Amazon.com essential video

Sissy Spacek won a much-deserved Oscar for her lead in this entertaining biography of country-music legend Loretta Lynn. British director Michael Apted (Gorillas in the Mist) brings fine texture to the Kentucky backwoods section of the film, where the teenage Loretta meets her future husband (Tommy Lee Jones), who ultimately pushes her into show business. Lynn's adult life is well covered, from her spouse's philandering to her own on-stage crackups; but between the chapter-and-verse recollections, the script by Thomas Rickman is layered with life and moments of great humor. No wooden portrait, this is a vibrant film made outstanding by the colorful performances of the two leads, as well as Beverly D'Angelo and the Band's Levon Helm. --Tom Keogh ... Read more

Reviews (52)

Best Country Bio Picture Ever Made .Loretta is the QUEEN !
I never grow tired of this movie. I have seen it over 100 times since it was released in 1980.I own it on laser disc,VHS and hope to find it on DVD. Sissy Spacek did a outstanding job playing the "Queen Of Country Music," Loretta Lynn. She more than earned the Oscar & golden globe awards show won. The soundtrack album is also a winner ! Everyone cast in this film was perfect. This film received 7 Academy Award nominations includeing BEST PICTURE. Loretta Lynn is still going strong 20 years after this movie was released. I seen her in concert recently and she still rules as the "QUEEN." I look foward to a sequal to this all time favorite film.

Diamonds From Coal.
I LOVE this movie. This heartwarming, true rag-to-riches film about the life of Loretta Lynn took even the most sophisticated audiences by surprise when it was first released. Sissy Spacek is wonderfully accurate in her portrayal of the legendary but still humble and approachable country music star. This film made people who HATED country music take a second look. The story of the backwards, backwoods, painfully shy little girl whose simple, self-penned, biographical songs made her a huge star with almost unequaled # 1 country hits, is just as touching and great as when it was released. Tommy Lee Jones is perfect as "Doo", the man who stood by his woman, and Beverly D'Angelo gives a memorable performance as the legendary Patsy Cline. The fact that Spacek and D'Angelo so effectively do all their own singing, considering the shoes they had to fill, just makes this film all that much of a wonder. Levon Helm, of The Band, is also very good as "Lorettys" daddy. Just an all- around terrific film, with many touching moments from a by-gone time, when a little girl with a record could tap on the radio station window one day, and be a star a week later. Sissy Spacek's Oscar winning performance makes for a total class production about a total class lady. Loretta Lynn became one of this city boys favorites since seeing this film, and she remains so... a true, greatly admired, humanitarian *star*, who could teach most other celebrities a thing or two about "stardom". A perfect film for the whole family, the ultimate "feel good" movie. Thanks Loretty !! (And Sissy, too.) Just GREAT!!

Mostly Sexual Slurs
I can't fault Sissy Specak's outstanding performance or her superb rendition of Lorettta Lynn's songs but this movie has more sexual overtones then a peep show.
To suggest rural women are totally worthless aside from making babies {Lynn's fictional husband says "We finally found something you can do", when she gets pregnant.}and singing insults the audience's intelligence. This is not a "take your kids to movie".
A very minor point but worth a mention is that the movie left out Lynn's half sister Chrystal Gayle but included Patsy Kline.

FINALLY! Loretta on DVD
I remember being 10 years old and seeing this movie in the theater. Every time it came on TV I watched it. When we got a VCR, I retaped it every time it played just to have a fresh copy. I owned the VHS and now FINALLY after all these years, I have it on DVD.

This is one of the best movies ever made. The acting was so real it was amazing. I never thought of the characters as Sissy and Tommy Lee, I always thought of them as Loretta and Doo. It's one of the string of "Biography" movies to come out, like La Bamba, Sweet Dreams and The Buddy Holly Story.

The music. 'nuff said! The performances are just incredible. The old Grand Ole Opry gang was still alive and they were in the picture such as Ernest Tubb, Minnie Pearl, & Roy Acuff. Of course, Loretta... I mean Sissy's performances were stellar. In the DVD bonus interview with Loretta, she said that she taught Sissy how to play and sing her songs. And boy did she do a good job! All the way from the nervous but cute Loretta in the honky tonk singing "There He Goes" to the lovely queen of country music singing "Coal Miner's Daughter", the sound of her voice and the music perfectly imitates Loretta.

Someone said that they wanted a 5.1 soundtrack to the movie. Well... the movie was recorded in stereo. The country songs in the movie for the most part were in glorious 1950s one-speaker mono to give that authentic 1950s country sound. It plays mostly through the center channel and that's good enough.

The bonus materials also show Loretta's Coal Miner's Daughter museum. It houses alot of pieces from her past as well as alot of stuff from the movie. It will be interesting to go actually see this and be able to see it in person.

If you love CMD, get this DVD! If you haven't seen it yet, what are you waiting for? DO IT!

Enjoyable whether you like country music or not
Whether or not you have an appreciation for Country Music or Loretta Lynn herself, you'll surely be entertained by this rags-to-riches biopic in the same vein as, 'La Bamba,' and, 'Sweet Dreams.' Great performances are in no short supply here with Sissy Spacek and Tommy Lee Jones in what would turn out to be career-making performances for the both of them. As good as Spacek and Jones are the supporting role that 'steals' the film in my book is Beverly D'Angelo's spirited performance as Patsy Cline.

While the video transfer quality of this 2003 released DVD is excellent, what baffles is the lack of a Dolby Digital 5.1 mix. Surely a movie dripping from start to finish in vibrant Country music deserves more then the Dolby 2.0 Mono audiomix on the disc. Very puzzling indeed. ... Read more

Amazon.com

Tough but moving, Thunderheart is an unusual story about anarrogant FBI agent (Val Kilmer) who participates in a federal investigation of amurder on an Oglala Sioux reservation. Kilmer's character is part Siouxhimself, a detail that leaves him cold as he sets about pushing his waythrough the community to find facts on the case. In time, however, he beginsto feel an ethnic tug and grows increasingly sympathetic to the locals andhostile toward his fellow G-men, much to the dismay of his agency mentor (SamShepard). The script is based on real events that occurred on the Pine RidgeReservation in 1975 in South Dakota (involving an armed standoff betweenIndian activists and the FBI, an event that prompted Thunderheartdirector Michael Apted to make a companion documentary, Incident atOglala). The conclusion of Thunderheart feels likepolitically charged whimsy, but the real strength of the film is Kilmer'soutstanding performance as a man in transformation. Apted's clear-eyeddepiction of the Sioux's spiritual and cultural continuity with the past hasnone of the cloying romanticism of other films about Indians. Produced by Robert De Niro. --Tom Keogh ... Read more

Reviews (39)

The human spirit is alive and strong...
If I remember correctly, this movie was not rated well when it was first released in theatres. I couldn't understand why since it was well made, had a decent cast and had a thought provoking plot based on true events.

The cinematography is very attactive in showing the badlands of South Dakota and featuring looks into the Indian reservations. Also, the music was well done and offered a nice perspective of Native American sounds and environments.

This movie also sends a message about a darker time in America's past when the govenrment perpetrated some devious acts against the Native Americans. Maybe it was high time that these events came out into the open so that more people would know what happened and know that what the U.S. government did was very wrong.

Val Kilmer proved to be well suited for the "by the book" FBI agent that came of age and got in touch with his Indian heritage and learned to do the right thing. Sam Shepard, a great actor as always, played the role very well of the "dark horse" FBI agent with skeletons in his closet and a secret agenda on the Sioux reservation. Graham Greene could not have done any better as the reservation police officer. Showing his pride and dignity as an Native American along with the humorous backlashings at Val Kilmer made for pleasant interactions throughout the movie.

A movie worth watching again and again.

A diamond in the rough
Time over time, Val Kilmer has proven that he is not just a pretty face. He has continually impressed even the most severe critics that he is a formidable actor. THUNDERHEART, to me, is among his best performances.

