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British actress Pauline Collins repeats her stage success as the character Shirley Valentine, a married woman who decides in her middle years that she wants more out of life. Leaving her spouse behind, she heads to Greece, where she grows close to a low-key, local bloke (Tom Conti). Collins and director Lewis Gilbert (Educating Rita) choose to let the character, as she did in the play, speak directly to the audience at times, and the gamble works in terms of creating a gentle, intimate atmosphere. Conti is a bonus, a warm presence and funny to boot. --Tom Keogh ... Read more

Reviews (57)

A MUST for any video/dvd library!
One of the best films ever made that explores the human heart, "Shirley Valentine" begins with a bored British housewife who aches for "the girl who used to be me." Shirley Valentine was the rebel, the smart-mouth, the girl who would dare to do what other girls only dreamed of having the nerve to try. Now she's Shirley Bradshaw, a 42-year-old housewife with 2 grown kids and a husband she feels doesn't love her anymore. This movie is about how a fortnight's holiday alone (more or less - she arrives with a friend who promptly ditches her) in Greece enables her to find Shirley Valentine again. Funny, witty, heartwarming, inspiring, sentimental without being syrupy, "Shirley Valentine" is for all of us who've ever wondered if we made the right choices in life -- and if it's too late to take some of them back. Pauline Collins deserved the Oscar she was nominated for (too bad she didn't get it), with one of the best performances by an actor ever put onto film. The perfect movie to watch WHENEVER you are "down in the dumps," this film will cheer you up and give you hope, each and every time.

Flowers and some baklava for Shirley Valentine
Delicious movie with Pauline Collins repeating her star role as the lead character in this wonderful, touching, hilarious movie of a woman who makes an emphatic statement for expecting and demanding more out of life. She takes off for Greece for a vacation, then just decides not to go home. Her little asides to the audience, looking straight into the camera, are priceless. And who will forget her feeding the vegetarian neighbor's dog her husband's steak - and the husband shoving the substitute eggs across the table and into her lap (the defining moment when she decided Greece was in her future). [...]
Well.
Anyway, don't miss it! And recommend it to all your friends.

here's to my best friend - shirley valentine
I've lost count of how many times I've seen "Shirley Valentine", but I love it more with each viewing. It lifts my spirit, makes me laugh and motivates me to never give up. When I auditioned for a play several years ago I did some dialogue from SV ("...that was the sweetest kiss...") and I got the part! For me it was an added bonus to this wonderfully sweet and brilliant film about life and love. Pauline Collins is the best!

For some of us guys, too.
The play was wonderful - a monologue - that has been fleshed out for the movie by the appearance of the characters that Shirley only described onstage. As usually happens, things get lost from stage to screen. (Shirley's hilarious description of her son's performance in the Christmas play is sorely missed!) But there is a moment in the play and the film when Shirley is reflecting on Joe's (her husband) boredom and disenchantment with her. In the play, however, she doesn't hold Joe entirely responsible. "It's the same for him" Shirley admits. Many of us find in middle age that we have lost something. When Joe arrives in Greece, buttoned up and formal, Shirley Bradshaw asks Joe to "have a drink with Shirley Valentine". The olive branch - and a hand up - is being extended. I suppose you could say that this film has a feminist message but it touched me as a man and I think that it will any person who has gotten lost on their way through life.

Every womens journey to ones self
Pauline Collins carries this film, all the strength, weariness and insecurity with such a reality you feel you are a voyeur looking in on Shirley Valentine's life. We should all have such an adventure. I could watch this movie hundreds of times and still laugh. An incredible supporting cast as well.

With such a wickedly creative and funny movie I only wonder what's taking them so long making it in to a DVD?

See this movie over and over. There are few stories in life so well told.

And there's a little Shirley Valentine in all of us...if we're lucky. ... Read more

Description

This picture is an adaptation of Shakespeare's classic comedy. The setting has been updated to the victorian era but the focus is still on the universal question of gender. ... Read more

Reviews (80)

Twelfth Night deserves one star per night!
This is one of the most imaginative interpretations of Shakespeare (or perhaps anything) I've ever seen. Although I have read the play numerous times, I never would have thought of doing it this way. The story was fleshed out even more than Shakespeare did to begin with, and was made to seem modern and old-fashioned all at the same time. Director Trevor Nunn did a wonderful job with this film (but of course he also formed the Royal Shakespeare Company, so what else would one expect?) :-)

Although each member of the cast does a great job, a few must be mentioned individually. Imogen Stubbs proves to have an amazing amount of talent and versatility in the complicated role of Viola/Cesario. Nigel Hawthorne is terrific as Malvolio, particularly in one hilarious moment where he tries to smile - something at which he is not too practised. Helena Bonham Carter makes a very appealing Olivia. Ben Kingsley is absolutely wonderful, and extremely expressive, as Feste the fool.

TWELFTH NIGHT is a film that is definitely worth watching over and over.

Present mirth hath present laughter.......
How wonderful that I should happen upon this movie one early summer evening not so very long ago - and that it should brighten the wettest, most overcast June immemorial!

Director Trevor Nunn set this Shakespeare play in the Victorian era, and his adaptation is overflowing with talent - Imogen Stubbs (Viola) shows herself to be a versatile actress who can brilliantly play this complex lead with ease! Also notable were Nigel Hawthorne (Malvolio), Toby Stephens (Orsino), Helena Bonham Carter (wonderful as Olivia, although I'd expected it as I've never seen her performances as anything less), Richard E. Grant (Sir Andrew Aguecheek), and Imelda Staunten (Maria) -- and Ben Kingsley (the fool, Feste) did such a magnificent job - and, incidently, he sings superbly - he would easily have stolen the show if it weren't for the flawless performances of the entire cast!

I had to give it four stars instead of five because it was very hard to follow what was being spoken much of the time. I actually had to pull out my "Riverside Shakespeare" to follow what was being said. Much of this movie is verbatim directly from the play itself - which I must say endears it further into my heart.

In the midst of a summer where, at least here in my little realm of the earth, it "raineth every day," a movie such as this eases the doldrums. This movie is a delight!

Fabulous!
My theater class and I saw this after I finished reading the play TWELFTH NIGHT, and I must say, it kept to the script really well. But the depth that it had was great- when I read the play, it was kind of like 'Hmmm... okay, this is cool, love triangles!' And then it skipped to the servant scenes and I started racing through those to get to the, I supposed, 'better' action taking place with the twins.

But the servants have some of the best character representation out of the movie, especially Ben Kingsley as Feste and Malvolio- they rocked. And the main cast was perfect, as well.

All in all, probably the best re-doing of a Shakespeare play that I have ever seen... I loved it!

Oh- and how can anybody help but love the music to this movie? Kingsley's voice is magnificent, and makes you finish the thing wanting more. (My theater teacher is a performer at heart, and after our class finished it, he memorized the closing song- The Wind and the Rain- and that's practically all he sings nowadays... and what's worse, he has our English teacher doing it, too. :)

But watch this, seriously. If you're skeptical about understanding a Shakespearean drama, have no fear. Everything's really easy to understand, and it follows the script almost word for word.

The most exquisite film rendition of Shakespeare ever
The wonderful review by "theviciouscircle" says almost all: this is a rare and beautiful filming of one of Shakespeare's most engaging comedies. Every role is played to perfection -- the entire production shows the cast's and crew's intelligence, deftness, sense of play and extraordinary craft. Every single actor has so embodied his or her part that I will never again see the play without seeing this cast in my mind's eye. Ben Kingsley and Imogen Stubbs stand out even in this exceptional group. The music fits every mood in the play; Shakespeare simply must have heard these tunes when he wrote the verses, and the themes and backgrounds further carry us into the spirit of the play.
The Cornish settings in autumn are almost too beautiful; at times, one almost misses the acting, so spellbinding is the countryside in which it takes place. Trevor Nunn and his crew are much to be praised for finding locales that hold the story so gracefully -- we may know this is Cornwall, but we believe we are transported to Illyria. All in all, it is difficult to imagine a more exquisite realization of a robust yet delicate play. I have long waited to see this film on DVD, and in the widescreen format in which it was made -- how can the studio not release it?

A bit of everything and a bit too much of everything
This film is basically great, because many of the scenes are merry and can make most people titter (which is not bad considering that Shakespeare's humour relies so much on word-play) and of course give you that "warm" feeling.

As for the well-known plot against Malvolio, the pranksters seem to waver between enjoyment and a bad concience for engaging in such an idle or childish activity. Unlike some other reviewers, I can accept the sometimes blank face of Sir Toby, the indifference of Feste and the sternness of Maria, although their behaviour creates an odd feeling, as if they are not really enjoying the revels. Maybe the director is trying to say that Malvolio is not the only "malvolient" character.

