Reviews (65)

How could I NOT give it 5 stars?
Lady and the Tramp is simply my all-time favorite Disney film! In my opinion, it is a 5 star masterpiece, and I would give it more if I could! I remember when I was just four years old, watching the characters Lady, Tramp, Jock, Trusty, and the Siamese Cats light up my eyes, as well as my TV screen, as very few films have done for me before or since. The music and songs are especially enjoyable, especially "Bella Notte" and "He's a Tramp." And the thrilling climax, which I won't spoil for the people who have yet to see it, ranks with the climaxes of "Beauty and the Beast" and "The Lion King." I remember having to wait almost a decade for Disney to re-release this classic so that I could replace my old worn-out copy. Now that I have it on both VHS and DVD, and both editions are in widescreen, I can enjoy it for years to come as I never thought I'd be able to! Your kids will love it, and so will anyone who's still young at heart. Buy it today! Don't make the same mistake I did over 10 years ago!

How could I NOT give it 5 stars?
Simply speaking, Lady and the Tramp is my favorite Disney film of all time! In my opinion, it is a 5 star masterpiece, and I would give it more if I could! I remember when I was just 4 years old, watching the characters Lady, Tramp, Jock, Trusty, and the Siamese Cats light up my eyes, as well as my TV screen, as no other movie (except maybe Pete's Dragon or Superman) has done for me before or since. The music and songs are especially enjoyable, especially "Bella Notte." And the thrilling climax (which I won't spoil for the peope who have yet to see it) ranks with the "Beauty and the Beast" and "The Lion King" climaxes! I remember having to wait almost a decade for Disney to re-release this classic on video so that I could replace my worn-out taped version. Now that I have it on both VHS and DVD, and both editions are in widescreen, I can enjoy it for years to come as I never thought I'd be able to! Your kids will love it, and so will anyone who's still young at heart! Buy it on DVD today! Don't make the same mistake I did over 10 years ago! (And don't let the lack of special features stop you, either!)

truelly magical
I grew up with this film. It was one of my all time favorite movies. The music the charictors the story the romance! Oh it is truelly one of the best disney movies I have ever seen! No pixie dust or fairy godmothers just a great film you could watch again & again & I'm sure the DVD is even better.
True This is based on VHS I got a DVD player only a month ago & cannot get ahold of a copy of the DVD. It is too much of a treasure bring it back out of the vault for all to enjoy! It is truelly not to be missed & always to be treasured.

Disney's 15th Animated Masterpiece!
Forget about princesses marrying princes or princes marrying peasent maidens, this is Disney's most romantic film ever. Lady and Tramp is the loving story of a beautiful girl dog named Lady who falls in love with another dog from the other side of the tracks named Tramp, after different adventures in the streets of the city, they both settle down for a nice, romantic dinner at a town's restaurant, this scene is probably remembered as one of Disney's most romantic moments ever, we all love this film. Something is troubling lady though, a new baby was born at the house where she lives, and she hasn't been receiving the attention her owners usually gave her, now in the care of Aunt Sarah, Lady is afraid to return home, but many different events will give this story one of the most beautiful happy endings ever.

This Limited Edition DVD, brings nothing in Bonus Features, this title really needs a much better release and it will get it since it has been officially announced as part of the Platinum Edition line, which will give the title a much better release.

How could I replace this movie from my heart?
This is an AMAZING movie. I feel really lucky to have such a movie. I read the other paragraphs in the category,and you can say I agreed with the other peaople whom liked it. I am glad i sticked to five stars for this amazing movie!!! It's an amazing love story that brougt my love for cartoons and animated movies back to life!!!!!!!!!!!!

Mykenna Tremblay age #12 ... Read more

Amazon.com

Fresh, attentive, and emotionally shattering, the French film Ponette is an attempt to enter the world of a 4-year-old girl whose mother has just been killed in a car accident on one of the winding roads in the mountainous countryside near Lyon. Played by pudgy, sad-eyed Victoire Thivisol (winner of a controversial but perfectly understandable Best Actress award at the 1996 Venice Film Festival), Ponette turns her grief into something else, something more childish and yet more mature. Convinced that her mother has been visiting her in her dreams, and that some day she will return in flesh and blood, Ponette invents a religion for herself with the specter of her mother at its center.

By keeping his camera eye level with his young actors (who include Matiaz Bureau Caton and Delphine Schiltz as Ponette's know-it-all cousins) and miking the children so closely that their voices have the presence and authority of grown-up speech, director Jacques Doillon taps directly into the private world of childhood. The rolling landscape that extends for Elysian miles behind the characters gradually shifts from green to brown over the course of Ponette, suggesting the presence of death in life, and also the eternal cycle of the seasons that will allow life and love to return. --Dave Kehr ... Read more

Reviews (84)

Thivisol is indeed "a child of God"....
I can't tell you how long I've waited to get my hands on this movie. After trying to order it twice and asking many times in the video store, I finally got it as a rental.

How refreshing it is to see how far a child's perspective and emotions can carry a film.

After seeing so many enormous reviews for this movie, I had huge expectations. I was not disappointed. It has an amazing way of taking a simple enough storyline, adding a whole lot of emotion and various characters with their own beliefs, and creating an incredible film that speaks directly where it needs to speak.

"Ponette" has the immensely talented Victoire Thivisol carrying on the title role in the story of a four-year-old little girl. Traumatized after living through a car crash that killed her mother, Ponette is sadly forced to undergo more human pain and suffering than any child her age--or any grown human being, for that matter--normally should go through. Her emotions are thoroughly misunderstood by her estranged father and the other people in her life. While she is worlds apart from her cousins, her peers, and her entire family, she immediately clings to the idea that she can communicate with her mother and see her again. But with everyone around her giving her different viewpoints and various outlooks on God, it is often much more than this little girl can handle herself. Only through a very strong and important vision can Ponette finally discover a sense of peace and understanding and, most importantly, be able to go on living her young life.

Victoire Thivisol.......WOW! what is there to say about this tremendous little actress that has not already been said? She is absolutely incredible. This is not just a young actress--this is a four-year-old child kicking off her acting career with an extremely complex, emotional, and STARRING role. To get a child this young to do the kind of things that the script called the character to do is just unbelievable. After pulling off this kind of challenging role with such a natural and passionate ability, I'd have a hard time believing that there's any type of acting that Thivisol can't handle. As stated in the film, she is a true "child of God" with tremendous potential in the acting business. I can't imagine anyone who wouldn't want to work with her after seeing her performance in such a hardcore, moving role.

With this being said, I have to warn you that you need to watch this film with an open heart, and not a mind with such high expectations. After hearing such good reviews, I expected this film to be the absolute most incredible piece of moviemaking in the world. Literally. You need to let go of all that and just absorb yourself in little Ponette's world. Watch it another time if you need to; only through a wide-open heart can you truly get as much out of this movie as possible.

The only part about the film that made me a little skeptical was the way Ponette's mother was presented. "You are nutty but nice. Stop crying; stop complaining. I can't stand a crying child." Somehow, through these words, she is almost telling her little daughter that her emotions and her ways of expressing them are unnatural and unacceptable. What kind of parent would say this to their four-year-old child who is under such emotional distress and does not understand why she can't be with her mother? It seems like Ponette's superiors are all oblivious to her pain and do not know how to help her, let alone simply allow her to grieve. I mean, come on--she's not feeling sorry for herself; she's in PAIN--deeper pain than some people never know in their whole lives.

Nonetheless, this is Ponette's story, and nobody else's. It allows her to share what SHE is going through and tell the story of how she, as a four-year-old child, is coping. It is an emotional headfirst plunge into her distraught life and her personal attempt to put her mother right in the center of a religion that will allow eternal interaction between her and the beloved parent she has lost. Maybe you'll cry, maybe you'll go and hug your mom, maybe you'll use what you learned to make your life better and more liveable. No matter how you react to this movie, however, you will most likely be genuinely touched and forever changed by Ponette's lesson. It's a film centered around children--very young children--but don't doubt their amazing ability to teach you. Children are, in certain ways, some of the best teachers out there. Ponette has a lesson to share that humankind is not meant to forget. Rent it...buy it...do whatever you can to make sure this movie makes it straight to your heart, because once you watch it, that's just where it will go.

