Pieces & Bits

Starring:Johnny Winter
Studio: Music Video Dist.
Product Type: DVD

Amazon.com essential video

This subtle, existential character study of an emotionally distant outcast (Nicholson) forced to confront his past failures remains an intimate cornerstone of American '70s cinema. Written and directed with remarkable restraint by Bob Rafelson, the film is the result of a short-lived partnership between the filmmaker and Nicholson--the first was the zany formalist exercise, Head, while the equally impressive King of Marvin Gardens followed Five Easy Pieces. Quiet and full of long, controlled takes, this film draws its strength from the acutely detailed, nonjudgmental observations of its complex protagonist, Robert Dupea--an extremely crass and frustrated oil worker, and failed child pianist hiding from his past in Texas. Dupea spends his life drinking beer and sleeping with (and cheating on) his annoying but adoring Tammy Wynette-wannabe girlfriend, but when he learns that his father is dying in Washington State, he leaves. After the film transforms into a spirited road movie, and arrives at the eccentric upper-class Dupea family mansion, it becomes apparent that leaving is what Dupea does best--from his problems, fears, and those who love him. Nicholson gives a difficult yet masterful performance in an unlikable role, one that's full of ambiguity and requires violent shifts in acting style. Several sequences--such as his stopping traffic to play piano, or his famous verbal duels with a cranky waitress over a chicken-salad sandwich--are Nicholson landmarks. Yet, it's the quieter moments, when Dupea tries miserably to communicate and reconcile with his dying father, where the actor shows his real talent--and by extension, shows us the wounded little boy that lurks in the shell of the man Dupea has become. --Dave McCoy

Customer Reviews:

"Life's Too Short".......2007-07-05

Jack Nicholson plays Bobby, a man who will only have life his way. Much like Camus' 'The Stranger' or Hemingway's return home soldier in "A Soldier's Story," Bobby lives for the moment. He goes through women at whim and convenience, and he doesn't like to waste any precious time.

At the beginning he hooks up with a friend to work in the oil fields. In one of the early days on the job, they get stuck in traffic. His friend sees that they'll be late for work, whereas Bobby can only see wasted time. So he does what no one else would do: He leaves the driver's seat and climbs a truck moving a piano. Once he uncovers it, he starts to play. As soon as he finds the song he wants, traffic starts moving again, taking him to a new destination. Se la vie.

The movie challenges convention. In a famous restaurant scene, Bobby, who has decided to pick up two women in distress along the way, has an interesting way of getting what he wants when he asks for whole wheat toast to go with his omelette. But real affairs have to do with his sister who is a recording pianist artist. When visiting her at the studio, he finds out that their father has had several strokes and is in poor health. Because he wants to, he goes to visit, and the results show us someone who refuses to put up with convention when it doesn't suit him.
Yet, a scene with his ailing father suggest that he is also living a lie, one that exposes a vulnerability underneath his callousness.

'Five Easy Pieces' is a classic. It feels authentic because Nicholson and supporting players give us a clear and solid, yet episodic vision of a man who lives for the moment and accepts as ludicrous anything different than his way.

Five Easy Pieces.......2007-07-03

One of the definitive, highly acclaimed films of the early-70's New American Cinema, Bob Rafelson's edgy, deep character study features complex and courageous performances from both Nicholson and Black. As an existentially pained outcast of upper-middle-class breeding, Jack's pent-up Bobby is especially absorbing to watch, as he denigrates Rayette's crass singing efforts or spars with a waitress over the vagaries of a chicken-salad sandwich. A moody portrait of alienation and unresolved pain, Rafelson's Oscar-nominated "Pieces" will stick with you.

"You Want Me To Hold The Chicken?".......2007-06-24

This movie could have been a masterpiece, but it doesn't have a message other than total despair about the human condition. Jack Nicholson plays Bobby Dupea, who is an oil field roustabout when first we lay eyes on him--but he is not exactly who he seems.

He fits right in with his Buddy Elton (Billie "Green" Bush), Elton's wife Stoney (Fannie Flagg), and his girlfriend, Rayette Dipesto (Karen Black). Though Rayette is far from an accomplished bowler, which irks Bobby, she loves him, puts up with him, and wants to be a country singer. She listens to "Stand by Your Man" by Tammy Wynette constantly, which also irks Bobby. She not only wants to emulate Tammy Wynette's singing, but she embodies the sentiments expressed in the song. As we get to know Robert Eroica Dupea better, we see that director Bob Rafelson intended the song as ironic commentary.

The trailer parks, truck stops, oil fields, and bowling alleys of the first part of the movie are pure Bakersfield. Some reviewers thought that it was meant to be Texas, but it was pure Bakersfield. The first inkling we have that Bobby is not just an oil field roustabout takes place on I-5 just before the Highway 43 turn off to Shafter and Wasco. Drinking on the way to work with Elton they get in a traffic jam. Bobby climbs aboard a flatbed hauling furniture and a piano. He plays the piano, but where we would expect him to be at best a honky tonk piano player, even amid the cacophony of car horns, you can tell that he is classically trained. He continues playing, even as the truck veers off to an exit.

Continuing South from Bakersfield, next we learn more about Bobby as he arrives in Los Angeles and walks into a recording studio. The session is for a classical piano concerto, and the recording engineers are less than sympathetic to the woman playing. She is eccentric, and has the quirk of singing, out of tune, like a child, while playing. This is Bobby's sister, and she wants him to come back to the family mansion to visit their sick father. He is the patriarch of a musical family, and Bobby is very much the prodigal son.

Bobby reluctantly agrees to return, to attempt to reconcile with his ailing father, and even more reluctantly agrees to let Rayette come.

Along the way they pick up two women stranded on the road. One of the women is an insufferable nihilist, who complains constantly about the filth and garbage produced by men and civilization. She is also intended as ironic commentary, but in a strange post-modern way. It is as if modern art, from T.S. Elliott's Wasteland, to this very movie, is nothing but incessant grousing. It offers no solution, but merely points out flaws and shortcomings incessantly. She wants to go to Alaska, because she thinks it is clean. She has seen the pictures of the snow. Bobby is amused by her naiveté and says that is before the big thaw. The woman's companion is named Terry Grouse (Toni Basil), by the way. The whole encounter would seem to be pretty pointless, except it leads to another classic scene, where they stop at a truck stop and the waitress refuses to make any substitutions. "You want me to hold the chicken?"

In Washington Bobby confronts his father, who has had several strokes, and is completely mute. This is a difficult scene for Nicholson, but he rises to the challenge. You see several layers deep, the raw and hurt emotions, and a small boy trying to please his father, but never feeling like he can measure up.

There is another crucial scene where Bobby is trying to seduce a music student (Susan Anspach) who is living at the family compound. She asks him to play something for her, and he plays her a beautiful piece by Chopin. She responds, but he laughs and says he picked it because it was the easiest piece he knew, and he played it when he was eight years old, and he played it better then. He felt nothing, he confesses. This leads to her telling him that he is unable to love himself, his work, music, or anything. Unable to love himself, he doesn't deserve the love of another. This is the closest the film comes to stating its message, but as you can see, it offers no hope, no solution. Sure, Bobby could just find something to believe in, or love himself a little more, or be like the woman pointing all this out to him, but that is just not available to him. He can't make a leap of faith, having no faith, or love, in or for anything.

Like I said, this movie came very close to being a masterpiece, but like the scene with Bobby and his father, it has nothing to say. It leaves you stranded, just as Bobby will inevitably leave Rayette stranded, in a gas station, as he hitches a ride to Alaska without even taking along a jacket.

Inauthenticity everywhere.......2007-05-12

Or, as Bobby would probably say, "Bulls*t everywhere!" Or something more explicit. Even with The Joker, the psychopathic writer in Kubrick's "Shining", and his chilling performance in "The Departed", I would say this is Nicholson's scariest character.