There is some predictability in the plot: Kilmer portrays an FBI agent who is part Native-American. When he is sent to a reservation to investigate a crime, he begins to respect and embrace the heritage he had not previously acknowledged. What is not predictable, however, is how well the script avoids sentiment and focuses on Kilmer's transformation.

Loosely based on the actual events surrounding Leonard Peltier's American Indian Movement, and the murders of FBI agents on the Pine Ridge reservation (all of which is the subject of Peter Matthiessen's book "In the Spirit of Crazy Horse"), THUNDERHEART is a powerful examination of the surreal and frightening life on Native American reservations. Brutality is everywhere: whites against Indians, Indians against Indians, etc. Director Michael Apted does a remarkable job of tempering the violence with scenes of beauty and with images of a peace-loving tribe of people. This is a heartbreaking film at times, but there is a sense of justice in the long-run. THUNDEHEART is not a piece of hunk-actor mind candy. This is a powerful (and underrated) film that demands your attention. It is well-worth it.

They should have named it "Days of Thunderheart"
Just kidding. This is such a good movie. It would be a shame if more people didn't get to see it. All the characters are so interesting to watch. I saw it on cable when it came out and I had to own a copy when I saw it in the store. No gimmicks, just a good story and good actors.

One of the Best, but least-known movies of all time !!!
We have more movies than you can imagine, but we watch this movie probably every 2 months. And if this says anything for it, I'm an action and comedy kind of guy, and my wife is a chick-flick and foreign film person. We both love everything about this movie. This movie was very well done. All of the acting is well-performed. For being a drama/action movie, it has some great little twists of humor at times. I probably can't say enough about it that hasn't already been said in the good reviews already written here.

Poetic Justice
One of my all time favorite movies is this often overlooked classic. Ted Thin Elk, a genuine Souix chief, is one of the most beautiful men I have ever seen on film. His authentic spirit radiates from every frame he is in. Graham Greene is always brilliant. Val Kilmer makes his role seem like second nature. He is passionate and unspoiled.

There are a few moments that do seem a little cliche, though I only thought that after I had seen the movie a few times. The photography is mesmerizing,
and the script has many moments of sheer poetry. I love a story that can be read in layers, and that deals with life beyond the visible surface. Native American spirituality is woven throughout fabric of this story, but it never bogs itself down in esoteric mumbo-jumbo.

It packs a punch, and the ending always makes me cry. ... Read more

Reviews (38)

Oh Nelly!
Nell is an earnest and slightly soporific drama about a doctor's inadvertant discovery of a wild child in the remote hills of North Carolina. Jerry Lovell (Liam Neeson), a rural MD is dispatched to confirm the death of a hermit-like mountain lady and is quick to discover a cantankerous, violent, and unintelligible young woman, obviously the old woman's unacknowledged daughter,hiding in the cabin rafters. Lovell is immediately captivated by Nell (Jodie Foster) and is soon joined by career-climbing psychologist Paula Olsen (Natasha Richardson) in attempting to decode the mysterious woman's gibberish-filled rages. Before you can say "Wapner at 5:30," this hillbilly rain woman's past becomes brutally clear: her mother, a victim of rape in her youth, had given birth to the child but kept her a secret from the the world for thirty years; Nell has been taught that men and daylight are harmful, and her language is the product of imitation after her mother's stroke.

The sentiment here is laid on thick. Nell is harrassed by those stereotypical movie rejects, scientists and red necks. The scientists want her brought in for study; the red necks want to play a little doctor (Can you say Deliverance?) There are a number of nice scenes portraying the bonding between the three leads, and the direction by the talented Michael Apted is sensitive and well-intentioned, but Nell suffers by asking us to shed too many unearned tears. In this regard, most damaging is the lack of key exposition. We never really get to know Nell. Her mystery, while at first quite interesting, loses its novelty by the time they take the wide-eyed country girl to the big bad city.

The biggest roadblock has to be Jodie Foster. Her pagan-like emoting as she dances naked through the woods is two stations short of hamville. It's like she wants us to believe so desperately in Nell's tragic story that she has to use a few neon signs to show us the way. Thanks, but I think we can handle it ourselves. Neeson is more effective, and he and real-life wife Richardson do a nice job of counterbalancing Foster's excess in the role of Nell's surrogate ma and pa.

Painfully cliche; unintentionally hilarious
Nell is a clunky drama about two psychologists (Liam Neeson and Natasha Richardson) who study and befriend a young woman Nell (Jodie Foster) at her lakeside log cabin. A product of potentially disturbing family circumstance that this film promptly glosses over, Nell speaks her own language and was raised basically without civilization. Of course, Nell proves to everyone in a bombastic climactic courtroom scene that she is in fact more civilized than so-called modern society. She frankly states in 'nellish' that modern men and women don't look each other in the eye, avoid genuine communication, and possibly every other unoriginal complaint about contemporary society. Yet, it all seems a bit absurd since Nell is clearly an ideal product of such a society- she's compliant, fun-loving, clean with Aryan good-looks, and can even play matchmaker! When she hooks up her doctors, the movie officially becomes about Neeson and Richardson gettin-it-awwwn and loses any facade of insight into the human condition. Whatever it had was facile to say the least though as it ignores the scary, violent, sexual, and basically id-centric depths of human nature. Time and time again, Nell comes across like a domesticated pet- one that desperately needs to be put down.

This is a great movie for women, men and parents!
This is a wonderful, wonderful movie. And it is a great test of a relationship. Women, if your boyfriend or fiance is unwilling to watch this movie, or is not moved by it, dump him immediately and save yourself years and years of pain. If you are already married, get marriage counseling.

Guys, this is a great movie. Even if you prefer action movies to chick flicks, the woman you are with will be totally moved by the movie and that you watched it with her.

Parents, this is also a great movie for teenagers. Nell, played by Jodie Foster, has had no contact with anyone other than her now dead mother, so she has no sense of shame about her body. She is as free as a three year old in taking off her clothes to go swimming at night. Therefore, while there is nudity, there is no sexuality. And the nudity is not exploitive. (This is like the nudity you used to find on the pages of old National Geographics on articles about Africa.) On the balance, the sensitivity outweighs concerns about nudity, this may even be a way to spark conversation with your kids about puberty, etc.

intellectual viewers please
If you are one who only likes movies that are geared to viewers with a 13 minute attention span or if you don't like to think at all, please don't watch this movie.
But if not....this movie is a great! I love movies that show people who haven't experienced normal life because it allows us to take a deeper look at things and appreciate things that we overlook. Like standing in the breeze, or the colors of fruits.
Jodie Foster played this part perfectly.

Different And Great
Jodie Foster, Liam Neeson, and Natasha Richardson star in the drama "Nell". The screenplay was wonderfully written. They take the audience into another world, which may seem unusual to many. Exploring a language and a lifestyle lived by only one person, everything stays heartfelt. That touch is never lost for a single second. Such feelings intensify as the courts try to take this life away from Nell. Everything said and done keeps the audience watching closely. Jodie Foster, who also produced, was rightfully nominated for an Oscar for Best Actress for her role as Nell. Every drop of energy poured onto the character. This gives the movie the added emotion. Liam Neeson and Natasha Richardson wonderfully play their roles as doctors protecting Nell from the hospital and the press. Their roles intensify greatly as Nell begins changing their lives forever. The great creativity of "Nell" makes this experience unforgettable. This is great viewing for all audiences. ... Read more

Reviews (447)

The best Bond film yet.
The 19th MGM James Bond-007 movie is here. It's probably the best movie yet. It has the best stunts.

Filmed in: England, France, Spain, Turkey, Azerbaijan, and the Bahamas. The name is taken from 1969 On Her Majesty's Secret Service when James takes a look at his coat of arms and is told that the family motto is: The World Is Not Enough.