STUNNING AND CAPTIVATING
One of the guys who works at a local video store that I frequent, when I asked about this film, said 'It's probably the saddest film ever made.' Whoa. That's a pretty strong statement, and it further tweaked my curiosity. When I finally got around to watching it, I could see where he was coming from - but there's a lot more to this fine piece of filmmaking than that. This is definitely one of the most moving films I've ever seen - and the performance by 4 year-old actress Victoire Thivisol (who portrayed Anouk in CHOCOLAT so well, 'later in her career') is absolutely stunning. I saw the blurb on the cover touting her 'best actress' award at the Vienna Film Festival for her work in PONETTE - it's easy to see why.

Written and directed by Jacques Doillon, PONETTE tells the story of a very young girl coming to terms with grief and death - hard enough for anyone, but her first experience centers on the death of her mother in a car accident. Ponette was in the car as well - she wears a cast on her left arm for the entire film - so she has that trauma to deal with also. Her father isn't around much - he leaves her in the care of her aunt Claire - and when he's with Ponette, he seems to have difficulty exercising empathy and understanding with her, which could easily be due to his own grief over the death of his wife.

With the help of her cousins, her aunt, a few understanding schoolmates, a very sensitive and kind teacher, and the strength of her own spirit, Ponette makes the journey to healing. Getting conflicting advice on death and religion from several quarters, she searches for the path that resonates with truth within her. The performance Victoire Thivisol turns in here will astound you - I can't recall ever seeing a child this young in a role so demanding do such a fine job.

The ending - to which some reviewers have taken exception - worked into the film nicely, I thought. Much of an individual's objection to it (and I won't spoil it) has to do with his or her own beliefs and feelings - but I thought it fit the story here very well.

A minor note -- the information on this product page is a little confusing. It says 'color/widescreen/Dolby', and then in the 'further details' page says 'full-screen' under 'features'. The film is in full-screen format on the DVD -- but this certainly doesn't detract from the enjoyment of it.

All in all - I can recommend this film VERY highly, but as another reviewer wisely advised, have a box of tissues handy.

About belief, magic and coming to terms with grief
This is quite an amazing film; the lead actress is Victoire Thivosol ("Chocolat"--Anouk) who gives an award-winning performance at the tender age of 4 years old. She plays Ponette, the young daughter of a woman killed in an auto accident. Her father, unable to deal well with the loss himself, leaves Ponette at an aunt's and ultimately at a children's school. During the school days and the weekends with her cousins, Ponette deals with the horrendous loss. She seeks her own form of belief, and is bumped around by all the other children, who good-naturedly or not try to share their own beliefs and magic gestures to make sense of the world.

The ending doesn't please everyone but I liked it, especially for the cameo role played by Marie Trintignant. The camera angle is interesting throughout--tight and close and at child-level. We see the world up close and at Ponette's viewpoint, adding to the feeling of being overwhelmed and buffeted by life.

This film is well-deserving of the many awards it received and Victoire Thivisol is nothing short of amazing. Definitely see this one.

Beautiful, miraculous, perfect
What a movie! And what a performance by the little girl in the title role. Having been a professional actor for many years, I can tell you without reservation that I have never ever seen a child of four give a performance such as this. This is the story of a little girl who, after her mother is killed in an automobile accident, must somehow come to terms with her grief, lonliness, and her powerlessness. She also must somehow make sense of a world she does not fully understand, and a God she seemingly cannot communicate with. It is all done from the child's point of view, and beautifully and sensitively portrayed. I laughed and wept, but am still, after many viewings, totally in awe. I can't imagine anyone not being touched by this film.

a film to remember
I saw this movie when it was playing in select theaters while on vacation. I sat there alone at the theater just there to relax. I had read great reviews about the film - but was not prepared for just how much this film would mean to me. I cried and laughed and understood along with Ponette and her friends - there in the movie theater. A couple of years later, my own father passed away of who I was extremely close to. Even though I was already an adult, watching Ponette a couple years prior came into my memory when dealing with my fathers death. I could relate to the way people around me tried to "help" me deal with the passing - to how Ponette's friends and family also helped her. If you've ever lost a parent or someone very close to you, this movie will pull at your heartstrings..and will become a friend to you knowing that you're not alone in having to cope in your own unique way.
I recommend this movie to everyone (even those who have not experienced death of a loved one). The child actors are AMAZING, it's like they aren't acting and this is just a home video. I recently watched Chocolat (without paying attention in advance to who was acting in it) and Anouk's face was sooo familiar to me. I couldn't wait to see the ending credits to confirm it was Victoire Thivisol - the little girl who played Ponette. She's an amazing actress! ... Read more

Amazon.com

This hip look at the Seattle music scene of the past decade treats thehype with bemused humor but treats the music with respect. Packedwith witty interviews with band members, record execs, and Seattle music aficionados, much of the film places a welcome spotlight on the bands that didn't become part of the national "grunge" phenomenon and scores of live clips and rare recordings show that "the Seattle Sound" didn't begin with Nirvana or end with Soundgarden. You don't have to be a fan to enjoy this ebullient rockumentary, and if you're not careful, director Doug Pray's infectious love of the music may even make you one. This video features performances byBlood Circus, Coffin Break, Crackerbash, Dead Moon, Fastbacks, Flop, Gas Huffer, The Gits, Hammerbox, Love Battery, The Melvins, The Mono Men, Mudhoney, Nirvana, The Posies, Seaweed, 7 Year Bitch, Some Velvet Sidewalk, Soundgarden, Supersuckers, Young Fresh Fellows, and Zipgun, and includes Nirvana's first live performance of the grunge anthem "Smells Like Teen Spirit." --Sean Axmaker ... Read more

Reviews (23)

A raw look at the Seattle music scene and its exploitation
HYPE! is one of the best documentaries of the last decade, bar none. Growing up when "Grunge" was all the rage I was automatically psyched to see HYPE! and did so the first chance I got. But, what HYPE! does is suck you in with the music and the personalities and proceeds to show you how the Seattle music "scene" was expolited by corporate America and eventually destroyed.

Most of the bands you see in HYPE! are exciting, energetic, talented musicians both on record and stage, but the travesty of the situation is that no one knows who they are until now. In that aspect HYPE! is a great showcase of all the talent of Seattle musicians, not just a document of Kurt Cobain and the triumph of Grunge in the mainstream.

The most interesting aspect of HYPE! is its depiction of SubPop records and how they instigated the hype that ultimately lead to the over-commercialization and downfall of grunge -- whether it was done out of calculated marketing or misguided satire, the result is evident.

HYPE! is a testament to the great people involved in the Seattle music community, whether they be musicians, producers, artists, or just acquaintances.

HYPE! is a document of counter culture explosion that we were lucky enough to be a part of.

One of the best documentaries ever
This film is amazing beyond words. It gives all of the infomration one would need about the greatest musical scene of the 90stold by the artists/producers/record company CEOs themselves. A lot of the people interviewed were humorous, others very serious, but either way it was a really candid interview.

It gives insight to the origin of grunge around 1984 or 1985 with bandslike Green River and the U-Men, to the fomration of its core bands like Soundgraden and Alice In Chains, the grunge explosion of the early 90s, and its demise with the death of Kurt Cobain and the fall of other great Seattle bands.

In addition to excellent interviews, and some great live performances, it has the very first performance of Nirvana's classic song "Smells Like Teen Spirit," about 100 tiumes more raw and abrasive than the version on Nevermind.

great documentary
this is my favorite film.if your a nirvana, soundgarden, or pearl jam, i highly recomend this movie. for the nirvana fans, theres a clip of the first preformance of 'teen spirit' with alt lyrics. for the soundgarden fans, theres a whole big scene where it shows the process of setting up a show while one of their songs is playing in the backround. for pearl jam fans, theres an interview with eddie veddar, but no live stuff. aside from the bands who made it, it focus much on all the bands that didnt and stayed indie. those bands (ie: the gits, monomen, coffin break, supersuckers, etc) are way better than the three above. great humor from the interviewee's. this is an excellent movie, so go rent it or buy it, and enjoy it.