Bobby Dupea, a former piano prodigy who finds the pretentiousness of art, culture, and his entire family so revolting that he takes Timothy Leary's edict closer to heart than any hippy--he becomes a worker on an oil rig, a complete alcoholic, a brutal misogynist and generally reprehensible human being all around, completely divorced from his origins and disdainful of his considerable talents. Karen Black, his gorgeous hilbilly girlfriend, really forms the paradox of Dupea's character: his ferocious embrace of man's lower instincts in favor of a greater authenticity and his actual repugnance when facing them for any extended period of time. The most telling scenes in this dark but compelling tale of ultimate failure consist of Rayette and Bobby together: Bobby listening to her sweet, well intentioned but limited sentiments about life and the small world she was born into, his constant annoyance but sympathy; his violent defense of her in the presence of his "high brow" family, and his ultimate inability to stay with her--even when he knows she's pregnant.

Bobby's more or less constant agitation is a result of his unwillingness to face his hopelessly divided nature. Stopping traffic in a drunken rage, he hops on a moving truck and begins furiously playing a piano to the incomprehension of his drunken backwoods co-worker, flipping out on a waitress for misunderstanding his order, and trying to reconcile with a father who is catatonic from a stroke: these are all the actions of a man without the strength to face his inner demons or acknowledge them. He protests too much without really wanting anything to change.

Bob Rafelson was obviously conscious of the contradictions inherent in the 1960's counterculture and this a commentary of sorts: the rejection of the father--the dominant culture--for good reasons, and the impotence of the son--the 60's mentality embodied by Bobby--all culminating in disaster (the present day). This is a masterpiece and wins out over similar modern fare like "American Beauty" or "Good Will Hunting" anyday.

That poor waitress.

Five Easy Pieces.......2007-05-08

Robert Dupea[Jack Nicholson] starts out being his normal tough guy and
woman chaser. The plot changes when he meets Susan Anspach and falls
for her, making him change is idea about women. This seems hard for
Jack to do. Overall this is a good movie, but a bit slow at times.

Pablo Francisco - Bits And Pieces: Live From Orange County

Average customer rating:

Woo hoo
a kneeslapper
Outstanding
Extremely Funny
Not Pablo's best.

Pablo Francisco - Bits And Pieces: Live From Orange County
Starring: Pablo Francisco
Manufacturer: Shout Factory Theatr
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Comedy | Genres | DVD | Video

( P ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video

Pablo Francisco: Ouch! Live From San Jose
The Three Amigos - Uncensored Stand-Up
A Knee to the Groin
Stephen Lynch - Live at The El Rey
Carlos Mencia: Not for the Easily Offended

ASIN: B00028G6MQ
Release Date: 2004-07-27

Description

Pablo Francisco adds his brand of comedy to the Ad Lib Breakout Comedy Series with Bits And Pieces, taped in Southern California in early 2004.

The DVD, complete with a bonus CD, sends you into the whirlwind comedy of this rising star. The show features explosive material that tears apart everything from love songs and psycho chicks to Viagra and American justice. With his uncanny talent for creating visceral images using strikingly authentic, off-the-wall sound effects, Pablo keeps the laughs coming.

DVD Extras:
- Hilarious commentary track
- "Inside The Comic's Studio" featurette
- Beans & Rice screen saver
- Bonus CD

Customer Reviews:

Woo hoo.......2007-05-13

His comedy is right on, I first saw him on the Comedy channel and then on You Tube. I found myself playing his bits over and over for family and friends. Finally I decided I had to see his whole show, you will not be diappointed.

a kneeslapper.......2006-10-20

despite his rude sexual humor, Pablo is definetly one of the funniest guys in stand up comedy. His sound effects are legendary and his face expressions are hilarious! Great DVD, you will have fun listening to it.
Although Pablo isn't 100% funny throughout the whole show, he get's pretty much all of your attention anyways.

4 out of 5 stars, cuz I'm sure he can be even funnier! Other than that, great DVD!!!

Outstanding.......2006-03-12

Greate standup. For the price is just excelent you get a dvd and a cd. Pablo is hilarious and his impretions are probably the best thing on the dvd. If you don't like comedians that use a lot of profanity then probably this isn't for you. Great Buy.

Extremely Funny.......2006-03-04

All I got to say is this guy is hilarious! His ability to imitate people, music, and other sounds is what really makes him funny in my opinion. If you like laughing, then buy this dvd.

Not Pablo's best........2006-02-28

I love Pablo's act on Comedy Central. This one doesn't even touch it.

Eight Simple Qigong Exercises For Health - The 8 Pieces of Brocade

Average customer rating:

Good exercise for health inside out.
Excellent Qigong exercise
A very good Qigong beginner's introduction DVD
Qigong for Health
Works great

Eight Simple Qigong Exercises For Health - The 8 Pieces of Brocade
Starring: Jwing-Ming Yang
Director: David Silver
Manufacturer: YMAA Publication Center
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Special Interests | Genres | DVD | Video

Fitness | Fitness & Yoga | Genres | DVD | Video

Tai Chi | Fitness & Yoga | Genres | DVD | Video

Stretching | Fitness & Yoga | Genres | DVD | Video

General | Fitness & Yoga | Genres | DVD | Video

( E ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video

Eight Simple Qigong Exercises for Health: The Eight Pieces of Brocade
Taijiquan, Classical Yang Style DVD (YMAA Tai Chi) Dr. Yang, Jwing-Ming
Qigong Beginning Practice
Sunrise Tai Chi (YMAA)
The Essential Qigong Training Course: 100 Days to Increase Energy, Physical Health & Spiritual Well-Being

ASIN: B00016USR8
Release Date: 2003-12-23

Description

In this best-selling video, Dr. Yang, Jwing-Ming instructs and demonstrates "the Eight Pieces of Brocade", one of the most popular sets of Chinese healing exercises. These gentle breathing, stretching and strengthening movements activate the Qi energy and blood circulation in your body, helping to stimulate your immune system, strengthen your internal organs, and give you abundant energy. With both a sitting and standing set, anyone can practice these simple and effective exercises in as little as 15 -20 minutes a day.

"...thousands of illnesses vanish into dust..."

Known in China as the Ba Duan Jin, the Eight Pieces of Brocade has been practiced for over 1,000 years. Also included are the `secret words' - poetry that has been used to pass this knowledge down from generation to generation, which contains the key to each of these ancient medical qigong movements.

This DVD edition includes a detailed and fascinating qigong lecture by Dr. Yang, Jwing-Ming, with over an hour of additional explanation and instruction of each of the qigong movements, and the history of the Eight Pieces of Brocade.

• Two complete sets of exercises • Time-tested, traditional Chinese healing art • Modern scientific explanation of healing principles • Multi-Language Edition- Narrated in English or French, with original Chinese poetry narrated by Dr. Yang, Jwing-Ming

Special Features: Over 50 Scene Selections • Menus in English or French • Language: English, French and Chinese • Subtitles: English, French, Spanish, Portuguese, Dutch • Interactive YMAA Product Catalog • Chinese Glossary • Biography: Dr. Yang, Jwing-Ming • History: YMAA

"8 Simple Qigong Exercises" • Written & Performed by Dr. Yang, Jwing-Ming • Edited by David Silver and Media Manic • Video Production Supervision by David Silver • DVD Production by Media Manic • Directed by Dr.Yang, Jwing-Ming and David Silver

195 minutes - color/ DVD9 - NTSC -All Regions © Dr. Yang, Jwing-Ming 2003

Customer Reviews:

Good exercise for health inside out........2007-05-13

I started this exercise for 1.5 months and see some result,since I'm overweight,it's not a weight loss(for now) but my neck & back aches were gone and more energy. I started with the same repetitions as in DVD (6)then build up to 9 and now 12 will be 24 as Dr. Yang said soon. The exercise need quiet time to do.

Excellent Qigong exercise.......2006-10-17

I probably own four or five books on the 8 Pieces of Brocade, a Qigong exercise that at first does not appear to be complex or difficult to learn. After reading the various books on this exercise I felt that I had a pretty good grasp of how to do the exercises and what to expect. Watching this DVD was very enlightening and corrected some misconceptions I had about the exercises. The book by Dr. Yang, Jwing Ming is excellent, but as suggested by the author, using the DVD and the book together is a very effective technique for obtaining accurate and effective results while doing this form.

The DVD offers both the Sitting and Standing versions of the 8 Pieces of Brocade exercise. Dr. Yang starts off the DVD with a history of the 8 Pieces of Brocade, which was created approximately one thousand years ago.
The 8 Pieces of Brocade is presented in two main sections, the sitting version and the standing version. First shown is an analysis of the steps in the sitting version.

