The Writer

Starring:Terry Becker; Jeff Jordan; Kelli McNeil
Director: Chad Michael
Studio: The Writers, Inc.
Product Type: DVD

Average customer rating:

"Because you are fond of fairy tales . . . "
Really, a wonderful movie and much more entertaining than I had expected. Really Wonderful.
Hideous 101 - Renee Zellweger's Worst Ever Performance
Love this Movie
Miss Potter - a life of courage and beauty

Miss Potter
Starring: Renée Zellweger , Ewan McGregor , Emily Watson , Barbara Flynn , and Bill Paterson
Director: Chris Noonan
Manufacturer: Weinstein Company
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B000N4SHOE
Release Date: 2007-06-19

Description

(Drama) The story of Beatrix Potter, the author of the beloved and best-selling children's book, "The Tale of Peter Rabbit", and her struggle for love, happiness and success.

Customer Reviews:

"Because you are fond of fairy tales . . . ".......2007-07-06

"Because you are fond of fairy tales," Beatrix Potter wrote to one of her favorite children in 1901, "I have made you a story all for yourself, a new one that nobody has read before."

Now, a century later, "Miss Potter" (directed by Chris Noonan, starring Rene Zellweger) has a new story to tell, and quite a fairy tale it is, too, with all the delightful magic of one of Beatrix Potter's own stories: winsome characters, luscious settings, strong period details. I was charmed by this film (viewed on DVD, with all the extras), and spent an enchanted evening watching it. As a movie, it is fine family entertainment--something that's hard to come by, these days.

But the film has been widely billed as a biopic, and if you were looking for a story that's true to Beatrix's life, this one might mislead you. Richard Maltby (who wrote the script and spent some 10 years trying to get it produced) and Chris Noonan have teamed up to give us a lovely fairy tale, but one that is based on some fairly fundamental misrepresentations of Beatrix's real life.

Take that elaborate Christmas party, for instance, in a festooned Potter mansion. This dramatically pivotal event could never have happened, for Rupert and Helen Potter were Dissenters who did not celebrate Christmas--much to Beatrix's disappointment, as a child longing for a tree and the trimmings. (In life, both the Potters seem to have been much more dour people than their on-screen representations.)

Or take those childhood visits to the Lake Districts, which never happened either. The Potters holidayed in Scotland until Beatrix was 16. Which means that she could not have met Willie Heelis, who was nearly five years younger than Beatrix, anyway (not older, as the film portrays him). Oh, and Willie was the son of a rector and the Heelis family belonged to quite a different social class from the one in which Willie is placed in the film. More misrepresentation (although the on-screen Willie is a real charmer.)

But the most unfortunate distortion of all is the decision to collapse the eight years it took for Beatrix to become independent enough to leave her parents. The film portrayed Norman's death as the lever that pried her from the Potters' grasp. Not so. Beatrix bought Hill Top a few months after Norman died in 1905, but did not leave her parents until 1913, when she married Willie. For eight long, difficult years, Beatrix commuted from her parents' home or holiday residence to Sawrey. During that time, she could get away only five or six times a year, sometimes for a few days, sometimes for as much as a fortnight. Norman's death was indeed the prod she needed to make a change, but it wasn't until Willie offered her another choice that she was finally able to free herself. Compressing this long-running family conflict into a matter of months and hinging the whole thing on Norman's death distorts Beatrix's character and makes her seem more decisively "modern" than she was in real life.

As a novelist engaged in creating historical fictions (some of them featuring Beatrix Potter), I am always aware of the challenges of representing real people in fictional contexts, and worry when real lives are seriously distorted to make a story more entertaining. I enjoyed this film as a film, and give it five stars for its entertainment value. As a biopic, I'd give it a two, three to be generous. Putting the two together, a four-minus.

Oh, and for the real story of Beatrix's life, you'll want to read Beatrix Potter: A Life in Nature by Linda Lear.

Susan Wittig Albert is the author of The Cottage Tales of Beatrix Potter: The Tale of Hill Top Farm (The Cottage Tales of Beatrix Potter), The Tale of Holly How, The Tale of Cuckoo Brow Wood (Cottage Tales of Beatrix Potter Mysteries), The Tale of Hawthorn House: The Cottage Tales of Beatrix Potter, and four other forthcoming novels in the series.

Really, a wonderful movie and much more entertaining than I had expected. Really Wonderful........2007-07-06

I found this movie a complete delight. It was a story that I did not know and was absolutely captivated by the way this movie told it. It captured late Victorian upper class society beautifully and the kind of family from which Beatrix Potter came very well.

Yes, as all movies do, it took out a few poetic licenses, such as the fact she was 36 in 1902, not 32. Also, the movie doesn't let us know that she had suffered from severe headaches and even fainting spells in her 20s, but still, the movie captures her wonderful eccentricities especially as they relate to her art. Oh, and her brother, Rupert, was sent off to boarding school for his education. However, he is out of the movie quite early and only referred to in passing.

The love that develops between Beatrix (about my favorite performance ever from Renee Zellweger) and Norman Warne (touchingly done by Ewan McGregor) is charmingly done and involves us though we see it coming. A key role in the film is Norman's sister, Millie (very well played by Emily Watson). She is the real ground for Beatrix in the movie, I do not know the real life relationship between the two. They have similar life experiences in being women of proper upper middle class late-Victorian households who did not find a suitable marriageable partner when young. It is a fascinating friendship. Just beware of anachronistically foisting our time's ridiculous views of same sex friendships on those times.

I also think that the actors playing Beatrix's parents deserve real praise. The father, Rupert (Bill Paterson), is an indulgent man who wishes deep down he had been an artist, but to be a proper Englishman of his time and of the class he desired, he had to take up the law. However, he never practices it and spends his days at his club. He is kind to Beatrix, but doesn't take her seriously until he has to. The mother, Helen (Barbara Flynn), is a thoroughly conventional woman of her time with all the social ambition the family will ever need. However, she hasn't a single clue about what a tremendous talent Beatrix is or her art. Helen views Beatrix as really as something the family must bear and try to fix, however difficult that might be. She is kind hearted and loving and has ambitions for her family, but if something has no social utility it is lost on her.