This is probably the play that has the best music of all, and Ben Kingsley's singing is good enough. It should not be more schooled than it is because Feste is obviously a street-wise singer.

The director deserves credit for slowing the pace down in the middle of the film. My favorite part is when "O mistress mine" is simultaneously played at the duke's court and sung by Feste elsewhere. Here, the plot finds unity and the many characters become powerfully united.

The best acting performance, if you ask me, is Imogen Stubbs as Viola. She comes across as a real person and somehow manages to show all her conflicting emotions at once. Many of the other characters come across as spirits, half human, which makes sense since they live in "Illyria."

The weaknesses lie in a gaudiness and, perhaps, in a fragmentation into too many clips and scenes. I've actually watched part of the film in black and white and liked it better that way. All music except that which is part of the plot should clearly have been done away with, including the overblown, flowery starting tune which completely drowns (sic) the misery of Viola after the shipwreck. There is no need to tell us at this early stage that it will be a warm and happy movie! A strength in some of Shakespeare's comedies is that they are in danger of ending tragically.

The ending has been criticised before and while I enjoy it and have shed tears over it I partly agree with the criticism. It also suffers a bit from the gaudiness.

Still, I'm very thankful for this movie and I could easily have given it a 5. But since it is Shakespeare my demands go up a notch. The film is good craftmanship and some of its problems are indeed hard to solve: the abundance of characters, the overflow of beauty - what can you really add in that department when there's already so much beauty in Shakespeare's lines? ... Read more

Amazon.com essential video

Could this be the funniest movie ever made? By any rational measure of comedy, this medieval romp from the Monty Python troupe certainly belongs on the short list of candidates. According to Leonard Maltin's Movie & Video Guide, it's "recommended for fans only," but we say hogwash to that--you could be a complete newcomer to the Python phenomenon and still find this send-up of the Arthurian legend to be wet-your-pants hilarious. It's basically a series of sketches woven together as King Arthur's quest for the Holy Grail, with Graham Chapman as the King, Terry Gilliam as his simpleton sidekick Patsy, and the rest of the Python gang filling out a variety of outrageous roles. The comedy highlights are too numerous to mention, but once you've seen Arthur's outrageously bloody encounter with the ominous Black Knight (John Cleese), you'll know that nothing's sacred in the Python school of comedy. From holy hand grenades to killer bunnies to the absurdity of the three-headed knights who say "Ni--!," this is the kind of movie that will strike you as fantastically funny or just plain silly, but why stop there? It's all over the map, and the pace lags a bit here and there, but for every throwaway gag the Pythons have invented, there's a bit of subtle business or grand-scale insanity that's utterly inspired. The sum of this madness is a movie that's beloved by anyone with a pulse and an irreverent sense of humor. If this movie doesn't make you laugh, you're almost certainly dead.--Jeff Shannon ... Read more

Reviews (630)

one of the best comedies ever and dvd extras to rave about!
This is what dvds were invented for -- there are so many great features here! So in addition to seeing one of the funniest movies ever made, you can be entertained for hours with the extras, and the extras are terrific: subtitles in English, French or Spanish; audio track choices -- English (the original mono or a brand new full stereo version), French, a directors' (Gilliam and Jones) track or a commentary track with Cleese, Idle and Palin; a copy of the script overlaid on the film; a painstaking, hilarious Henry the IV-ish subtitle for those who don't like the film; a hard-of-hearing feature; killer rabbit easter eggs; animated menus using Gilliam's original animation; karaoke renditions of 'Knights of the Round Table', 'Sir Robin' and the 'Monks Chant'; a delightful 45 minute visit to the locations with Jones and Palin; an educational film about the 'other' uses of coconuts; Japanese versions of the French Castle and Knights Who Say Ni scenes, including references to the 'holy sake cup'; a 1974 BBC Film Night visit to a location site during filming; photos of tickets, press releases, reviews, posters, production stills and original artwork; trailers; cast credits (Palin played over a dozen parts!) with pictures of each character; a Lego knights version of the Camelot scene; pictures of sketches that were never used (a killer snail?!); a web link.

A lot of effort went into this special edition dvd, and it shows. I particularly enjoyed seeing Jones and Palin visit locations. They were in a jolly mood, their comments are interspersed with film footage, and they meet affectionate and funny fans along the way.

If you like this film you will love this dvd version; if you love the film, you wil adore this two-dvd set. An essential item for your collection.

Highest recommendation.

I Never Thought Looking For A Shrubbery Would Be This Fun!!
In the early 1970's the Monty Python troop (Michael Palin, Graham Chapman, Eric Idle, John Cleese, Terry Gilliam, and Terry Jones) stars from the immensely popular television series Monty Python's Flying Circus began producing, with the help of a fundraising concert headlined by Led Zeppelin and Pink Floyd (You lie!! No, I didn't!), initial photography on what would later become (from all my extensive years of movie watching) the single most unforgivably sidesplitting, enormously irreverent, shrewdly perceptive, unremittingly uproariously aggressive, gruesomely hysterical, and endlessly quotable comedies EVER. Not even Mel Brooks's Best Efforts (The Producers, Blazing Saddles, Young Frankenstein) comes very close to the revolutionary medieval merriment sustained in this royal purebred of cult classics. BAR NONE. No contest here.

Endlessly stockpiled with hauntingly hysterical sketches that will probably never leave your mind (no matter how hard you try) including, The Knights Who Say Nei, The Self-Abusing Monks (Eah aay ess eay dom eay nay), The Black Knight, The Trojan Rabbit, the Ever-Appearing Verbally Abusing French (I don't want to talk to you no more!!!), The Enchanter Named Tim, The Killer Bunny, The Bridge of Death (What is the capital of Hysteria?), The Old Woman Named Dennis, and so many countless more great sketches to include here that I'd die trying. Monty and Python and the Holy Grail remains an ever-enriching mirthful cult-classic that just seems to improve with age. Since Columbia has a bountifully hefty new special edition of the Holy Grail out now there should be no excuse, if you've never seen it (I think I'll go for a walk!!), just drop everything your doing (including Bringing Out Your Dead) and go experience this life changing movie today. You won't be disappointed, just tell them the Knight Not Appearing In This Film sent you, and they'll know what to do.

As for the options on the special edition here's a run-down:

Disc One: -"21st Anniversary" cut of the film running an extra 24 seconds; -Anamorphic Widescreen; -Dolby 5.1 track; -Original Mono Track; -Audio commentary with Terry Gilliam, Terry Jones, John Cleese, Eric Idle and Michael Palin; -subtitles "for people who don't like the film" (you get the text from Shakespeare's Henry IV instead); -an "on-screen screenplay" feature which lets you read the screenplay as you watch the film; -"Follow the Killer Rabbit" feature;

Disc Two: "Three Mindless Sing-Alongs"; -"The Quest for the Holy Grail Locations" featurette; -"How to Use Your Coconuts" educational film; -"Monty Python and the Holy Grail in Japanese" (with English subtitles); -the BBC Film Night special "On Location with the Pythons; -an interactive cast directory; -still galleries with Terry Gilliam's original sketches and behind-the-scenes photos; -"A Load Of Rubbish" with mystery items; -unused ideas and other material; -two trailers
and web-links.

Both discs represent the absolute final word resource for EVERYTHING and I do mean everything you'd need to know about the Python's greatest film. An Absolute Necessity for any Python Fan!!

P.S. You can't base a system of government just because some watery tart threw a sword at you.

What are you going to do, bleed on me?
excellent. Possibly the funniest movie ever made. Who could forget such a line as "I fart in your general direction. Your mother was a hamster and your father smelt of eldeberries." This is a great movie and a great dvd edition that gives it justice. This is completely worth the money. A comedy Classic.

This movie didn't make me Run Away! (or) Run away FASTER!!!
Monty Python and the Quest for the Holy Grail is, by far, my favorite movie -and I'm sure it always will be! Being a truly hilariously-random film, this DVD does an awesome job of showcasing this fact to the highest extent. The killer white "rrrrabit" will live on in my heart forever, and I will always be knowledgeable that African swallows are non-migratory. What other movie has a group of knights requesting shrubberies -from King Arthur, no less- to create a 'two-level effect with a path through the middle'? Only Monty Python and the Holy Grail.
The movie might sound strange as I mention these things out of context, but I assure you it is much stranger when Monty Python says it!
So, to conclude this review, I definitely give "Monty Python and the Quest for the Holy Grail" DVD a 5 star rating, as I know it will entertain millions for years to come. Enjoy!