Throughout this analysis the DVD uses multiple angle shots to display the front, sides and rear of Dr. Yang as he demonstrates each of the movements. Additionally, the added benefit of sound helps the student to realize for example how hard to tap the teeth, or when to breath in and out. Even the tapping of the fingers on the back of the skull during one of the exercises helps the student to do the movement correctly by listening to the sound that is made when Dr. Yang demonstrates the movement.

Following a very detailed and clear presentation during the analysis of the 8 Pieces of Brocade, the form is then shown in its entirety. With the convenient chapter markers available on the DVD, the student can easily follow along whatever section they choose. The movement to DVD for the YMAA products has made learning much easier by allowing this convenient and instant access to any part of the material.

After the analysis of the sitting form of the 8 Pieces of Brocade, the DVD then presents the analysis of the standing form of the 8 Pieces of Brocade, followed by a continuous demonstration of the form.

The student is then treated to a lecture by Dr. Yang on the 8 Pieces of Brocade. This lecture is approximately 50 minutes and has a wealth of information about the form. Clever use of animation helps to illustrate the flow of chi that occurs while doing the form.

In my opinion, the way to learn martial arts successfully is to employ the following tools:

Instruction from a teacher

Studying printed material

Visualization in your mind

Self practice and study while doing the forms

Writing a journal to record what is learned or taught during each lesson
Watching videos of the teacher

Filming yourself and comparing it to the image you had in your mind of how you were doing the form

Socialize and share your knowledge with other students and work on the principles together

Try teaching one of the concepts, moves, techniques or applications to a person who has no knowledge of Taijiquan. In the process you will easily learn as much as the person you are trying to teach.

This DVD is one of the above mentioned tools, and a wonderful addition for the serious student to learn and practice properly the 8 Pieces of Brocade.

A very good Qigong beginner's introduction DVD.......2006-03-22

This DVD lives up to its promises - it introduces you to the world of Qigong. I have personally practised some Qigong exercises before - from some books - but after watching this DVD I realized that I was doing them somewhat wrong. I didn't see any of what I had been practising in this video, however, doing Qigong is like a poem (actually, it was a poem for ancient Chinese), like a moving meditation, it's soft and smooth, whereas I had a rigid and strict execution. This DVD presents two sets of exercises - sitting (on a bed, let's say) for elderly and weak people, and standing - for everyone else. There is a track presenting the history of Qigong, specifically this set, and detailed explanations of each exercise, including medical benefits (e.g. what internal organ you would be massaging by doing them). Granted, you need more information (e.g.on breathing - it is only briefly touched), but then again, a beginner could only get so much or else (s)he becomes scared of so many new things. Still, Dr. Yang has a book with the same title, I've ordered and received mine (but haven't started reading it yet), that should explain more things. The book and the video complement each other - the former has more information, but the latter shows you the execution. Get them both.
I'm also a beginner, and have no teacher, but apparently, looking at customer reviews for Qigong beginners, this is the course path that I recommend (that is what I am going to order and study, even if I get a teacher in the meantime):
- Stick to 8 Pieces of Brocade until you execute it well, and by that I mean not only physical execution - which you will probably get soon, it's very simple, but also mental - you master it when you are able to focus on it from beginning to end, or sort of.
- Get "Chi Kung: The Way of healing" by Master Lam Kam Chuen, those exercises should prepare you for the next stage
- Get "Chi Kung: The Way of energy" by Master Lam Kam Chuen and "Opening the energy gates of your body" by Bruce Frantzis Kumar, those books complement each other. Note that apparently all the exercise in "Way of healing" are actually easier selections from "Way of energy", so don't be surprised. I guess, because of this you could skip the "Way of healing" phase completely.
When all the above is done - you should have greatly improved your energetics, but it could take years or even a lifetime without a teacher. You are then ready to study Dr. Yang's other books - I won't write the relevant ones here (although I had started too, but removed the paragraph), by then you should know which they are, they don't belong in this beginner's review. Anyway, at that stage you should probably get a teacher.
In short, this is a nice beginner's introduction, short of having a teacher. Did I mention to get a teacher?

Qigong for Health.......2006-02-24

I highly reccommend this DVD for interested beginners and experienced Martial Arts practitioners alike who wish to learn a set of Qigong exercises designed to improve health. The DVD is thoughtfully produced and has a lot of interesting background and historical information. A novice will be able to learn a complete set of breathing and movement exercises in a very short time.

Works great.......2006-01-24

I have had this a while, but haven't used it since it's so easy, it's boring. Therefore, I only use it when I'm not feeling well.
Recently I had a severe allergic reaction & used this. I have been using herbs & acupuncture, but I really felt so much better faster using this to build up my energy. Even when I was very dizzy & felt horrible, I went very slowly on the standing exercises & felt much better after, more energy deep down & was able to fall asleep faster then I had in days.
The sitting ones are even more easy for those who cannot stand.
In the demonstration/how-to area, there is an English or American narrator while they show a clip of Dr. Yang doing the exercises a few times. In another section, the practice is Dr. Yang shows you the complete exercises about 3-20x each which only takes about 10-15 min. Unfortunately on mine, in this section, the sound seems to be faster/off by 3-5 full seconds.
Like almost all Qi Gong videos, they all say once you start, you must complete it & I always do a return to chi motion.
There are A LOT of extras. There is a nice amount of lecture about the basics of energy flow & how Qi Gong works. This dvd is almost two hours long, so you are getting your money's worth. Dr. Yang, Jwing-Ming is one man any serious martial artist I have ever talked to knows & has read about.
There are trailers on his site at ymaa.

Average customer rating:

If only more movies were like this.
spectacular low budget movie---a must see
A rare Thanksgiving treat
Katie Holmes does something right.
Pieces of April

Pieces of April
Starring: Katie Holmes , Derek Luke , Oliver Platt , Alison Pill , and John Gallagher Jr.
Director: Peter Hedges (II)
Manufacturer: MGM (Video & DVD)
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Comedy | Genres | DVD | Video

Black Comedy | Comedy | Genres | DVD | Video

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

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

The Station Agent
In America
My Life Without Me
The Gift
Home for the Holidays

ASIN: B0000VV4OK
Release Date: 2004-02-24

Amazon.com

The plot of Pieces of April, a sweet independent film, couldn't be simpler: As a raffish young woman named April (chipmunk-cute Katie Holmes, Wonder Boys, Dawson's Creek) struggles to cook Thanksgiving dinner in her dingy, cramped New York apartment, her estranged family slowly drives toward the city, stopping now and then to question why they're going to a meal they expect to be not only bad to eat, but awkward and unhappy. The writing, acting, and directing of Pieces of April ranges from straightforward to clumsy--and yet the movie builds to a surprisingly potent emotional conclusion. Much of the credit goes to wily Patricia Clarkson (High Art, The Station Agent), who plays April's cancer-ridden mother with a compelling mixture of sadness, rebellion, and wistful hope. Also featuring Oliver Platt (Funny Bones), Sean Hayes (Billy's Hollywood Screen Kiss), and Derek Luke (Antwone Fisher). --Bret Fetzer

Description

Katie Holmes is "terrific" (People) as the quirky black sheep of her family in this delightful comedy-drama that "sparkles with acerbic wit, original characters and genuine heart" (Variety). Academy AwardÂ(r) nominee* Patricia Clarkson gives "a career-making performance" (Boxoffice), and "the entire cast is inspired" (Film Threat) in this "moving, hilarious comedy" (People). Rebellious daughter April Burns (Holmes) has offered to host an elaborate Thanksgiving dinner for her suburban clan in her grubby Lower East Side apartment. But her attempts to create an unforgettable feast go awry when she discovers that her oven doesn't work. Now, asher weary family makes its way to the city, April must rely on the kindness of strangers to pull off the perfect meal and the perfect memory. *2003: Supporting Actress, Pieces of April

Customer Reviews:

If only more movies were like this. .......2007-06-27

A wonderful story, wonderfully acted. If more films were like this then I might be bothered to go to the cinema again.

spectacular low budget movie---a must see.......2007-06-06

Although plenty of directors morph family dysfunction into humour, this movie is hardly a comedy, but more of a voyeristic and amusing drop-in on someone's Thanksgiving meal. Pretty Katie Holmes is believable as the angry, rebel daughter who, on the most stressed out of all holidays, decides to reach out across the cavernous divide of familial relations gone astray for that big one: approval from the family.