A fine film and a great family film. I enjoyed it thoroughly. Frankly, I was delighted to see these stars shine without the usual gratuitous disrobing, blood, or foul language. I actually found this visit to Victorian times a wonderful respite from the decadence of our time.

Hideous 101 - Renee Zellweger's Worst Ever Performance .......2007-07-05

First Question - Was Beatrix Potter really a vacuous, loopy, self-loathing retard who saw fairies and bunnies all day long?

Second Question - Which brilliant mind decided that equally ridiculous actress Renee Zellweger should step into the actors' seat for this trainwreck of a film?

Third Question - How did a film so obviously idiotic and ill thought-out possibly garner enough funding to complete production?

If you knew the answers to that, I'd be your friend.

The truth is - this is terrible. I'm not a fan or hater of Renee Zellweger, but it doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out that she is woefully miscast in a horribly written role. Now heres the thing, we have the story of childrens' author Beatrix Potter - and the film paints her in this saintly glow (with ethereal light pouring in on her face every now and then - seriously!), and completely misses the point that she was probably a normal woman who just liked to draw and write. I can understand the need to create melodrama for the sake of it, but this really took things too far.

The problems are two-fold - the writers realized that the story of Potter as a person wasn't terribly interesting and milked the `its-so-hard-to-be-a-woman-in-this-era' card for all it was worth. This becomes tedious after a point. Add to that the magical visions she has, and the books metaphorically drawing themselves. They wasted at least twenty good minutes on this convoluted garbage, and if I was a fifteen year old ballerina, I'd probably be weeping during these scenes, but I'm not.

What I do realize though, is how limited an actress Renee actually is. If you hated her in `Jerry Maguire' and every other film she has been in, here is a chance to see her debase herself to extents even she probably did not think possible! In fact, if you watch closely, all she seems to be doing is either grinning or wallowing in self pity. The scenes where she is `lost in her own world' should be seen to be believed.

The primary concern I have with this, is that Renee comes across as severely drugged and cerebrally disabled during the course of this film. There is no other term for it. As for the Ewan McGregor angle, this is one actor who has been consistently wasted since the last episode of the `Star Wars' franchise, and watching him opposite Zellweger here is painful indeed, as there is obviously no chemistry on any level.

Heres the bottom line - there is obviously an audience for this trash. Granted, I'm not it, but if you're a male or female with reasonable intelligence above the age of 25, I implore you - avoid this like the plague. This falls into the `movies so bad, they're not even bad enough to be called camp' category, and it has terrible screenwriting, and even worse performances from all concerned. When it got over, I was like, that's it? THIS was what Potter was all about? Granted, drawing bunnies all day didn't seem like the most trying thing around, but still, if her life was really this boring, I can only imagine how life must have been like during that era.

Overly distraught, and evenly grotesque, "Miss Potter" is an abomination you should avoid.

Watch this only to discover the uselessness that is Renee Zellweger, if you must.

One Star - and thats for the books the original author wrote.

Love this Movie.......2007-07-05

It is so refreshing to find a movie that has no bad words in it. Ms. Zellweger does a awsome job as Ms. Potter. And I have found that Ms. Potter and I have a lot in common.

Miss Potter - a life of courage and beauty.......2007-07-02

The quiet introduction of a watercolorist at work, sparkling with swirls of vivid color, set the mood for this wonderful, gentle film. The settings were a feast for the eyes, and the story development moved at an satisfactorily eighteenth century pace, but the impeccable characters, wonderfully played, are the life-blood of this movie. The brisk energy of Beatrix [Zellweger], the engaging smile of Norman Warne [MacGregor], and the directness and kindness of Millie [Watson] created a marvelous chemisty. In joy and in sorrow, each character rang true. Though a less central character, Lloyd Owens adds value in his role as Willie Heelis as well. Potter's indomitable spirit, however, is what keeps this movie from sinking into mere romanticism. In spite of pain, disapproval, and deep loss, she found happiness in her art and in her determination to live life forward. It is more than a feel-good movie; it is an inspiration to courageous living wrapped in delightful artistry.

Anne Of Green Gables - The Continuing Story

Average customer rating:

Love it
A Bit of a Let-Down.
Anne of Green Gables - The Continuing Story
Such a disappointment
RECEIVED WRONG DVD

Anne Of Green Gables - The Continuing Story
Starring: Megan Follows , Jonathan Crombie , Schuyler Grant , Patricia Hamilton , and Greg Spottiswood
Director: Stefan Scaini
Manufacturer: Sullivan
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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Love's Long Journey

ASIN: B00005Y7AM
Release Date: 2004-09-07

Amazon.com

In a departure from L.M. Montgomery's book series, this third TV movie jumps ahead to World War I and puts Anne and her beloved Gilbert smack in the middle of it. Instead of marrying Gilbert after her teaching days--as she does in the books--Anne spends a disillusioning year with him in New York City, and then the couple quickly marries before the good doctor ships out to France. (In the book Rilla of Ingleside, Anne's sons go to war and her youngest daughter is separated from her sweetheart.) Impetuous as ever, Anne joins the Red Cross and crosses the pond to track down her husband when his letters are returned unread. What follows is an adventure that takes her through battle zones--where the bodies pile up faster than you can say Saving Private Ryan--and on to London with a half-orphaned baby, her best friend's injured husband, and a tangle of international intrigue. Fans of the 10-book series may balk at the divergences and the fact that very little time is spent on Prince Edward Island. But the book's unrestrained romanticism and unapologetic sentimentality remain intact, as well as the surviving cast of the prior two movies, most notably Megan Follows as Anne and Jonathan Crombie as Gilbert. This movie, produced in 2000, clocks in at 185 minutes and is suitable for ages 9 and older. --Kimberly Heinrichs

Customer Reviews:

Love it.......2007-07-04

I love Amazon and they did a good job. The Shipment was in good condition. Thanks Amazon. Guys, if ur thinking of purchasing some of the old stuffs like movies or drama which you can hardly find it nowadays, Amazon can help.