Satisfying Documentary
I don't habitually relish watching documentaries, because I've barely found any that I enjoy viewing, that does not include "Hype!" They mention an immense amount of good bands and interesting facts about them in this excellent film. I missed the first fifteen minutes of the movie and don't recall seeing anything about Nirvana in this. It is a satisfying documentary about grunge music, but would probably be tedious to someone not interested in it's roots.

Boring overated documentery
If you're a fan of that genre of "music," I guess this movie is for you. For me, it was nothing more than a cure for my insomnia.

Blech! ... Read more

Amazon.com essential video

David Lean focused all his talent as an epic-maker on Boris Pasternak's sweeping novel about a doctor-poet in revolutionary Russia. The results may sometimes veer toward soap opera, especially with the screen frequently filled with adoring close-ups of Omar Sharif and Julie Christie, but Lean's gift for cramming the screen with spectacle is not to be denied. The streets of Moscow, the snowy steppes of Russia, the house in the country taken over by ice; these are re-created with Lean's unerring sense of grandness. The movie is so lush and so long that it becomes an irresistible wallow, even when logic suffers--like Gone with the Wind before it and Titanic after. Sharif, who achieved stardom in Lean's previous film, Lawrence of Arabia, mostly looks noble, but the supporting cast is spiky: Rod Steiger as a fat-cat monster, Tom Courtenay as a self-righteous revolutionary, and Klaus Kinski and Alec Guinness in smaller roles. Geraldine Chaplin, in her adult debut, plays the doctor's compliant wife. Robert Bolt's screenplay won one of the film's five Oscars®, with another going to perhaps the most immediately recognizable element of the movie: Maurice Jarre's romantic music, with its hugely popular "Lara's Theme" weaving in and out of a swooning score. --Robert Horton ... Read more

Reviews (132)

Doctor Zhivago with Omar Sharif
Doctor Zhivago is David Lean 's measured and beautiful adaptation of Boris Pasternak 1958-acclaimed novel. Made in 1965 and winner of five Academy Awards, starring Omar Sharif and Julie Christie, Doctor Zhivago is a cinematic masterpiece, a visually stunning and expressively powerful love story set in the foreground of life in Russia during the latter days of Czarist Russia and the turmoil of the Bolshevik Revolution of 1917.

The film features gorgeous landscape and romantic scenes set to Maurice Jarre's haunting music. Lean uses Panavision cinematography to boast his landscapes that are often remote and cold is contrasted with the emotional fires burning within Zhivago and Lara -- a romanticized version of an illicit relationship without moral dilemmas or conflicts. The romance is amid the opulence of Russia before the war and the violent social upheaval that followed. Like many Russians, Zhivago's life is swept away with the radical currents of the Revolution.

A stunning Russian love epic of grand proportions.
This is the film that set off a fashion trend at my high school when it was released in a 30th Anniversary edition. This film is a grand scale drama about a Russian poet/doctor who dearly loves his sensitive wife yet wants this other woman named Lara. The backdrop is Russia during the Revolution around 1916, or something like that. Zhivago and his family are swept up in these fleeting events that put him in self-conflict between his wife and adulterous lover. His final choices concerning her and his family forever alter his remaining years. Based on the Nobel-Prize winning novel, it won 5 Academy Awards in 1965--Best Screenplay Adaptation, Best Cinematography, Best Art Direction, Best Costume Design, and Best Music Score, which introduced the hit tune "Lara's Theme" a.k.a. "Somewhere My Love." It was also a Best Picture nominee. Omar Sharif won a Golden Globe for his portrayal of Zhivago. Julie Christie and Geraldine Chaplin also star. Christie won the Oscar that same year for Best Actress in the film "Darling", which I also reviewed. Not rated upon its release, but the anniversary edition denotes a PG-13 rating for mature themes and situations. This is one of my favorite films ever and is one of the films listed on AFI's Top 100 Films of All Time. The acting is great, costumes exquisitely detailed, gorgeous photography, lavish sets, and a famous score all add up to one of the greatest films of this century.

Doctor Zhivago Was An Adulterous Slime!!
Folks, get the romantic stars out of your eyes. Doctor Zhivago was cheating on his pregnant wife with (...) Lara, who started out in the world by having an affair with a MARRIED MAN! She seems to like the married ones. Commitment phobic?

Yes, it had a soaring score and gorgeous landscapes, but the morals of these characters made me sick. For Zhivago to leave his pregnant wife with an old man in the middle of nowhere in a Russian winter was reprehensible. I found it poetic justice when Zhivago's raging hormones led him back to the town where Lara was and he was caught by the army and inducted as military surgeon. He deserved the misery he put upon himself! That's the plot in a nutshell!

great film
This dvd format of "Doctor Zivago," is excellent a great documentary and much extra special and footage and a trailer. This is well worth getting and excelent film, one of the best ever. Great packaging and wonderful acting. A must see movie.

An epic that lasts...
David Lean, creator of the also epically great Lawrence of Arabia, has taken Boris Pasternak's novel and created a very good film with it. Having not read the book, I cannot comment and will not on whether it matches the book, but I can say the movie itself is very near excellent. This movie is really almost a historical film in disguise, since it highlights the lives of many, but especially Yuri and Lara, the main characters, and their attempts to live during and after the early nineteen hundreds Russian revolution. Like the movie To Live did for China, Dr. Zhivago helps one understand the daily sufferings before and after the revolution. These sufferings, or sufferers, are laced with almost hope as they live and love one another and try to thrive. This movie, although long, should interest almost anyone. It will also touch the mind and remind themselves of other culture's and their historical changes. ... Read more

Amazon.com essential video

Director William Friedkin was a hot ticket in Hollywood after the success of The French Connection, and he turned heads (in more ways than one) when he decided to make The Exorcist as his follow-up film. Adapted by William Peter Blatty from his controversial bestseller, this shocking 1973 thriller set an intense and often-copied milestone for screen terror with its unflinching depiction of a young girl (Linda Blair) who is possessed by an evil spirit. Jason Miller and Max von Sydow are perfectly cast as the priests who risk their sanity and their lives to administer the rites of demonic exorcism, and Ellen Burstyn plays Blair's mother, who can only stand by in horror as her daughter's body is wracked by satanic disfiguration. One of the most frightening films ever made, The Exorcist was mysteriously plagued by troubles during production, and the years have not diminished its capacity to disturb even the most stoical viewers. --Jeff Shannon ... Read more

Reviews (640)

4.5 out of 5
Thirty years after it's release, THE EXORCIST remains the scariest film of all-time. Adapted by William Peter Blatty from his own novel, this legendary horror flick follows the difficulties of a mother (Ellen Burstyn) whose 12-year-old girl (Linda Blair, in her biggest performance) becomes possessed by the devil, and how the mother discovers that the only way to save her daughter is an exorcism. There is frightening directing by William Friedkin (THE FRENCH CONNECTION), a very short by haunting score by Jack Nitzsche, and great performances by Burstyn, Blair, Jason Miller, Lee J. Cobb and Max von Sydow. To add to that, there's horrifyingly realistic special effects (by Marcel Vercoutere) and eerie cinematography (by Owen Roizman). Now we also have "The Version You've Never Seen" - which, hopefully you have seen, because it includes ten minutes of new, terrifying footage. Once you've seen, the film's hundreds of ghastly images will never leave your mind. Simply put, THE EXORCIST will live on to horrify us for generations to come.

The best horror movie ever made!
The Exorcist is one of those rare finds. It is a superbly crafted film with a great story and top-notch acting and it also manages to scare the "you know what" right out of you. The thought of the demonic posession of a pre-teen girl is too much for most people to ponder rationally. Yet somehow, William Friedkin (making the movie from the gripping page-turner written by William Peter Blatty) presents this tale in a straight forward manner that doesn't flinch in it's ability to deal with this horrifying subject matter. Contrary to what some people have mentioned the special effects are NOT dated. They are still some of the best effects created in Hollywood. (Perhaps minimalist by todays standards which make them even more incredible).
Highlights of the DVD are the soundtrack, which you'll be scrambling to turn down if you have a home theater system, and the documentary about the making of the film which highlights the many challenges the crew encountered and some of the eerie things that took place during the filming. Look for the infamous "Spider Walk" scene which was left cut on the editor's floor.
Some people I know still refuse to watch this film on its reputation alone. Don't be one of them. You'll be missing one of the best films made in the 70's and without a doubt the greatest horror movie of all time.

