Control

Starring:Sean Young, Will Schaub, William Devane, D. Paul Thomas, Sarah Crawford, Bruce Heinrich, Brian Paulette, Kevin Brief
Director: Tom Whitus
Studio: Framework Ent. Group
Product Type: DVD

Average customer rating:

Smart, laugh-out-loud funny cartoon
Story line just too simple, and not funny enough
Love it!!!
RJ Learns The Value of Friendship
WHAT A WONDERFUL WAY TO SPEND THE EVENING!

Over the Hedge (Widescreen Edition)
Starring: Bruce Willis , Garry Shandling , Steve Carell , Wanda Sykes , and William Shatner
Director: Tim Johnson , and Karey Kirkpatrick
Manufacturer: Dreamworks
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Comedy | Genres | DVD | Video

Animation | Kids & Family | Genres | DVD | Video

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( O ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video
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The Wild

ASIN: B000H7JCK0
Release Date: 2006-10-17

Description

The pack strikes back! In DreamWorks' smash hit comedy, a band of hungry forest critters goes "over the hedge" to take a bite out of Suburbia. Plus, check out the All-New Mini-Movie, Hammy's Boomerang Adventure only on the Over the Hedge DVD… It's the funniest, furriest, four minutes you'll see this year!

Amazon.com

The manicured lawns and overstuffed garbage cans of suburbia become a buffet for woodland creatures in Over the Hedge. A self-centered raccoon named RJ (voiced by Bruce Willis, Die Hard) steals and accidentally destroys the hoard of an angry bear (Nick Nolte, 48 Hours), who gives the raccoon a week to replace it. RJ despairs--until he meets an odd gang of foragers, ranging from a turtle named Verne (Garry Shandling, The Larry Sanders Show), a father/daughter duo of opossums (the bizarre pairing of William Shatner and pop singer Avril Lavigne), a family of porcupines (with A Mighty Wind's Eugene Levy and Catherine O'Hara as the parents), and a hyperactive squirrel named Hammy (Steve Carell, The 40 Year Old Virgin). By convincing these friendly beasts that the suburban homesteads on the other side of a recently erected hedge are a mother-lode of cast-off food, RJ hopes to dupe them into doing his gathering. But when the suburban residents realize they've been invaded by woodland pests, an exterminator is called to take care of the problem. The overarching storyline of Over the Hedge is pure formula--your basic "family matters more than anything" lesson--but moment to moment, the movie is delightfully crisp and clever. The animation is topnotch, the acting is excellent (other voices include those of Allison Janney, The West Wing, and Thomas Haden Church, Sideways), and the satirical jabs at consumerism are actually funny. An above-average animated movie. --Bret Fetzer

Stills from Over the Hedge (click for larger image)

Customer Reviews:

Smart, laugh-out-loud funny cartoon .......2007-07-06

Over The Hedge is a smart, laugh-out-loud funny cartoon about a group of animals trying to navigate through suburban life. A wry wink and nod to the audience flows throughout the movie as R.J. the raccoon comes across a group of hibernators who wake up to find themselves in the middle of a suburban development that popped up while they were sleeping.

The execution of the story is the most amazing part of the film as a simple hedge becomes a wall between two worlds for the small critters whose fear of the suburbs gradually turns into a non-stop quest to grab as much food as possible. The animals fish-out-water jump into the suburban landscape allows the script to poke fun at many all- -too-human failings, especially when it comes to the large amount of food we all seem to consistently consume.

I found myself literally crying at some scenes as the plot combined a nice combination of cartoon mayhem with adult whit. In particular Hammy the squirrell, voiced by Steve Carrell, added a nice Kramerish like touch of weirdness to the normal batch of cartoon characters to keep the movie from being stale.

Story line just too simple, and not funny enough.......2007-06-27

It's funny in some clips but in the whole, not funny enough. I thought my son will love the animals in the movie but he doesn't like it at all. Neither my wife nor myself find it very enjoyable either.

I bought it because all the great reviews we read about but pretty disappointed.

Love it!!!.......2007-06-25

You can never go wrong with a movie fill with actors/actresses voices. This movie had a very good stroy line. It was hilarious!!! This is a must own for your collection. There's very few movies where I watch it more than one time. This is one that I will watch over and over again.

RJ Learns The Value of Friendship.......2007-06-12

I have always been a fan of animation, Disney, cartoons, etc. There have been many new releases that haven't made much of an impression with me - Over The Hedge is NOT one of those! The entertainment value of this movie is multiplied several times over as a result of the cleverly woven ethical dilemmas and life lessons scattered throughout. The tough guy, RJ accomplishes his original goal - only to find that everything he was taking, would have been voluntarily shared with him - because he was considered a "friend". Not only does Rj find out what real friendship means, the original gang also learns a valuable lesson about trust and loyalty.
This is a wonderfully written, exceptionally well presented movie - that is fun for the whole family!

WHAT A WONDERFUL WAY TO SPEND THE EVENING!.......2007-06-07

I am not much into animated movies but this one was top notch.
Such wonderful slapstick comedy by a bunch of animals that have run afoul of human neighbors.
The whole complete entourage was a wonderful group to place together.
Bruce Willis as the troublemaker RJ, the coon who had to run afoul of the bear and his snacks [Nick Nolte].

I have to admit that I enjoyed, even more, the extra - describing each character and the personality taking the part.
And Thomas Hayden Church as the exterminater - so real and different - I had only seen him in the frontier western.
HIGHLY ENTERTAINING - Recommend for all to see.