A Bit of a Let-Down........2007-07-02

As one whose entire family were enthralled by the visual and literary beauty, charm, and inspirational nature of "Anne of Green Gables" and "Anne of Avonlea," I was notably deflated by this film. The great expectations and anticipation that preceeded the the release of "The Continuing Story" were unfortunately unjustified, and I set myself up for a bit of a let-down. Actually, that may be quite an understatement.

The first visual impression was that of "age," especially as the term applies to the actors. While I expected great things from the anticipated wedding of Gilbert and Anne, such as the event taking place appropriately soon after the beginning of "The Continuing Story," I did not expect the forthcoming disappointment. What should have been the climactic event of the film was unduly rushed, and it seemed like a mere afterthought as it was presented. But returning to the theme of "age," Anne, Gilbert, and the collection of former classmates that included Anne's "bosom friend" Diana, all appeared to be well into their thirties, not their early twenties. In other words, "The Continuing Story" did a rather poor job of actually accomplishing a seamless continuance.

The story itself was quite improbable, and it was far too long. I actually found myself squirming, trying to mentally accelerate a story that was mired in continuing intrigues that were definitely far from the thematic peace, love, charm and goodness one would normally associate with Green Gables and Avonlea.

Anne of Green Gables - The Continuing Story.......2007-06-19

I was so dissapointed with this i gave it away unlike the first two i wouldnt watch again, it had not one ounce of the magic the first two had! it was a total waste of time making it!

Such a disappointment.......2007-06-18

Like many other Anne fans, I was excited to hear that a third Anne movie was in the works, and I watched it on PBS when it first aired. Even my attachment to the characters and interest in the first world war could not make this tripe enjoyable. As many others have already mentioned, there were four more books from which Kevin Sullivan could have drawn, but instead he made this awful mess. If you are a fan of the books, save your money. There is nothing of LMM in this film and not even the charming Follows and Crombie can save it.

RECEIVED WRONG DVD.......2007-06-18

I ORDERED ALL THREE ANNE OF GREEN GABLES MOVIES FOR MY DAUGHTER AND FOUND THAT THE CONTINUING STORY, DESPITE BEING LABLED AS SUCH, WAS ACTUALLY THE FIRST ANNE DVD. I'M SENDING THIS BACK FOR AN EXCHANGE, HOPING TO RECEIVE THE CORRECT ONE.THIS IS THE FIRST TIME I HAVE HAD A PROBLEM WITH ANYTHING FROM AMAZON.

Average customer rating:

An Imaginary Home for a While
This will touch your heart ....
A Must See
Mrs. Palfrey finds a wonderful friendship
Mrs. Palfrey at the Claremont

Mrs. Palfrey at the Claremont
Starring: Joan Plowright , Rupert Friend , Zoe Tapper , Anna Massey , and Robert Lang (II)
Director: Dan Ireland
Manufacturer: Westlake
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ASIN: B000GYI3PY
Release Date: 2006-12-12

Amazon.com

The talented indie director Dan Ireland (The Whole Wide World, Customer Reviews:

An Imaginary Home for a While.......2007-06-15

I enjoyed spending time with Mrs. Palfrey, as portrayed by Joan Plowright, and her upwardly-bound relatives. I enjoyed the young, handsome Rupert Friend. I enjoyed the lovely Claremont hotel. I enjoyed both the neighborly and the seemingly distant residents and employees of the hotel. I enjoyed the neighborhood, which appeared to be a natural setting. I enjoyed the story (or most of it). I was very comfortable in that story, in that setting, with those people. I could have stayed longer, but the story ended just as I got settled in. It ended quickly, before I was prepared for it to end. In most movies I can see the end coming. This one surprised me, maybe because I was so comfortable. I thought that I wasn't really interested in seeing another intense, older-mother character as usually portrayed by Dame Plowright, but the movie had been well recommended. Not to worry. Here she portrays the usual warm and caring character with intelligence and quietness. It is the quiet that affected me most about this film. Several very important events occurred, but all happened quietly. Powerfully, but quietly. Rupert Friend was just perfect in his role. It was almost as if I knew him already. I miss them all now.

This will touch your heart ...........2007-06-13

I had read all the glowing reviews on this movie and decided it was time to watch it for myself --- What a touching, wonderful story with two wonderful actors whose friendship literally brought tears to my eyes, and a deeper understanding of just how many types of love there are in this world. (You'll especially be touched when he asks what her favorite song is) --
Take a chance with this movie ... It's a chance well worth taking ...

A Must See.......2007-06-13

She came from a world of sensible choices;
nothing in her life had prepared her for the loud confusion of her
unexpected present.

So begins the enchanting journey of "Mrs. Palfrey at the Claremont," a journey of discovery, renewal, affirmation and connection.

Mrs. Palfrey is a widow of some years, just moved to London to take up residence at the Hotel Claremont upon, of all things, the strength of a magazine ad which "mentioned excellent cuisine." Hoping for elegance in spite of the Claremont's unexpectedly doughty appearance, she arrives in the dining room on her first night in her going-to-theater best, eager to make a good first impression on her fellow residents. But rather than the storied salon of the Titanic, she finds herself in something of a commissary for cast-offs, a sparse room thinly populated with oddballs at assorted tables-for-one. An eternity later she realizes that only ten minutes have in fact passed, and Mrs. Palfrey comprehends that she may have gotten herself into something other than that which she expected.

But before the deadening gloom, maddening sameness, and reruns of Sex in the City can fully mummify her, a chance accident brings a young man, a seemingly aimless 20-something writer, into her life...and everything changes. Too embarrassed to correct them when her fellow residents mistake the young man for her long-awaited and decidedly absent grandson, she finds herself playing surrogate grandmother when their ruse becomes permanent. In him she finds the first friend of her new life; in her he finds the reassurance to be and believe in himself.

Beautifully filmed and scored, intelligently written and acted, "Mrs. Palfrey at the Claremont," is warm without being sappy, insightful without being preachy, and clever without being silly. The cast is simply perfect.

Nothing in her life may have prepared Mrs. Palfrey for what she found at the Claremont; but she nonetheless faces it with an inspiring and infectious gusto that will make any viewer from twenty to seventy quietly pray that they will have half as much spirit in the December of their years.

This is, quite simply, a movie not to be missed.