The Best and Original
This is probably the best horror film to date, still an excellent movies even though the effects are dated. It destroyed (Linda Blair's) the little girl's career as an actress because people were never able to disassociate her with the possesed girl. She was only 15 when she made the movie.

Still packs a punch
It is easy to banter around a movie as being the scariest ever made. Buy this movie actually lives up to the billing and should give shivers up one's spine unless one is already dead. The soundtrack is outstanding in setting the mood of the scenes. I saw the original movie when it first came out (amidst the tremendous controversy) and found it gripping. Of the added scenes, I will agree that the change to the ending was unnecessary. In the years since it was made, it has lost none of it's punch and is a very powerful and well crafted movie. My first DVD had to be replaced (it contained blank portions while the sound continued)and the replacement sometimes did not want to load. But once the movie started, it is one of the best to put one on edge. Sometimes, the medical scenes were more chilling than the possession scenes.
The cardboard DVD case, however, merits a thumbs down from me.

Misplaced images on the walls.
A great artistic masterpiece, with acting and scenery so sincere and genuine it all feels documentary.

The only good about the "Version You've Never Seen" is the added spider-walk scene which is very creepy; although it may be so strong that it attracts too much attention to itself, causing some unbalance in the film.
The added images on the walls I can't understand why they did. Demon manifestations don't live a life by themselves, they are primarily inner states of a person that are then projected and manifested without for the person. (I have had my own experience of this through a harrowing experience, when a cat which I was unable to help died a painful death before me; afterwards a demon visage appeared in the light from a candle, that was shining and reflecting through a glass, forming a picture onto the table before me. Looking into its eyes and raging mouth I stared right into the Abyss. It was no imagined thing, since I consciously noticed that it had the correct anatomy of an actual head.)
Furthermore these images on the walls, which are really only for the audience's eyes alone and not relating to the actors in the movie, make me think of the interactive computor-games of our modern age, where the viewer is part of the events on the screen. Such added new visual cosmetics really doesn't belong in a 1970s movie.

I recommend the 25th Anniversary Edition, which is the original version. It is also better paced. Another added scene in "The Version You've Never Seen" is of Regan's first visit to the hospital for tests; it comes too abruptly, and Regan being in her mother's bed, telling her that she couldn't sleep because her own bed was shaking, doesn't really seem to warrant it. ... Read more

Reviews (5)

"My only problem is my dirty mind."
In French director Bertrand Blier's film, "My Man" ("Mon Homme") prostitute Marie (Anouk Grinberg) loves her job. She is especially fond of her older clients, and finds that she is "moved by a man with his life behind him." Marie sits perched eagerly on a stool wearing hot pants and stockings--waiting for the next customer to appear. She, apparently, loves men--can't help it, and she doesn't like to be alone. One night she grabs a harried housewife and after asking if she'd "ever thought of getting paid for it" persuades the housewife to join the ranks of working girls. On another night, Marie finds a homeless man slumped next to some dustbins. Marie--obviously the prostitute with a heart of gold--takes the man, Jeannot, upstairs to her gaudily decorated flat. The idea is that Marie will offer him a nice bowl of hot veal stew, and send him on his way. But one thing leads to another, and before you know it, Marie offers her all to the filthy, unappealing, unwashed, and I can only imagine--very stinky Jeannot. And he's not even a bit grateful.

First the bad news...

After about 20 minutes into the film, I decided that I was watching the French version of "Pretty Woman" and I couldn't stand "Pretty Woman." There is so much that's absolutely unbelievable in this film beginning with the character of Marie. Here we have this exquisitely beautiful, porcelain-complexioned prostitute hawking her wares on the street. Then when a customer gives Marie--what I shall euphemistically label 'a good time,'-- Marie doesn't even charge him, and says "I should be paying you!" What nonsense! Then there is the character of Jeannot--poor man--he is hounded endlessly by French women throwing themselves onto his trouser legs. There is so much WRONG with this film, and it all seems to fit under the heading "Male Fantasies."

Now for the good news...

The most intriguing part of this film is the question--what would a homeless man do if given a second chance in life? Jeannot is picked up by Marie, given food, a place to live, all of the money she earns, etc. etc. What will he do with this second chance? Will he improve his life? Will he exploit Marie? This to me, was the very best part of the film, and, unfortunately, not the main focus or emphasis of the story. Grinberg really seemed to give her heart to the role, and I thought her performance was excellent. Some of the best scenes occurred when Marie was impatient with her clients.

Barry White music plays throughout the film--Marie apparently owns only Vivaldi or Barry White. Due to the many naughty scenes in the film, this is obviously not one for the kiddies--displacedhuman.

Weird...???
This movie is extremly weird, at first you think the atmosphere sound nice, it's very french, I like french movie, so it seem to be a good movie but after the prostitute Marie meet a strange man Jeannot, play by Gérard Larvin and she change his look everthing after doesn't made any sence. I'm used to weird french movie and I usualy like it but this time it's way too weird and it doesn't made any sence. Anouk Grinberg, Marie get on my nerve, I can't stand her tone of voice and she look weird with her short messy hair. Jeannot got also on my nerve, I can't stand him and Valeria Bruni Tedeschi I usualy like this actress and she pretty good in the roles she play but this time she also get on my nerve when she play Sarah with loving so much Jeannot, what they got all those women to love him so much??? But Valeria is much better then Anouk in this movie. Well to said it all this movie doesn't made much sence but if you like french weird movie you may like it, it's not great, it's not bad, it's just okay!

all we need is love
what a splendid achievement! this movie is about a prostitute who want to give love to all man, even freely. as she sayes:" there is no ugly man, if only you look the right way." everyone in this movies is in desperate need of love---it reveals the ultimate reality of human existence: its scarcity, its exigency.

A film all can identify with on the meaning of love and pain
My Man is probably one of the finest films I've see in years. The level of emotion that it evolks in each of us, the level and depth of identification for females with the open, seductive, haunting, almost childlike yet street savvy, love starved prostitute Marie Abarth, masterfully played by a young Audry Hepburn look-alike, Anouk Grinberg, and of the varying emotions and levels displayed by the arrogant Gérard Lanvin as Jeannot, as he travels through the movie from being a street person, to a pimp to a man who thinks he has it all and is invinsible playing love and using it as a prostitute would instead of a pimp, to his humbling time in prison to his aftermath. While on the surface the film appears simple enough, it is far from simple when it begins dealing with the complex issues of time, changes and the pursuit of reality and trying to find meaning in life. After the first few moments of the film, you are lost to the English subtitles and are fully absorbed in the film and the spoken French. Even if you don't speak or understand French, this movie will make you believe that you do. Pure, unadulterated (no pun intended) magic. A source of identification for all women - women who love too much, women who want to learn about males; and for males to both learn about how to deal with their own emotions and have several windows opened into the minds and hearts of a woman. A true cinematic masterpiece when you look at the use of technique with close-ups and other camera techniques -- as if it was an extraordinary black and white film shot in colour.

A Explosion of Sensuality !
This is the real reverse of the Cinderela story told at the Pretty Woman film with Julia Roberts... It is about a prostitute who find a homelless in the street and invite him to be her serious lover. For the ones who enjoys European Movies this is very French, very refined. Anouk Grinberg got the prize for best actress with this movie at the Berlin festival and here she makes a brillant interpretation of sex. END ... Read more

Reviews (18)

A CHURCHILLIAN LANDSCAPE
Okay, so for my money Winston Churchill was the greatest character of the last century. Larger than life and who defied all and sundry when he thought he was right (which was practically always). Could this or any other movie live up to the memory of a legend. The Gathering Storm managed very well, thanks in no short measure to the amazing performance by Albert Finney who not only looked and sounded like the great man but also captured the Bulldog Defiance which served the British people and indeed the world so well during World War II. Vanessa Redgrave must also be acknowledged for her performance as the power behind the cigar. In fact every actor in this movie turns in a stunning performance, including Tom Wilkenson who has long been one of my favorite undiscovered actors (discovered now of course). I understand that a sequel is in the works and I hope this is true. Because this surely is only the first course and what should be a sumptious feast of history, acting, writing and dircetion. Just don't keep us waiting too long.