The claustrophobic, gritty and low-budget filming during a gray November is the key for the viewer to make the leap of faith past the comedic possibilities and upscale cast and submit to a sense of bleakness tinged with only a shred of hope. In fact, had the movie been expensive and slick, it might have had an oil and water combo of comedy and drama that equals another ho hum Hollywood soon to be forgetten flick. Not so here.

The characters are interesting and faulted in their own right, but for all their downfalls it's possible to have a sense of forgiveness for them. Patricia Clarkson does a beautiful job as the ascerbic, dying mother battling chemotherapy nausea and resignation in between glazed donuts. Although the movie does not succumb to sentimentality, better get out the tissues for the ending.

A rare Thanksgiving treat.......2007-05-27

The transition from teen TV actress to movie star is fraught with difficulties. Katie Holmes, longtime lead actress for the WB's "Dawson's Creek," is the latest to attempt the move. Her early efforts showed a knack for picking quality material ("Wonder Boys," "Go"), although most of these films featured her in supporting roles.

With the ultra-low-budget "Pieces of April," that changed. Holmes plays April, a problem child who rarely sees her parents (played by Patricia Clarkson and Oliver Platt) or younger siblings. Now, she's trying to clean up her act, dumping her drug-dealing boyfriend for the more upstanding Bobby (Derek Luke) and inviting her family to her NYC apartment for Thanksgiving dinner.

Despite April's recent efforts to clean her act up, her family remains skeptical and less than eager to make the trek to April's abode. But, perhaps buoyed by the terminal illness of one family member, they reluctantly make the trip. The film primarily alternates back and forth between the family's rather eventful road trip and April's equally eventful attempt to cook Thanksgiving dinner. April's trials and travails include a frantic search for a working oven to cook the turkey in, a search that eventually leading her to an eccentric neighbor's home (played by "Will & Grace" star Sean Hayes).

"Pieces of April" veers wildly between offbeat humor and poignant drama. It's an uneasy mix, largely because some of the bizarre scenarios seem forced. Worse yet, some of the comedic scenes are downright unfunny. Still, writer Peter Hedges ("What's Eating Gilbert Grape," "About A Boy"), making his directorial debut, compensates with some genuinely funny and touching moments. The film's gritty low-budget look also works to its advantage, adding a feeling of realism to the proceedings.

The cast, working for virtually no pay, is solid all around. It's a kick to see Holmes in a gritty low-budget indie shot on video. She accepts the challenge and thrives, giving her best film performance to date. Clarkson, who won a special jury prize at Sundance for her role, shines as April's mother, alternating between bitter rage and love for her family. Luke, who burst onto the scene in Denzel Washington's "Antwone Fisher," continues to show that he's an acting natural. Finally, how can you not like a film that finds an amusing part for Sisqo (of "Thong Song" fame)?

"Pieces of April" was truly a lavor of love for Hedges. Shot for only $150,000 and partly inspired by his mother's battle with cancer, it was a hit at Sundance. An often funny, poignant story about family dysfunction, it's packed with a sense of intimacy missing from most of the hollow big-budget behemoths crowding the theaters. And we should all give thanks for that.

Katie Holmes does something right........2007-04-10

I think I may have just seen a perfect movie. Very, VERY rarely does this happen for me, and when it does, I feel great. Pieces of April is a movie that I was putting off on watching for the longest time. Be it to watch some newer movie that I was interested in for a while, or some "classic" that only ended up disappointing me, PoA kept getting pushed to the side. After seeing it tonight, I'm ashamed to have done that for so long, as like I said in the first sentence, I really feel like this is a perfect movie. Not THE perfect movie, and not the best movie of all time by any means, but one that doesn't do anything wrong, or have a single useless scene. Off the top of my head, I can only say that about maybe two other movies, so this is obviously a very rare thing. I really didn't think I'd ever say that about a movie where Katie Holmes is the star. Now, I'm not the kind to dismiss a movie just on who's in it, even if the person is someone like Chris Tucker, but with Katie Holmes' choice of roles in the past few years, I wasn't expecting much here. It's about time I get blown away by something. Do yourself a favor and skip all reviews for the movie, and just give it a shot if you're interested at all in a fantastic feel-good movie, especially one of the few out there to revolve around Thanksgiving (without making it the main focus), you can't go wrong with Pieces of April.

April is a young woman leading what most would consider an "alternative" lifestyle. She's making Thanksgiving dinner for her family, who's coming down to visit her for the first time in a while. With the way she dresses, decorates her home, etc. compared to the rest of her family, it's easy to see why they don't think very highly of her. Her mom, Joy, has just returned from the hospital after surgery on her breast cancer, and with the way everyone else acts around her, it's clear that she doesn't have much longer to live. Joy may seem uppity, but it's mostly because she's sick of how jumpy everyone is around her. Her and her husband have two other kids- a son and another daughter. The son's into photography, and is sort of chronicling what could be their last family Thanksgiving, while the other daughter requires a pat on the back any time she does something good, and feels the need to correct memories that others think involved April when they were really regarding her. To make this even better, they're taking their very senile grandmother along with them, someone who doesn't know the names of anyone in the same car as her. While the family journeys to April's home, they bump into some trouble several times, mostly emotional. At the same time, April and her boyfriend Bobby are just running along a string of mishaps. For starters, her oven's shot, so she needs to find another to cook the turkey. When she finally does find one, she can only use it to halfway cook the turkey, and then needs to find another. Similar things happen, and only get worse for her. Bobby on the other hand, wanting to make a good first impression, is out looking for a nice outfit, but just as the others, he doesn't have an easy time. What's to become of this would-be car wreck?

While the plot doesn't sound too original at first, it's everything that happens after it's set up that proves to be gold. While April may look different, she acts "normal", and I couldn't see any reason not to like her/side with her parents. The series of problems she gets into with the turkey is hilarious in how bad they get. The first people to let her use their oven greet her with something that would normally be a dead joke. April knocks on their door, only to be answered by a woman who laughs when she hears that April has problems. Her husband asks who's at the door, and the woman proceeds to say that it's a young white girl with her whole life ahead of her, then mentions how she's going to love hearing about her so-called problems. We immediately cut to the same woman reaching for tissue and crying. Her husband proves to be an equally great character- he acts offended when April tells him that she's using store-bought cranberries and boxed stuffing. Just the way he questions her choices had me laughing out loud, which is something I don't do often when watching a comedy that's intended to be a comedy, if that makes any sense. The interaction between all the characters is what pulls this movie together so much to the point where I almost wish I had this sort of thing with my family when we were all together. I thanked god on the director/writer's choice to not make the senile grandma be the butt of a lot of jokes. Normally in movies, they'd beat the subject to death. Here, she's used only a few times, and when she is, it's not the typical stuff you'd expect. Only once does she repeat "who are you?" to Joy, her daughter. Joy tells her who she is, but then gets a response that was a bit painful to hear- that she knows who her daughter is, and that she's kind and wouldn't act like the way she is to everyone. And again, not a single scene in the movie is a waste. While I wanted to say that my only problem with Pieces of April was the short running time of 80 minutes, I have to take that back. No scene begs to be touched upon any more than it already is. I just wish it hadn't ended. I loved these characters.

With such a small budget, there's no way the movie's going to get some crystal clear transfer, but it looks pretty good still. There's some grain, giving a few scenes a gritty look, but I guess it helps the movie at the same time somehow. That's the only problem with the print I could see, but it's also worth mentioning that a few scenes were VERY jumpy, almost to the point where it was ridiculous. Just look at the scene where Joy goes back for the snacks for her family and you'll see what I mean. The audio is center focused since the movie's consisted of talking for the most part, and barely has a soundtrack. Everything is balanced and clear here.