Mrs. Palfrey finds a wonderful friendship.......2007-06-10

"Mrs. Palfrey at the Claremont" really couldn't miss with Dame Joan Plowright in the title role, but Rupert Friend is also a treasure. The story reveals the loneliness of the human condition and the joy of a true connection between individuals, no matter how diverse their lives. The film also highlights the need to belong and the fear of self-exposure that sometimes overshadows that need. Highly recommended for those who can enjoy the quieter, more character-driven film.

Mrs. Palfrey at the Claremont.......2007-05-14

I now have two favorite pictures, Enchanted April and Mrs Palfrey at the Claremont. How I wish there were more pictures of this caliber!

Average customer rating:

What if a lesbian was to not only date a guy but also his ex-girlfiend?

Puccini for Beginners
Starring: Elizabeth Reaser , Gretchen Mol , Justin Kirk , Julianne Nicholson , and Tina Benko
Director: Maria Maggenti
Manufacturer: Strand Releasing
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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The Investigator

ASIN: B000N2H8XC
Release Date: 2007-07-03

Product Description

New York writer and opera addict Allegra (Elizabeth Reaser, The Family Stone) loves her girlfriend Samantha (Julianne Nicholson, Kinsey), but can t commit. When Samantha leaves her, Allegra rebounds with handsome philosophy professor Phillip (Justin Kirk, Angels in America) as well as the irresistibly beautiful, recently single Grace (Gretchen Mol, The Notorious Bettie Page). Allegra juggles secret relationships with both of them, never suspecting that Philip and Grace have a connection of their own. With a sophisticated blend of humor and irony, this screwball sex comedy twists and turns with all the drama of classic Puccini. Directed by Maria Maggenti (The Incredibly True Adventures of Two Girls in Love), PUCCINI FOR BEGINNERS was an Official Selection in the Sundance Film Festival 2006.

Customer Reviews:

What if a lesbian was to not only date a guy but also his ex-girlfiend?.......2007-07-05

Allegra (Elizabeth Reaser, "The Family Stone" but probably more recognizable as "Jane Doe" from last season of "Grey's Anatomy") has commitment issues, which explains why her girlfriend, Samantha (Julianne Nicholson, "Little Black Book"), has dumped her. However, she ends up questioning both her sexuality and her sanity when she falls for Philip (Justin Kirk, "Weeds"). Yes, he is a man, but he is a college professor capable of engaging in verbal sparring and he actually likes opera. If that were not enough complication in her life, Allegra, begins a relationship with another woman, Grace (Gretchen Mol, "The Notorious Bettie Page"), who has just broken up with her boyfriends of six years and never been with a woman before. But, wait, there is more. Grace's ex-boyfriend is Philip and as the "Prologue" of this 2006 film makes clear, yes, everything is going to hit the fan for Allegra in a big way.

Actually, there is not a lot of Puccini in "Puccini for Beginners," although some of the characters go to a production of "Turandot" at the beginning. Philip takes Allegra to see "Don Giovanni," but that is Mozart. In one of the deleted scenes the violinist on the street near the end was playing "Nessun dorma," but that got gut at the end. But then in the trailer the opera music is from "La Donna e Mobile" from "Rigoletto," which is written by Verdi (I do not really think the aria's rant about the fickleness of women really fits the character, but the music is recognizable), which only goes to prove that you do not need to know a lot about Puccini to appreciate this screwball comedy. To the extent that "Turandot" is an apt metaphor for what takes place (the way Richard Gere takes Julia Roberts to see "La Traviata" in "Pretty Woman"), Allegra tells you all you need to know when she says the opera is about having to pass a test for the sake of love, with dire consequences if you fail.

Yes, "Allegra" is the brand name of an antihistamine drug, the name of the heiress to the fashion house Versace, and the name of the illegitimate daughter of Lord Byron and Claire Clairmont (Mary Shelley's step-sister), but it is also an Italian name for a female meaning "gay" or "happy." Such meanings have meaning for this movie because by thinking she is not the former our heroine may be ruining her chances to be the latter. The name is also related to the musical tempo "allegro," which means "quick and lively" or, literally, "cheerful." That would also provide an ironic encapsulation of our heroine who has to be quick to juggle the two relationships, but does not have the time to be all that cheerful.

Many viewers will be reminded more of Woody Allen movies that Puccini operas anyway, especially "Annie Hall," what with the New York City location, the use of comic subtitles, strangers getting involved in commenting on the proceedings, and the idea that Allegra is not as smart as she thinks. Fortunately, Reaser is not channeling Allen and her restrained performance keeps this one grounded as the complex situation drives towards its inevitable and painful collapse. There are just a pair of deleted scenes and the original theatrical trailer included in the DVD extras, but the commentary track with director Maria Maggenti ("The Incredibly True Adventures of Two Girls in Love") and editor Susan Graef does an above average job of focusing on how the film was made in terms of cutting, rewriting, and all the thousand natural decisions that making a film is heir to, especially when you only shoot for 18 days and have 8 weeks to edit Final Note: I would not think of "Holiday" as being a screwball comedy, certainly not in the same league as "Bringing Up Baby," and if you were going to reference a Katharine Hepburn film in this movie I would think "Sylvia Scarlett" is the (perhaps too) obvious choice.