Albert Finney is Superb as Churchill!
Rarely does an actor capture the essence of someone so much bigger than life as was Sir Winston Churchill, but Albert Finney achieves the nearly impossible-- he becomes Churchill and manages to dominate practically every frame of this HBO video even against the likes of someone as talented as Vanessa Redgrave, who plays his beloved "Clemmie" Churchill. Ms. Redgrave does rise to the occasion as she, as we say, eats up the furniture when Finney accuses her of being selfish. She roars something to the effect that "don't you dare call me selfish when I have lived with you for 26 years," These two fine actors are joined by a great supporting cast in this beautifully filmed movie. The action covers a brief time in Churchill's life when Hitler is rising to power in Germany. Churchill is having financial difficulties, is plagued by what he calls the "black dog" of depression and cannot convince the current prime minister that Hitler is an enormous threat to the security of England.

Finney here joins other over 50, overweight actors (think Kathy Bates and Jack Nicholson)who bare their all for art. This movie won three Emmys, which were richly deserved.

There is no such thing as a five star film.
The Gathering Storm, thankfully brushed lightly upon those over-documented events leading to England's declaration of war in 1939. Where the movie shines brightest is in it's bare honest portrayal of The Right Hon. Winston Churchill - as an egomaniacal, obstinate, fanatical 'god and empire' patriot with the effette pretentions of a petti-artiste. Who was a chronic looser in every aspect of his personal and professional life, who conspired to bully a tragically vulnerable civil servant to betray his office and who divulged stolen intelligence from his own government to give a hopelessly pacifist England a harsh wake-up. Finney and Redgrave are glorious, simply wonderful. The cameo of Ronnie Barker as 'Mr Inches', Churchill's butler, came closest to upstaging Albert Finney as I have ever seen. No film is worth five stars, no movie comes close to perfection, so here we have four.

Wow
Well,it is an English movie so of course there is male nudity and dark humor. Albert Finney, the man (the lawyer) from Erin Brockovich movie, has given us a stunning performance in this movie. He is Winston Churchil prior to second world war and before he became a prime minister.
You should absolutely watch this movie - and when you do - you'll find out something you never knew about England and Nazis.
Appearantly English Government sold Hitler 8000 planes prior to WWII unbeknownst to them that Hitler would bomb England with the very same planes!

It is another "boring" English movie but it's worth watching it and I highly recommend it to all. There's so much to be learned from it!

a personal portrait
It's interesting -- and understandable -- that the other customer reviewers focus at times on how great Churchill was. This movie, although it shows Churchill as a great man and conscious of that greatness, is about Churchill as a human being. We see how much his wife meant to him, and his animals, and his sense of place and animals and painting.

The movie is set before the war, while England slept (to borrow a phrase from JFK), when Churchill was trying to sound the alarm about the growing threat from a rearming Germany. It was fascinating, in that sense, to watch this movie as we await al Qaeda's next horrific move.

Leading up to World War II and Churchill's return to power, the movie's structure is a bit off-putting, in that the coming of war becomes a personal triumph, in dramatic terms, for Churchill. But then we watch with the full knowledge the Churchill's role in the war was one of the great personal and historic triumphs.

Finney is a great Churchill impersonator and calibrates his performance well, capturing the man's crankiness and depression and not just making him a show-off orator. The rest of the cast is spot on and the interiors are rich and lovely. A good historical piece, personal dynamics piece and appealing Anglophile nostalgia piece. ... Read more

Amazon.com essential video

One movie lover's nightmare is another's raucous joyride, and this special effects-laden horror comedy is bound to split both camps right down the middle. (Or, as Leonard Maltin's Movie & Video Guide puts it, "definitely not for all tastes but a wild time for those who get into it.")Michael J. Fox plays a psychic investigator who can actually see ghosts, and lives with a trio of undead spirits who scare people to promote Fox's ghost-busting business. In a town infamous for serial killings, a new series of deaths prompts Fox to induce his own out-of-body experience so he can battle death in a spirit-plagued netherworld where evil reigns supreme--or something like that. So much happens in this chaotic film that you might feel like you're watching several movies at once--a slasher pic, a supernatural thriller, and a black comedy all rolled into a nonstop showcase for grisly makeup and a dozen varieties of special effects. It's an odd but wildly inventive film from New Zealand director Peter Jackson, who earned critical acclaim for his previous film Heavenly Creatures and would later create the ingenious pseudo-documentary Forgotten Silver. --Jeff Shannon ... Read more

Reviews (93)

A wicked sense of humor
As a huge fan of the horror genre, it's my duty to loathe the injustice given to The Frighteners. It's astounding to see how little known and/or undervalued this awesome film is. I think what killed the movie was its timing. Michael J. Fox's career hadn't yet been revived by Spin City and insufficient marketing ( not to mention the fact that Robert Zemeckis plastered his name all over it!) resulted in the films poor box office performance and attack by critics. Perhaps it will attain some much-deserved popularity when Peter Jackson, he of Dead Alive fame, becomes king when Lord of the Rings (which I am 99.9% sure will rock) is finally released. The movie starts with "psychic investigator'' Frank Bannister (a scuzzier-than-usual Michael J. Fox) selling his services as ghost exterminator. It's a scam, though: Frank is in league with the ghosts (John Astin, Jim Fyfe and Chi McBride), whom he can see because of a past trauma -- a car accident five years earlier that killed his wife. When substantial numbers of people start dropping dead in town, only Frank sees that the culprit is a Grim Reaper-like spirit. The cops -- along with a bug-eyed FBI agent (Jeffrey Combs) -- think Frank's the killer. Frank's only ally is psychologist Lucy Lynskey (Trini Alvarado), whose husband (Peter Dobson) is among the recently deceased. Lucy uncovers a link between the current killings and a long-dead serial killer (Jake Busey), whose psycho girlfriend (Dee Wallace Stone) is still alive and rattling around in a spooky mansion.

It has to be said that Jeffrey Combs steals the show as Agent Dammers, the paranormal specialist who is himself far from normal. Sporting a Hitler hairstyle, Dammers provides comic relief/villainy and is laughably pathetic. The thing that stands out in the film is its evil sense of humor. After all, serial killing has never been so funny. Indeed, kudos to Jackson for the masterful handling of twisted horror and black comedy. The film also makes extensive use of computer graphics. Since the ghosts are some of the film's main characters, they became a focal point in the film's production, resulting in over 400 computer enhanced shots. Special makeup veteran Rick Baker was responsible for the interesting look of some of the complaining ghosts, ghosts who are slowly falling apart. Peter Jackson had set up his very own special effects company a few years ago, in order to be able to work completely detached from Hollywood in New Zealand. After upgrading the company substantially for this project, his effects unit was eventually able to handle all of the 570 effects shot of the film without having to use ILM -- Yeah! Universal released The Frighteners in its original theatrical 2.35:1 widescreen aspect ratio. The disc's anamorphic transfer is stunning and beautifully rendered. It creates a sharp image with a huge amount of detail. The film comes fully dubbed in English and French. It is also closed captioned and contains Spanish subtitles. So in the end, The Frighteners is easily one of those cases where any self-respecting horror fan has to say "screw the critics".

Wicked fun
Just before doing "Lord of the Rings," acclaimed director Peter Jackson (who can be seen in a cameo as "Man with Piercings") made an off-kilter horror/comedy movie called "Frighteners." Though "Frighteners" was barely in theaters, it's funny, creepy, well-acted and wonderfully directed.