Of course, Pierce Brosnan returns as the role of 007. Sophie Marceau as the murdered tycoon's daughter, Elektra King. Denise Richards as nuclear expert, Dr. Christmas Jones. Robert Carlyle as the doomed terrorist, Victor Zokas aka Renard. And John Cleese as R, Q's assistant. The movie also sees Robbie Coltrane's return as Valentin Zukovsky and Judi Dench 3rd appearance as M, the boss.

The plot involves Sir Robert King, an oil industrialist. He buys a report about the Soviet's missile department accidentally thinking it contained info about the terrorists attacking his pipeline in the East. Surprised to find out his money was wasted, a Swiss banker retrieves the money. M sends 007 to pick it up. But the banker, Lachaise, is in for a surprise. The report Sir Robert bought was stolen from an MI-6 agent who was killed for it. Knowing Lachaise knows who killed the agent, Bond threatens him. Unfortunately, Bond only escapes with his life and the money. No name. After a spectacular scene, Sir Robert is dead. Days later, his daughter Elektra takes over the construction of the pipeline. But 007 suspects there is something suspicious about terrorist Renard, the King organization, and even Elektra herself. M refuses to listen to 007's crazy instincts. Only Dr. Christmas Jones & Valentin are on Bond's side.

The movie sees Q's retirement. And a good thing too. After all, the DVD isn't dedicated to Desmond Llewelyn for nothing. However, Q has given the Q labs to R. Probably a bad choice. R will talk you through putting a shirt on!

The language features are: Languages-English and French. Subtitles-English, Spanish, and French.

Special Features. Music video performed by Garbage (the band). The Making of The World Is Not Enough. Audio Commentaries. The Secrets of 007-alternate video options. Theatrical Theater.

Well, that's about everything this DVD includes. Hope the review was helpful.

Bigger and Better!
Here's a Bond film that deserves to be ranked among the best in the series. Along with the usual Bond formula of high tech gadgets, one-liners, and of course, the Bond girl(s), this latest installment also provides a story with a different twist. Throw in a combination of mind games, an unusual villain, exotic locales, and amazing stunts and you get an explosive, testosterone driven, eye-candy, action-packed thriller with a dash of high quality performances. One sequence in particular is the high adrenaline boat chase along the Thames River that takes place very early in the movie. Cool stuff!

The story delves much deeper into the psyche of James Bond than previous 007 flicks. Pierce Brosnan plays a much darker and vulnerable 007 in his third run as the British super agent spy James Bond. The World Is Not Enough also showcases the acting talents of Dame Judi Dench (who plays M) and Sophie Marceau as well as many others. John Cleese, of Monty Python fame, also plays a role in the movie as the heir apparent to Q. Every character played a larger role in this movie, in which, there were times when I felt James Bond was a supporting character rather than a leading one. There is definitely no shortage of star power in this movie.

A few things I didn't like about this movie (just my personal opinion mind you) were the opening Bond song, the paraglider-ski sequence, and the miniature scaled models. Yuck! Still though, this latest 007 thriller gives a good ride! Humor, international intrigue, and plenty of action. This is a James Bond of the 21st Century and I hope Pierce Brosnan sticks around to do many more like this one!

Bond is the best of this time......Dry,humorous,and elegant,
Mr.Bond is ranking itself as the highest of his quality,and is back once more,but this time dry as a glass of martini,and elegant as far as he could ever get,making his job as right as Beethoven while composing his 9th.
James bond,her majesty's loyal star,is back in a very different style and story;He is involved in a complex of a villian trying to take over the world with his lover's own oil pipe line. The thing is,you see,he feels no pain.Nothing.Amazing,as it is surprising for the first time to hear it. Elektra,the new bond girl,is to my own taste one of the best bond girls ever in the series,simply because she has many sides to be related with,and sophie marseau,the actress,bringing an excellent performance in the role of Elektea.The other bond girl,christmas,portrayed by denise richards,has a small relation to a bond girl,but still interesting,though.
As well as the deep and dark plot which develops suprisingly,we also discover a more darker side inside the familiar characters,like M,for example,Which makes this movie special and wonderful.
Also,We are introduced to the the next Q(The great,humorous,and giant John Cleese,from the mighty "Fawlty towers" and "Monty Python's flying circus"),Which is,and believe in my own words,the best there is to portray the charcacter of Q.He is doing it very,very well.
You are going to see a different bond,a new bond,a complex and dark story,the best british humor ever brought to a bond film, and,of course,James Bond himself,Pierce Brosnan,is worth all of the bond touches and twists.
You think you can give me the whole world?
Well,the world is not enough,maybe,but the movie,believe me,does.

"I never miss"
This is the best film to date in the series, hands-down. It may not have the classic charm of Goldfinger, but a couple of viewings (something most people aren't willing to credit a Bond film with) reveal a film which is incredibly substantial, in an unprecedented - and unnecesary - way. It could get by on the charm of the locations, one-liners etc., but it still tries to put together a credible and interesting plot, and it succeeds.

The most obvious credit to the writers is Carlyle's brooding, existentialist villain, which reminded me of The Misfit in O'Connor's 'A Good Man is Hard to Find.' Carlyle, in surprising contrast to his turn as the psychotic Begbie in Trainspotting, plays the role with just enough subtley and understatement, making the character's evil much more believable than the cackling megalomania of earlier specimens. What I also like about the screenplay, though, and what isn't immediatley apparent, is that it casts some doubt on the role of Bond in the world. In other movies, he seems to have an absolute moral imperative, able to gun down scores of people without any consequence, simply because his enemies are abosolutley evil. In this film, though, among the ruins of the USSR (a theme already explored in Goldeneye), there's more gray than black and white, and the circumstances don't allow him to get off so blamelessly; ultimately he has to do something which he might might regret. It's far from making him human - if that were to happen, it would undermine the whole promise of the series - but it's an interesting take. Then there's the way the plot works in minor characters, like Judi Dench's M and the Russian gangster Zukovsky, both of whom provide a usually self-reliant Bond with indispensable help, while Zukovsky experiences the closest thing to character _development_ which anyone has probably ever experienced in a Bond film. As for Richards, I don't know what she's doing there, either, and probably it would have been a stronger movie without her, but at least she's hot.

What's The Point of Living If You Can't Feel Alive?
THE WORLD IS NOT ENOUGH (known to Bond fans as TWINE) may be Pierce Brosnan's finest outing as Bond to date. A more complex and nuanced story than most recent Bond films, TWINE recaptures a good part of the exotica and international intrigue of the Bond series as first conceived.

The precredits sequence sets up the story nicely: Sir Robert King, oil magnate and friend of "M" (Judi Dench) is killed by booby trapped money delivered to him by Bond. All roads lead to Rome, the roads being clues, and Rome in this case being represented by Electra King (Sophie Marceau), Sir Robert's beautiful daughter, who was the victim of a recent kidnap plot hatched by the mysterious Renard, a terrorist rendered unable to experience pain by a bullet lodged in his skull. "M" dispatches Bond to protect Electra, who has taken over her father's petroleum empire in central Asia.

From the moment he arrives in Azerbaijan, Bond is a hunted man. Although first enamored of Electra, Bond soon realizes that there is something amiss.

In TWINE, Brosnan resurrects the dark Bond of FROM RUSSIA WITH LOVE. His dual nemeses, Electra and Renard, are ably played by Marceau and Robert Carlyle, who both bring some surprising depth to their characters. Electra is particularly sympathetic, being both the brainwashed victim and willing accomplice of Renard. She is by turns sexual and ingenuous, vulnerable and implacable. Marceau is breathtakingly beautiful.

Carlyle's Renard, trapped in a body that can't feel, exudes both pathos and hatred as he plots the destruction of the democracies.

Dench's "M" plays a central role in the film, far larger than any "M" before her. The film is notable for being the last appearance as Desmond Llwellyn as "Q". Llewellyn, who played "Q" in almost every Bond film after 1964, died in a car wreck just days before the theatrical release of the picture, and John Cleese was cleverly edited into the film as his replacement, "R".