Average customer rating:

It grew with me
Beautiful Sequel Extends the Realism and Genuine Feelings From the First Film
Definition of Yummy, anyone?
Beautiful Encounter in Paris!! Lovely movie!!!
Lovely Film... As Magical as the First... Fine DVD from Warner

Before Sunset
Starring: Ethan Hawke , Julie Delpy , Vernon Dobtcheff , Louise Lemoine Torres , and Rodolphe Pauly
Director: Richard Linklater
Manufacturer: Warner Home Video
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Before Sunrise
Before Sunset/Before Sunrise
Waking Life
A Very Long Engagement
Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind (Widescreen Edition)

ASIN: B0002YLC24
Release Date: 2004-11-09

Amazon.com

In 1994, director Richard Linklater (Dazed and Confused, Waking Life) made Before Sunrise, a gorgeous poem of a movie about two strangers (played by Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy) wandering around Vienna, talking, and falling in love. Ten years later, Linklater, Hawke, and Delpy have returned with Before Sunset, which reunites the same characters after Hawke has written a book about that night. Delpy appears at the final book reading of his European tour; they have less than two hours before Hawke has to catch a flight to New York...and in that time, they walk around Paris, talk, and fall in love all over again. It sounds simple, perhaps dull, but it's written with such skill and care and acted with such richness that it's a miracle of filmmaking. On its own, Before Sunset is moving and wonderful; seen right after Before Sunrise, it will break your heart. --Bret Fetzer

Customer Reviews:

It grew with me.......2007-06-08

I loved this movie. I remember watching the first one when I was a teenager and I loved it then. All the conversations where real and intimate. I hate movies where the two people fall in love and you can't really tell why because they hardly ever talked to each other. In Before Sunset you see how their words really effected the other person. I love the way they captured the realistic discomfort and timidness of meeting a lost love and through time seeing the longing of what could have been. Very realistic in its conversations and feelings. I loved it.

Beautiful Sequel Extends the Realism and Genuine Feelings From the First Film.......2007-05-16

I was a huge fan of Before Sunrise when it came out. I loved the simplicity and realism of two young people, who just met, walking around a beautiful European city like Vienna, and getting to know each other.

You might wonder what they have left to talk about in this film since they tackled so many subjects in the previous one. Believe me, they have plenty to talk about, and you wish that this film would never end.

The story takes place nine years after the previous film. Jesse is now a successful author who is doing a book tour throughout Europe. Paris is his last stop. He's sitting in a small book shop, answering questions from some readers, when he looks over his shoulder and sees Celine standing there. The film takes off from there as Jesse and Celine spend a few precious hours together before Jesse must be at the airport to make his flight.

Ethan Hawke (Jesse) and Julie Delpy (Celine) both co-wrote this screenplay along with the director. It's obvious that these two actors know their characters so well, that I'm sure that even they had spent those "nine years" wondering how it would end. Does Jesse come back for that six-month-later reunion? Does Celine? Do people, who really live so far away able to keep, what seems to be an unlikely promise?

I'm not going to relate anything else about the story here for those who have not seen the movie yet. This is a film where the thrill is in the journey, not the goal. Each step that Jesse and Celine make as they walk around Paris, is another step in that journey.

I recall telling friends about the first film and what it was about. They couldn't understand how a movie about two people walking around could be so good. But just like that first film, their conversations are so real and enthralling. I think part of the reason that it's so compelling is that when these two characters are together, they are themselves. There is no fakery or need to put on another face in order to impress the other. Perhaps because they are in a time crunch, they figure that there's no need to be anything other than genuine because they don't feel that they'll ever see each other again. There is a powerful scene in this film that is a recognition and a tribute to that "genuiness" and why they feel more comfortable with each other than with anyone else they've ever been with.

I've always said that sometimes the best stories are the simple ones. And this one is simple, yet again. These two simple, yet real characters, captivate the audience again with their genuine conversation that holds nothing back, and invites the audience to try and do the same.

Definition of Yummy, anyone?.......2007-05-08

This movie is a phenomenal collection to your movie library. It stars Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy who make the perfect match on screen. The movie is not meant to be fancy pants, but laid back and conversation.

It takes place on the streets of Paris and Jesse and Celine meet by again after a nine year break. They converse on topics broad and small and the denouement of the previous film, Before Sunrise, is worth the wait for the this sequel. I won't spill anything, but this is definitely a delightful, funny, and intellectual watch.

Beautiful Encounter in Paris!! Lovely movie!!!.......2007-03-14

This movie is an unexpected sequence for the lovely Before Sunrise and a great surprise for its fans! The characters reunite in another incredible setting: a beautiful Paris in summertime! They walk through charming and not obvious places in Paris, they chat about their lives and what they have done since their first meeting in Vienna 10 years before... And they discover that they have important things in common about their feelings about each other and about what could have happened if things have occurred in a different way 10 years before...
It is a beautiful view of how few moments can be so strong and present in our lives! And that we should strive to make these moments last forever...
I can't wait to the third sequence!!!

Lovely Film... As Magical as the First... Fine DVD from Warner.......2007-03-10

I avoided watching this sequel until now, mainly because I didn't want to spoil the magic of "Before Sunrise". Despite the open-ending of the first film, I always expected the couple to meet again for their promised Christmas in Vienna. So to me the first film had a decidedly happy ending. "Before Sunset" of course is based on the premise that they didn't. Still I wasn't disappointed. "Before Sunset" is a lovely film, as beautiful as the first and ends on a suitably ambiguous and equally optimistic note. Filmed in real time, and taking place 9 years after the first film, it shows the pair meeting again, this time in Paris, the City of Love. Jesse (Ethan Hawke) is now a successful writer on a book tour promoting his latest bestseller, an autobiography based on their one night in Vienna. Celine (Julie Delpy) of course lives in Paris and comes to his book-signing. They have one lovely summer afternoon together before he has to fly back to America. Like the previous film they spend it walking, chatting, flirting, teasing and now reminiscing, as Celine takes him through the beautiful streets of her home city, including a picturesque boat trip down the Seine. Watching the film is like slipping into a pair of comfortable old shoes, or as others have said, like meeting and catching up with old friends again. The whole film is a single long chat as they reveal how their lives turned out, why they didn't meet before this, what might have been, and rekindle the romantic spark that came to life 9 years ago. The dialogue is witty and always engaging and you never want it to end. The chemistry between the pair is as palpable and electric as it was 9 years ago. All throughout you long for them to stay together.

The script was written by Richard Linklater in collaboration with both actors which might explain the close affinity the actors have for their roles and the deep chemistry they exhibit. It's like they are not acting at all; as if we were given the privilege of eavesdropping on two close friends deep in an intimate conversation. Absolutely delightful. Can't wait to see them in another 9-10 years as they recount what has happened since. That would be a treat indeed. Both actors have aged visibly but they wear the years well and it's nice to see actors who don't try to disguise their age onscreen. It adds immeasurably to the realism of these characters.