Average customer rating:

Unless you're a newly hatched pod person...
Improtant issues done well-with reservations
Not nearly as good as Farenheit
guns don't kill people?
is this what liberals have been reduced to?

Bowling for Columbine
Starring: Michael Caldwell , Dick Cheney , Dick Clark , Bill Clinton , and Byron Dorgan
Manufacturer: MGM (Video & DVD)
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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Fahrenheit 9/11
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The Big One

ASIN: B00008DDVV
Release Date: 2003-08-19

Amazon.com

Michael Moore's superb documentary (following in the footsteps of Roger & Me and The Big One) tackles a meaty subject: gun control. Moore skillfully lays out arguments surrounding the issue and short-circuits them all, leaving one impossible question: why do Americans kill each other more often than people in any other democratic nation? Moore focuses his quest around the shootings at Columbine High School and the shooting of one 6-year-old by another near his own hometown of Flint, Michigan. By approaching the headquarters of K-Mart (where the Columbine shooters bought their ammo) and going to Charlton Heston's own home, Moore demands accountability from the forces that support unrestricted gun sales in the U.S. His arguments are conducted with the humor and empathy that have made Moore more than just a gadfly; he's become a genuine voice of reason in a world driven by fear and greed. --Bret Fetzer

Description

Acclaimed filmmaker Michael Moore (Roger & Me) takes aim at America's love affair with guns and violence in this Oscar(r)-winning* film that "demands attention" (People)! Mixing riveting footage, hilarious animation and candid interviews with everyone from the NRA's Charlton Heston to shock-rocker Marilyn Manson, Bowling for Columbine is a "brilliant" (The Hollywood Reporter) tour de force of filmmaking. *2002: Documentary Feature

Customer Reviews:

Unless you're a newly hatched pod person..........2007-07-02

...you already know that one must consider the semiotics of exclusionism in order to fully understand Michael Moore's witticisms. But let me add that Michael lies routinely -- even under oath. I will start this discussion by arguing that "oligophrenic" hardly seems like a strong enough word to describe Michael. Then, I will present evidence that Michael is unable to support his assertions with documentation of any sort. Once we realize that, what do we do? The appropriate thing, in my judgment, is to clarify and correct some of the inaccuracies present in Michael's canards. I say that because to believe that he is the ultimate authority on what's right and what's wrong is to deceive ourselves. Ancient Greek dramatists discerned a peculiar virtue in being tragic. Michael would do well to realize that they never discerned any virtue in being unconscionable.

Michael's rejoinders are like an enormous barbarism-spewing machine. We must begin dismantling that structure. We must put a monkey wrench in its gears. And we must improve the physical and spiritual quality of life for the population at present and for those yet to come, because Michael has a one-track mind. That's clear. But either Michael has no real conception of the sweep of history, or he is merely intent on winning some debating pin by trying to pierce a hole in my logic with "facts" that are taken out of context. Now that this review is over, I pray that my logic and passion have convinced you that the most myopic personæ non gratæ I've ever seen thrive when the rest of us underestimate the threat they pose or are too weak or unorganized to hold the line.

Improtant issues done well-with reservations.......2007-06-18

There is much to like AND dislike about this movie.

people often dismiss M/M as a leftist, but I think he strikes a balance in this film as an equal-opportunity critic of both the far left AND the far right (note the discussion with Marilyn Manson about Bill Clinton where they both are quite critical of Mr. Bill).

The sections on Canada and gun control are quite deep in debunking the rationales of causes of violence in America. However, trying to compare violence in different countires and cultures (i.e., comparing America's violent past with the fact that Germany has less violence today but was responsible for the Holocaust) depends on relativity and perspective.

The section on blacks, violence, and the media was dead-on target, with Mike and a white professor walking through South Central Los Angeles without anyone trying to harm them, although it would have been interesting if they had interviewed one of the residents about their opinions of the perceptions of their community. The cartoon on violence and race relations was also thought provoking, if a tad simplified (the 'toon omits the fact that blacks DID rebel against our oppression between the slave rebellions and Rosa Parks, although this is not well known among non-historians).

The Charlton Heston interview was ok, except I did not like the exploitation of the picture of the dead six year old Michigan girl who was killed by gunfire and what Mike does with the picture in this scene. This smacks of opporunitist grandstanding of the worst kind, and I would hate to see the reaction of the child's parents to this!

But that is the only thing I really disliked about the film. That aside, it says a lot of things that really need to be said and provokes a lot of thought.

Not nearly as good as Farenheit.......2007-06-07

I expected a little more from this movie after watching Farenheit 911, perhaps Moore has gotten better with time. It's difficult to grasp what point he's trying to make in this film. In one breath Moore says that Americans are afraid of one another and lock their doors every night and behave irrationally, yet in the next he lists crime statistics as being multiple times higher than other countries. So what is the point? Americans lock their door because the crime rate is high, it seems like we're actually being intelligent rather than irrational. The cartoon with the Pilgrams and early America is hilarious and worth the price of admission, but even that winds up being very skewed at the end. I wish Moore would have tackled the problem of inner cities and the rampant gun problem rather than attack the "whites" throughout the entire film.