There's not much in the way of special features here. First up is a commentary with the writer/director Peter Hedges. He does a fairly good job talking about everything from April's clothes to the number of times the movie fell apart before it got going. It sounds like he's reading off a piece of paper or something, saying some pretty precise things without much emotion, but I can look past it since he talks enough. I didn't appreciate him calling Alison Pill "The Canadian Meryl Streep" though. Comparing Meryl to her is silly. All the Pieces Together is your average making-of featurette, going over the inspiration for the movie, interviews with the main actors and more. After seeing the cast in the movie, then watching this immediately after, it was cool to see how different some of them look, namely Patricia Clarkson and Katie (even if we constantly see her in the news these days). While it's nice to hear the back story, this featurette is filled with too many clips for my taste, and is probably only about 6 minutes long with the rest being clips. Other than those, all we get are the trailer and some previews for other MGM releases. It would've been nice to see what scenes were deleted, even if I feel everything was perfect, or even longer interviews with the cast, but what we get's good enough. More extras would've pushed the overall rating to 4.5 stars easily.

The fact that the movie was shot in just 16 days and turned out as great as it did is really something. Add in a perfect cast of actors obviously comfortable in their roles, with a script that should've net this thing a few awards, and you have one of the better family-oriented comedies to come out in a very long time. It's hard to believe that this is Hedges' first film too. I look forward to seeing his other work, because this sure left me with an outstanding first impression. And hearing him say that he hoped people talk about life rather than the movie after seeing it, I gotta say, that's exactly what my girlfriend and I did after watching it. The man's got a gift.

Pieces of April.......2007-03-24

A good holiday movie, especially if the family all hangs out for several days playing video games and watching movies like we do. Purchased this one, Home for the Holidays and The Ref, enjoyed them all!

Going to Pieces: The Rise and Fall of the Slasher Film

Average customer rating:

The Bite-Size, Fast Food Version Of A Horror Institution
Great look back to the slasher boom
Going to Pieces: The Rise and Fall of the Slasher Film
Highly Inspirational If You love Old School Slasher Flicks
A fond look at the glory days of the slasher film (1978 to 1986)

Going to Pieces: The Rise and Fall of the Slasher Film
Starring: Stan Winston , Melissa Sue Anderson , Donald Pleasence , Jamie Lee Curtis , and Lilyan Chauvin
Manufacturer: Velocity / Thinkfilm
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B000LAZDOW
Release Date: 2007-03-20

Description

Every fear you've ever felt. Every evil you've witnessed. Every nightmare you've ever known… have come together for the first time in one film. Going to Pieces is the ultimate anthology that takes you on a horrifying journey through your favorite slasher films including Halloween, Psycho, Friday the 13th, Prom Night, A Nightmare on Elm Street, Scream and When a Stranger Calls. Interviews with horror icons John Carpenter, Wes Craven, Rob Zombie, Tom Savini and many more guide you through a series of gruesome scenes from classic films and recent hits. Watch as the history of the slasher film comes alive…if you dare!

Customer Reviews:

The Bite-Size, Fast Food Version Of A Horror Institution.......2007-06-11

"GOING TO PIECES" is not by any means comprehensive or particularly in-depth. I believe the main flaw with a project such as this is your target audience... the part of your intended viewership that is reeeeeeally interested in this topic already knows most, if not all, of the info presented here. The other part, who are perhaps a little curious about the slasher genre, are probably just gonna go out and rent the actual films rather than a documentary on 'em. Though, they'd maybe save time this way, since "GOING TO PIECES" is loaded with cool clips from most of the films it name-drops.

That said, I can't really bad-mouth anything that pays at least decent lip service to my favorite film niche. And I am VERY happy that "GOING TO PIECES" has the courage to call out "APRIL FOOL'S DAY" as a total waste of time... though one of the interviewees actually dares to suggest that it's less of a misleading rip-off and/or a better movie than the awesome Alexandre Aja pic "HIGH TENSION"!! Wrong-headedness, says I, and ignore that guy every time he's on-screen, 'cuz he's full of it. I do have a couple of OTHER gripes, too (hey, what kind of fan-boy would I be if I didn't?!)...

First, while a good chunk of attention is paid to the "FRIDAY THE 13TH" canon, this documentary does what every other look at the "FRIDAY..." films does and simply trashes the later sequels. Sure, sequels made as a cash-in and numbering upwards of '...Part 8' or beyond are generally easy targets, but what everyone, including the makers of this doc, seems to forget is that those movies, even the latter entries, still survive on a die-hard fan base. "FRIDAY THE 13TH PART 6: JASON LIVES" is my FAVORITE movie of all time, fer cryin' out loud!! So if you must, point out that they were maybe critical or commercial failures, but don't forget to show respect and maybe point out that even the abysmal "JASON GOES TO HELL" has its supporters.

"GOING TO PIECES" touches on a lot of the hallmarks, including the aforementioned "FRIDAY..." flix, the "HALLOWEEN" films (naturally...duh!) and the "NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET" franchise. "TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE" gets some props, and the briefest of mention is made regarding the influence on Italian giallo flicks. This was a bit of a sticky point for me, as I had always held the belief that giallo were actually inspirational to slashers, not the other way around. But only a passing comment is made on a film such as, say, Bava's "TWITCH OF THE DEATH NERVE" - a precursor to to the 'body-count' ethos later popularized by Jason Voorhees and co. To me, largely ignoring giallo flicks and simply crediting John Carpenter's "HALLOWEEN" as the genesis of the genre seems kinda like oversimplification. Or just plain dumbing-down; no offense to Carpenter, whose work I love.

I do credit this doc with spending well deserved time on some of the less-often recognized 'slasher opuses', as films such as "MY BLOODY VALENTINE" (a personal fave), "MANIAC" (starring the incomparable Joe Spinell), "PROM NIGHT", "THE PROWLER", "SILENT NIGHT, DEADLY NIGHT", and many other keystone slashers, get some good screen-time. Even the ones that maybe don't deserve as much commentary, such as the bore-a-thon "HE KNOWS YOU'RE ALONE" or the bottom-of-the-barrel leftovers such as "GRADUATION DAY" or "PIECES" harbor mention. But when the '80s fodder runs out, (with nary a mention, btw, of "MANIAC COP". Shame!) so does "GOING TO PIECES", it would seem. Because all of a sudden it acts as if there were no decent slasher films until Wes Craven came along (after having a big hand in things with his "NIGHTMARE..." films) and saved/ruined everything with "SCREAM". What about "I, MADMAN"? or even the under-appreciated "POPCORN"? Say what you will, but "POPCORN" predated "SCREAM"s self-reflexive vibe by at least a few years, and I think true students of slasher films should appreciate that.

These complaints are not meant to devalue "GOING TO PIECES" in any way, but only to point out that if you're looking for the absolute final word on the topic of slasher flix (if such a thing even exists), then this ain't it. But it's a pleasant thing for horror buffs to watch, I s'pose, with a lot of the usual suspects/authorities consulted for semi-interesting interviews... Tom Savini, Sean Cunningham, Rob Zombie, Fangoria's Tony Timpone, Craven, Carpenter, et al. Sadly, no appearance by Eli Roth, though, which is probably a wasted opportunity, since I view him as the most direct, current-day relation (in terms of filmmaking) to the slasher mentality of yore. Another interesting side-note is that Stan Winston, monster FX man extraordinaire, gets a lot of screen-time... though when did he ever actually MAKE a slasher film? Does "PUMPKINHEAD" count?! Sure, he produced "WRONG TURN", but that film isn't even mentioned in "GOING TO PIECES". Strange, and yet another of the omissions "GOING TO PIECES" is guilty of.

Overall, it's a nice, easy-to-watch gesture towards the slasher film, and the quiz material in the bonus features is vaguely challenging, but what I mainly took away from "GOING TO PIECES" was that I seriously wished some of the films covered here, like "ALICE SWEET ALICE" or "THE BURNING", were currently available on DVD.

Great look back to the slasher boom.......2007-05-22

Being a fan of horror movies, slasher films included, I popped in GOING TO PIECES: THE RISE & FALL OF THE SLASHER FILM one night in the hopes of getting a comprehensive view of one of my fave sub-genres. Stupid teenagers and boogeymen, here I come!

The result? A full 45 minute genre romp through the years 1979-1981, and then another 45 minutes spent on everything else. A tad unbalanced.