Denise Richards has the weakest major role, playing Dr. Christmas Jones, a nuclear physicist. Richards could have been left on the cutting room floor in her entirety. More's the pity, because Richards is a strikingly beautiful woman who is entirely upstaged by the exotic, erotic Marceau. Besides being a rather miscast improbable genius in cargo shorts and a tank top, Richards' character has even more of an "afterthought" feel than "R" does, as if the producers just couldn't tolerate the idea of the film ending with an unredeemed Electra King and no virtuous love interest for Bond.

Two hours and some of intelligent action-adventure, THE WORLD IS NOT ENOUGH fulfills all expectations. ... Read more

Reviews (12)

Sigourney Scores
Exciting true-life story of Dian Fossey, the American woman who fought to save the mountain gorillas of central Africa from extinction. The film makers faced considerable obstacles in reaching the remote area of Rwanda where Fossey worked and was originally planned to be made prior to Fossey's murder in 1985, but the film--directed by Michael Apted--is nonetheless so fluidly told that most of these limitations don't show on screen. Although the excellent on-location photography is essential to Gorillas' success, the film's greatest asset is Sigourney Weaver's bigger-than-life presence as Fossey. Weaver's tremendous physique--used so effectively in making her a match for the creatures of Alien series--allows her to hold her ground with the huge gorillas. Always a charismatic on film, Weaver meets the heroic demands of the film, whether confronting poachers, communicating with gorillas, mourning their loss, or even--in the least interesting aspect of the film--falling in love with Bryan Brown as the National Geographic photographer Bob Campbell. Probably no other American actress in the 1980s could have risen to this challenge as she did. The all-too seldom seen Julie Harris also has a small part as a Rwandan plantation owner and adds her own luminosity to her few scenes. Rick Baker ingeniously handled the film's make-up, mixing both made-up and real gorillas. As suggested above, the film does have a few drawbacks: much like the relationship between Meryl Streep and Robert Redford in 1985's Out of Africa, the romance between Weaver and Brown feels tacked on, and it is less interesting than her relationship to the gorillas. Also, Weaver's descent into seeming madness (which Weaver's unexplained coughing in the last section of the film suggests may have been prompted by her declining health) occurs suddenly in the sequence immediately following the end of her romance with Brown. I wonder how Weaver's character

might have been developed at the end of the film had not Fossey's murder occurred while the film was still being planned: would the end of her romance with Brown have been the end of the film, with a conclusion emphasizing the courage of her decision? And, if so, is that why the final mad sequence occurs so suddenly?

Tragedy Turning To Triumph
"Gorillas In the Mist" is one of the Top 10 films released in 1988. It explores Dian Fossey's life in Africa during her struggle to save the gorilla population, whom were close to extinction. The producers and the writers wonderfully desplict the emotional value of the times: determination, leadership, loneliness, love, friendship, and many more. The movie events are accurate to the actual events. Their research on the gorillas and Dian Fossey proves well thorough. Sigourney Weaver plays Fossey beautifully in her well-deserved Golden Globe winning and Oscar nominated role(Best Actress). Her every drop of heart and soul is poured into the character in every scene. No other actress could perform this role at this level. All other actors also performed their roles wonderfully. "Gorillas In the Mist" is a triumphant movie perfect for all audiences. This film will be a classic in a few years.

Gorillas in the Mist
Anyone passionate about wildlife will identify with this story and with Dian! Anyone who is not, will be transformed.

Gorillas in the Mist
This is the real life story of Dian Fossey, a woman with passion and conviction who dared to live her dreams. Weaver does an exceptional job of bringing the character to life and is very convincing as the gorilla-loving mountain lady. It is wonderful to watch the transition of the character from the beginning of the movie and see how she develops into the obsessed anger-driven person at the end. Right or wrong in her efforts to save the gorillas, this movie is truly an inspiration for anyone with courage and passion.

gorillas in the mist
just wonderful, can't leave the screen, would watch it more then once or twice ... Read more

Reviews (54)

A facinating, literate film!
While most movies that are released during the summer lack sophistication, great acting, and a plot, this film has them all: in spades. Endlessly interesting and complimented by John Barry's haunting score, "Enigma" delivers one cinematic pleasure after another.

The story, set in WWII, and based on real events, centers on Tom Jehrico (Dougray Scott), a brilliant codebreaker at Blenchly Park, who cracked the Nazi Enigma code. But now that code has been changed, and supplies that the British need for the war are in jeopardy. Not to mention the lives of the crews on those ships. Complicating matters is the disappearance of his ex-lover,Claire (Saffron Burrows), which has cast the shadow of suspicion over Tom as the possible traitor. Teaming with Claire's doudy roommate Hester (Kate Winslet), the two race to crack the code and unmask the traitor before hundreds of lives are lost. All the while, the mysterious Wigram (Jeremy Northam) seems to always be following them. . .

My summary of the plot simply doesn't do it justice. This film must be seen to be truly appreciated. Scott is great as the haggard, brilliant mathematician whose heart has been been broken, and Winslet is wonderful as the witty and underappreciated Hester. But the real standout is Jeremy Northam who steals every scene he is in, as the very dapper, and very suspicious Wigram.

The dialogue in the film crackles thanks to a great screenplay by Tom Stoppard which was based on the bestselling novel by Robert Harris. Do yourself a favor and check out this example of smart adult cinema.

A facinating, literate film!
While most movies that are released during the summer lack sophistication, great acting, and a plot, this film has them all: in spades. Endlessly interesting and complimented by John Barry's haunting score, "Enigma" delivers one cinematic pleasure after another.

The story, set in WWII, and based on real events, centers on Tom Jehrico (Dougray Scott), a brilliant codebreaker at Blenchly Park, who cracked the Nazi Enigma code. But now that code has been changed, and supplies that the British need for the war are in jeopardy. Not to mention the lives of the crews on those ships. Complicating matters is the disappearance of his ex-lover,Claire (Saffron Burrows), which has cast the shadow of suspicion over Tom as the possible traitor. Teaming with Claire's doudy roommate Hester (Kate Winslet), the two race to crack the code and unmask the traitor before hundreds of lives are lost. All the while, the mysterious Wigram (Jeremy Northam) seems to always be following them. . .

My summary of the plot simply doesn't do it justice. This film must be seen to be truly appreciated. Scott is great as the haggard, brilliant mathematician whose heart has been been broken, and Winslet is wonderful as the witty and underappreciated Hester. But the real standout is Jeremy Northam who steals every scene he is in, as the very dapper, and very suspicious Wigram.

The dialogue in the film crackles thanks to a great screenplay by Tom Stoppard which was based on the bestselling novel by Robert Harris. Do yourself a favor and check out this example of smart adult cinema.

Interesting fictionalization of the Bletchley Park story
This is a story loosely, very loosely, based on British intelligence's efforts to crack the Nazi encryption codes used during World War II. The screenplay was adapted from the novel by Robert Harris by playwright Tom Stoppard whose cinematic credits include Brazil (1985) and Shakespeare in Love (1998). Dougray Scott stars as Tom Jericho who is decidedly not Alan Turing, the troubled genius who spearheaded the amazingly successful effort that allowed the Allies to know in advance what the Nazis were up to. The true story is one of the most fascinating to come out of WWII.

This fictionalization is also a very good story. Michael Apted's direction gives us a nice feel for the era and for the type of people involved, intellectual and somewhat nerdish, creative people who were as valuable to the war effort, or even more so, than the soldiers in the field. Dougray Scott does a nice job of depicting a mathematician who has gone a little crazy because of an abortive love affair with a beautiful intelligence clerk, Claire Romilly (Saffron Burrows). He is sent away after cracking the Nazi code, but when the Nazis institute a new code he is returned from the nut house and pressed back into service. Still haunted by the memory of Claire, it is not clear that he is of any use. When he discovers that Claire is missing, the subplot begins with Jericho and Hester Wallace (Kate Winslet), once Claire's roommate, sleuthing through top secret intelligence files looking for clues to determine what happened to Claire and whether she was a spy or not. What they discover along the way of course is each other. Watching them is Wigram, a rakish secret service agent with a heart of pure darkness, played with mystery and an arrogant ruthlessness by Jeremy Northam.