I am certainly in favor of far stricter regulations and laws regarding gun use, but Moore just seems to touch on way too many points that are disjointed. At one point he attacks the media for scaring us, yet he is a very member of this media and is basically just a reporter himself. There are some very humorous parts and some very intelligent insights, but Moore was definitely more polished by the time he produced Farenheit. I was slightly disappointed overall by this film, but it keeps your interest throughout.

guns don't kill people?.......2007-04-23

This film, flawed as it may be (mostly in the eyes of its detractors), once again must confront the blatantly inane axiom that "guns don't kill people." Guns DO kill people; and the people who use them are the cowards that stand behind them. The American Rifle Murderers and others of their ilk try to hide behind a Second Amendment that is now outdated historically and morally. And their gun lobbying and support have produced not only Columbine but the most recent tragedy in Virginia (2007). MIchael Moore should be applauded and lionized as a humorist with a true grit kick. What he says in this film is played out in this free (to die) society on a daily basis.

is this what liberals have been reduced to?.......2007-04-03

ive seen this movie and was disappointed. i mean ask yourselfs, is this about what really happend at columbine school or is just moore's opinion on a tragic event? id say its mostly moore's opinions on the subject. anyone in their right mind could easily tell ya guns dont kill people, people kill people. obviously moore ignored the students motive for their shootings. if people like moore did real research, they would explain why these two students went over the edge. its easy, they went two far after other students picked on a insulted them from time to time and like any student with low esteem, they decide to do somthing they regret. the problem is people cant get seema to get along with each other and instead call names, which libs would know all about that before they hear someone out. back to the movie, if moore really wanted this to be true, not only would he indeed talk about gun control, but how everyone should treat everyone else. u dont have to like each other, but should respect each other. i understand many might disagree with me on this review, but can i help being open-minded on issues????

Average customer rating:

Rent it instead
Humor and a lot of heart
A Thinker
Funniest Movie Ever
Click

Click (Special Edition)
Starring: Sean Astin , Kate Beckinsale , David Hasselhoff , Julie Kavner , and Adam Sandler
Manufacturer: Sony Pictures
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Comedy | Genres | DVD | Video

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ASIN: B000HT386M
Release Date: 2006-10-10

Amazon.com

Click is a high-concept, low-brow variation on It's a Wonderful Life that will have Adam Sandler fans laughing even as it leaves Frank Capra spinning in his grave. In their third collaboration (after The Wedding Singer and The Waterboy, Sandler and director Frank Coraci aim at the lowest common denominator and consistently hit their target, from scary casting (David Hasselhoff as Sandler's shallow, sexist boss; Sean Astin in a tight red Speedo) to a rancid menu of fart jokes, fat jokes, oversexed dogs, and other attempts at humor that rarely rise above the level of grade-school pranks. Sandler's "family comes first" sentiment somehow manages to survive the onslaught of rude, crude attitude that Sandler brings to his role as Michael Newman, a workaholic architect who learns the hard way that, well, family comes first. This happens after Newman gets a magical remote control from Morty (Christopher Walken, the film's one and only highlight), an eccentric oddball in the "Beyond" section of a Bed, Bath & Beyond store who's a devilish version of Wonderful Life's benevolent guardian angel. But Sandler's no James Stewart as he uses his techno-marvel (complete with a DVD-like "life menu") to fast-forward through his life's most unpleasant moments, only to realize that he's been missing lots of good stuff, too. With Kate Beckinsale as Newman's neglected wife, impressive older-age make-ups by Rick Baker and a lot of digital wizardry to beef up the humor, Click won't disappoint Sandler's established fan base, and its $40 million opening weekend offered ample proof that Sandler's box-office clout remains remarkably consistent.--Jeff Shannon

Stills from Click (click for larger image)

Product Description

A harried workaholic, Michael Newman (Adam Sandler) doesn't have time for his wife (Kate Beckinsale) and children, not if he's to impress his ungrateful boss and earn a well-deserved promotion. So when he meets Morty (Christopher Walken), a loopy sales clerk, he gets the answer to his prayers: a magical remote that allows him to bypass life's little distractions with increasingly hysterical results. But as Michael gleefully mutes, skips and scans past his family and his friends, the remote gradually takes over his life and begins to program him, in this fast, funny and out-of-control comedy adventure.

Customer Reviews:

Rent it instead.......2007-06-23

This movie started out well enough but turned to multiple crude jokes that got tiresome really quickly. Having dogs humping a stuffed duck and even Sandler once (in shadow)during sex with his wife, definitely does not make this family movie material. As everyone has mentioned, Click does in the end, mirror the message from It's A Wonderful Life -- and for that reason, it is worth a rental. Watch it with your favorite workaholic who is missing out on family.

The casting was great. Julie Kavner and Henry Winkler were perfect as the parents and the make up department did a great job of making them appear younger and older. David Hasselhoff and Sandler's crew of regulars were totally funny in their parts but as much as I love Adam Sandler, Click was disappointing. If it had a stronger script, it would have worked.

Humor and a lot of heart.......2007-06-10

Sandler continues to select comendies that almost always leaves the audience with something to think about. This movie is probably best described as a modern version of it's a wonderful life and it's message is just a poignant as Jimmy Stewart pleading that he "wants to live". Many can relate to living on auto-pilot, wanting to fast-forward through struggles and fights, but it often those things which build character. A good movie with a great message. Highly recommended.