Focusing on the birth of the slasher film, the directors hone in on the Granddaddy and Golden Child of all slasher flicks: PSYCHO and HALLOWEEN, respectively. Then they use HALLOWEEN as a launching pad to review the glut of slasher flicks that followed its release, unloading a torrent of obscure titles that you've probably forgotten about. Factor in copious interviews with the original directors and other knowledgeable horror critics, and the first half of GOING TO PIECES is a real treat for the hardcore genre fan.

The movie's biggest flaw? They don't dedicate nearly enough time to the flicks that followed the original boom of the early `80's. The deepest we get after 1981 is an analysis of ELM STREET and how it revitalized the genre. They touch on SCREAM and SAW at one point, but otherwise it's pretty anemic. Perhaps if they had trimmed down some of the interviews they could have dedicated more time to 1982-2006.

Needless to say, when the film concluded I was hungry for more documentary on the other titles in the slasher library. Thus, I'd recommend GOING TO PIECES for what it's worth: An excellent trip down memory lane to the years 1979-1981. The first half is sirloin steak. Just be prepared for the fluffy cotton candy of the second half.

Going to Pieces: The Rise and Fall of the Slasher Film.......2007-05-10

If you love horror films this is a must see. This documentary provided valuable input from the creators of classic slasher films that to explain slasher films are not only about killing teenagers, they can have social messages, and often illustrate female power

Highly Inspirational If You love Old School Slasher Flicks.......2007-05-06

if u love slasher films i highly reccomend this. there were alot of movies i havent ever seen talked about in this with clips from them. i've bought some that were shown on there because of seeing them on it and thinkin they looked interesting. i've bought ''The Burning'' and ''Madman''. both are great rare old school slasher flicks. if u love old school slasher films and are interested in tha history buy this.

A fond look at the glory days of the slasher film (1978 to 1986).......2007-04-29

First of all, how on earth did I ever miss "Sleepaway Camp"? I mean, not only did I not see this particular slasher film, I do not remember hearing anything about it let alone the fact that it is clearly an antecedent to "The Crying Game." I am not even sure if I have even heard of that particular film before, although titles like "Sleepaway Camp," "Slumber Party Massacre," and others tend to meld together in your mind over the years. But after watching "Going to Pieces: The Rise and Fall of the Slasher Film," I am going to have to track that puppy down, and I imagine other fans of this horror genre will also see a title or two that they have missed along the way that they will want to track down as well after watching this 2006 documentary.

The documentary is based on Adam Rockoff's book, "Going to Pieces: The Rise and Fall of the Slasher Film, 1978 to 1986," and while that particular time frame is not explicitly mentioned in the film version it explains why it essentially begins with "Halloween" and ends with "April Fool's Day." At the start we go back to the birth of the Grand Guignol theatre and how a pair of 1960s films, Michael Powell's "Peeping Tom" and Alfred Hitchock's "Psycho" laid the foundation for the slasher film. But there is no effort to connect the dots until John Carpenter's "Halloween" bursts on the scene 18 years later and it was not until I saw the book's title that I felt better about this gap. The same thing applies at the end, when the rebirth of the genre with "Silence of the Lambs" giving horror a new sense of legitimacy in the movies and the success of "Scream" quickly turning to the extremely violent but commercially successful films like "Hostel," "Saw," and "Wolf's Creek." Again, there the link is not established from the past to the present either, which is why the true scope of this documentary is all about the glory days of the slasher films (the name just does not make sense in describing the current crop of ultra-horror films).

The fun here are the clips of memorable moments from these films, with attention being paid to not only obvious biggies like "Friday the 13th" but also one of my personal favorites in "My Bloody Valentine," the controversial "Silent Night Deadly Night," and pretty much anything they could get a clip from to show, which is not everything, but most of the movies that come to mind for this genre and several that do not. In terms of the talking heads you will find that in addition to big name directors like Carpenter and Wes Craven there are also lesser names such as Amy Holden-Jones ("Slumber Party Massacre") and current hot shots like Rob Zombie (I recognize more of the movies than I did the directors). Makeup and special effects guru Tom Savini shows up a lot as a talking head and actress Betsy Palmer relishes her notoriety as Mrs. Vorhees, but one of my favorites ended up being Jeff Katz, the director of development at New Line Cinema, who talks about these films while walking through an alley somewhere (I thought for sure he was Rockoff). Memories trump analysis, but there is a nice argument made for how Jamie Leigh Curtis was pivotal to the success of "Halloween" that jump started the genre, a look at how the slasher flick formula developed and then ossified, and the strange way in which the promotion of the tongue-in-cheek "April Fool's Day" put the genre into hibernation for a decade.

Overall, "Going to Pieces" is not a comprehensive documentary on the subject and I have no doubt fans will find a lot more information in Rockoff's book. But the book does not have the movie clips that this documentary can offer and the net result is more than a nostalgic walk down memory lane (Remember when Michael Myers was the first villain to keep getting up? Remember the last time you saw a horror film where that did NOT happen?). Just have one of your favorite slasher flicks from this period on hand to watch afterwards, because "Going to Pieces" is just going to whet your appetite and it will take a while to get your hands on the films covered here that you have never seen. For extras on the DVD there are some more interviews with the likes of Stan Winston and a trailer for the documentary. Adam Rockoff includes a "message," but you have to read it. There are a pair of Slasher film trivia games, regular and advanced, that should prove rather challenging (You should already know "How many couselors and campers did Jason kill in 'Friday the 13th'," but can you handle it when they ask the same question about his mom?).

Average customer rating:

A Real Eye Opener

Titanic's Final Moments: Missing Pieces
Starring: John Chatterton , Richard Kohler (III) , David Concannon , Parks Stephenson , and Simon Mills
Director: Kirk Wolfinger , and Melissa Jo Peltier
Manufacturer: A&E Home Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B000F0UUSC
Release Date: 2006-05-30

Customer Reviews:

A Real Eye Opener.......2006-05-24

I am here on this beautiful Island of Curacao in the Carribean.
There's an international Dive Festival Going on from May 20th, till May 26th 2006.

And John and Richie are here!!

Premiering the release of their DVD!! They showed it too us in 2 parts and all I can say is that it's the best thing on titanic I've ever seen !!

If you've never heard of Titanic, then where have you been living? One of history's most captivating tragedies, the sinking of the Titanic draws countless numbers to learn more about the catastrophe. That fateful trip is absolutely fascinating, and I've watched a great many documentaries about that famed ship. A glorious super liner, Titanic is perhaps more famous today than it was in 1912.

As a result, most of us know what led to its sinking, either from the movie or from documentaries. This latest entry into the fold from The History Channel, Titanic's Final Moments: Missing Pieces has a new postulation on the now generally accepted theory of the ship's demise. That current theory states that Titanic saw an iceberg straight in its path. It tried to turn to miss it, but the big ship clipped the side of the iceberg, tearing a gash or a series of small gashes along its side. Water flooded in, filling enough watertight compartments to cause her to go down. As remarkably shown in Titanic, the nose of the ship went under first, causing the stern to rise above the water. At some point, something caused the ship to split in half, causing the stern to crash back to the water. The nose then quickly went under, pulling the stern deep down to the bottom of the Atlantic.

Five years ago, an expedition to explore the wreckage made an interesting discovery south of the stern's debris field. They said they found "long strips of metal." Unfortunately, the submersible's camera equipment malfunctioned and they had no proof of what they saw. But this set in motion a new theory. Maybe these long strips were from the bottom of the ship. If so, then Titanic just didn't graze the side of the iceberg, but it actually ran over part of the iceberg too. We learn that an iceberg does not go straight down below the water (like a cliff); instead, the water causes the iceberg to form a shelf below the water. Hence, it's now theorized that Titanic somewhat ran aground on the iceberg. If so, in addition to the gashes on the side, maybe there was also significant damage on the bottom, explaining how the ship sank in less than three hours. If that were true, it could also explain why the front of the ship is relatively intact while the stern is crushed upon itself.

Now that I've told you all that, is there any reason to watch the special? Hell yeah!! The two-hour special shows you the 2005 expedition to look for these strips of metal to add proof to the theory. It's an interesting journey, one that's fun to watch to see what is or isn't found/learned. The expedition, once we get to the bits where the "long strips of metal" are either found or not found, is the most exciting piece on the DVD.