The film is presented in a modified form to perfectly fit the new 16:9 (1.78:1) widescreen TV. It is not in the original theatrical aspect ratio of 1.85:1 contrary to what is stated on the backcover. The picture looks fine and I couldn't detect any major composition problems. Colours are fairly strong and natural. Black levels are accurately set with good detail in the darker scenes. The DVD comes with the obligatory theatrical trailer. There is a also short but treasurable 10-minute "On the Set" featurette with the director and 2 stars talking about their collaboration in making the film and how they wove their own life expeiences into their characters' fictional lives. Good to know that another sequel is still possible 9 to 10 years down the line. Let's keep our fingers crossed.

Average customer rating:

A multistory level story of healing to delight for the whole family
The woman is awesome...
Nonsense in Umbria
My House in Umbria
Cheers Maggie

My House in Umbria
Starring: Maggie Smith , Ronnie Barker , Chris Cooper , Benno Fürmann , and Giancarlo Giannini
Director: Richard Loncraine
Manufacturer: Hbo Home Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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A Month by the Lake
Tea With Mussolini
Ladies in Lavender
Widows' Peak
The Last of the Blonde Bombshells

ASIN: B0000CE684
Release Date: 2003-11-25

Amazon.com

Falling neatly into the Enchanted April and Under the Tuscan Sun category, the made-for-HBO My House in Umbria boasts lovely Italian vistas and comforting Englishness. But it begins with a note of violence: on a train rolling through the sunny countryside, a terrorist bomb detonates, killing a handful of passengers. The strangers that survive recuperate at the villa of an eccentric but kindly romance novelist, also a survivor of the blast. She's played by Maggie Smith, who bustles through the role with a pleasing mix of gin and daffodils. Chris Cooper is an uptight American who comes to the villa to pick up his orphaned niece and bristles at the bohemian atmosphere. Director Richard Loncraine maintains the melancholy mood amidst the sun-dappled gardens of Umbria, but Smith really holds the film together with her authority and slightly tipsy humor. --Robert Horton

Description

Based on the acclaimed novel by William Trevor, My House in Umbria is a charming, evocative drama about a group of travelers in Italy who find solace and friendship after being thrown together by tragedy.

Customer Reviews:

A multistory level story of healing to delight for the whole family.......2007-06-08

This movie has wonderful, lovable characters that take you through joy, sadness, hope, challenge and especially teamwork with caring....setting is beautiful, Maggie Smith her gorgeous best.....it is the kind of story that could motivate some wonderful family discussions albeit with some difficult and some lovely themes and topics....I have given it to many people for gifts...one set of grandparents who have experienced a granddaughter muted by loss to another friend who consulted on the garden at my new house. A very highly recommended movie.

The woman is awesome..........2007-05-26

Maggie Smith lovers should not be without this HBO film. Age cannot hamper nor time diminish the beauty of this woman and her work. The story conveys the richness of rising above pain by giving as much love and understanding as one can in return. Supported by a superb cast, the film encompasses mystery, humor and pathos, not to mention the beauty of the landscape. Maggie rules!

Nonsense in Umbria.......2007-04-12

Maggie Smith is a wonderful actress and the Italian scenery is photographed to a luminous perfection, but the storyline of My House in Umbria is an exasperating mess. As the grande dame romance novelist with a dark past and a relentless imagination, our heroine makes a sloppy but sometimes piercingly insightful drunk: a complex and comprehensible character, a woman to be wary of. This marvelous mystery lady is even surrounded by a fine ensemble cast. But all these interesting actors are cast adrift in an unfinished plot hinting at complications it hasn't any idea what to do with. You're set on edge for some elusive explanation that they never get to. Just when you were convinced it didn't matter any more they toss you an extra clue or two, and then finally they expect you to be charmed by an off-camera change of heart in the cold American uncle who has never given the slightest indication of being thawed out by the warmth of either Italy or the lady of the house, such an unbelievable turn of events that you expect her to awaken from a dream so you can find out what really happened. Again and again I had to ask myself, Are these really the facts of the story? Or are we just muddling about in her imagination? And of the whole movie: Are we really expected to take this immense display of sentimentality at face value? Or is there an undercurrent here that would make sense of it all if they would just get to the point? Unfortunately these questions were never reasonably answered.

My House in Umbria.......2007-04-10

DVD would not play. DVD stuck and would not go forward.

Cheers Maggie.......2007-03-30

This is a classic Maggie Smith, with a very brave protrayal of her charachter. The plot moves about, but you slowly begin to realize that her character is narating to you and bringing the other characters to life.
Not that you would need help. If you are a Maggie Smith fan... and it's why I bought the movie.... you will not be disapointed. It's one of her best if you wan't a taste of Maggie.

Average customer rating:

Okay
Eroticatic-
What is all about beyond intimacy?
Not what I expected
Tremendous!!

Sex and Lucia (Unrated Edition)
Starring: Paz Vega , Tristán Ulloa , Najwa Nimri , Daniel Freire , and Elena Anaya
Director: Julio Medem
Manufacturer: Palm Pictures / Umvd
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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The Dreamers (Original Uncut NC-17 Version)
9 songs - Unrated Full Uncut Version
Intimacy (Unrated, Widescreen Edition)
Y Tu Mama Tambien
Romance

ASIN: B0004Z32NI
Release Date: 2004-10-19

Amazon.com

Sex and Lucia engages mind and body with its time-bending narrative and images of beautiful Spaniards having vibrant sex. The story shifts between past and present, fact and fiction, so a plot summary won't capture it, but… A young writer named Lorenzo falls into a passionate relationship with a waitress named Lucía. But he also finds himself drawn to a young nanny taking care of a child who just might be the result of an anonymous fling Lorenzo had with a woman he met on an island the year before. Lorenzo fantasizes about the lives of all of these women until a horrific event sends him into a suicidal depression. This may sound obscure or flat, but Sex and Lucía unfolds clearly and beautifully, featuring stunning visual images of both nature and flesh, and weaving a poetic spell much like the director's previous film, The Lovers of the Arctic Circle. --Bret Fetzer

Customer Reviews:

Okay.......2007-05-13

It definately kept your interest. Mainly because it was hard to follow and the story is so strange that you just had to see what was happening next.