A Thinker.......2007-06-03

Michael is an architect, married to a great gal and they have 2 adorable children. There is one problem however, Michael never has time for his wife, children or parents. He is desperately trying to move ahead in his job, for their good, or is it? One day he goes to the store to buy a univeral remote and meets Morty who gives him one that will change his life. This remote Michael soon learns is to be used on his life. Don't like something that is hapening, fast forward. don't want to hear someone? Put it on mute! Wow....this should be great, or is it? Soon Michael is at the end of his life and perhaps from the use of the remote Michael realizes what is important and what is not.
I really liked this movie because it brought out so many things we all share in life. The responsibility to give our family all that we feel they need and yet showing perhaps it isn't what they need after all. It's very funny at times, yet sobering and the ending had me in tears, but that was a good thing. I really believe you will enjoy this movie and it will leave you perhaps a little wiser.

Funniest Movie Ever.......2007-05-31

Adam Sandler is hilarious in this movie from the dogs to when he gets fatter than life!! Get this movie!!

Click.......2007-05-27

Whish I had had one of those things a long time ago. Not Sandler's best, but is decent family movie

Average customer rating:

Smart, laugh-out-loud funny cartoon
Story line just too simple, and not funny enough
Love it!!!
RJ Learns The Value of Friendship
WHAT A WONDERFUL WAY TO SPEND THE EVENING!

Over the Hedge (Full Screen Edition)
Starring: Bruce Willis , Garry Shandling , Steve Carell , Wanda Sykes , and William Shatner
Director: Tim Johnson , and Karey Kirkpatrick
Manufacturer: Dreamworks Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Comedy | Genres | DVD | Video

Animation | Kids & Family | Genres | DVD | Video

General | Kids & Family | Genres | DVD | Video

Comedy | Kids & Family | Genres | DVD | Video

General | Animation | Genres | DVD | Video

Feature Films | Animation | Genres | DVD | Video

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( O ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video
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Cars (Widescreen Edition)
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The Wild

ASIN: B000H7JCKA
Release Date: 2006-10-17

Amazon.com

Stills from Over the Hedge (click for larger image)

Description

Customer Reviews:

Smart, laugh-out-loud funny cartoon .......2007-07-06

Story line just too simple, and not funny enough.......2007-06-27

Love it!!!.......2007-06-25

RJ Learns The Value of Friendship.......2007-06-12

WHAT A WONDERFUL WAY TO SPEND THE EVENING!.......2007-06-07

Average customer rating:

Being John Malkovich [HD DVD]
Starring: Orson Bean , Ned Bellamy , John Cusack , K.K. Dodds , and Richard Fancy
Director: Spike Jonze
Manufacturer: Universal Studios
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: HD DVD

General | HD DVD | Formats | DVD | Video

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Drama | HD DVD | Formats | DVD | Video

Science Fiction & Fantasy | HD DVD | Formats | DVD | Video
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ASIN: B000OHZL44
Release Date: 2007-06-26

Description

Craig Schwartz (John Cusack) is a struggling street puppeteer. In order to make some money, Craig takes a job as a filing clerk. One day he accidentally discovers a door… a portal into the mind of John Malkovich (played by John Malkovich)! For 15 minutes, he experiences the ultimate head trip - HE is John Malkovich! Then he's dumped out onto the New Jersey turnpike! With his beautiful office mate Maxine (Catherine Keener) and his pet-obsessed wife (Cameron Diaz), they hatch a plan to let others into John's brain for just $200 a trip. See what all the critics are talking about.

Average customer rating:

Nothing new here...
keeping an open mind
Control Room - Insights into the Arab Media
Fascinating peek inside the world of Mid-East journalism
spin study

Control Room
Starring: Samir Khader , Josh Rushing , Tom Mintier , Hassan Ibrahim , and George W. Bush
Director: Jehane Noujaim
Manufacturer: Lions Gate
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Documentary | Genres | DVD | Video

Politics | Documentary | Genres | DVD | Video

Iraq War | Military & War | Genres | DVD | Video

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

( C ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video

The Corporation
Outfoxed - Rupert Murdoch's War on Journalism
Uncovered - The Whole Truth About the Iraq War
Noam Chomsky - Distorted Morality: America's War on Terror?
Unconstitutional - The War On Our Civil Liberties

ASIN: B0002X8U4I
Release Date: 2004-10-26

Product Description

Control room is a rate film that is both timely and timeless: timeless because it ecplores the ancient and complex relationship between the western and Arab worlds, timely because it reveals how satellite television has changed the way wars are reported- from news providers, driven by the patriotism of their audiences, to army information officers, driven by military objectives. Control room is a seminal documentary that explores how truth is gathered, presented, and ultimately created by those who deliver it.

System Requirements:

Running Time 86 Min

Format: DVD MOVIE

Amazon.com

Startling and powerful, Control Room is a documentary about the Arab television network Al-Jazeera's coverage of the U.S.-led Iraqi war, and conflicts that arose in managed perceptions of truth between that news media outlet and the American military. Egyptian-American filmmaker Jehane Noujaim (Startup.com) catches the frantic action at Al-Jazeera headquarters as President Bush stipulates his 48-hour, get-out-of-town warning to Saddam Hussein and sons, soon followed by the network's shocking footage of Iraqi civilians terrorized and killed by invading U.S. troops. Al-Jazeera's determination to show images and report details outside the Pentagon's carefully controlled information flow draws the wrath of American officials, who accuse it of being an al-Qaida propagandist. (The killing of an Al-Jazeera reporter in what appears to be a deliberately targeted air strike is horrifying.) Most fascinating is the way Control Room allows well-meaning, Western-educated, pro-democratic Arabs an opportunity to express views on Iraq as they see it--in an international context, and in a way most Americans never hear about. --Tom Keogh

Customer Reviews:

Nothing new here..........2007-06-13

I watched this DVD last night and had high expectations. I thought it would be very interesting to see these two news organizations critically examined. In this, I wasn't at all disappointed however, the information presented was really just a summary of all the things that everyone already knows and questions. I found my attention wandering about halfway through!