Frank Bannister (Michael J. Fox) has seen spirits and apparitions ever since the traumatic car crash that killed his wife. Now he operates an amateur "ghostbusting" operation that is supposed to exorcise ghosts from people's houses -- the underbelly of his business is that the ghosts who haunt those houses are in league with him (Chi McBride as the extremely opinioated afro-ed Cyrus, Jim Fyfe as the nerdy Stuart, and most of John Astin as what is left of The Judge).

Frank's business certainly isn't hurt by the fact that for years after a serial killer's murderous spree, people have died mysteriously of heart attacks. Then Frank starts seeing fiery numbers emblazoned on the foreheads of people who later die, including the husband of doctor Lucy Lynskey (Trini Alvarado, who has an eerie resemblance to Andie MacDowell). As if trying to stop a specter of death weren't hard enough, crazed FBI agent Milton Dammers (Jeffrey Combs) believes that Frank is the one murdering people. And the evil specter is still killing -- and Lucy is the next victim.

Peter Jackson once said that he has a "moronic" sense of humor, and it shows up in all its glory here -- from bug spray dissolving a ghost's face to a piece of talking oily sludge to a drill sargeant ghost with submachine guns, this is weird and absolutely hilarious. But he's also good during the more serious moments, such as Bannister's flashbacks to his wife's death, or a psychopath stroking her ghostly lover's face. One of the most effective shots is of a pair of murderous lovers giggling, kissing, dancing and holding a shotgun; it's stuff like that that got Jackson "Lord of the Rings." The opening shot is pure Jackson, with the camera swooping through a window, past fluttering curtains, and though a hole in the attic floor to a screaming woman below.

Jackson also takes the opportunity to poke a bit of fun at more conventional ghost movies, with the big Gothic house, the ghost in '70s clothes, and Fox's hilarious turn as a ghostbuster. (One scene in particular seems to be spoofing "Ghostbusters") Big problem? Probably that would be that the opening scene doesn't seem to make much sense later on in the movie. But aside from that, there aren't many, especially since the conclusion makes a lot more logical sense than the average horror flick.

Michael J. Fox does an excellent job as Frank, giving the right combination of cockiness and pathos to a guy who isn't perfect, but is good at heart. Trini Alvarado is excellent as a smart, kind woman who is a bit on the gullible side, but definitely not a damsel-in-distress. (Nor is she eye-candy) McBride, Fyfe and Astin are great as the big annoyed guy, the nerd, and the dirty old cowboy. Jake Busey's freaky eyes and toothy grin are perfect for serial-killer Johnny Bartlett, and Dee Wallace-Stone embodies both cowering fear and freaky girlishness as his old girlfriend. And Jeffrey Combs is great as the twitchy, crazed FBI agent who will do anything to hunt down Frank.

"Frighteners" is a fantastic horror flick, with good acting and great direction. Don't walk, run to go pick this up and watch it. (And you will never see a bathroom mirror the same way again)

A very funny look at spirits and the afterworld!
I saw this movie in the theater years ago and I have always loved it! It is quite a thriller....fasten your seatbelt! I was laughing, crying, and screaming all at the same time. A must for any collection

A well thought out horror/comedy
This is one of those well done movies that balances several genres into a single story. On the one hand, you have Bannister's (Fox) tragic character who never fully got over the death of his wife. And his grief has made him pretty self destructive, so he's fallen from a successful and wealthy architect to a con-man living in his own, half-finished masterpiece. On the flipside of this are his partners in crime, the ghosts who scare Bannister's potential clients into hiring him in the first place. The humor gets pretty bizarre at times, but actually balances very well with the other story elements. Things go from grim, to funny, and back again just when they should. The third angle is the almost gothic and equally bizarre horror element to the story, where the ghost of a dead serial killer shows up as the bad guy. Bannister, the broken down wreck who can barely keep himself together is the only one who can see the killer. Yet even he's powerless to stop his enemy. Even worse, the wonderfully played FBI agent (Jeffrey Combs) has pegged Bannister as the "wacko" killer, though it's clear that the agent is the most deranged of all. Trini Alvarado does an excellent job as his potential love interest. She's a little naive, but strong willed.

If you like well thought out, thinking man's horror (instead of just the slash'em up variety) and have a dark (or even twisted) sense of humor, you'll like this movie.

Creepy Good Fun!
Frank Bannister (Michael J. Fox) had pretty much given up on life since his wife died in a freak car accident. He was an up and coming architect before the wreak, but ever since he watched his wife die before his eyes, whispers have followed him around town that he murdered her in cold blood. Frank's erratic behavior since the car accident don't help matters any and its not like most people believe that he can really see ghosts, even though he can. Something about being so close to death opened his eyes and Frank found himself a new line of work as a kind of ghost buster. Frank supposedly gets rid of poltergeists and haunting ghosts, but he really sends his three friends, The Judge (John Astin), the afro sporting, disco wearing Cyrus (Chi McBride) and the nerdy Stuart (Jim Fyfe), all of whom happen to be dead, into homes to terrorize innocent people until they pay his outrageous fees. Frank made a pretty good living from it, too, except people have starting dying from freak heart attacks all over town - and Frank can see numbers engraved in their foreheads. Numbers that show Frank who will be taken next...

As Frank struggles to save the people marked for death, he finds himself falling in love with Dr. Lucy Lynskey (Trini Alvarado), a very recent widow whose husband was killed by whatever thing is stalking the town. But Lucy has her own problems to deal with as she tries to help the reclusive Patricia Ann Bradley (Dee Wallace-Stone), who lives in an old Gothic mansion on the edge of town with her crazy mother (Julianna McCarthy). Lucy is convinced that Patricia is being abused and wants to help her, but she doesn't quite know how. What Frank and Lucy don't know is that all of their problems stem from one event - serial killer Johnny Bartlett's (Jake Busey) killing spree at a local mental hospital. It was never proved that Patricia was involved in the deaths of so many people, but it was never disproved either. She was Johnny's girlfriend and has never been what you would call normal. Johnny was caught, condemned and executed shortly after his killing spree, but his spirit has come back to haunt everyone and he was determined to kill more people than any other serial killer in American history...

The Frighteners was one of those rare movies that made you laugh as it scared the heck out of you. With great special effects and a wonderful score, you never know what may pop out at you and I found myself jumping often. The cast was marvelous with Michael J. Fox leading the way as a smarmy con-man who is out to make a quick buck. Amazingly, you find yourself really caring for him and rooting him on in his weird romance with Trini Alvardo (who could be Andie McDowell's twin, I swear), a sweet, but not shy woman who makes Michael's character work for her. The trio of ghosts were hilarious, as was FBI Agent Milton Dammers (Jeffrey Combs), who is convinced that Frank killed all of those people. Agent Dammers had some serious issues to work with, which made him relatively easy to manipulate, which was a joy to watch. Jake Busey and Dee Wallace-Stone were perfectly cast and really creeped me out. I could definitely believe that they were serial killers who were completely insane. Once again we see Peter Jackson's directing brilliance in this very entertaining film. As always, he has creative camera views, eye-popping effects and little surprises around every corner. Try it - you'll like it! ... Read more

Reviews (495)

A cinematic masterpiece!
Meet Oskar Schindler. A German living in occupied Poland during World War II. A member in good standing of the Nazi party. A womanizer, a war profiteer...and ultimately a man of conscience. A man who became one of the great unsung heroes and humanitarians of the war.

"Schindler's List" chronicles Oskar Schindler's spiritual odyssey from war profiteer to humanitarian and hero. Winner of seven Academy Awards® in 1993, including Best Picture, this harrowing and heart-rending film is Steven Spielberg's masterpiece, and perhaps one of the finest and most important movies ever made. It depicts Schindler's ultimately successful attempt to rescue 1,100 Jews from Hitler's "Final Solution" by getting them to safety outside Poland.

Dynamic performances abound in this beautiful movie, Especially noteworthy are Liam Neeson as the suave Schindler, Ralph Fiennes as the monstrously depraved Nazi colonel, Amon Goeth, and Ben Kingsley as the dignified, principled Jewish prisoner Itzhak Stern.