The Lego Camelot Number Alone is Worth the Price
Who would have thought that, after nearly 30 years, the world's goofiest movie could be made even moreso? Not only is this DVD a comedy triumph (it would be simply if it were the DVD version of the classic film, in which a crew too broke to afford horses for King Arthur and his Knights changed history and college kids' banter forever by introducing coconuts as migrating props). Oh, no, this DVD is one that may become a standard for other DVDs. Just look at this list of extras above! To be sure, some of them are fluff. The "load of rubbish" selection is simply some receipts and a few odd notes. But most of it is stupendous.

The first disc contains the movie itself, along with some choices of how to watch it.... subtitles, commentary by directors Terry Jones & Terry Gilliam or by John Cleese & Eric Idle & Michael Palin. Then "for people who don't like the film", there's subtitles from Shakespeare's "Henry IV, Part II". Now, these do not faithfully follow Henry IV verse by verse, but they do come from the play, and it's hilarious how the phrases Shakespeare wrote do actually match up with the action on the screen.

Disc Two contains several mementoes: a film of John Cleese, Terry Jones, and "Grail" production manager John Young (who also played the hapless "Historian" towards the end of the film, and the "I'm not dead!" guy) paying a return visit to Castle Doune , in 2000. At first it's fun to hear them reminisce at the filming site, but since it's a very small spot with nothing but a wall and a bit of ground, they appear uncomfortable and that quickly gets old. More interesting is the home movie made by the two Terries when they looked for prospective film locations in the seventies. Their excitement is palpable.

A somewhat painful scene (except for the chance it gives us to watch Terry Jones in action as a director) is the BBC documentary made during filming. The interviewer seems more interested in trying to be funny himself than in the Pythons. But there are several great comic extras, including words to some songs, a coconut skit, two scenes dubbed in Japanese, and best of all, an animated feature of the "Camelot" scene and song done entirely in Lego...must be seen to be believed.

Finally, someone has made good use of the storage space on a DVD. ... Read more

Amazon.com

Jim Jarmusch's 1991 ensemble comedy turns a gimmick into a revelation. The story begins in Los Angeles one evening at 7:07 p.m. A talent agent (Gena Rowlands) gets into the back of a taxi driven by a sullen, chain-smoking young woman (Winona Ryder), and over the course of their bumpy conversation, Rowlands's character becomes convinced that the cabby would be perfect for a particular part in a movie. Meanwhile, at that very moment, taxi drivers in New York, Paris, Rome, and Helsinki are all having unique encounters with a variety of fares, breaking through that invisible social barrier between the front and back seats of their cars, often to absurd or touching effect. Among them are cabby Roberto Benigni's ranting confessions to a priest, Armin Mueller-Stahl's relinquishing of the wheel to a stunned Giancarlo Esposito, and Isaach De Bankolé's relentless discussion of sight and sex with an angry, blind woman (Beatrice Dalle). What emerges is a chain of brief intimacies (not always welcomed by the characters), like a number of matches lit simultaneously across the globe, flickering brightly for a few short moments. This popular work by Jarmusch helped confirm his reputation as a fiercely independent filmmaker of rare perception, rigor, and classical sensibility matched with original thinking. --Tom Keogh ... Read more

Reviews (30)

OFFBEAT, POIGNANT FIVE-STORY COMEDY
Tom Waits' music helps establish the mood of the streets in cities, empty of its day people. Seemingly, the minds of Jim Jarmusch's night people are affected by all of the dreams and nightmares surrounding them. NIGHT ON EARTH creates a lonely, romantic mood similar to Jarmusch's "Mystery Train," a film about wanderers in nighttime Memphis.

NIGHT ON EARTH presents us with slices of life in five cities played out by taxi drivers and their passengers at twilight through dawn. A Los Angeles casting agent (Gena Rowlands) tries convincing a tough young female cabbie (Winona Ryder) that she should have a career in the movies. In New York, a black passenger (Giancarlo Esposito) is convinced his driver (Armin Mueller-Stahl), who had just immigrated from Germany, will never find Brooklyn without help. In Paris, a taxi driver from the Ivory Coast throws out two tipsy African diplomats from his cab, then picks up a self-assured, tough and sexy young blind woman. In Rome, a cabbie (Roberto Benigni) burdens an aging priest by "confessing" his sexual perversions; causing the priest to have a heart attack in the back seat. Problem: what to do with the dead priest? Meanwhile in Helsinki, an icy snow covered winter dawn surrounds three drunken passengers as their driver decides who has the most tragic story to tell.

The film opens somewhere in space, zooming in on LAX airport in Los Angeles at exactly 7:07 PM. Jarmusch is mainly concerned with character; with relationships that form. For example, he throws together in a taxi a tattooed, gum-chewing, chain-smoking young cabdriver played to the hilt by Ryder, and the elegant Hollywood casting executive Rowlands who decides she'll cast her for a movie. But Ryder character announces, "I've got my life all mapped out," hoping to work her way up to mechanic. "There must be lotsa girls who want to be in the movies. Not me," she instructs the presumptuous and bemused talent scout. Nice!

Moving from Los Angeles, Jarmusch creates a global feeling of kinship. As the film progresses eastward around the world, we will hear Spanish, German, French, Italian, Finnish and even a little Latin. The film's literal and figurative vehicle remains the same: the inside of a taxi moving through a the empty streets of a great city in the middle of the night. Maybe the New York segment is the funniest. Mueller-Stahl's German cab driver lets passenger Esposito, who insists on driving himself home to Brooklyn to admireingly do so. On the way, they encounter anmd pick up Esposito's foul-mouthed sister in law, Rosie Perez as the shrill counterpoint voice from the back seat. Each man (the German named Helmut and the cool black guy who is Yo-Yo) argues that the other one has a rediculous name.

In Paris an Ivory Coast, African taxi driver gets up the nerve to ask his blind young woman passenger what sex is like for her: what's it like to make love with someone she can't see? Then he asks her what she thinks about colors. Without a hint of self consciousness, she abruptly responds that she knows more about colors and sex than he ever will! "I can do everything you can do," she assertively answers and announces that her entire being is involved in whatever she does. Retorts the skeptical cab driver, "Can you drive?" She shoots back, "Can you?!"

Jim Jarmouch offers us offbeat comedy and pathos at their best.

A true unsung classic
Night On Earth is often described as a "slice of life", but it is more accurate to call it a slice of time, cinema temporal rather than cinema verite. Unlike the new novel, in which the timeline of a story is chopped up like a piece of film and re-spliced out of order, Jarmusch's little masterpiece pulls apart five simltaneous events which take place in different time zones and presents them sequentially. The new novel technique gives the impression that ordered time is merely a psychic convention, that life is ultimately fragmented...by allowing us to experience five simultaneous taxi rides, from 7 pm in Los Angele to 5 AM in Helsinki, Jarmusch shows us the unity, rather than disconinutity, of life across time. It is a bit like what I imagine the astronauts felt in viewing the Earth from the Moon.

I find Night on Earth to be a tremendously comforting and human film...it is five small vignettes, each describing it's own particular emotional, as well as temporal, moment. Winona Ryder's turn as a gum snapping chain smoking tomboy taxi driver to Gena Rowland's high powered call-phone addicted Hollywood agent is priceless.. Roberto Benigni delivers one of the most hilarious comic performances of a legendary career in his portrayal of a chronically self-narrating lunatic careening through the deserted streets of Rome. Despite the differing feeling-tones of each story, a tender shared sense of the commoness of experience, what Latinos would call "sympatico", prevails. This movie is a masterpiece of the best sort of non-cloying sentiment.

See the film...

fun flick
Watch this one with friends. The Italian part had me laughing so hard I hurt.

Oh. My. God.
If you haven't seen this 1991 classic comedy, see it now.
The premise is that we follow events during one night in taxis in several places around the world: New York, LA, Paris, Rome, and Helsinki. The best, by far, the one I always think of first when someone mentions this incredibly funny and touching film, is the one set in Rome with Roberto Benigni as the taxi driver. He gives this rambling monologue sort of a confession about lambs and pumpkins and sex that you HAVE to see the movie to appreciate. There's a priest in the back seat getting more and more 'cardiac challenged' by the specific nature of this confession. It's a marvelous set piece, and I always rewind and watch that sequence at least 2-3 more times. It is just as funny on the 3rd viewing as it was on the first.
Top notch.