That said, there were little interesting tidbits, such as when participants in the documentary take specific stories and analyze them for accuracy, propaganda, etc. But overall, I did not think the movie presented anything new or thought-provoking.

keeping an open mind.......2007-05-17

(Actually, I had rented this last year at Blockbuster but) definitely would recommend to anyone who wants to know how our media coverage of Iraq looks from the other side. I thought that Air Force media relations guy was a genuine hero. Alas, he paid with his career.

Control Room - Insights into the Arab Media.......2007-05-04

`Control Room' was a very insightful view into the minds of the Arab media, and the construction of the Arab perspective. `Control Room' highlights the role of the media in the age of information warfare, and Al-Jazeera is a player in that war. The way the documentary was made was very political from the onset, with the montage in the intro paving the way for creating politically motivated spectacles. For instance, the shot of the birds flying in the intro montage was a politically motivated scene, meant to imply anticipation and anxiety over the coming US liberation / invasion. The documentary almost seemed to mimic the political quality if Al-Jazeera, in that shots are judged on their appearance rather than substance.
Yes, there may be a myth of objectivity, however it is the job of the journalist to attempt to be as objective as possible. Al-Jazeera does have motivations, just as Fox News does, but that does not mean that Al-Jazeera gets a pass on the question of objectivity. The head of Al-Jazeera starts of by saying a military commander should put the media at the top of his priorities; he says that propaganda is a very important weapon in the arsenal. So it is only natural to expect that Al-Jazeera is more of an agenda setter and a propagator, rather than a straight news organization.
What was evident from the film is that Al-Jazeera does not think of itself as a participant in a war, just an observer. This is not the reality. By broadcasting enemy propaganda, the parade of POW's, Al-Jazeera sets itself up for conflict with coalition forces. Airing pictures of POW's gives ammunition to enemy ambitions, and endangers troops. Al-Jazeera didn't seem to get it, that they are not just a news organization, but also an active participant in the conflict. This is the threat that journalists face when entering a war zone; the threat of being a participant in the war.
`Control Room' illustrates these points in specific scenes. One of the reports says: "We lost Baghdad." I was left asking, who is we? "We lost Baghdad," is the "we" some Baathist sympathy, some pan-Arab nationalism, or just plain old anti-Americanism. That reporter is obviously rooting for `our' defeat. Not to say that journalist cant be people with thoughts and feeling, because we certainly have biased reporting here at home, but rather that personal opinions really should be displayed or communicated when reporting events. Even the Al-Jazeera correspondents couldn't manage to muster up a hint of objectivity throughout the film.
In the age of terrorism the role of the media has come to play a significant role in the outcome of conflicts. In fact, modern terror tactics specifically play to the media. When a bomb goes off in a civilian area, the objective is not tactical but strategic. That is to say that terror bombings are often designed to attract media attention rather than say engage a specific target. The so-called "propaganda of the deed." It seems that Al-Jazeera was manipulated back in 2003, used by the enemy to broadcast tactical war propaganda.
The film also was informative to the editorial decisions that are made at the media outlet. There was one instance that stands out in particular. At one point during the film we see a young boy screaming into the camera. He is screaming about someone being a Baathist, and screaming something akin to death to America if memory serves me. What kind of editorial decision was this? Number one: a screaming emotional kid is not news (he might not realize the consequences of his speech in a wartime), number two: it is very dangerous for that child to be on television making accusations and threats (what if some insurgent recognized this kid), thirdly: its just plain exploitation (going for sensationalism and ignoring the consequences). I fault Al-Jazeera for putting sensationalistic news above the safety of the source.
Another particular scene stands out as a mimic of the Al-Jazeera style of reporting. When Baghdad is first being bombed the film give the impression that the control room was being shelled. The camera was shaky and the audience is given the impression of panic and being under attack. It was an interesting device that speaks to the creation of spectacles. The control room was obviously not being bombed; Al-Jazeera is in Dubai, not Baghdad. This is subliminal deception on the part of the filmmakers which all too appropriate for a film about Al-Jazeera.
Conclusively, `Control Room' was a interesting film that needed to made for western audiences. The film gives us a look of the world for a new perspective and makes theses `enemy propagandists' a human quality that is hard to ignore. We see Al-Jazeera as not terrorist sympathizers, but rather frustrated voices coming from a bleak world of strife. Personally, I like have the Arab perspective from Al-Jazzera, it compounds the notion that world is not so black and white and that journalist are not `outside of the event,' but rather active participants in the story.