"Schindler's List" is definitely not light entertainment! This beautiful movie allows viewers to feel like they're actually a part of one of the darkest, most horrific periods in history. (I'm sure this is the reason the film was shot in black-and-white, with only minor "colorized" bits included.) The story of the Holocaust needs to be told over and over again, in hopes that future generations can understand the horrors perpetrated on an entire race of people and prevent future occurrences. "Schindler's List" is perhaps one of the best and most effective vehicles for telling that story I've ever experienced.

Whoever Saves One Life Saves the World Entire!
That's the tagline of Steven Spielberg's 1993 holocaust epic, SCHINDLER'S LIST (a film that has inspired me with my own film, TRIANGLE). What is this film? A documentary? A memorial service? A biopic? The answer is all of the above. It is a realistic look at a man who began as a womanizing criminal and ended as a sympathetic savior to thousands of Jewish people.

Based on Thomas Keneally's bestselling novel, it is passionate look at the Jewish struggle during the ghetto liquidation by the Nazis and in the concentration camps.

Filmed entirely on location in Poland and in black-and-white, with some color aspects, SCHINDLER'S LIST brings to life one of the saddest chapters in history. Starring Liam Neeson as industrialist Oskar Schindler; Ralph Fiennes as Amon Goeth; Ben Kingsley as Schindler's accountant Itzhak Stern; and Caroline Goodall as Schindler's wife, Emilie.

This is a film too sad to imagine, but also very important to watch and shameful to miss. Neeson does an extraordinary job in showing us the man who saved so many lives. A man whom most would call a pirate, he has shown us a brighter light. But, honestly, the one who impressed me (and shocked me the most) was Ralph Fiennes as a Nazi superior. Fiennes was known for playing romantic heroes on the London stage before playing such a dastardly role. (In the end, you can't help but cheer when he is eventually hanged.) And to Ben Kingsley (Oscar-winner for GANDHI), always the dependable one! His Stern provided me enough time to breathe a sign of relief and smile at his nervously mousy character. From his being trapped inside the train to his trying to reason with Schindler about the one-arm man's dependability working in the factory (a rare comedic moment in the film).

This is a triumph in every way possible! To watch a man, whom we never even heard of, save thousands of lives is heart-breakingly wonderful. Good job, Steven!

Winner of 7 Academy Awards including: Best Picture - Steven Spielberg, Branko Lustig & Gerald R. Molen; Best Director - Steven Spielberg; Best Adapted Screenplay - Steven Zaillian; Best Cinematography - Janusz Kaminski; Best Art Direction/Set Decoration - Allan Starski, Ewa Braun; Best Score - John Williams; and Best Film Eediting - Michael Kahn.

Approximately: 3 HOURS and 17 MINUTES

**Schindler's List **
This film from Steven Spielberg was shot in black and white and is very effective as a film to portray what happened to the Jews in Germany/Poland etc.. from the ghettos to the concentration camps. The film is very realistic in its portrayal and the environment of that time in history of the 1930's and 1940's. This is a film that you may only want to watch once. It is an excellent film. The acting is very good, the reality of the killings is very graphic. The cinematography is excellent. The only reason I think that is a film to viewed once or twice in one's life is due to the depressing nature of the film. I think it is a film that younger generations (teenagers and some people in their 20's) should see because many are coming out of school without even knowing who Adolf Hitler was and what he had done. I think it's important that they see what occurred so a repeat of history does not happen. This is an important film, but not necessarily one you want to view over and over again.

Some other reviewers on this forum start bringing up that "other genocides occurred in history" and how come only this one is made into a film. I'm afraid folks that Spielberg didn't make an all encompassing film to include all of the past atrocities that happened in the past 1000 years. He focused just on the Holocast. Also it is just pure ignorance to deny that 5-6 million Jewish civilians were killed/murdered. Even if it was 10,000 Jews, it does not make it any better. It doesn't really matter if they were Jews or any other religion. The fact is that 6 million PEOPLE who were civilians were murdered. They were Germans, Polish, French and many other nationalities. It just happened they were of the Jewish faith that was targeted by the Nazis(Jews were used as a scapegoat to blame all of Germany's economic ills as a country on. The Nazis also killed and murdered gypsies too. The people (men, women and children) killed were white people (Jewish is not a race. It is a religion).
Actual documentation of what the Nazi's did is on film shot by British news cameras as the American and British soldiers entered these concentration camps throughout 1945. Disease was rampant in these camps due to all the mass graves and thousands of bodies that were left to rot (by the Germans) as the British bulldozers needed to bury these corpses. My father and grandfather were in the 2nd World War as part of the American and British invasion of Germany and witnessed it first hand. That's enough proof as far as I am concerned. Yes. Not all Germans were bad people, but there were enough of them to throw the world into a World War in 1939 and to allow this to go on just a few miles from their towns and villages.

This is a good film. Good coverage of a very bad time in world history.

Not the best Special Edition one can expect, but still...
Although this 5 time Academy Award winning film certainly gets a beautiful presentation on disc, I both do and do not understand the complaining of the DVD presentation of Schindler's List. But first, let me discuss the benefits of the disc first.

The picture here is impressive, although there are noticeable flaws. The 1.85:1 anamorphic picture showcases excellent detail and rich black levels; at times the picture looked so good I thought that the movie was remastered by Lowery Digital Services. But then minor flaws show up, such as excessive grain and minor print flaws (such as in the sequence where Schindler Jews are calling out their names, I spotted a vertical line). Flaws aside, the picture is still beautiful and Janusz Kaminski's photography is put to good use here.

The audio is presented in Dolby Digital 5.1 and DTS 5.1 Surround. All Dolby and DTS tracks give a sense of place to the film, and while the tracks aren't bass-heavy, they fit the movie's tone perfectly. It demonstrates excellent stereo separation and bass response, all the while not calling attention to itself. The two-sided disc cuts down on cost, and the menus allow one to access each part of the DVD with considerable ease. (The movie is also given French and Spanish spoken languages and subtitles, while the extras have optional subtitles in English, French, and Spanish.)

Now, the disadvantages. I know people were expecting an extras-packed version of this movie, but we only have two real extras included; the "Voices From the List" Featurette and "Behind the Shoah Visual Foundation" Featurette. Both are good extras detailing the various stories recounted by actual Schindler Jews, and while these are substantial enough, I had the feeling more could've been added. If Spielberg were to do commentaries, I would appreciate one done for this film, and the addition of the theatrical trailer would help too. Inclusion of those two extras would've added much more to the DVD.

Still, quibble about the extras aside, the disc release of this film gives newcomers a chance to be introduced to one of Spielberg's greatest cinematic achievements ever made, with great picture and sound. It may not always be easy viewing, but the impact it leaves is indelible and unforgettable. For fans of Spielberg's work and this movie, this disc is a must-have, despite the slim extras. (If you're intent on having more, the gift set is a viable option. Along with the DVD, it also includes a booklet, the movie's soundtrack CD, certificate of authenticity, a photo still book and a Plexiglas keep case.)

History repeating it's self?
Why don't we hear about other genocides, like the ones in Russia and Turkey that inspired the German one? The movie was so distorted and stereotypical it's ridicules. The nazi's weren't all-bad and the Jews weren't all good. Jews aren't as innocent as they are portrayed. This could be due to Hollywood being monopolized by them. See how much trouble Mel Gibson had when he tried make a movie that portrayed Jews as less than perfect. If they had really went through all that trauma, why would they go to Palestine and commit the same atrocities only decades before to the Arabs? Schindler's List is just one of the yearly Jewish propaganda films that are thrown at us, like the pianist for ex. And worst of all, every year schools have to show this movie to young children. And Disney show's this movie every yr on the wonderful world of Disney. Why is this gruesome movie targeted at kids I have no idea. "so we won't forget the past my A**" ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Floating Ghost
Oshima has a way of getting to his audience emotionally that is in diametric opposition to conventional techniques for creating viewer identification. At a crucial moment most directors will zoom in tight on the actor's big breakdown. Perhaps the music swells up to goad us (think "Schindler's List") into joining the sobbing. Oshima's camera, on the other hand, is liable to create distance between itself and the character in moments of emotional crisis. Their pitiful isolation is emphasized. You may feel your heart breaking, or even a touch of panic. That distance can drag you in close enough to really hurt - and maybe leave a little scar. You certainly don't forget it.