A Great Night on Earth
I watched this film late at night, when every sane person is supposed to be asleep, out of their cars and in their beds. Life still goes on, however, for the taxi-drivers who move people from one quiet location to another in the wee hours of the night. The locations are quiet, but the people are not, and the dialogue in this movie is humorous, meaningful, and real. A temporary bond is formed between passenger and driver (sometimes the roles are even reversed, as in the New York vignette featuring Helmut Grokenberger and YoYo, played by Armin Mueller-Stahl and Giancarlo Esposito, respectively). Armin Mueller-Stahl, born in 1930, may be relatively unknown to American audiences (as opposed to, say, Rosie Perez), but he did play Vertikoff in the George Clooney flick "The Peacemaker" (1997). Who is the stranger at the wheel who is responsible for bringing one home? What kind of person drives late at night, waiting for the dispatcher's call to a new address? A passenger has to pay him or her at the end of the ride, but there is still a feeling of gratitude, and even affection, towards this gruff conveyor of souls. "You're a good man, Mika," the half-drunk, initially hostile, Finnish workers tell their driver (played by Matti Pellonpää) at the end of their journey. Or a battle of wits takes place, as evidenced by the Paris vignette. Ivorian actor Isaach De Bankolé (who also appears in Jim Jarmusch's "Coffee and Cigarettes") is great here as a luckless "taxiste" whose prying questions are turned against him by his blind passenger (played by Béatrice Dalle). Roberto Benigni is of course hilarious, and does here what he does best: rapid, hilarious dialogue with a lot of gesticulation and wide grins. He and the actor who plays the priest (not a bishop), Paolo Bonacelli, have been co-stars before: on the Benigni vehicle "Johnny Stecchino."
I am really looking forward to the time when "Night on Earth" is made available on DVD. ... Read more

Amazon.com

One of the most endearing and intelligent romantic comedies of the '90s, the Oscar-winning Shakespeare in Love is filled with such good will, sunny romance, snappy one-liners, and devilish cleverness that it's absolutely irresistible. With tongue placed firmly in cheek, at its outset the film tracks young Will Shakespeare's overwrought battle with writer's block and the efforts of theater owner Philip Henslowe (Geoffrey Rush, in rare form) to stage Will's latest comedy, Romeo and Ethel, the Pirate's Daughter. Jokey comedy, though, soon takes a backseat to ravishing romance when the beautiful Viola De Lesseps (Gwyneth Paltrow) disguises herself as a young man to wangle herself an audition in the all-male cast, and wins both the part of Romeo and, after much misunderstanding, the playwright's heart. Soon enough, Will's pirate comedy becomes the beautiful, tragic Romeo and Juliet, reflecting the agony and ecstasy of Will and Viola's romance--he's married and she's set to marry the slimy Lord Wessex (Colin Firth) in the near future.

The way that Oscar-winning screenwriters Marc Norman and Tom Stoppard enfold their story within the parameters of Romeo and Juliet (and even Twelfth Night) is nothing short of brilliant--it would take a Shakespearean scholar to dissect the innumerable parallels, oft-quoted lines, plot developments, and thematic borrowings. And most amazingly, Norman and Stoppard haven't forgotten to entertain their audience in addition to riding a Shakespearean roller coaster, with director John Madden (Mrs. Brown) reigning in his huge ensemble with rollicking energy. Along the way there are small gems to be found, including Judi Dench's eight-minute, Oscar-winning turn as a truly regal Queen Elizabeth, but the key element of Shakespeare in Love's success rests on the milky-white shoulders of its two stars. Fiennes, inexplicably overlooked at Oscar time, is a dashing, heartfelt Will, and as for Best Actress winner Paltrow, well, nothing she'd done before could have prepared viewers for how amazing she is here. Breathtakingly beautiful, fiercely intelligent, strong-willed, and lovestruck--it's a performance worthy of Shakespeare in more ways than one. By the film's end, you'll be thoroughly won over--and brushing up your Shakespeare with newfound ardor. --Mark Englehart ... Read more

Reviews (456)

Not of an age, but for all time. And better on DVD
Purists who turn up their noses at Shakespeare in Love don't know what they're talking about - or rather, don't know what they're missing. This was, after all, written by Tom Stoppard, author of some of the very best plays of modern times (Arcadia, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead - the latter filmed with Gary Oldman and Tim Roth). He's done a splendid job of balancing accessibility with genuine wit. The screenplay is littered with allusions to the bard's works, and gives some great - albeit hypothetical - insights into how and why he wrote.

Beyond that, in true Shakespearean style, we are offered the "play within the play" - in this case Romeo and Juliet. Excellent editing gives us just enough to convey the mood of an Elizabethan performance, leaving us wanting more. This film does a great job of broadening the appeal of the most popular writer.

And don't miss the topical in-jokes - the "cabby" rowing the boat, and especially Glenda Jackson saying she knows what it's like to do a man's job (she plays "M" in the Bond movies). Bill S. would have approved. High praise indeed.

Top-Ten Romance, and One of the Most Clever Screenplays!
"Shakespeare in Love" is a triumph, pure and simple. With screenwriters Tom Stoppard and Marc Norman at the top of their game and feeding immortal lines to a top-notch cast, "Shakespeare in Love" could not fail to succeed.

The film opens with young Will Shakespeare (Joseph Fiennes) struggling with writer's block . . . he is clearly not yet the magnificent WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE (insert trumpets here), the world's most famous writer. Indeed, the top playwright of the age is Kit Marlowe (Rupert Everett), as Shakespeare is reminded several times. And young Will is also hopelessly infatuated with Rosaline, a woman completely unworthy of his affections.

After some psychotherapy that anticipates Freud, Will is no better. Still, heavily in debt, Will attempts to stage his next opus, "Romeo and Ethel, the Pirate's Daughter." Working with Henslowe (Geoffrey Rush, who would have stolen a lesser film with his perfect performance), who's also heavily in debt, Will seems headed for disaster.

That is, until he sees his muse, young Viola de Lesseps (Gwyneth Paltrow, never better). Smitten, young Will begins to write the romantic poetry that becomes "Romeo and Juliet." Viola, who recognizes Will's genius, meets Will through some classic Shakespearean disguises and mistaken identities. Of course, Viola is betrothed to a true slug, Lord Wessex (a plump Colin Firth), who plans to take her to Virginia in seek his fortune across the sea -- essentially sending her into exile.

Despite the roadblocks, Will and Viola are soon hopelessly in love. Viola, daring to breach the silly rule that only men can play parts on stage, has taken the role of Romeo by day. By night, Will and Viola write Will's most romantic play together.

"SIL" keeps the wheels turning mighty fast, and one of the joys of watching this movie over and over is catching a quick joke that you didn't get the first time around.

It's also a pleasure to watch this stellar cast go through its paces. While Judi Dench won her Oscar for her surprisingly brief performance as Queen Elizabeth, other actors turn in equally entertaining performances. Tom Wilkinson, Simon Callow, Martin Clunes, and Imelda Staunton each bring amazing proficiency to the supporting cast, and even the much-maligned appearance of Ben Affleck elevates the movie -- he is perfectly cast as a self-absorbed theater star (first line -- "What is the play, and what is my part?"). Affleck's comeuppance, when he realizes that he, as Mercutio, doesn't have the title role, is handled wonderfully well.

This is simply a movie that doesn't miss a trick. The film is shot beautifully, the extravagent costuming gets at the ridiculous conformity that we associate with jolly old England (and makes the torrid romance of Will and Viola that much more intimate), and the music is uplifting.

The film's final shot, as Viola walks along the beach and we realize that we've just seen the birth of arguably Shakespeare's greatest heroine, Viola of "Twelfth Night," is a masterpiece of powerful understatement.

This movie is simply a must for the film library!

A GOOFY YET DELICIOUSLY SEDUCTIVE ROMANTIC COMEDY!
The DVD casing claimed in big bold letters "Best Screenplay" Academy Award winner. I can surely see why! Must have been some deviously creative team that crafted this crisp comic period-piece.

The film is really two love stories: one a bawdy romance between two smitten humans, and the other an ode to the art of theatre. The writers'/director's love for showmanship is loud and evident throughout the brilliant screenplay, and if you're a fan of wordplay in any way, well then this is a surefire delight.

Both Paltrow and Fienners turn in lusciously romantic performances in their respective roles -- she pulls off the formidable order of gender-switching without a hitch, and he has just the right pitches and patterns for a young, struggling Shakespeare. Geoffrey Rush is magnetic as usual.

Don't be fooled by the Elizabethan accoutrements, this film and its arsenal of laconic quips could easily shoot several contemporary romances to dust. Buy this one in fact, don't just rent, it quite comfortably stands the test of more than one viewing..

Rush in an unforgettable role
Although Geoffrey Rush is not the star of the film, he delivers a memorable performance, as usual. Fiennes does, also. The costuming is very beautiful, and the humour is delightful. Highly reccommended.