Billed as a thinking man's thriller, it is that. However, the plot suffers from two main problems: Claire can only be seen in flashback (I would like to have seen more of the woman who said, "Poor you. I really got under your skin, didn't I?"), and the action of the film must take place within a few days time, which means that Jericho must simultaneously crack the new code, find out what happened to Claire, and romance Hester. I don't think Apted's direction successfully solved these problems. His concentration on a realistic "feel" to the movie merely masked them.

Nonetheless, one can appreciate the action and remain fully immersed even while not following all of the plot's intricacies. The juxtaposition of the tall, blonde player of men in the person of the beautiful Saffron Burrows with the short, full-figured, Nancy Drew-like Hester in the person of the beautiful and gifted Kate Winslet was a stroke of casting genius. They are fascinating to watch. The contrast between the sensitive and vulnerable Jericho and the worldly and immoral Wigram provided an interesting balance. All four of the leads were excellent.

But see this for Tom Stoppard, who might be called "a thinking man's" screenwriter. His gift for writing witty and authentic dialogue based on research and a finely trained ear is part of what makes this an interesting film well worth seeing.

A modern classic.
Man, Dougray Scott looks sexy and intense in this movie! I loved him and the beautiful, swan necked, glamorous blonde Saffron Burrows. She's like a walking dream in all that war and gloom. The movie is fair to her character, and that's something you don't see every day. Those in the picture who look down on her are viewed with comtempt, as they should be.

I like the spy game and I think all the twists and turns are all very unexpected and keep you on your toes.

I do think, though, that they didn't have to turn Kate Winslet into the opposite of beauty just to prove that she can or to make the blonde venus more striking. Dressing her up like that distracts the viewer from the movie, by begging us to focus on how well she's pretending to be ugly - which may have been the very vain motive indeed behind that decision. You know, Kate not wanting to be seen as just a sexy actress and all that. No one denies her talent. One can be unglamorous without being horrid and in this case it just attracts the wrong kind of attention.
Absolutely worth watching.

Good intentions gone awry
During WWII, a motley crew of men were recruited in Great Britain to intercept and translate the Nazi Enigma code. Scott plays Tom Jericho, one of the decoders who falls hard for an over-lipsticked Burrows and breaks down when she rejects him. Having returned to his decoding job after a mental-health hiatus, Jericho has only four days to translate a new Enigma code, thus saving a fleet of Allied convoy ships and presumably winning the war. Winslet dons a pair of Harry Potter specs to play plain-Jane Hester Wallace, who helps Jericho decode the new Enigma.

That the Enigma decoders came from all walks of life is reiterated throughout the movie. In fact, Enigma devotes much of its time to telling instead of showing; Scott had to memorize what must have been pages of script in order to narrate the development of Enigma and its decoding process. Northam, squinting his way through his role as a classist, sexist Intelligence dandy, also snidely lectures on the democratic demographics of the decoding staff. Similarly, Winslet frequently reminds us how women got the short shrift for their work in the war effort-a message with good intentions, but delivered rather obviously. This word-heavy tendency is accompanied by conventional plot devices and a series of twists and turns that require still further explanation from the characters.

Interestingly, the one subtle message in Enigma deserves more attention; specifically, the Faustian repercussions of the Allies' collaboration with Joseph Stalin. That the British kept these repercussions hushed up for fear of the Americans' reaction speaks volumes about who, ultimately, was calling the shots during the war. ... Read more

Amazon.com

Robert Redford is the executive producer (and narrator) of thisfine,eye-opening documentary about the violent events that took place in1975 on the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota. Indian activists ended upin an extended standoff with FBI agents, and the result was several deaths,including two federal men whose killing (according to many people) was neverclearly attributed to a specific gunman. Nevertheless, the governmentlaidblame for the tragedy on Leonard Peltier, a Sioux political leader whohaslong been a focus for supporters believing he took the fall, possiblyheroically, for others. Peltier has spent many years in prison, andApted's film, which is hardly ambiguous in its commitment toward Peltier's hoped-forfreedom, is persuasive in both its detail and its case against brutal federalpolicies toward Indians. Whatever one's position on the Peltierquestion,this is a compelling piece of work. --Tom Keogh ... Read more

Reviews (19)

Very Good Documentary
This is an excellent documentary of the events on the Pine Ridge Reservation that led to the imprisonment of Leonard Peltier. It does sn excellent job of showing the incident from the side ofPeltier and the other Native Americans. It could have done more interviewing with the government authorities who were there. The truth can be seen through the government's lies as shown in books such as "The Trial of Leonard Peltier" by Jim Messerschmidt, "Agents of Repression: The FBI's Secret Wars Against the Black Panther Party and the American Indian Movement" by Ward Churchill, and "In the Spirit of Crazy Horse" by Peter Matthiessen. Those three and Leonard Peltier's book "My Life Is My Sundance" are all very highly reccomended for anyone interested in this subject.

The Earth is Weeping
As you probably already know, this film concerns the blatantly unfair trail and conviction of Leonard Peltier, for the alleged crime of murdering two FBI agents at the Pine Ridge Reservation in 1975. The documentary begins by putting the incident in its proper perspective by showing that the Pine Ridge Reservation, at that time, had one of the highest per capita murder rates in the entire US, with the vast majority of those crimes, even today, still filed as "unsolved" (Check out Ward Churchill's "Indians are Us" and Agents of Repression for a detailed account of the killings in question). In fact, from 1973 to 1976 at least 69 Aim members and supporters were murdered'and not one person was ever convicted, or even investigated, for these brutally horrific crimes. Why were these deaths not investigated you may ask. It is because the victims were primarily American Indians involved with AIM who were actively involved in the struggle to retain the lands lawfully granted to them in the Fort Laramie Treaty of 1868 against the federal gov't and the corrupt, unelected BIA administration of Dick Wilson. Many have openly claimed that Wilson and his so-called "goon squad" were responsible for these killings, but no investigation was ever conducted by State law enforcement officials or by the FBI; and yet the incident that led to the shooting that left two agents and one Indian dead, centered around an investigation concerning a pair of STOLEN COWBOY BOOTS. You can draw your own conclusions from that.


Although three men were originally charged with the murder of the agents in a separate trial preceding Peltier's illegal extradition from Canada, the first two defendants were determined to be not guilty of all charges'their acts viewed as self defense. After this embarrassment the FBI decided that Peltier would be convicted at all costs and set about the task of 'constructing' a case against him. After a trial marred by official perjury, witness intimidation and clearly manufactured evidence, Leonard Peltier alone was convicted, but then, only after the original judge was inexplicably removed from the case and replaced with one "friendly" to the FBI by a prejudiced jury of his 'white' peers. This film shows the disturbing details surrounding how Peltier was ultimately convicted by this court presided over by an obviously prejudiced judge and jury on what amounts to a mountain of manufactured evidence, witness tampering, and lies.

As the film and the FBI's own evidence shows there is absolutely no proof that has not been exposed as fraud, that links Peltier to the murder weapon or the red van (Peltier drove a pickup truck) that the agents reportedly followed onto the reservation. The FBI goes so far as to argue that 'people in this part of the country call a pickup truck a van and vice versa''to explain just one glaring inconsistency in the government's case. The FBI's own statements are filled with inconsistencies and outright falsehoods, which resulted in the Federal Judge Edward McManus of the first trial harshly rebuking them for their shameful, reckless and unlawful behavior. In the video the FBI spokesman's dishonesty is clearly, if not painfully, apparent. Simply watch this video and decide for yourself. You will be surprised and certainly appalled by what you see.