Fascinating peek inside the world of Mid-East journalism.......2007-04-27

This was really eye-opening to me to see beyond the myths that many of us Americans raised on the polemic Fox News have about Al Jazeera. This documentary shows some of the complexity that Al Jazeera embodies and tries to portray in its newscasts. You don't see a wholly positive view of the station, but you do appreciate their admirable intent and performance in enlightening people in the Mid-East and around the world. Despite having some questions as to their judgment about what to put on the news in isolated cases (e.g., certain photos), I felt that in surprising ways it is their commitment to what used to be more in-depth and elucidating Western-style journalism that was so cool.
You see in the documentary the responses of some American journalists to the station as well and learn about the climate of the press in general. I felt as if I got a deeper understanding of the Mid-East climate than I'd get from American news.
Interesting fact: if I heard right recently (2007) in the news, one of the American military journalists interviewed in the film who was originally so skeptical about Al Jazeera's integrity was won over by the facts over time and is now working for them in their American broadcasts.
I think if more people really understood what Al Jazeera does and stands for they might be surprised and would be enlightened by their more substantive coverage of a wider range of international issues than we often see here in the States.

spin study.......2007-01-25

A fascinating documentary about how US networks and especially Al Jazeera, the satellite cable channel watched by 40 million people in the Middle East (it started only in 1996), have covered the current Iraq war. In the first few moments of the film Samir Khader, a producer for Al Jazeera, observes, "there is no war without propaganda." This film gives the lie to the common idea, constantly repeated by Rumsfeld, that Al Jazeera lies and distorts the truth whereas US media are fair and objective.

Average customer rating:

Would you like fish or meat?
If you liked "Airplane!" you must own this film!

Zero Hour!
Starring: Dana Andrews , Linda Darnell , Sterling Hayden , Elroy 'Crazylegs' Hirsch , and Geoffrey Toone
Director: Hall Bartlett
Manufacturer: Warner Home Video
ProductGroup: DVD
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ASIN: B000OHZJOQ
Release Date: 2007-06-26

Customer Reviews:

Would you like fish or meat?.......2007-05-29

Zero Hour! was the basis for the comedy favorite Airplane!, which is the reason why it is considered a cult classic. In fact, many of the lines and scenerios from Airplane! are lifted straight from this movie. Zero Hour! is the story of an ex-fighter pilot Ted Stryker (Dana Andrews) who finds himself chasing his discontented wife (Linda Darnell) and child Joey (Raymond Ferrell) onto a commercial airplane. Once on the plane, he discovers that there are worse problems than just his failing marriage. There is a problem with the fish (thankfully, he chose meat) and the passengers are falling ill rather rapidly. It soon becomes a matter of seriousness when both pilots take ill and Ted is the only one with any flying experience.

The problem with this movie is the fact that it is supposed to be serious. There are so many ludicrous things in it that it is impossible to take seriously, but since it was not supposed to be funny, there are many long stretches where an audience can find itself bored. One of the best examples of this is the long "suspenseful" ending. Still, it is worth watching at least once for fans of Airplane!, just don't expect it to become your favorite.

If you liked "Airplane!" you must own this film!.......2007-05-19

I caught some of this movie on Turner Classic Movies one evening, during a day of tributes to movies and their remakes. This film was the inspiration (and the source for many lines) for the 1980 comedy spoof "Airplane!". Just like "Airplane!" "Zero Hour" is about a former war pilot who is forced to take over an airliner when half the passengers get sick from eating bad fish! (Yes, the choice for dinner was 'chicken or fish' just like "Airplane!"). My wife and I were practically in tears, because so many classic lines from "Airplane!" were lifted directly from this film, only the punchlines never came, which somehow made it funnier.

I'll be pre-ordering this one for purchase when it comes out!

Average customer rating:

The easy life
CHEAPER BY THE DOZEN DVD
One of the greatest ever
Cheaper by the Dozen (old version)
Oldie but Goodie

Cheaper By the Dozen
Starring: Clifton Webb , Jeanne Crain , Myrna Loy , Betty Lynn , and Edgar Buchanan
Director: Walter Lang
Manufacturer: 20th Century Fox
ProductGroup: DVD
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ASIN: B00013RCAM
Release Date: 2004-03-16

Amazon.com essential video

Though it's impossible to gauge just how much of it is true, this endearing family comedy (based on the book by their children Frank B. Gilbreth Jr. and Ernestine Gilbreth Carey) is inspired by the true story of the husband-and-wife efficiency experts Frank and Lillian Gilbreth and their adventures raising 12 kids at the turn of the century. Director Walter Lang takes a loping pace through the episodes of family life: the kids descend upon the new school in force while Dad (fussy Clifton Webb) offers his unsolicited views on education; Dad takes his oldest daughter (wholesome Jeanne Crain) to the school dance and becomes the hit of the ball; a mass tonsillectomy becomes an opportunity to document the ordeal as an experiment in efficiency. Myrna Loy almost steals the film in her one standout scene, holding back a smirk while a birth-control advocate (played by Mildred Natwick) solicits this mother of 12 to speak at a rally, but her martini-dry comic deadpan is criminally underused in this picture, which is dominated by Webb's stern, military-like parenting and Crain's adolescent crises. Though this sometimes overly sentimental classic never builds to any real dramatic plateau or comic highlights, it maintains an even tone of good humor and warmth throughout, capturing a bygone era through the travails of a loving family. A charming sequel, Belles on Their Toes, followed two years later. --Sean Axmaker

Description

This colorful depiction of life in a family of 12 children stars Clifton Webb as Frank Bunker Gilbreth, an eccentric father who prides himself on some truly unorthodox child-rearing methods. Based on the bestseller by two children of the real Mr. Gilbreth, this charming film co-starring Myrna Loy is "alive with big laughs" (Los Angeles Times).

Narrated by the oldest daughter (Jeanne Crain), the story follows a series of family crises over the years: from how the children over-whelmed their new school's administration office, to the time they threw a hospital into chaos when they arrived for a mass tonsillectomy. There's even a memorable encounter with a birth control advocate. Simultaneously hilarious and sentimental, "Cheaper by the Dozen is a family comedy in the truest sense.