Emotionally Fraudulent and Morally Offensive NON-Love Story
Before I start out, I should say that I am NOT one of those people who think they have to deride "Shakespeare in Love" because it's a "chick flick" and therefore unworthy(?!) of Oscars. Nor do I feel the need to condemn it for winning Best Picture over "Saving Private Ryan," as so many have done. I certainly do have a beef in that regard -- and it's that my own favorite film of 1998, "The Truman Show," wasn't even nominated for Best Picture! But none of these things have anything to do with my loathing for "Shakespeare in Love." My beef is solely with the offensive nature of the film itself. It's advertised as a love story, but is emotionally and morally empty when it comes to any notion of love.

You could see the writers straining to convince us that those two awesomely idiotic characters, Will and Viola, were really deserving to be the inspiration for "Romeo and Juliet." The film wanted to show that "the truth and nature of love" so magnificently expressed in Shakespeare's play resulted from this casual (and to my mind very unromantic) affair between a lying weasel of a married man, and an apparently dimwitted girl who can't be bothered to decide whether she wants to marry him or not, though she's being forced into marriage with a man she hates.

Starting out by having a man needing to fall in love for a mercenary reason -- so he can finish his play -- and then conveniently having him decide that the first pretty girl who comes along is the love of his life, doesn't strike me as a convincing way to start a love story. Did writers Marc Norman and Tom Stoppard really stop to think this out? From the beginning we know he's using this girl, and they never find a convincing way to show us that this ever changes.

The worst line in the film, to my mind, comes right after their first soft-core sex scene. Viola murmurs: "I never would have believed that there could be something better than a play -- even your play!" Will: "Huh?" Well, there goes any possible higher emotional or spiritual aspect to their relationship.

This is the deepest flaw in the movie (which was otherwise well acted, gorgeously shot and beautifully costumed). I could not enjoy it or buy into it in the slightest because the fundamental conception of the filmmakers was based on modern notions of love that don't go beyond the purely physical. Descriptions of love in Western literature have at least on occasion gone much deeper than that. The Will in "Shakespeare in Love" not only couldn't have written "Romeo and Juliet"'s dramatic sonnet "If I profane with my unworthiest hand this holy shrine. . ." he wouldn't even have been able to understand it.

Not to mention the glamorization of a man's adultery, and the strenuous attempts to avoid all the real-life emotional ramifications of such an action, in favor of a feel-good justification of it, in spite of the obvious harm to the young virginal woman who was used by a cad. But it's excused and made to seem no real harm, by having her anger abated by thinking Will is dead, then readily going back to him when she discovers he's alive (a cheap dramatic trick if I ever saw one). Above all, no matter what a real Elizabethan girl's attitude miught have been, Viola is made to adopt the "modern" attitude (love is just a "stolen season").

I think there actually could have been a believable story in the idea of Shakespeare falling in love while writing "Romeo and Juliet." Why not start with the historical fact that Shakespeare didn't even make up the plot of the play at all, much less make it up out of his own love life? In fact, "Romeo and Juliet" was an Italian novella that had gone the rounds of Europe, had been turned into a French play, an English poem and at least one preceding English play. What if Shakespeare finds himself adapting this love story, not believing in love, then actually falls in love in a way that resembles the plot of "Romeo and Juliet"? I think it would have been nice if he had fallen in love with a virgin like Viola, realized in all conscience he couldn't take advantage of her, and wrote his play out of his frustrated love, which he turns into art. I think it would have been more convincing. But of course then it wouldn't have been a Miramax film . . . ... Read more

Reviews (19)

Charming & Adorable
I received all three Wallace and Gromit videos as a Christmas present a few years ago and I still love them. All of them are truly 5-stars but I feel that The Wrong Trousers is the ABSOLUTE best. The Wrong Trousers is the second episode in the trilogy of Wallace and Gromit films. The story centers around a clever inventor; Wallace and his genius-dog; Gromit. This, the second time around, our dynamic duo are experiencing financial troubles. When Wallace decides to let out a room to a sly penguin the story really gets going and does not wind-down to the very end with the grand finale. The Wrong Trousers is very clever and cute and the animation is simply amazing. This is a very delightful and enjoyable film that is great for the whole family. Kids and parents both will love it! A Grand Day Out, The Wrong Trousers and A Close Shave are all highly recommended.

wonderful!
first saw this on pbs, with a short film about how nick park animated this. fell in love with wallace and gromit, have all of their films. when not fascinated with the animation of the dear little clay characters, you'll be in stitches over the story, which borrows from the crime film genre with a sinister criminal, a harrowing train chase, and the robbery itself. the breakfast sequence could have been done by rube goldberg himself! i never tire of watching this and its companions, a close shave and a grand day out. all are highly recommended.

Cheeky British Humor For Children and Adults!
A delightful duo, Wallace and Grommit deliver plenty of laughs in these wonderful adventures. The producers spared no expense on the charming and detailed sets, and the voice of Peter Sallis (who also did the voice of Rat in the classic claymation series The Wind in the Willows) is perfect for the character of Wallace. A MUST SEE for the whole family. Wry British humor. Fantastic!

Just saw it today!!! Really good!
Since today was the last day of school before Winter Break, my science teacher wanted us to watch this movie. I was very amazed by all the effects. I didn't know you could do so much with claymation!!!! I would reccommend this to anybody whos anybody. Unforntually, I have only seen 20 minutes of this. We ran out of time at the end of class. Watch it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Best Viewed in Black and White!
Adjust your TV and you will see "Wrong Trousers" in black and white,and trust me it's got more Hitchcockian depth when you do this! ... Read more

Amazon.com

Most people didn't mind Gwyneth Paltrow's English accent in this charming, 1996 adaptation ofJane Austen's novel (which also inspiredClueless). But even if it doesn't sound quite right to you, there are plenty of authentic and wonderful Brit thespians in this film by screenwriter-turned-director Douglas McGrath (co-author of Woody Allen's Bullets Over Broadway), including Juliet Stevenson(Truly Madly Deeply), Alan Cumming(Buddy), Phyllida Law (Much Ado About Nothing), Ewan McGregor (the Scots star ofTrainspotting), and Sophie Thompson, outstanding and finally heartbreaking as the chattering Miss Bates. Paltrow plays Austen's benign busybody, Emma Woodhouse--so busy trying to arrange the lives of others that she is sidestepping her own. McGrath brings a kind of pretty and light touch to the production, his best move the wise delegation of creative authority to the actors themselves.--Tom Keogh ... Read more

Reviews (195)

An all-around superb film
For some reason, people who see this movie either completely adore it or completely despise it. I will never understand those who despise it, because Emma is one of the most well-made movies I have seen. The entire cast is wonderful, with almost all of the actors accurately portraying the characters from Jane Austen's novel (which I believe everyone must read before they can fairly judge this movie). The score was excellent (apparently the Academy agreed) and the costumes were beautiful. Considering that Austen's novel is more than 400 pages long, I would have to say that the director did a fabulous job of turning it into a two hour movie. Gwyneth Paltrow is the exact Emma I envisioned when I read the novel for the first time, and Jeremy Northam is absolutely adorable as Mr. Knightley. The humor is subtle, but that is characteristic of most of Austen's novels. Despite the quality of this film, it's probably not for everyone. The language may be hard for some to take for two hours, and it is a period piece, which not everyone enjoys. However, I would still recommend this movie to anyone.

Brilliant in so many ways
Being a die-hard Austen fan, I couldn't resist watching this movie. Emma Woodhouse's story has always been my favorite of
Austen's efforts, and I am always glad to see her work brought to the screen. I was VERY pleased with this film.

Casting was well done. Northam provides a sturdy, but not overly-stern, Knightley, and Paltrow does an amazing job of convincing us that she is, indeed, British in her portrayal of Emma. Her accent is nearly flawless, and I felt that she truly captured the personality of Austen's most spoiled heroine. The sets and lighting are bright, airy, and perfectly suited to the comedic approach taken by this particular director. The scenes are edited just brilliantly. Each scene flows seamlessly from one to another, and the pace of the plot runs along just perfectly. It moves fast enough to keep everyone interested and slowly enough to make sure that everyone has enough time to absorb what's going on.

The criticism I've heard most often is that the film really only touches on the Jane Fairfax/Frank Churchill subplot for the briefest of moments. I did not find that to be injurious to the film. It's plain, while watching this version, that the director wanted to keep the story light and funny. Adding Jane and Frank's saga would have done two things: First, it would have seriously darkened and dramatized the bouncy and bright atmosphere of the entire film. Second, it would have taken the spotlight off of Emma Woodhouse as the focus of the story. I felt that, given the abbreviated length of time that a movie has in which to communicate a story...the omission of Frank & Jane's affair was a wise choice.

The second criticism I've heard of the film is that it's just too clean and "pretty" to be accurately representative of Regency England. Again...this didn't bother me. The focus of this film is NOT to be true to history. It is not a Regency documentary. It is a fun and aesthetically pleasing depiction of Emma Woodhouse and her friends. It's romantic, funny, charming, and very very pretty to look at.