'Incident at Oglala' is a vitally important document detailing a form of repression and cultural genocide that has continued, although in differing forms, since the arrival of Columbus, against Native Americans. The Dali Lama, Nelson Mandela, Bishop Desmond Tutu, The European Parliament and Amnesty International have all urged that executive Clemency be granted to Peltier based on the facts of this case and the massive miscarriage of justice that it represents. This important film is a must see for anyone who cares about the ideals of freedom and justice in this country and the shameful realities that, all too often, hide behind those noble-sounding terms. For as long as men like Leonard Peltier and Mumia Abul-Jamal remain imprisoned, none of us are completely safe from the same treatment.
Mitakuye Iyasin!

WHAT IS JUSTICE?
O.K., SO BUSH SUCKS. WHAT'S NEW? IRAQUIS, INDIANS, ALL THE SAME TO UNCLE SAM.

INCIDENT AT OGLALA - THE LEONARD PELTIER STORY
INCIDENT AT OGLALA IS AN EXCELLENT DOCUMENT AND A MUST SEE FOR ANYONE WANTING TO LEARN MORE ABOUT LEONARD PELTIER AND THE MISTREATMENT OF AMERICAN INDIANS IN THE UNITED STATES. FBI MISCONDUCT WAS RAMPANT THROUGHOUT THE DOCUMENT. CURRENTLY, LEONARD CONTINUES TO SET IN A CELL IN LEAVENWORTH WITH NO EVIDENCE TO PROVE THAT HE BELONGS THERE. MOREOVER, MUCH PROOF EXISTS THAT HE DOES NOT BELONG IN PRISON.
WATCH THIS AND GET INVOLVED WITH THE BUSINESS OF BRINGING LEONARD HOME. TWENTY EIGHT YEARS IS TOO LONG FOR JUSTICE TO NOT BE SERVED.

Decent documentary, inconclusive case.
Peltier is an otherwise forgettable Native American activist who ought to be grateful for the fame his incarceration has brought him through the years. Clearly, his voice prior to Pine Ridge has been amplified a million fold since Pine Ridge. Do I think he's innocent? No. Do I think he's guilty? Probably. Yeah, maybe he is "innocent" of the murders themselves, but sometimes if you're standing close to the burning building, and the fire marshall sees you with matches in your hands and the smell of petrol on your clothes, you're liable to go down for arson. Perhaps you didn't in fact burn the building, but man, what the hell are you doing there with matches and gasoline? Such is the Peltier case, and the politics and heated emotion surrounding this case make it almost impossible to examine impartially. Many cry that this is just another example of big bad government sticking it to the Indians. I'm not so sure. As Lincoln said of militant abolitionist John Brown, there can be no excuse for murder and treason, no matter how just the cause might be. If we forgive a guilty Peltier (or Abu-Jamal for that matter) of his crimes simply because we are sympathetic to his cause, what does that say about us, or our dedication to a just America? ... Read more

Reviews (8)

good movie
when i watch this movie i go back in time the eighties are so cool christopher collet was good corey haim also was good just the way the film was made i dont know this is a very good movie i will always have it

Weller Nailed The Part
Peter Weller was superb as the low-life riff-raff boyfriend in this film, from the first hung-over moment he appears on the screen to his nonchalant comment, after the kids later catch him and the mom with cocaine, "Life goes on." Living in apartment complexes during the first half of the 1980s, I saw this same guy again and again, preying temporarily on single women, leeching off them for awhile, leaving their lives in varying degrees of shambles and abruptly moving on. Weller was so good in this movie role, you could almost smell it on him.

Realistic enough to be a quiet classic
I would recommend this movie to Peter Weller and Terri Garr fans alike. Corey Haim gives a good performance as well, but it is far from the flippant teen idol roles he's favored for later. 'Firstborn' is a realistic look into many lives disrupted by divorce and adolescence. While it won't fit everyone's experience of these, it doesn't gloss over the issues. It's about a woman who is searching for emotional healing after her husband announces he is remarrying, two sons who are trying to deal with what they knew as 'family' dissintigrating, and a loner, small time drug dealer. But each character has one thing in common. Each person is trying to fit into life, and find where his or her life fits in with the rest of the world. You have a lonely, hurt divorcee, a boy who is almost a man, who has to be the man in the family suddenly, and a young boy who is confused by his father's abandonement, and his mother's sadness. Then comes the drifter who promises stability and affection to the family. Only problem is, the oldest boy (who feels the urge to protect his family) figures out real fast that the man offering the missing piece to the incomplete family is not what he seems. The mother, desperate for love and companionship is reluctant to see the man for what he is, bringing violence and drug use/selling into the house. Hollywood often portrays drugs as great entertainment, and the traffic of it profitable and empowering. 'Firstborn' shows the other side. It doesn't always make fast money and good friends. The boys also react in a very realistic way. They are at the age when self-examination and rebellion become a part of school, social life, and family. Further disruption and danger amplify the behavior, and is realistically exaggerated by threat, abuse and lies.

Springfield missed the point
The movie shows WHY most kids act that way. In powerless situations all you have is attitude, you can't chose where you live yet and your life is affected by your parents decisions but you have no influence . I think the movie artfully tells the story how the boys' lives gradually become unstable. They stop bringing their friends home because they can't predict what they'll find and soon they don't come home. And that doesn't really matter because mom isn't home or cooking dinner,for example. The house isn't clean and the mom who avoided coffee ,smokes and does all kinds of "stuff". The movie also shows that "limbo" most teens find themselves in, not kids- not adults and depending on the situation what role they'll be called to play. In school they have to sit down and shut up but at home ,in this movie,the older brother is having to be a parent to his brother and sometimes his mother. These are the growing up years not necessarily the golden years.

Interesting Characters
An interesting movie and one of my "closet favorites" that stands up over the years. Peter Weller (later starred as RoboCop)presents a very unique portrait of a loner/loser who desperately wants to be accepted as a strong father figure by the sons of his new single-mom girlfriend(Teri Garr). He says all the things that you would expect a sincere family head to say ("we're going to be a close happy family"), even though his efforts are laughable due to their prematurity. The oldest son is not buying any of it, and an overt hostility develops between the two. Teri Garr, in one of her better serious roles, plays a mother who is torn between her need for a personal life and her love for her sons. The younger, 13 year old son (Corey Haim)has problems with fighting in school, and his older brother becomes his father figure as Garr and Weller become more deeply involved in drug usage, causing Garr to become an ineffective mother. A teen-aged Sarah Jessica Parker makes an appearance as the older boy's girlfriend who tries to break through his somber moods which result from Weller's heavy-handed and irresponsible attempts to father the boys. The ending is somewhat predictable, but never-the-less satisfying as justice finally prevails. Weller's character carries this story for me, from start to finish. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Manipulated by the machine
Unwillingly, the film reveals how B.G. gets manipulated by the Machine. Do not watch unless you have listened to his Post-American brilliant songs.

The film is especially depressing if you only know the original Aquarium tracks.

BG and Aquarium had survived the KGB and cernsorship, only to fall victim to the American show biz. In the end, it does not really matter which is which.

