Mother, with an accompanying "A.K." (Art Killer) signature. A painfully untalented musician, Peter Sherwood (Jason Gedrick), whose uninventive electronic ability with keyboard and sampler fails to bring him fiscal success, his live-in girlfriend Nellie (Jessica Steen), and their performing artist pal Teddy (Stephen Shellen) reside within the stricken area amid the homicide hullabaloo, with Nellie a New York television journalist reporting upon the slayings as they occur. A trifling attempt is made to depict how the killer has become a "popular" figure with fringe members of the citizenry, and Nellie and Teddy each enjoys benefits from publicity, but when Peter is assaulted by a pair of non-lethal "A.K." copycats and subsequently attached to a frame in a junkyard, this particular media event has come too near the trio for their comfort. Additionally, local police, essentially it would seem limited in number to one rather seedy detective, have begun to suspect Sherwood of being "A.K." as some type of disturbed ploy with which to further his stuttering music career, and personal forms of danger increase for Peter and his kidnapped lover. With a working title of ART KILLER FRAMED wisely changed, this film, despite its macabre theme and trappings of violence, lacks that important ingredient of suspense, critical to all genres, since even a semi-comatose viewer will have solved the case in short order, and no character as portrayed will gain audience sympathy. Direction is flaccid, particularly noticeable when players are forced to weakly ad lib, and post-production efforts fail to correct flaws, notably relative to the generally poorly written dialogue and other sound issues, and the unimpressive actors obviously lack oversight; requisite attention to planning plainly was not available for this work.

DVD:

DVD

DVD

DVD

Soul Plane (R-Rated Edition)

Lurid Tales: The Castle Queen

Happy Holidays - Vol. 1 [1939]

DVD: CQ

Bomben auf Berlin - Leben zwischen Furcht und...