I loved it.

Misguided, but somehow pleasing.
There's no reason this should work as well as it does. This is a very broad adaptation and the performances in general are unsubtle and broad as well. Ms. Paltrow's accent is heinous, and Ms. Collette's work is frankly annoying (though that is in part as written.) As the movie moves from set piece to set piece, lingering endlessly on the beautiful design, one can't help but think that if Ms. Austen's Emma had actually had so much to do, she'd have been little bored enough to spend so much time meddling in her friends' affairs. But in the end, the good will evinced by all involved somehow makes a film that charms very much in spite of several and severe flaws. The BBC version of Emma is much superior in adherence to the Austen story, and Clueless certainly has the edge for humor, but this is a fair adaptation that ultimately is more success than failure.

Love this movie!
Beautiful people, clothes, quirky characters and a flawed Emma make this movie enjoyable time after time. There aren't a lot of movies I can watch multiple times, but this is one I always enjoy!

Paltrow and Northam light up the screen!
Whether you've read the novel or not, this movie adaptation is enjoyable to watch. The characters are so vividly brought to life that it's impossible not to feel their joys and their sorrows. Paltrow is adorable as the young Emma and her scenes with Mr. Knightly (Jeremy Northam) spark with romantic chemistry. Mr. Knightly comes off as charming and very handsome thanks to Northam's own charm and classy good looks. Miss Bates makes you laugh but at the same time, she breaks your heart. Great sets, scenery, and acting by entire cast. Highly recommended! ... Read more

Amazon.com essential video

Arguably the greatest black comedy ever made, Stanley Kubrick's cold war classic is the ultimate satire of the nuclear age. Dr. Strangelove is a perfect spoof of political and military insanity, beginning when General Jack D. Ripper (Sterling Hayden), a maniacal warrior obsessed with "the purity of precious bodily fluids," mounts his singular campaign against Communism by ordering a squadron of B-52 bombers to attack the Soviet Union. The Soviets counter the threat with a so-called "Doomsday Device," and the world hangs in the balance while the U.S. president (Peter Sellers) engages in hilarious hot-line negotiations with his Soviet counterpart. Sellers also plays a British military attaché and the mad bomb-maker Dr. Strangelove; George C. Scott is outrageously frantic as General Buck Turgidson, whose presidential advice consists mainly of panic and statistics about "acceptable losses." With dialogue ("You can't fight here! This is the war room!") and images (Slim Pickens's character riding the bomb to oblivion) that have become a part of our cultural vocabulary, Kubrick's film regularly appears on critics' lists of the all-time best. --Jeff Shannon ... Read more

Reviews (264)

Absolutely Brilliant, Yet Creepy Satire
Splendidly acted and brilliantly directed, Dr. Strangelove is Kubrick's satiric masterpiece about the insanity of the Cold War Era and the silliness of the infamous military-industrial complex--i.e., militaristic war machine-- that seems hell-bent on destroying the world with its overblown paranoia and jingoism. After rumors of a supposed Doomsday Machine that the "Commie Rats" are developing, a general, Jack D. Ripper (Sterling Hayden), tricks 34 U.S. Air Force bombers into nuking the U.S.S.R. without asking the President's permission (played by Peter Sellers in one of three roles). Not surprisingly, he's a little touched in the head, as he decides to bomb Russia not only because of this device, but because he's obsessed with the idea of preserving America's "precious bodily fluids." (It's a long story, folks.) Adding to the mess is Joint Chief of Staff, Turgidson (George C.Scott, in a brilliant performance), who's as paranoid as they come and wouldn't mind helping Ripper take out half of civilization to save America from the evil Russians. (One hilarious scene has Turgidson confronted with the possiblity of killing millions of people because of Ripper's stunt. "So what if we get our hair a little mussed?" he says.) Also mired in the madness is another military man, the veddy British Mandrake (Sellers) who works under Ripper and tries desperately to get the insane man to give him the code needed to turn the planes back, but alas to no avail. The star of the movie, however, is the weapons scientist, Dr. Strangelove (Sellers again), a very bizarre wheelchair-bound ex-Nazi with a "trick arm" that can't stop doing the Seig Heil salute. (For trivia buffs out there, this character may have been an allusion to the very real Wernher von Braun, the rocket scientist for Nazi Germany who was recruited by the U.S. after the war.) Also doing a wonderful turn is Slim Pickens, the tough-talking cowboy and man in charge of the only bomber that fails to get the recall from Washington; the scene in which he rides a falling nuke to its destination is a cinematic classic.

What makes Dr. Strangelove so brilliant is that is able to straddle that line between reality and absurdity without having each side cancel the other out. On one hand, the performances are so over the top that you not only laugh, you sigh with the relief that this is, after all, *just* a movie. (A weird cat like Dr. Strangelove could never exist in real life.) On the other hand, there's something about the way the film is directed where there's an eery and creepy feeling that something like this *could* happen-- not with these zany characters, of course, but with saner people in similar circumstances. In the end, no matter how crazy people like Turgidson and Ripper may act, the bottom line is that their underlying beliefs are shockingly similar to what a lot of U.S. military personnel in a position of power to push the button feel like. But then again, that was the point of the film-- on one hand to make people laugh, but on the other hand, to wake them up to the dangers of the Cold War and an entity like the military-industrial complex, that-- if not kept in check-- could one day feel itself powerful enough to perform certain reckless acts without consulting Congress or even the President himself. All in all, a terrific film, and a complete thumbs up from me.

A Kubrick Classic.
U.S. Air Force General Jack D. Ripper (Sterling Heyden) goes entire and Utterly Crazy and Sends his Bomber Wing to Destory the U.S.S.R. He distrust that the Communists are Noted to Contaminate the Expensive Carnal Liquids of the American People. The U.S. President (Peter Sellers) meets with his Advisors, where the Soviet Ambassador tells him if the U.S.S.R. is hit by Nuclear Weapons, it will trigger a Doomsday Decive. Which will Annihilate all Plant and Animal Life on Earth. British Captain Lionel Mandrake (Also Sellers), the only person with access to the Demented General Ripper. U.S. President Merkin Muffley, whose Best Effort to Avert Disaster depend on Placating a High Soviet Permier and the former Nazi genious Dr. Strangelove (Also Sellers), who concludes that such a decive would not be a Cognizant Deterrent for Reasons which at this moment must be all too obvious. Will the Bombers be Stopped in Time or will General Jack D. Ripper succeed in destroying the world?

Directed by Stanley Kubrick (Lolita, 2001:A Space Odyssey, A Clockwork Orange) filmed a well made Black Comedy, feature an Impressive Cast including-George C. Scott, Slim Pickens and James Earl Jones. This film is Unique and It's gets better, every year. Oscar Nominated for Best Actor:Peter Sellers, Best Picture and Best Director:Stanley Kubrick and Best Adapted Screenplay by Peter George, Stanley Kubrick and Terry Southern. DVD has an clear Pan & Scan format and an Dolby Digital 1.0 Mono Sound. A well made that become a Classic. The Newest Edition from Columbia Home Video DVD has Many Extras. Grade:B+.

Oh for the days of the Cold War!
Every ideology that seems terribly important to one generation usually ends up seeming idiotic and even disturbingly naive to the following generation.

Think about it. The ideologies of the 18th century - dying for one's prince, duke or loot - seemed insane during the Napoleonic Wars, when nationalism became THE primary motivating factor.

"Pure" nationalism - like the extreme gung-ho attitudes at the beginning of World War I - seemed rather distasteful to the Allied forces in World War II, who fought to liberate peoples from Fascism.

The idea that Fascism would always endure, and was seriously in danger of taking over the world, seemed laughable during the Cold War.

How does the Cold War look to us today? The McCarthy era; Americans truly believing the USSR and the Communists were veritable Antichrists; truly believing that DESTROYING ALL LIFE ON THE PLANET was a feasible prediction about life in the near future; that the world was, always had been, and always would be, characterised by a fight between Communists and Capitalists.

*Sigh*

Dr Strangelove (or: how I learned to stop worrying and love the bomb) is actually MORE funny - and disturbing - in some ways now than it was before. Admittedly I can sort of understand the immense impact of this film - could ANY politial satire have been more timely - but the fact that the "better red than dead" ideology nowadays seems as ridiculous as fighting for your Duke, means that this film can be seen in a new light.

People actually believed that is was better to be dead than Red? (Yes they did). People actually believed fluoridation of water was a communist conspiracy??? (Yes, they did). The Russians actually contemplated building a Doomsday device? (Yes they did!!! Josef Stalin actually started research on such a device, which would have EXTERMINATED ALL LIFE ON THE PLANET for the sake of a politial dispute between Communist and capitalist that today seems absolutely laughable!)