I liked the special. It is well done, just sit tight and keep your eyes open for on of the most exciting journeys down to explore the titanic.

Included on the disc are two bonus items. Starting things off is the wholly unforgettable, PR fluff piece "History in the Making: Titanic" (5 minutes). This is one of those filler pieces probably shown on The History Channel to get people to watch the show when it premiered.

Faring infinitely better is the second item, "History's Mysteries: Doomed Sisters of the Titanic" (42 minutes). This is a complete episode of History's Mysteries that details the unfortunate careers of the White Star Line's trio of sister ships, Olympic, Titanic, and Brittanic. This episode, without as much historical repetition, is fascinating and I learned much about the apparently cursed ships.

All in all, you get your money's worth, and it's surely some thing you'd like to add to your DVD collection!!

Average customer rating:

pieces of time/a piece of class
More, give me more Dwight
If your A Dwight Fan, you will love this!!!!!!!!
Great Video
Dwight Yoakam-Piices of Time

Dwight Yoakam - Pieces of Time
Starring: Dwight Yoakam
Manufacturer: Warner Strat. Mkt.
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

Alt-Country & Americana | Country | Styles | Music

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Dwight Yoakam - Just Lookin' for a Hit
Dwight Yoakam - Live From Austin Tx
Dwight Yoakam
Come on Christmas
Buenas Noches From a Lonely Room

ASIN: B0000C2ISA
Release Date: 2003-09-23

Customer Reviews:

pieces of time/a piece of class.......2007-04-09

From the opening scenes to the final song,this has to be one of the most entertaining music dvds i havve seen.
How pleasing to have so many of his favourite songs on one disc!!
With the toe tapping "turn me up turn me down turn me loose" to the haunting "aint that lonely yet"the bouncy "pocket of a clown" & what about the fabulous "thousand miles from nowhere" the latter would have to be one of the best video clips ever,just a milesstone of dvd entertainment
In a word--brilliant!!

More, give me more Dwight.......2006-12-20

Dear Dwight,

I have listened and watched this more than any other DVD. Please do another one of these so that we can have all of your video clips to watch.

A fan.

Well that sums it up. And if your not a Dwight fan watch it once or listen to one of his albums, you may squirm all the way through but afterwards you'll be hooked.

If your A Dwight Fan, you will love this!!!!!!!!.......2006-08-19

Dwight is one of the pure county singers left and this goes to show that. The songs are all orignal and have been relased previously, but to watch the videos is another thing. Very entertaining.

Great Video.......2006-03-16

You'll watch this one more than once, I promise. Love it !!

Dwight Yoakam-Piices of Time.......2005-08-03

A great DVD to watch. A must for everyone to view. Just good Music

Average customer rating:

I hate to admit it...but I loved this film!!!
Rest in PIECES!!!.
1.5 STARS: I don't know whether to laugh hysterically or cry for my lost $5.00 after watching this.
Campy 70s/80s Style Horror/Gore Flick
"THE END OF THE AGE OF GORE..............1983" "COME ON IT"S ONLY A MOVIE"!!!!!!!!!

Pieces
Starring: Christopher George , Lynda Day George , Jack Taylor , Gerard Tichy , and Edmund Purdom
Director: Juan Piquer Simon
Manufacturer: Diamond Ent. Corp.
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B00004WGC8
Release Date: 2000-05-16

Customer Reviews:

I hate to admit it...but I loved this film!!!.......2007-02-19

My title says it all. There are parts that have gore...but there are also places that will make you laugh. If you are into total cheese and frankly just want to watch an interesting film...this one is for you. It is not by any means the perfect movie. There are a couple of times where the soundtrack is off, in particular the beginning of the film...and it's not the best film quality. But it's interesting. AND at times unintentionally FUNNY. For people who like "cult" movies this is for you!

Rest in PIECES!!!........2006-10-28

Pieces is a very gory and trashy slasher flick from the early 80's that I thought was very amusing, not only did it have some great death scenes in it but the acting was absolutely the worst that I have ever seen and it made the whole thing look unintentionally hilarious. The story is about a young boy in the 40's who's playing with a jigsaw puzzle of a naked woman when all of a sudden his mother catches him and is not pleased so she throws away his puzzles and dirty magizines, this obviously makes the boy very angry and upset so he dicides to chop his mom with an axe. Thirty five years later mutilated corpses are discovered on a university campus and each body forms a part of a huge jigsaw puzzle that the police have to piece together, the film has lots of great death scenes where people get sawed in half with a chainsaw and it doesn't cut away so you get to see the whole thing with there guts hanging out. This is a great cult gore/horror film that will appeal to hardcore horror fans other viewers should avoid this film cause they might be disgusted or offended by the graphic violence and gore, the spanish director who made this film also made slugs which sucked so I suggest that you stick with this film. I especially liked the scene where the female heroine gets attacked by a kung fu fighting chinese guy for no reason lol what the hell was that!.

1.5 STARS: I don't know whether to laugh hysterically or cry for my lost $5.00 after watching this........2006-10-15

Yeah, I was quite speechless and to be frank, I did not know what to think or say after seeing "Pieces". WOW!!! How do you write a review about such a strange, ridiculous, stupid, crazy, absurd, laughable, disgusting, gross, obscene, crass and crude of a movie as "Pieces"????? First and foremost, one has to ask him/herself, can you even take it seriously?? As a whole, I don't think you can take it serously as a horror movie per se. Without a doubt, whether intended to be or not, "Pieces" is comical in a "campy" or "dark" kind of way. Yet, "Pieces" is not as bad as some people think when you compare it to other movies in the slasher sub-genre. That being said, it is quite bad!

"Pieces" starts out with an opening scene that is certainly unexpected, horrifying and disturbing. The movie's plot centers around a child who is obsessed with the opposite sex and his mother catches him with a dirty puzzel and chastises him severely for engaging in such an activity. In response to this reprimand, the child completely butchers his own mother with an axe in what is a horrifying death scene, which may look unrealistic, but still creates a disturbing and unsettling atmosphere with the audience. Hence, the viewer has been introduced to this child who is obviously a disturbed individual. At a college, the audience discovers, in a laughable and almost silly fashion, that a killer is on the loose killing college girls with a chainsaw. Why is the villain doing this? Well, the title of this movie along with the beginning scene should give it away.

Predictably, the killer continues to kill and kill until a cop unsuspectingly falls right into the killer's lair. I think that "Pieces" is ineffective as a horror movie because it is so extreme, poorly acted and cheaply made. There is no character development and the murder scenes are ridiculous to say the least.

"Pieces" is a good movie for fans of "excessive gore" and fans of "dark comedy" or campy humor, but this movie is not scary at all, disturbing in a sense, maybe, but not scary. Indeed, this is not a good horror movie by any means and is really quite terrible, but it does have an entertainment value that is quite unique, probably because of its easily identifiable 80s atmosphere and purposely exaggerated death scenes. In fact, I must admit that I have actually seen worse slasher flicks in my time...just watch "Slumber Party Massacre 2" and you will give "Pieces" an oscar.

Undeniably, the acting and directing in "Pieces" are extraordinarily poor, yet to its credit, the movie is able to sustain some mystery about who the killer is. However, there is no mystery about who will be killed or when that person will be killed and the movie really comes off as a joke to the audience especially when the actors Christopher George and his wife are portrayed as the serious detectives in this flick.

The ending is stupid yet is probably the most unexpected and chilling scene of the entire movie. The movie was made so cheaply that is very hard to take it seriously at all. To be frank, I will probably never watch it again, but who knows, maybe I will get totally drunk and watch it one night just for laughs. Hell, watch it without analyzing it and you might actually like it.

Campy 70s/80s Style Horror/Gore Flick.......2006-09-18

I remember this movie back when I was a kid. I was surprised to see it on dvd..and for such a CHEAP price ($3.00)..It's actually worth more than some of the garbage they release now for $19.95!!