Customer Reviews:

The easy life.......2007-05-24

It is great to see a family from the past and see the problems of that day in time. Children that behave. and love for one another. pat

CHEAPER BY THE DOZEN DVD.......2007-05-14

The dvd was in excellent condition. I have seen this movie before and I wanted to add to my collection of movies based on true stories. I enjoy comedies as well as movies based on true stories. I would recommend this movie over the ones with Steve Martin.

One of the greatest ever.......2007-05-07

I saw this as a movie when I was a younger girl. It left such a great feeling I have never forgotten it. Then I was so glad to see I could get it in DVD form. Since receiving it I have watched it numerous times. With a storyline like this one it is such a treat to escape the real stresses of the day. It makes for alot of laughter and warm feeling in the heart. Since I come from a large family it brought back alot of memories. All of them happy ones. I also purchased Belles On Their Toes, the sequel. It was just as entertaining and touching. I would recommend it to anyone who wants to feel good about life.

Cheaper by the Dozen (old version).......2007-01-16

Wouldn't watch the new movie, love the old one.

Oldie but Goodie.......2007-01-14

I purchased this to show my industrial engineering students - they hadn't heard of it and the Galbreaths are the founding father/mother of industrial engineering ... also should see the sequel Bells on their Toes

Average customer rating:

Great Movie!
Unforgettable!
Very disturbing because it is realistic. Take away message this is more than a thriller. It is making a statement.
Flawed, But Engrossing
Enjoyable fun 90's thriller

Sleeping With the Enemy
Starring: Julia Roberts , Patrick Bergin , Kevin Anderson , Elizabeth Lawrence , and Kyle Secor
Director: Joseph Ruben
Manufacturer: 20th Century Fox
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B00009WVSL
Release Date: 2003-09-02

Amazon.com

This 1991 thriller by Joseph Ruben (True Believer) works up to a point: Julia Roberts plays an abused wife who fakes her death and starts anew under a different identity in Iowa. Her psychopathic husband (Patrick Bergin) figures it out and stalks her and her new boyfriend (Kevin Anderson). The best part of the film is the moody isolation of Roberts's life with Bergin. Ruben ingeniously stakes out the story by presenting what looks like an ideal life between the two--a nice house on the ocean, a seemingly healthy sex life, etc.--and then, whammo! Vital to the plot but less interesting is everything afterward, but that's less an inherent script problem than it is obvious studio pressure to push Roberts as a cute star. There's even a sequence where the actress tries on a series of hats while Van Morrison's "Brown Eyed Girl" plays on the soundtrack. Such insistent valentines to Roberts destroys most of Ruben's momentum and the film's credibility, and the project never quite recovers. --Tom Keogh

Description

Julia Roberts tries to escape an abusive husband by faking her death. But eventually her past catches up with her in this suspenseful and scary drama.

Customer Reviews:

Great Movie!.......2007-06-17

I'm not one for a slasher movie, I love suspense and this movie is full of it. Julia Robert's is great in this movie and it also has a beautiful original score. I would recommend this movie to everyone.

Unforgettable!.......2006-12-16

This is a great thriller movie and is very suspensfull also. I seen this movie for the first time several years ago and I have never forgotten it, it is a movie that stays with you and you won't forget. I now own the movie and love watching it, never gets boring. Best of all I love a happy ending!

Very disturbing because it is realistic. Take away message this is more than a thriller. It is making a statement........2006-10-17

When I went to this movie I thought it was a spy movie. Nope it is not what a shock. It is about domestic violence. Many people I have spoken with think this is a very good movie. I think they like it more for the syspense factor from what I can tell. Perhaps someone can gain some compassion from this movie because it feels this way to be in an abusive relationship. They really did their research or someone knew something when directing and writing the screenplay. I know nothing about the book and am not focusing about the socioeconic status of the woman of the book vs the movie like the previous reviewer. Unless you are comparing and constrasing the 2 for a term paper forget about that. I do not think that is really important to the story as domestic violence can occur in all economic levels. When you see stress of the wife trying not to upset her husband with stupid little things like arranging the cans of food in a cabnet. This is what some abusers are really like. Anything and Nothing will set off an abuser like that. The Victim gets punished for these things as an excuse for him to get out his anger or control just like the movie. This really lets you know what it is like to be in an abusive relationship from the inside. If you let yourself you can get into the character just as a movie like (A Beautiful Mind) you can get inside a character. They are totally different movies, but they have a similar delivery style. This is a very disturbing movie and I would not recomend it for young people unless it is in the context of teaching about domestic violence or perhaps preventing it. Next to being in an abusive relationship this is the closest you can get unless they make another movie. This would be a good movie for someone counselling domestic violence victums or anyone going into the psychology field. If you are a student of one of those diciplines you might want to watch this to desinsitize yourself to what people may tell you and to familiarize yourself with abuse.
If not this is another syspense movie that is really well done and some people find it entertaining. I think it is more educational, but the delivery is entertaining to some people. I think it is just that some people seem to crave violent movies of all types and do not think about the message even when someone goes to the trouble to have a real plot and storyline.
I hope that helps.