The passing of the Cold War era means that this movie is seriously disturbing. To a new generation, the all-annihilating power of the superpowers of the 1960s appears to have been based on disputes that appear petty in the extreme. Truly this movie makes us wonder what future generations will think of our fixation on modern ideologies; in an era that began three years ago with the late unpleasantness - and which is already making Francis Fukuyama's ideas, from the happy days of the 1990s, seem obsolete. He claimed that history was over; that free market ideology was the ULTIMATE ideology that would finally bring about an end to all future historical events by making us all live in peace.
That is SO 1995...

History is not over. Each generation seriously believes its own era is the ultimate era - that their own era is THE era whose disputes TRULY matter.

Well, history changes, as Strangelove shows us. I seriously hope that this movie makes us moderns think a little further before considering annihilating the world again! At least over something like fluoridation of water...

Satire at its best!
There are excellent reviews here about this movie, most of them rate it highly, and rightly so. It is no accident that this DVD is on average (at the time of writing) around 4.5 stars.
I must confess I did not know about Peter Sellers before watching this movie. I was recommended the movie by an 'artsy' friend - you know, the type of guy that thinks Citizen Kane is the greatest movie ever made - so I wasn't expecting too much, knowing how these types prefer style over substance.

I was pleasantly surprised. This is the type of film anybody can enjoy, it's seriously funny. It will probably have more meaning if you are familiar with the Cold War and the arms race, but if you don't know too much about that, the extras are a great help. There is one extra that deals with the making of the film, and how at the time of its production there was some subtle opposition to its release. Subtle in that the Air force was unwilling to lend it's expertise in the design of the B-52 bomber used in the film, and there was fear that its release at the time of J.F.K's death might have been seen as unpatriotic.

Well that's all behind us now, and we don't have to worry about the bomb so we can enjoy it more as a comedy than as a political message presented as satire. I must say that Peter Sellers is a genius; I couldn't tell when I first watched it that he was playing three roles! There are so many funny parts in the film and I don't want to spoil it for you by mentioning any. George C. Scott is also excellent and has some very memorable lines.

A bonus for me was that there was a language soundtrack in five languages; German, Italian, French, Spanish and English (off course) plus there were subtitles in more languages which is great for anyone trying to learn a new language.

I would highly recommend this film to anyone who loves satire and who appreciates jokes that aren't always below the belt.

"I think you're some kind of deviated pre-vert."
Some films have a timeless quality intrinsically inherent with the story, allowing for them to maintain a certain amount of relevance, despite the subject matter, or when they were made. This aspect holds true for many of Stanley Kubrick's films, in my opinion, and is true with this film, Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb.

Directed by Kubrick, written by Kubrick and Terry Southern (Easy Rider), based on the serious novel Red Alert aka Two Hours to Doom by Peter George, and starring Peter Sellers, George C. Scott, and Sterling Hayden, Dr. Strangelove deals in a highly farcical and satirical manner the subject of nuclear proliferation, and proposed responses devised by men of power to perceived threats, whether they be based on reality, or founded from paranoia.

The film starts off with Brigadier General Jack D. Ripper (Hayden), commander of Burpelson Air Force Base, initiating Attack Plan R to his group, a plan created to allow someone other than the president to launch a nuclear counterattack in the event the enemy has managed to disrupt the normal chain of command, thereby preserving our response abilities despite significant loss of leadership. Only problem is, there has been no offensive put forth by enemies of America, and it turns out this issuance was completely unprovoked and the result of one who has basically lost his mind. Group Captain Lionel Mandrake (Seller, in one of three roles), a British officer participating in a officer exchange program, and, subsequently Rippers 2nd in command, realizes this, and must act before the B-52 bombers reach their destinations within the Soviet Union and deliver their atomic payloads, in turn setting off a new doomsday device conceived by the Soviets due to the fact that they were unable to keep up the United States in terms of arms proliferation, which, if activated, would cover the planet in a radioactive cloud for 100 years, destroying all life on Earth. Pretty heavy stuff, huh? One wouldn't think there'd be much humor to be found in a situation like this, but then one would be wrong...

The humor comes in the form of the absolute ludicrosity (it's not a word, as I just made it up) of the situation grown from the intense level of paranoia developed between democratic and communist powers after WWII and how, once things are set into motion, how safeguards meant to protect us basically work against that goal. It's really pretty funny to see what a mutated beast has been born of these fears, both perceived and real. Hayden Sterling is wonderful as the psychotic general with visions of communists infiltrating the very core of our democratic being, with his thoughts on 'precious bodily fluids', and conspiracies by the red menace to undermine and sap our strength. Peter Sellers is perhaps the standout in the film, playing three separate parts with such ability that I often unable to distinguish the actor from the characters within the film, seeing not an actor playing three separate parts, but only seeing three distinct characters in the British officer Mandrake, President Merkin Muffley "Gentlemen, you can't fight in here! This is the War Room", and finally ex-German scientist Dr. Strangelove "Of course, the whole point of a Doomsday Machine is lost if you keep it a secret! Why didn't you tell the world?", advisor to the President. One thing each of the characters does have in common is the Seller's comedic genius. His most memorable roles were those involving the bumbling Inspector Clouseau in the Pink Panther movies, but his skills shine through in his portrayal of three completely separate personalities, one straight-laced (Mandrake), another sort of bewildered but trying to maintain a sense of control (President Muffley), and a third hilariously over the top (Dr. Strangelove). Finally, there's George C. Scott's performance as the scheming, opportunistic, plotting and conniving, but all in the name of patriotism, General 'Buck' Turdigson "Mr. President, I'm not saying we wouldn't get our hair mussed. But I do say no more than ten to twenty million killed, tops. Uh, depending on the breaks". He completely reminds me of his lead role from the film Patton (1970), but in a very perverted, devolved manner. Great support roles include Slim Pickens Major T.J. 'King' Kong as the pilot of one of the B-52's, James Earl Jones as one of his crewmembers, and Colonel 'Bat' Guano as the leader of the force assigned to take control of Burpelson Air Force Base, and recover the recall codes from base commander General Ripper.

All in all, Kubrick has just an amazing style for relating a story to the audience. From his use of different formats of film to evoke a particular mood or convey a sense of feeling, i.e. the documentary style use for the actual fighting footage at the air force base, to the choice of music to enhance the tone set in the various scenes. It all works perfectly to create mock realism in spite of the comedic nature, presenting the essence of a black comedy.

The picture looks wonderful in this full screen format, and you will see that change from time to time as Kubrick used various aspect ratios in the film. As far as special features, there are quite a few of them, including a theatrical trailer, a featurette titled 'The Art of Stanley Kubrick: From Short Films to Strangelove', a documentary titled 'The Making of Dr. Strangelove', original split screen interviews with actors Scott and Sellers (this was done by having the actors answer pre-determined questions, and then local interviewers could be added in later asking said questions, making it look like they were interviewing the actors), promotional advertising gallery, and talent files. Some have called this 'The Greatest Black Comedy of All Time', and I would have little difficulty in arguing that...

(...) ... Read more

Description

Get ready for fun! (Leah Rozen, People) with the "feel good movie of the year!" (Clay Smith, Access Hollywood)Love Actually is the ultimate romantic comedy from the makers of Bridget Jones's Diary and Notting Hill.Funny, irresistible and heartwarming, an all-star cast (Hugh Grant, Liam Neeson, Colin Firth and Emma Thompson, to name a few!) will take you on a breathtaking tour of love's delightful twists and turns.Fall under the spell Love Actually and share the laughs and charm again and again. ... Read more

Reviews (397)

Romantic fluff, but a little romance never hurt anyone
I was only mildly interested in seeing this movie, but I really enjoyed it. Yes, there was an amazing amount of different threads to follow as this film told the story of nine or ten different people and their partners over a five week period leading up to Christmas. Nevertheless, the witty script and the first rate acting made the whole process relatively painless.

There was charm in abundance from Hugh Grant, playing Hugh Grant as usual, but he does it so well that you can't help but warm to him. Martine McCutcheon as his love interest was surprising unannoying, and not in the least bit chubby!

Plenty of laughs from Bill Nighy and Gregor Fisher as a faded rock star and his long-suffering manager. Colin Firth in pursuit of his Portuguese maid also provided a few laughs courtesy of the language barrier, and the nerdish caterer with his dreams of being a sex god based soley on the strength of the lure of his British accent would have on American women kept the humour flowing.

Acting kudos go to Alan Rickman, Liam Neeson and most notably Emma Thompson. Ms Thompson once again plays the kind of gung-ho, upper middle class woman who has contributed to my usual dislike of her chosen roles, but she outdid herself in this slight role. I was moved to tears by her brilliant acting performance in the scene where she retreats to her bedroom to adjust to the knowledge that her husband is having an affair with his secretary.