Pieces is a typical 70s/80s Style horror flick up there with Movies like HE KNOWS YOU'RE ALONE. It also has that funny, demented humor-type feel to it like MOMMIE DEAREST (with the odd one liners and the over acting. It is a great, bloody mess at times with some pretty good gore effects for the day presenting the viewer with dismemebered bodies. This movie is pretty fun to watch but keep in mind when it was made and appreciate it as a good gore flick. Glad I picked this one up to add to my horror dvd collection.

"THE END OF THE AGE OF GORE..............1983" "COME ON IT"S ONLY A MOVIE"!!!!!!!!!.......2006-09-10

Pieces was the last gore movie of the age of gore 1978-1983. This movie also came out before the MPAA ruined and censored horror movies and helped wipe out the age of gore. I remember seeing the ad for pieces in the summer of 1983, in my local newspapers and being shocked by the gory animated picture. The movie ad saying "it's exactly what you think it is". Pieces was very low budget, filmed in Spain in 1982. It had veteran experienced b actors Christopher George, Linda Day George, Paul Smith and established actor Edmund Purdom at one time during the 1950s Eddie was considered a grade a actor. Pieces was trying to be the goriest movie to out due all gore movies during the age of gore. The creators of Pieces were just having fun. Their fun shocked alot of horror movie goers in the Summer of 1983. Pieces was trashy but fun. Pieces also boasted an eerie soundtrack that went along with the movie very well. Pieces as with most 1980s teen,horror movies provided its viewers with those all so memorable 1980s sexcapades, beautiful men, woman doing the wild thing, then getting killed by the killer. A typical 1980s slasher movie trend that started with Halloween 1978, the movie that kicked off the start of of THE AGE OF GORE, as Pieces 1983 ironically ended that great age. Directed by shock movie director Juan Piquer Simon, Pieces was well directed for such a low budget movie. Believe me Pieces is alot better than the garbage horror gore movies of recent time. Cold and septic Pieces to this day remains shocking and original. For horror fans pieces is excellent trashy gory fun. He wont be remembered for a memorable movie killer for his role in Pieces, but Edmund Purdom plays an excellent really believable killer, in a role I am sure Eddie would like to forget. I like b-movies so I'm sympathetic to Pieces, I also grew up in the 1980s so Pieces brings back some great 1980s memories. Where have you gone (the age of gore?).......................

Average customer rating:

A Helping Hand

DVD-Classical Guitar -Seven Easy Pieces
Starring: Frederic Hand
Manufacturer: Homespun Tapes
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B0001WANWM
Release Date: 2004-03-05

Description

The beauty and romance of the classical guitar is brought home in this fascinating lesson by one of the world's top players. Frederic Hand applies the essential techniques that he demonstrated on his first Homespun video to gorgeous music that will be accessible to all guitarists...with practice.

The seven works taught on this video are among the best-known student pieces, and will be within the reach of most guitarists who are familiar with the fingerboard and basic classical technique. "Easy is a relative term," Fred says. "Playing the classical guitar with beauty and command is a life-long process."

Fred takes each piece apart, pointing out the possible trouble spots and sharing important tips on technique and interpretation. He demonstrates ornamentation, slurs, rhythmic and melodic subtleties, timbral shadings, the importance of correct plucking strokes and other invaluable pointers.

You'll start by learning three lute pieces from the Italian Renaissance, each with a different tempo and feeling: the lyrically romantic Vaghe Belleze, the spritely dance Bianco Fiore and the more stately and dynamic Danza. Johann Sebastian Bach's famous Sarabande is an intriguingly lovely baroque piece, and Fernando Sor's Study in B Minor is an excellent exercise for your right hand. The sublime Adelita by Francisco Tarrega, with its romantic rubato style and lush harmonies, gives players the opportunity to utilize expressive techniques such as portamento and vibrato, and to become familiar with the guitar's upper register.

Finally, you'll learn Fred Hand's distinguished arrangement of the traditional Shaker hymn Simple Gifts. This homage to Aaron Copeland starts with the basic tune in C, but quickly moves into D, taking on a richly contemporary feeling.

Customer Reviews:

A Helping Hand.......2004-11-24

This is an excellent presentation of the seven pieces. I especially enjoyed learning Tarrega's "Adelita" and Bach's "Sarabande". Hand offers some views on interpretation and ornamentation as well, such as his discussion on the traditional baroque approach to Bach vs. his more romantic approach for the guitar. I would recommend buying his other DVD first, "Classical Guitar: Technique & Musicianship" in order to lay some groundwork for these pieces as they are not for the novice. Hand is one of the best classical guitarists in the world, and is gifted as an instructor as well which isn't always the case with great musicians. Between these two videos and the accompanying sheet music any intermediate level (which includes the ability to read music) fingerstyle guitarist should be able to become proficient in beginning to intermediate level classical guitar repertoire. Highly recommended.

Average customer rating:

Do NOT buy the R-Rated Version
amazon does carry th unrated
Um... did I miss something here?
murder set peices
One star for Lionsgate DVD, Four Stars for Unrated Directors Cut!

Murder Set Pieces
Starring: Sven Garrett , Tony Todd , Cerina Vincent , Gunnar Hansen (II) , and Edwin Neal
Director: Nick Palumbo
Manufacturer: Lions Gate
ProductGroup: DVD
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ASIN: B000JMK6UI
Release Date: 2007-01-09

Description

A fashion photographer exposes his demented childhood and zooms his evil lens on the oldest profession under the moon...in quite possibly the most notorious serial killer film ever made.

Customer Reviews:

Do NOT buy the R-Rated Version.......2007-05-14

There is a UN-RATED version of this title available. If you want the real thing dont buy the R rated. Search other online shops for the other version.

amazon does carry th unrated.......2007-04-26

only buy the unrated... would you buy porn with no sex.... why buy one of the most violent films... cut????

Um... did I miss something here?.......2007-04-18

Okay, I'm confused. Wasn't this supposed to be the most disturbing graphic horror movie ever made? What a colossal ripoff.

Based on things I've heard around on the internet, I was expecting to see the pinnical of depravity represented here. Not so. There are scenes that show a bit of blood sure, and the killer gets into frequent depraved situations, but they don't show anything! Whenever a scene has the potential for extreme violence or gore, they pan away or cut to a different scene. All that's really left after that is bad acting, boring dialog, and scenes of the killer driving his car around town. And some naked chicks.

Okay apparently there is a director's cut available which contains the scenes that everybody's flapping about. However now that I've seen the movie and know how lame and boring it is, I have no motivation to see the director's cut.

And BTW, the version I got had some serious problems with the center (dialog) audio channel on the 5.1 track. It was plagued by frequent dropouts, to the extent that I could barely make out some of the dialog. Somebody in the Quality Assurance department at Lion's Gate dropped the ball. Or maybe they were lulled to sleep by the long scenes of vaccuous dialog.

murder set peices.......2007-03-26

look to be fair i have not seen the loins gate version but reading the reviews its been cut to ribbons msp must be seen in an ucut form yes it does shock it does have some images that are taboo like the child stabbing which is disturbing but it is a film and they are actors again watch it uncut its a punch to your senses

One star for Lionsgate DVD, Four Stars for Unrated Directors Cut!.......2007-03-26

All the other reviewers are correct: if you've ever wanted to see the justly-hyped, infamous MURDER-SET-PIECES for yourself, the one DVD to get is the original (now sadly OOP) Fright Flix Director's Cut Version, NOT...I repeat NOT...the severely censored Lionsgate version. In its origial form, MSP is truly one of the most graphic, brutal, creepy, disturbing, yet incredibly effective horror movies ever made - at least in the slasher genre. MSP makes "Maniac" look like "Happy Feet!" It's not art, but it's not a hack job either. For what it's worth, you can't fault director Nick Palumbo for delivering the goods: you will cover your eyes and cringe as he depicts some of the most bloody, intense sexual violence/torture sequences ever inflicted on an audience - rape, yup, decapitation, yup, cannibalism, yup, chainsaw to the head, yup, multiple stabbings, yup, shootings, child murder, yup, nail-through-the-arm, yup, should I go on? NONE of this, alas, can be found in the Disney-fied Lionsgate DVD - what is the point of proclaiming on the DVD cover "the most graphic horror movie ever made" and then proceeding to hack out all the "offensive" content? Better to check other websites or ebay to find a copy. I'd like to see what Palumbo...er...um...whips up next?!

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