"Violence at Noon" has a lot in common with Carl Dreyer's masterful "Day of Wrath." First there is that refined sense of emotional subtltey - so much more devastating than anything I've seen come out of Hollywood ever. Secondly, we see a social order whose best laid plans for perfect, harmonious community lead inevetably to misery, cruelty and self-immolation. Finally there are characters whose very identities are warped beyond repair by the cultural pressures and abuses they suffer - until they can no longer recognize themselves.

"Violence at Noon" doesn't share the visual austerity of Dreyer's film, however. It contains a staggering 2,000 plus shots. The image is in cinemascope and the camera is handheld. The photography is in exreme high contratst black and white. The overall visual scheme is vertiginous and anxiety provoking. The cutting becomes more rapid as the film moves along - finally climaxing in a moment weirdly reminiscent of the key shot in Bergman's "Persona" (which was released the same year) - and just as remarkable. It is a frightening example of cinematic technique used to create an inner experience more natural to the novel form than to film.

As elsewhere, Oshima's primary focus is on the female characters. His camera doesn't dwell on the rapes themselves (as is not uncommon in Japanese cinema). Rather, we see the aftereffects in painful detail. We experience the victim's guilt. We are made to understand, to some extent, the unthinkable.

"Violence at Noon" has often been dismissed as a lesser work from Oshima. Indeed, it doesn't hit you at the same level as an "Ai no Corrida" or "Nihon no Yoru to Kiri" - in which you could swear the director had just invented a new kind of film to engage you on a level never before attempted. But it doesn't need to do anything so spectacular. It only wants to make the viewer think, feel and question.

What a novel approach.

Ambitious narrative & Very intricate images/camera work
Seeing there's only one review for this precious film so far, and a rather brief one at that, perhaps I could give my two cents on the experience of Violence at Noon.

While the film does use a lot of jump cuts and refuses to give an easy, linear narrative - in a way similar to many French new wave films, as the box helpfully points out - its strength and seductiveness lie in the subject matter.

Oshima has said that, in this film, he wanted to explore the desire-shame complex men have in the act of sex. The result is less straightforward, as the story becomes one of detective hunt in the Present (Who's the Phantom Killer going around in daylight, raping and killing women?), and Past (the 4 main protagonists were members of a failed socialist commune, steeped in love and idealism.)

On a personal note, I really enjoyed the challenge of piecing together the relationships among the characters, the flashbacks and the on-going police pursuit. The images are inventive to say the least: using high contrast photography, the overexposure seems to tell the story of 4 people whose memories threaten to evaporate as painfully as their youthful ideals and love for each other. The end result is a bitter and strange one, as I don't feel Oshima's feelings about rape as a socially constructed pathology of the male does justice to the brutalization of the female. Yet the film seems to point to the complicitous role of women who allow the rapist animal to go on with his business. A very difficult and rewarding film if you stick with it. ... Read more

Reviews (401)

Best Film of 1998-Forget Shakespeare in Love!
Nobody will ever accuse the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences of having common sense or good taste. I'm still scratching my head trying to figure out why this film was beat out by "Shakespeare in Love", and why Jim Carey, who turned in the best performance of his career in "The Truman Show", wasn't even nominated for best actor.

The plot of this movie is simple enough-Jim Carey plays a young man whose entire life has been entertainment for the rest of the world. He dares to reach beyond the giant bubble which is his universe to see what's out there, only to be foiled.

Of particular note is the scene toward the end of the film where Truman reaches the end of the dome shaped studio and is told by Christoph (Ed Harris) about his world. This stands out as one of the most magical scenes in an extraordinary motion picture.

I realize that this movie isn't for everyone (my wife, for one, didn't particularly like it), but Carey's performance alone justifies the purchase of this video. He displays a vulnerability and childlike fascination that is unlike anything I've ever seen. A very good supporting cast includes the shamefully overlooked Ed Harris, as well as Laura Linney.

"The Truman Show" is one of the most brilliant and overlooked motion pictures ever made. The ersatz "Ed TV", which followed a similar plot, doesn't begin to approach the craftsmanship of "The Truman Show". Hopefully, the Academy will make up for their slight of Jim Carey with "Man on the Moon, which appears to be his second acting tour de force.

oustanding!
Imagine that your whole life is a lie, everyone is watching you everywhere, and the people who you love and with whom you've been sharing your life, including your best friend and your beloved and always funny wife are just actors. The Truman Show's basic idea carries an undoubtful cruel and sad felling, but in the hands of Peter Weir, a talented filmmaker who believes in the humanity and in hope, the film turns out to be an interesting, funny, and entertaining masterpiece, although it has an undeniable sad context. Truman is played to perfection by an actor who I've never thought that he could actually act, Jim Carrey. In this dramatic, powerful and blessed hole, Carrey delivers an excellent job! certainly he deserved the Golden Globe for this breakthrough performance. Carrey builds an ingenuous, good and honest man, making impossible for the audience stop caring and loving him. And during the whole running time of the film, you will find yourself laughing, having a great time and sometimes crying for Truman at each curve his fate takes. The supporting performances stand out for their quality, Laura Linney (from Congo, a great flick about explorers who are hunted down by killer gorillas in a mountain, available at Amazon) offers an unforgetable interpretation, playing with ear-to-ear smiles a cold and cruel actress. It's beyond me the reason why she didn't receive any Oscar nomination, but it's said that Paramount, Truman's studio, tried to nominate her in the Best Actresses Category but the year's other main performances (Cate Blanchet, Fernanda Montenegro) were more applauded, but had they took the Supporting Category, she would be a tough contestant for the Oscar. Ed Harris' Christof is one of those characters that will live forever in the hearts of the audience, and Truman, well, Truman is perhaps the most upright, honest and sweet hero that Hollywood ever conceived. The technical aspects count with curious, never-seen-before camera movements, intelligent and different ways of shooting the scenes and a strong direction by Weir. The Truman Show is available at Amazon, the DVD and VHS include the original trailers and interviews with the cast and director. Own this masterpiece! And don't forget to take a look at Congo.

My expectations were too high
I really like Jim Carey and the word of mouth about this movie was very good. It sounded like such an interesting premise. I watched it and was not entertained.

1984, Brave New World, Lord of the Flies, Truman Show!
Who would have thought that 'The Truman Show' would be entered among the great literary and movie classics ever made. Where 1984 gives a bleak look at a government who looks at everything and Brave New World about cloning, The Truman show is the premierve movie about the most horrible of all television rages in the last 10 years: Reality-TV.

But in this case Truman does not it. The awful outside world has made him into an item of fun, a person used for the amusement of others.

Are we all watchers or maybe in a way all Trumans? Trying to get out if this spectacle called life?

Deep, great, wonderfullly acted and a seminal movie.

Hollywood's view of the fall of man
It amazes me that so few people notice that this is a religious allegory. Sure, on the surface this is about how the media have invaded every square inch of our lives, and it is a prescient take on reality television, but more than that, the story is about the fall of man and the end of innocence. If you've seen this before, watch it again and notice the parallels to Genesis, especially near the end where Christof (How obvious the name!) talks to Truman (true man) from the clouds. He even addresses himself as "the creator."

Jim Carrey gives what is still his best performance to date. And the screenplay gives you a great deal to think about. Watch this and "Pleasantville" back to back and notice the theological similarities. The Truman Show is definitely one of the best movies of the decade. And I think years from now, when people really begin to appreciate the depth of the screenplay, they will come to recognize it as the masterpiece that it is. ... Read more

Description

For his chilling portrait of a serial killer, master director Shohei Imamura enters a world where impulse is reason enough for grisly murder.Based on police records and the prize-winning book by Ryuzo Saki, Vengeance Is Mine chronicles the terrifying crime spree of Iwao Enokizu.Actor Ken Ogata delivers a compelling character study. ... Read more

Reviews (3)

On many complexities of the human soul...
In the beginning of Vengeance, there is a key scene of the film's main character. He is unrinating, in order to wash his hands off the blood of his victim. He then notices he's under a tree, wipes his hands with his jacket and picks a