Eye candy was provided for both sexes in the shape Keira Knightley and Andrew Lincoln. I enjoyed their storyline, despite it's flaws, but that may be because I'm just a sucker for physical beauty. Laura Linney and her erstwhile Latino lover were also very attractive, but slightly less sympathetic. And what can I say about the wonderful performances given by young Thomas Sangster and Liam Neeson as his grieving stepfather? Excellent, believable acting rescuing a storyline that verged on unashamed bathos.

Overall, I would recommend this film and commend Richard Curtis for an enjoyable, feel-good movie that left me smiling with tears in my eyes.

Lovely actually
Love Actually is a wonderful movie in all respects. Its cast, script, and direction are all absolutely top-notch. Set at Christmastime, the story encompasses numerous plots, all of which are equally interesting and effective in leaving one on the edge of one's seat, waiting to see what's going to happen with each group of characters next.

One of the most wonderful aspects of the film, in my opinion, is how we eventually discover that every single one of the vignettes is interwoven. For example: one story is about Karen (Emma Thompson) and her husband (Alan Rickman). The latter, although certainly not without affection for his wife, has begun to dabble in infidelity - thanks to his attractive secretary. Working with Rickman's character is Sarah (Laura Linney) who has been desperately in love with her co-worker Karl (unfortunately, I can't recall the actor's name, but he does a nice job) for years. And then of coure there's David, the prime minister (Hugh Grant) - who just happens to be Karen's brother.

Wonderful performances are also given by Liam Neeson (as a recent widower), 13-year-old Thomas Sangster (as Neeson's young son), Rowan Atkinson (who does a hilarious job as Rufus the Jewelry Salesman), and in one of the best vignettes, my personal favorite, Colin Firth.

This is an extremely funny and extremely touching movie. As usual, I hesitate to give away too much more about it. Nothing, and I repeat, NOTHING, should deter you from seeing it.

One of the Best Current British Comedies I've Seen in Ages.
I saw this in the theater when it first came out and, despite the fact that a couple behind me kept talking through it, I fell in love and decided to own it as soon as it was released on video. Now I have it on DVD, and want to spread the word. Love Actually is a great English romantic comedy full of several different stories going on at the same time, and each engages you in its plot quickly.

1. We have a young couple who are just married, and the groom's best friend is in love with the bride. Keira Knightley plays the role of Juliet with such sweetness and innocence, that even her dialogue free acting is powerfully convincing. Watch the scene where she views Mark's video of her wedding day and realizes he's in love with her.

2. Liam Neeson is Daniel, a newly widowed father who has to bridge the communication gap between himself and his son Sam. Sam's crush on an American girl provides this link, and the story is touching to watch as it unfolds throughout the film. Thomas Sangster is a promising child actor in his role as Sam, so keep your eyes on him. He is sure to be cast in more movies down the line.

3. Emma Thompson is always exceptional in every movie she's in. This is no exception as she plays Karen, a devoted and loving housewife who must come to terms with the fact that her husband Harry (Alan Rickman) is cheating on her with the office tramp.

4. Laura Linney plays Sarah, an American office worker who is in love with another American at work, but her sick brother makes the relationship difficult to see to its fruition.

5. Hugh Grant is David, the newly appointed Prime Minister of Britain, and he falls for his staff caterer Natalie, played by Martine McCutcheon. This story line is not without charming, laugh-out-loud moments, but it's also a bit corny and Benny Hill-ish at times.

6. One of my absolute favorite stories is the one involving Colin Firth's character Jamie, a writer who leaves England for the European countryside to write after discovering his brother is cheating with his wife, and he falls in love with his Portugese housekeeper Aurelia (Lucia Moniz). Neither of them can speak the other's language, but they manage to communicate in their own way, and the plot is very sweet.

7. Chris Marshall is very funny as Colin, the ugly, rude guy who strikes out romantically with English women, so he thinks he'll have better luck in America because of his "cute" accent. He goes to Milwaukee and discovers supermodel-type girls hanging out in a bar that fall for him instantly which really makes me laugh. I live an hour away from Milwaukee, and we are NOT plentiful with thin beautiful girls hanging out in bars. This was one joke that wasn't lost on me for a moment, and I couldn't help laughing quite loudly.

8. My favorite storyline is Billy Nighy as Billy Mack, a washed up 50-something rock star who makes a comeback on the charts with a shameless revamp of the old Troggs song, "Love is All Around" for Christmas. He is absolutely hysterical with his outrageous behavior as he publicly bashes the song and pulls all kinds of defiant public stunts. Of note is his relationship with his longtime manager Joe (Gregor Fisher) who, despite all the headaches his charge gives him, is still admirably loyal and proud of him.

One small storyline I detest is the porn actors we see a few times, conversing as they shoot dirty scenes on a movie set, and I also don't like the anti-American plot of the evil lecherous US president played by Billy Bob Thornton. These are two points for my not giving this film 5 stars.

Other than my minor grievances, I couldn't recommend Love Actually more highly. This movie is rated, R so please don't expose children to it just because one of the stories involves a little boy. This is great adult entertainment, and some of the DVD extras are a bit blue as well. Moving, funny, and full of clever dialogue (A favorite line: "Ten minutes with Elton John, and you're as gay as a maple!"), Richard Curtis has directed one of his best comedy projects yet. With the exception of small children, there's something here for everyone. You shouldn't just come away liking this one; it should be Love Actually.

Quite simply the worst movie I have ever seen...
Really! This has to be one of the worst movies ever produced and speaking as a Brit, I am ashamed. The plot or lack of any plot(s) is absurd. The jokes aren't funny, the premise is farcical and it is about as entertaining as being stung by a wasp.
Really, avoid this movie at all costs - it is that bad.

Not for the kids!
My inlaws came over to visit me from England, and raved on about this movie. They were keen to take us to the movies with our 2 children, 8 and 10 yrs to see it again with them. In the end we chose something more fun for the kids, as children don't want to go to the movies to watch a love story.
Anyway, not long after it came out at Blockbusters, and we hired it out of curiosity.
After the first 5 minutes we and sent the kids off too bed, as it wasn't really the swearing /cursing but the just that it seemed a little too explicit for my kids to watch.)
I would say that some scenes are just too crass, and they could had done without them.
In the second half of the movie, I noticed that the swearing and the sexual content tended to calm down...unless I was just getting used to it by then. The story was very funny at times, but alittle confusing having so many couples to follow...hard to get into their characters, or you forget at times that someone was in the movie, until they showed up on screen 20 minutes later, and would have to remember what their life was all about.
I'm not a prude in the slightest, and love comedies like Euro Trash, Coupling (the BBC Series) and American Pie etc...but the beginning half of this movie really did make my husband and I cring at times.
I'm surprised that my inlaws, who are in their late 50's really wanted to show this to my children...especially as they are very conservative.
Anyway it does get better, if you can stick with it after the first 30 minutes.
Hugh Grant's story line was also bit too cheesy. ... Read more

Description

Starring Reese Witherspoon (LEGALLY BLONDE), Colin Firth (BRIDGET JONES'S DIARY), and Rupert Everett (MY BEST FRIEND'S WEDDING), here is the hilarious adventure of two dashing young bachelors and the outrageous deceptions they find themselves in over love! Whenever Worthing (Firth) wants to leave his dull country life behind, he makes visits to the city posing as his fictitious "brother" Ernest. There, he becomes smitten with the ravishing Gwendolen (Frances O'Connor, A.I.). But when Worthing is in town, his playboy pal Algy (Everett) is in the country and falling for Worthing's young and beautiful ward, Cecily (Witherspoon) -- while also impersonating Ernest! Pandemonium ensues when these two would-be Ernests find themselves face-to-face and in the predicament of explaining who they really are! ... Read more

Reviews (102)

The Importance of "Seeing" Earnest
Since I have not read the play by Oscar Wilde nor seen any previous performances of this work, I came into this movie completely unprejudiced, and left utterly delighted. I thought the film was hilarious; in particular the interplay between the two male leads, Colin Firth (Jack)and Rupert Everett (Algy). Judi Dench, as the austure Lady Bracknell, is of course perfection, and although less impressive, yet still quite good, are the two romantic interests of the gentlemen: Francis O'Connor (Gwendolyn) and Reese Witherspoon (Cecily). The tangled webs woven by our two heroes lead to some wonderful moments for Firth and Everett, especially when Algy shows up at Jack's manor to woo the fair Cecily. The scenes where Jack takes matters into his own hands had the audience roaring, and it was a treat to see Mr. Firth in a more playful role then is his usual.
There is also a sort of side plot involving the vicar (Tom Wilkins