A masterful, bittersweet rock & roll odyssey.
"The Long Way Home" is one of Michael Apted's best documentaries. It tells the story of what happens to Boris Grebenshikov - the Dylan or Lennon of the Soviet underground rock scene - when he is given the chance to make an album for CBS Records (now Sony). Fluent in English, charismatic like his fellow-countryman Baryshnikov, and truly gifted as a creator of melodious songs, Boris seems up to the challenge of making a so-called "crossover" hit album. He teams up with producer Dave Stewart (of Eurythmics) and before long this singer-songwriter, who has never been outside of Russia, is shuttling to New York, London and L.A. in pursuit of a rock & roll dream. But along the way both his life and his music hit bumps. For many years he and his band, Aquarium, have lived a communal underground life, recording secretly and often running from the Soviet authorities to escape arrest. Boris can't see how to integrate his bandmates into the recording process; their sensibilities lean toward soulful folk-rock and for the CBS album - and under the tutelage of Stewart - Boris feels pressure to make more of a rock LP. His band back in Leningrad doesn't like what he's doing, and they let him know it. Is he selling out or just pursuing a dream that he's had all his life? Recording his songs with help from artists he has admired from afar - Chrissie Hynde, Annie Lennox and other members of Eurythmics - creates a sense that nothing can go wrong. But it does. By the time he's mixing the album at Stewart's L.A. studio, he seems close to coming apart. Has he been true to himself or been overwhelmed by the pressures of his situation? In the end he decides to premiere the new songs - almost all in English - for his hometown fans in Leningrad. Stewart and other members of the Eurythmics journey there in wintry November to rehearse with Boris' band. The clash of musical cultures is both funny and heart-warming. The concerts go well but it's clear that many of Boris' Russian fans feel betrayed. In the end Boris concludes that the future is neither East nor West, but some meeting of the two which will yield something new. Prescient. A masterful, moving film with great music, "The Long Way Home" also does a fantastic job of capturing a time in Russian history - the early days of Glasnost - when the shadow of Communism began to lift and artists stepped back into the light. ... Read more

Amazon.com

Especially recommended for high school students, Me & Isaac Newton is an exhilarating experience, an inspiring documentary that profiles seven scientists who eloquently talk about how they became interested in their fields and where their remarkable lifelong journeys have taken them. Directed by Michael Apted, creator of the classic 7 Up films, this is a companion to another Apted documentary, Inspirations, which explores the creative process. The seven scientists range in age from 33 to 81. One thing they have in common is the philosophy that "uncharted territory is the only one worth going into." New York housewife Patricia Wright, for example, could hardly have anticipated that when she bought an owl monkey as a pet that she would one day establish a lemur preserve in Madagascar and, in the process, save a rainforest. Perhaps the film's breakout "star" is theoretical physicist Michio Kaku, who as a child built an atom smasher in his garage and has since devoted his life to completing Albert Einstein's unfinished "theory of everything." It is Kaku who provides the film's whimsical title. When he is stuck in thought, he reveals, he goes ice skating. "It's just me and Isaac Newton, skating on the ice," he says. "I realize that Newton's laws have been well understood for 300 years. I don't have to bat my brains against quantum theory, against black holes and the big bang. It's just me and Isaac Newton, free of all the constraints I had before." --Donald Liebenson ... Read more

Reviews (3)

The Art, the Mystery, the Wonder of Science...fantastic!
I saw this documentary at the Santa Barbara Film Festival and was astonished to learn it was Michael Apted's work. I knew his feature films but I had never seen his nonfiction. This beautiful, powerful film offers great insights into the creative mind as applied to science, and it is an important piece of work. I was particularly grateful that it included an interview with Gertrude Elion, a brilliant scientist whose accomplishments won her a Nobel before her death at age 81. I recommend this to anyone interested in innovation and ideas, and I also suggest Apted's documentary on artists and musicians called INSPIRATIONS. Wonderful work!

This sucks.
The movie sucked. I hate the director. He should be slapped for even thinking of making a movie like this. Good luck on the next movie jackass!

MYSTICAL, MEMERIZING AND MAGICAL.
Since documentaries are featured as extras on many DVDs, there's a growing appetite for this cinematic art form. Criterion is feeding that craving with a series of fascinating glimpses into extraordinary real lives.

"ME & ISAAC NEWTON" is a wonderful companion piece to Ron Howard's critically acclaimed "A Beautiful Mind," answering the question of why science matters. Award-winning director Michael Apted ("Coal Miner's Daughter"), explores the inner worlds of seven scientists in this captivating documentary that looks at the life and influence of a giant who saw the cosamic riddle as evidence of the hand of God who was at the controls of a mechanistic world.

By the way, Isaac Newton wrote more on the riddles of Biblical prophecy than he did on mathematics! He was remarkable and so is this great little documentary that is way to short in length and on the facets of this incredib;le man who changed our world views. ... Read more

Description

From Walter Mosley, author of ' 'Devil In A Blue Dress' ', comes Socrates Fortlow. Whether he?s running a killer out of town, falling in love with his best friend?s wife or trying to save the life of a murder witness, the way he?s fighting for his life is the way you want him fighting for yours. ' 'Superlative. Grade A' ' - People ... Read more

Reviews (18)

Everyman's struggle to live one foot in front of the other..
I saw this movie last night, by chance.

I am now buying it, and the book, and the "sequel" book.

This story of Socrates Fortlow will compel you to look at your own life in a very real way.

The story, the rhythm, the feel, the character development are ALL as true as it gets. Albeit written as a black experience, the truths expressed are applicable to each of us as we traverse the thornfilledpath from our own prisons of hate and anger and violence to the power and glory and majesty and deepflavouroflove acquired slowlyonefootinfrontoftheother by being heroic in each thought and deed in our daily life.

It's all about changing the world around us one deed, one day, one hardfought battle at a time. Mr. Fishburne, bless your heart. Mr. Mosely, I wish I could attend just one of your classes!

Always Outnumbered
Always outnumbered always outgunned is a moving story about the life of an ex-con from Indiana called Socrates (played by L.Fisburne) who had been doing time in Indiana Department of Correction for a double homicide he committed 27 years prior to being released. And, he presently lives out his days in California, in a small one bedroom apartment. He persistently seeks out a daliy living collecting cans. Hardly being able to afford basic amenities, he [told untruths] to get a job. Yet, he had many friends, and tried very hard to be a good citizen. His dreams and memories haunted him, but they never caused him to loose his sanity or to return to a life of crime. His philosophy of life is astounding: In the movie (He)fought against poverty, age descrimination, domestic violence, prostitution, [ending life], juvenile delinquency, and social resentment....
This movie is a winner.

POWERFUL
Laurence Fishburne delivers one of his best performances. This is a powerful and emotional movie with heartfelt characters. Bill Cobbs also has one of his best performances. The movie shows poverty, human struggle and life on the streets. L. Fishburne plays an ex-con who trys to only do good in life and survive in the ghetto. He has a major effect on everyone around him and wont let the streets bring him down. This is a great movie and one of my favorite films. I recomend it to any one who likes real-life dramas.

Show this One to Prisoners
Anyone who thinks this is a "slow" movie hasn't shown it to prisoners, the way I have. They love it. They identify with Socrates, understand his nobility. They see that Socrates can tell them something positive about themselves. Socrates knows his anger and how it has caused him to damage others in the past. The flashbacks to his crime are common among violent criminals and his warning never to harm again. Socrates has figured out how to take who he is as he is and make it work for himself and for all the people around him. He's a true hero and a role model for these "tough guys," the prisoners--a protector, never again a destroyer. The message I hope the prisoners pick up is about renunciation, retribution, and restitution. We correctional educators don't give up on these men but always have to believe they will find their way as Socrates eventually does.
This movie could only have been made by people who have been there and lived it. It is a gem.

Strong story
I really enjoyed the book and now I'm glad I finally saw the movie on video. It was also very good to see that it was produced by actor Larry Fishburn and the author Walter Mosley.

"Always Outnumbered" is such a compelling story. Mosely is not only trying to tell a very good story, he's also making strong social statements. He's trying to get us to understand the human condition and the need to have compassion for those who have made great mistakes in their life.

Socrates, the protaganist in this story, seeks redemption--but not redemption for its own sake. He made a mistake and now he's trying to find a way to get his life back on path, but he's not about doing it for selfish reasons. He just wants people to treat eachother better. Even in his violent way confronting problems, he just wants himself and others to be better. In other words, he doesn't want himself or others to "always be outnumber, always outgunned."

Lastly, I would like to say that production of this film is good. The narration by one of Socrate's friends helps to bring about continuity to the film. The director also using lots of panning shots and bright and dark lighting to convey social alienation of Los Angeles, particularly Watts, where Socrates lives.