Eroticatic-.......2007-01-10

A very romanic and very erotic movie. Paz Vega is one of the most beauitful actress to come along in years, and has moved into the mainstream of movie making. The story is a wondrous love story. I would recommend it for adults.

What is all about beyond intimacy?.......2006-07-19

This dramatic movie exposes many sex activities. Beyond all that, what is the message to send for the viewer? "Do you want to have wild sex with strangers?" Or "do you want to have intimacy sex with your lover?" With all the sex enjoyment, love and "blood" relationship is the final count after all. This is the destiny but not up to our choice. This is why Lorenzo falls into suicidal depression. This is why Lorenzo bursts into sorry tears to Comandrona. This is why Lucia rejects Tony's sex even there is a strong indication of sex enjoyment. Are these sex activities necessary? Let's look at it in different way. Can the movie have same visionary and emotional impacts without sex scenes? The answer is clear. Overall I enjoy this move very much, even have a shock for many days.

Not what I expected.......2006-07-05

In a word this movie was disappointing. It's supposed to be about beautiful Spaniards having sex on a magnificent Mediterranean island. Well there wasn't that much sex and the photography was nothing special. Add that to a plodding pace and poor plot and you don't get a very good film

Tremendous!! .......2006-07-02

"Put a lot of sex in it; that's always nice," Lorenzo (protagonist of this film) is advised about his novel-in-progress. "Sex and Lucia," which contains stories within stories within stories, unpacks this claim, showing that sex is not always "nice," but that like narrative it can be liberating and transformative.

Tragedy and betrayal lie at this film's heart, but because its story bends and twists around as it follows Lorenzo's false starts and revelations as a writer (it has, as it explains, a hole at the center which the audience, like the characters, can fall through) it also offers a way out -- a way to distinguish voyeurism and pornography from love and art, a way to stay faithful to a vision of human trust and imagination.

Brilliantly accomplished, "Sex and Lucia" displays the loveliness and ample talent of its stars, especially the beautiful Paz Vega (as Lucia) and Tristan Ulloa (as Lorenzo). A tremdous film!

Average customer rating:

Random Harvest
Classic Movies
Random Harvest- Very Good
A tear jerker to remember
Love story

Random Harvest
Starring: Ronald Colman , Greer Garson , Philip Dorn , Susan Peters , and Henry Travers
Director: Mervyn LeRoy , Joseph M. Newman , and Herbert Polesie
Manufacturer: Warner Home Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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Mrs. Miniver
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ASIN: B0006B2AA6
Release Date: 2005-01-11

Amazon.com

The ultimate tearjerker, this 1942 romance classic directed by Mervyn LeRoy (based on a novel by James Hilton) stars Ronald Colman as a British army officer suffering from amnesia after World War I. After falling in love with and marrying a dance-hall singer (Greer Garson), Colman's happy character begins a career as a writer and doesn't seem to mind that he doesn't remember who he is. A car accident changes all that, however, causing the hero's memory to return and making him forget all about his lovely cottage and bride. LeRoy modulates the obvious suspense element in the story (for example, is Colman going to remember Greer or not?) extremely well, building ever-so-deliciously slowly toward a huge payoff. This is one of the great date movies of all time. --Tom Keogh

Customer Reviews:

Random Harvest.......2007-06-25

A deeply moving fable showcasing the superb talents of Colman and Garson (fresh from her Oscar-winning turn in "Mrs. Miniver"), "Harvest" was adapted from James Hilton's bestselling 1940 novel and became one of MGM's biggest hits. The radiant Garson was never better playing Paula, a woman whose imperishable love motivates acts of supreme self-sacrifice. And Colman, playing essentially two roles, manages to elicit our sympathy as he journeys from shell-shocked mental patient to industrialist prince, a man with a nagging sense that the hole in his past is the key to real happiness. A lush melodrama of the highest order.

Classic Movies.......2006-11-06

I saw this film many years ago and I could watch it again and again. Boy meets girl loses girl finds her again. A basic concept but done so beautifully and with such great actors.

Random Harvest- Very Good.......2006-05-29

I love this movie. I first saw it flipping through channels and landed on TCM. I fell in love with it. The true love in it is phenomenal. I definitly recommend this movie if you want to see a classic love story!

A tear jerker to remember.......2006-01-30

This is my favorite movie. It used to be on the tv all the time. That was then, this is now. I'm so glad I now own it myself. It is the story of a World War I, shell shocked man and the woman who meets and falls in love with him. When he later regains his memory, he loses his memory of her. She finds him and submerges her own persona in order to be near him. It has a happy ending, as did all movies of this era.

Love story.......2005-10-26

Another of my favourite films, A wonderful love story, my only fault is that they cast older actors to play the parts of young men and women. That aside it is a wonderful film and I personally like it as the wedding hymn is the one sung at my own wedding.

Average customer rating:

84 Charing Cross Road
book lover
Beautifully Portrayed Story Of The Love Shared By Two Very Opposite People
surprisingly compelling
A small gem

84 Charing Cross Road
Starring: Anne Bancroft , Anthony Hopkins , and Judi Dench
Manufacturer: Sony Pictures
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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84, Charing Cross Road
The Remains of the Day (Special Edition)
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ASIN: B00003CX8N
Release Date: 2002-05-21

Amazon.com essential video

Helene Hanff (Anne Bancroft) and Frank Doel (Anthony Hopkins) are lifelong friends who never meet in this unique comedy-drama based on a true story. Hanff and Doel are separated by 3,000 miles of ocean and joined by a passion for old books. Their relationship begins when New Yorker Hanff orders a copy ("unabridged, please!") of Pepys's diary. Doel, as polite and soft-spoken as Hanff is loud and overbearing, fields the request from his book shop in London. For the next two decades they correspond without ever actually sitting down for tea and crumpets. Brit director David Jones (Betrayal) does a reasonably good job of goosing a movie about something as uncinematic as letter writing, and the stars have fun chewing scenery on both sides of the Atlantic. The model for this kind of bittersweet relationship is David Lean's Brief Encounter, which, not coincidentally, is glimpsed here when Hanff steps out for a rainy-day matinee. --Glenn Lovell