Flawed, But Engrossing.......2006-09-11

Although primarily a showcase for Julia Roberts, who had become Hollywood's latest "IT" girl after "Pretty Woman", this romantic thriller, based on Nancy Price's novel, is watchable and quite suspenseful. It cannot be denied that the book is far superior, as is the case with most film adaptations based on a best-selling novel. The film is obviously aimed at women and the "yuppie" attitude that was still prevalent in the early 1990s. In the book, the abusive husband and wife were middle-class, while in the film Martin Burney (Patrick Bergin) is a wealthy businessman, who places his beautiful wife on a shelf like a trophy, expecting perfection and exploding when she doesn't meet his qualifications. While many may argue the change in their financial status in the movie, it does show that domestic violence can happen at every economic level, in all different walks of life and societies. We are only subjected to one instance where Laura (Roberts) is beaten by her spouse, although his control over her, demands and insensitivity to her feelings has been hinted at, and she does indicate that it was definitely not the first time. The novel goes into far more graphic detail of his offenses. Sara (the names that Roberts assumes are reversed in the book) wears a wig constantly after she escapes to Iowa, while the movie only has Laura wearing a wig as she escapes, and then she has her hair trimmed a little shorter and gets a perm. Not a very effective disguise if you're trying to alter your physical appearance so the bad guy won't recognize you! When she tosses her wedding ring in the toilet and tries unsuccessfully to flush it down the drain, Martin finds it after he tears through Laura's personal belongings and cuts himself, he discovers it with no problem - did he not use the toilet in the weeks since Laura's "death"? Faking her demise, since her husband believes that she could not swim (she secretly took lessons at the YWCA, who inadvertently tips psycho hubby off - how did they find him?), she finds an ideal guy, Ben Woodward (Kevin Anderson), the local college drama professor, who embodies the sensitive, artistic dreamboat with such naturalness that you cannot help but like him. He gets her to open up (at least as far as she is capable of doing) and he senses that she is very traumatized, and is there for her when she most needs him. Anderson has rarely been seen since and I wonder what became of him - he certainly had the talent (anyone who can even partially pull off the opening number from "West Side Story" with a garden hose in tow and make it look easy must have something special), and the sequences featuring Van Morrison's Brown-Eyed Girl, and the vintage 60s tune Runaround Sue is actually quite engaging, a break from the intensity of the plot and showing some light-hearted, romantic fun.

Bergin is effective if somewhat hammy in some parts - his character, no doubt, had some kind of undiagnosed obsessive-compulsive disorder, but at times he's a little too wild-eyed, but he does have the charm masking brutality bit down quite good, as many violent offenders are skilled at presenting as a front (how can such a charming, wealthy man be such a monster in private?). Bergin, a latecomer to acting (he was a teacher for children with learning disabilities in his native Ireland), has played many villainous roles, although here it was obvious that the filmmakers were trying to get him to resemble a certain dictator (guess who!). And the fact that he seems to be able to slip in and out of her home (and rearrange her towels and condiments) without her knowing is definitely stretching it, something that Robert De Niro's character in the 1991 remake of "Cape Fear" also seemed to excel at, and Martin seems to have it too easy when tracking down his frail mother-in-law in the nursing home that Laura secretly placed her in after lying to Martin about her mother's fictional passing.

Laura is a terrified woman driven to desperation, who wants to start a new life but she is still living in fear of the man she married, who she fears (and rightly so) will stop at nothing to find her if he discovers that she has escaped him. It's nauseating when he calls her his "princess", which again, seems to indicate that she is more of a possession to him, and I wasn't particularly interested in seeing Martin's backside after he ravishes her to Berlioz's "Symphonie Le Fantasique". The cinematography is breathtaking.

The final showdown, terrifying and voyeuristic (the viewer, of course, is aware of the danger lurking in the shadows far before Laura and Ben are), and it's last resort for this young woman who found that the law could not protect her. Of course, the brief, the bad guy comes back from death momentarily part is ridiculous and clichéd, but when Laura embraces the injured Ben and the camera pulls back, showing the dead Martin, eyes open, his blood streaked hand, with Laura's gold wedding band just a few inches way, sparkling, is very compelling. The music, by Jerry Goldsmith is great, conveying sadness, terror and romance in equal amounts.

Read the book, watch the film, and draw your own conclusions.

Enjoyable fun 90's thriller.......2006-06-06

I enjoyed this film from the great acting from a young Julia Roberts. The film is early 90's so it's not the greatest but it's very entertaing. the film is very suspensfull and the acting is good. The plot is original and has you on the edge of your seat.

Average customer rating:

Classroom response
"The Sherlock Holmes Of Neuroscience."

NOVA: Secrets of the Mind
Starring: V.S. Ramachandran
Director: Alan Ritsko , and Christopher Rawlence
Manufacturer: WGBH Boston
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Documentary | Genres | DVD | Video

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ASIN: B000JJ5F8O
Release Date: 2007-01-09

Customer Reviews:

Classroom response.......2007-06-13

As a high school IB Biology teacher I showed this video as part of a unit on the brain. Students were most taken with Case #1: Phanton Limb. I followed the case with two hands on exercises (from the teaching materials) that allow students to experience phantom sensations. I ended the lesson with a reading called "The Man Who Fell Out of Bed" from an Oliver Sachs book, followed by the online actvitiy "Probe the Brain" (PBS) which simulates the Penfield sensory motor cortex findings. A very stimulationg little lesson!

"The Sherlock Holmes Of Neuroscience.".......2007-02-25

Intriqued by questions of consciousness and the puzzle of mind boggling brain injuries?
This DVD stimulates an awarwness that - was not there before?
Is seeing believing?
Dr. V.S. Ramachandran's unique knowledge of neuroscience and his intuitive way to solve the seemingly impossible, is worth the price alone.

DVD:

DVD

DVD

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Carry On Cabby/Carry On Spying

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Saboteur (REGION 1) (NTSC)

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