This is not a major motion picture, but it's just the type of HBO film that respects a good story. ... Read more

Amazon.com essential video

"Give me the child until he is 7, and I will give you the man" is the Jesuit maxim that was the kicking-off point for the most fascinating sociological record ever put on film. In 1964 the producers of 7 Up interviewed 14 children from varying social backgrounds, and every seven years since then film director Michael Apted (a researcher on the initial program) has checked in with them as they grew up. 42 Up, the 1998 installment, is in many ways the most contemplative and satisfying of the series, even though three of the original group have opted out of this round.

On a superficial level it's a study of an inflexible class system and the compromises, shifting values, and changing priorities of the people growing up in it. Apted (who now has seven generations of footage at his disposal) enjoys cutting between youthful dreams and aspirations and adult realities, but what was ironic effect in earlier chapters now takes on a more thoughtful and contemplative perspective. At mid-life the subjects (most of them now husbands, wives, and parents) have a mature perspective and a philosophy rooted in a life lived, while Apted, who has literally grown up with these people, brings a sensitive appreciation to their experiences.

Followers of the series will enjoy revisiting some of the more colorful and personable characters and will find a gratifying sense of hope in the turnaround of social dropout Neil, but no previous viewing is necessary to enjoy this portrait. 42 Up finds the remarkable humanity and strength of these ordinary people and their everyday lives, and that's an accomplishment few films can boast. --Sean Axmaker ... Read more

Reviews (18)

documentary filmmaking at its best
In 1964 filmmaker Micheal Apted interviewed a number of seven year olds in England from different economic backgrounds. He has been back to interview them every seven years. The subjects are 42 years old in this film.

This is perhaps the most fascinating and poignant documentary series I have ever seen and am likely to see. As you watch this film and see the drama of lives unfold well into middle age, you can't help but to be in awe. This film forces you to ponder on your own life and ask yourself questions. What have we been put on this earth for and what is the true meaning of life?

Without giving away the whole film, I will say that a few changes have taken place in peoples lives and most of them have progressed rather nicely since 35 Up. One of the subjects got divorced but is happily remarried at 42. Another subject was actually caught being unfaithful but was forgiven and is still married to the same person. One of the subjects finally gets married at the age of 42, but has concerns about trying to start a family so late. Some of the subjects who've been married for a long time talk about how hard marriage is. Other subjects who have teenagers talk about how difficult they can be. None of the subjects was incarcerated and none of them died yet. I hate to break it to the Neil fans, but he is not doing anything all that big dispite the rumors. Although he is still on welfare, he has managed to find some stability in his life and is keeping himself busy. He still more or less has the same demeanor he had at the age of 35.

This is the canon for documentaries
Ebert was right on this one - the 7 Up series, now at 42 Up is one of the best films of all time.

Many kudos to director Michael Apted for sticking with these individuals lives and respecting their boundaries, while being able to get intimate with them.

Despite the originators Labour Party-esque intentions, Apted stuck with it and it has revealed that you can't categorize people by political prognostications.

Every person is a valuable part of the whole. They are a timeline in our times. This is done in the UK and where some now live overseas.

In an age of spin, this is the real life. This is the canon for documentaries.

It would be good if the whole series was available.

Looking forward to 49 Up!

very interesting
This series is an incredible project.
Does anyone out there know how I can get 7, 14 & 21?

Thank You, Thank You, Thank You!
To Bruce, Jackie, Symon, Andrew, John, Charles, Peter, Suzie, Nick, Neil, Lynn, Paul, Sue, and Tony for your generous contribution. This series is a wondrous acheivement that lets us all learn more about ourselves and the societies we live in. Thank you for sharing your joys and your pains, your successes and your hardships, your dreams and your disappointments. You've given something to the world that is immeasureable in it's value, and for that, you are all heroes.

Life at 42
42 Up has a sort of slow rhythm that can take a while to get into, but this isn't to say that it's boring. It's actually a fascinating few hours of videotape, and I wish more had been included. I think that most individuals watching this find themselves making comparisons between their own life and those of the people featured in the Up series, but there are also other interesting things to be found here--most notable being the brief section on perceptions and experiences of socioeconomic class in British society.

Watching this footage, I was struck by the commonalities in the way everyone seemed to approach life at different stages. By age 42, most of them seem to have become calmer and more satisfied with their lives than they once were. At ages 14 and 21, the interviewees were visibly nervous (lots of giggling, foot-tapping, and looking anywhere but the camera). At 28 and 35 a sort of false bravado about life seemed to predominate. But at 42, it's a quiet confidence that is most evident (maybe the beginning of what we call wisdom?).

It was interesting how people's general outlooks on life seemed to stay with them from childhood on. This was not always the case, but often was. People with positive attitudes tended to remain positive into middle age, while the pessimists retained their own outlooks. I found this surprising.

Another interesting thing was that many of the people in the film seemed to find that here they were, 42, and that life had happened to them. True, some had plans at 7 that they ended up following through on, but so many seemed to have fallen into lives they never particularly wished for. The best-laid plans...

I found myself identifying with the person who said he looked forward to aging. It is so interesting to watch the personal development of ourselves and others, and to revel in our growth and generally-increasing happiness. I also identified with apparently-popular Neil and his background of introversion and depression. It was good to see that he found ways to control and channel the pain he must have felt for many years into something that is giving meaning to some part of the world. Humans have the potential to be so resilient.

Though it sounds like many of those featured in this series have had a troubling time with its periodic intrusion into their lives, I think they are brave for staying with it. I am not at all sure I would be able to cope with something like this in my own life, and am certain that I would not want any of my life at 21 captured on film--it would be too painful. Someone here did mention that as a result of the series, every seven years they had to deal with painful memories all over again.

On the production side of things, I agree with another reviewer that there is too much focus here on love found, lost, and found again (with a definite assumption of heterosexuality). I would prefer to hear a little less narration (about marriages and divorces), and to hear more about people's lives as they themselves describe them. More about the first-hand experience of connecting with another person would be welcome, however. Basically - less from the narrator, more from the interviewees.

Thanks to all the film's participants for helping make possible a bird's-eye view of the course of human life and its prevailing themes. ... Read more

Description

A comedy-suspense-thriller starring Michael Keaton as Harry Berg, a down-on-his-luck video artist looking for the big score.While being tracked by an ambitious would-be detective, Harry stumbles onto a murder and a scam involving a surefire way to beat the lottery. ... Read more

Reviews (4)

recommended to fans of the British gangster flick
Chronologically sitting between Get Carter & The Long Good Friday this is something of a lost classic British gangster / heist film containing all the tough , gritty realism of its better known peers - with Stacy Keach ( for some reason ) cast as an alcoholic ex-London cop . Highly recommended to fans of the genre - bit dated otherwise but still stands up against more recent films.

Grit and nastiness
Don't confuse this movie with the Michael Keaton one.
This has Stacey Keach, David Hemmings, Freddie Starr, Edward Fox et al and Stephen Boyd as a particularly nasty villain.
Apted piles on the grotesquery and the squalor, and the bank job gone wrong ending is superb.

You ask yourself . . .
THE SQUEEZE causes you to ask yourself . . . "Hey! I've been watching this for 25 minutes. Are they writing the script as they go along?" It is almost as if the director conceded that since we're not getting any laughs, let's make this into a mystery. Failing that route, it ended up trying to make the kids happy with a lot of special effects. Yes, Keaton tried to play the comic, but only manages to play a misfit-in-society figure. I give three stars to this movie only because I did not fall asleep; and also because Rae Dawn Chong worked very hard to act out her role, whatever that was supposed to be. I saw this movie again after a spell of ten years hoping that I'd find something in it after that time lapse. I think that I did detect a New Yorker's joke about New Jersey on the second time around.

The worst movie I've ever seen in my life.
This was a dreadful picture I saw in a "Dollar Movie" back in college. I felt that I had wasted my dollar! Michael Keaton is so much better than this that frankly, it is downright embarassing!

Take my advice -- stay far, far away. ... Read more<