Customer Reviews:

84 Charing Cross Road.......2007-04-03

The DVD arrived in a timely manner. I haven't watched it yet, but I am sure it is fine as it came new in box with the wrap in place.

book lover.......2007-03-24

This movie is not for everyone. It has no helicopter blowing up anything. Nobody is mad at anyone and seeking revenge. It is a gentle story about a pleasant relationship that develops between a book lover and a book seller. I loved this story. The acting is supurb. Walter

Beautifully Portrayed Story Of The Love Shared By Two Very Opposite People.......2007-03-14

This beautifully understated story about a loving correspondance between two very different people on different continents over a twenty year period could quite possibly not appeal to alot of people in today's audiences so used as they now are to action packed whiz-bang films with little attention paid to detail and characterisation. However this film has always touched me for its simple depiction of the old adage that "opposites do indeed attract". I've admired actress Anne Bancroft since her days in films such as "The Miracle Worker", and of course "The Graduate", however in "84 Charing Cross Road", she is simply unforgettable as the brash New York writer who while seeking out rare volumns of books from a London Secondhand Bookstore unexpectedly begins an amazing correspondence with a softly spoken and very proper English Bookseller that spans over twenty years. This touching story sees the two very different individuals develop an increasing more intimate exchange of letters that end up changing their lives forever. For any movie goer who appreciates fine writing and wonderful understated character development this very unobtrusive little story is bound to touch your heart in so many ways. Long before he became the horrific Hannibal Lecter in "The Silence of the Lambs", Anthony Hopkins I feel gave one of his most quietly rich performances here and despite never meeting his leading lady on screen once in the course of the film, he has a wonderful mismatched chemistry with the very different Anne Bancroft that somehow works and which helps make their relationship so incredibly touching and real.

surprisingly compelling.......2007-03-14

For a film with very little plot, no climax, and minimal character development, I found 84 Charing Cross Road to be surprisingly compelling. I found myself often wondering why I was so interested in how the film would develop, given the absense of what usually are important elements to good film making.

The acting was quite good, especially Hopkins.

A small gem.......2007-02-24

This delightful tale of a 20 year correspondence between a New York writer and a London bookseller made me smile a lot. There is more to it than that, but that's the net result. The movie is better than the book, but by all means read the book first, it's a fast read. The book is the actual correspondence on which the movie is based. Anne Bancroft and Anthony Hopkins are perfectly cast, as is everyone else.

Average customer rating:

Stellar cast can't enliven this dull film

Neverwas
Starring: Aaron Eckhart , Ian McKellen , William Hurt , Bill Bellamy , and Michael Moriarty
Director: Joshua Michael Stern
Manufacturer: Miramax
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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Breach (Widescreen Edition)
The Good German
Our Very Own
Miss Potter
The Fountain (Widescreen Edition)

ASIN: B000OZ2CP2
Release Date: 2007-07-03

Amazon.com

A stellar cast buoys Neverwas, a 2005 feature written and directed by Joshua Michael Stern. And what a lineup it is. Aaron Eckhart stars as Zach, a psychiatrist who abandons his cushy gig at Cornell in order to work at a funky, underfunded New England institution run by Dr. Peter Reed (an underused William Hurt), where his own father (Nick Nolte, seen in various flashbacks), who wrote the wildly popular children's book named in the title but was also a manic depressive, was briefly ensconced before killing himself, leaving his young son burdened with the grim memory of finding the body. Ian McKellen is Gabriel, a patient at the nuthouse in question who knows a good deal more about Zach's dad than Zach does; Jessica Lange is his boozy, annoying mother; Brittany Murphy is his love interest; and other patients include Michael Moriarty, The Departed's Vera Farmiga, and Bill Bellamy. Their respective agents must have had a field day determining the billing order, but Neverwas, which bears a passing resemblance to Finding Neverland and The Fisher King, doesn't seem to know what kind of picture it wants to be. It's not family fare, as themes like suicide and mental illness are too dark and complex for kids. It's not a romance, nor is it a fantasy, a father-son drama, or an adventure. Not that it doesn't have its strong points: McKellen lights up the screen every time he appears on it, the cinematography is often quite lovely, and the overall notion of life and art as a circular form, as in Zach's having to figure out how he fit into both his dad's book (the hero is a boy named Zachary) and his real life, is intriguing. On balance, however, Neverwas is a whole that is disappointingly less than the sum of its parts. --Sam Graham

Description

Weaving together fantasy and reality, past and present, Neverwas is the enchantment-filled, life-affirming tale about a young man (Aaron Eckhart) who finds out his childhood fantasyland may really exist. Searching for insight into his father's (Nick Nolte) life and the magical place he wrote about in the beloved children's book, Neverwas, psychiatrist Zach Riley (Eckhart) takes a job at the institution where he lived on and off. Once there, Zach meets Gabriel (Sir Ian McKellen), a patient whose alternate reality is startlingly close to the world his father created. Featuring a critically acclaimed all-star cast that also includes William Hurt, Jessica Lange and Brittany Murphy, Neverwas is a magical and moving journey of discovery you won't soon forget.

Customer Reviews:

Stellar cast can't enliven this dull film.......2007-07-03

It is amazing that a first-rate cast (Aaron Eckhart, Ian McKellen, William Hurt, Nick Nolte, Jessica Lange, Britney Murphy, Alan Cumming, and an interesting premise on paper can turn out to be such a sleep-inducing film, but "Neverwas" is just that. The film was made in 2005 and never got a commercial release and was eventually shown on a cable network. Eckhart plays a psychiatrist who accepts a position at a mental institution where his father committed suicide. There, he reconnects with friends from his childhood as well as a patient (McKellen) who knew his father well and helps Eckhart undercover buried secrets, among them the secret fantasy world that his father created in a popular book. The film has a colorful visual style but it is not enough to bring any interest to this terribly boring film. Eckhart and McKellen are fine in their roles but actors like Jessica Lange, William Hurt and Alan Cumming are wasted.

DVD:

DVD

Moving Target (REGION 1) (NTSC)

DVD: Escaflowne - Betrayal & Trust (Vol. 2)

Labyrinth