The God Who Wasn't There

Description

Bowling for Columbine did it to the gun culture. Super Size Me did it to fast food. Now The God Who Wasn't There does it to religion.

Holding modern Christianity up to a bright spotlight, this eye-opening documentary asks the questions few dare to ask. "Did Jesus even exist?" is just the beginning for The God Who Wasn't There. Your guide through the world of Christendom is former fundamentalist Brian Flemming, joined by such luminaries as Jesus Seminar fellow Robert M. Price, author Sam Harris and historian Richard Carrier.

In addition to the film, which won the Best Documentary award at the 2005 Grassroots Cinema Film Festival, this feature-packed DVD includes:

-Special commentary tracks with Richard Dawkins and Earl Doherty
-Over one hour of compelling additional interview footage
-An in-depth Web-enabled slide show
-Music from the soundtrack
-Bios of all participants

This provocative DVD takes off the gloves and gives religion an unprecedented, no-holds-barred examination. So hold on to your faith. It's in for a bumpy ride.

Customer Reviews:

The God Who Wasn't There.......2007-09-03

I have watched this video twice now and I find new points of interests each time I saw it. The video will make you think about what you beleive and more important, why do you beleive what you beleive. Common sense debates and free thinking are the backbone of the idea of this video. If you can open your mind, this video will put some fresh ideas into your mind for you to ponder.

message great...messenger less great.......2007-08-28

If not for the fact that I so agree with the premise of this film and with the sentiments expressed, I may have given the film but two stars on its merit alone. I am a huge Richard Dawkins, Christopher Hitchens and Sam Harris fan where their writings on the evils of religion are concerned. I hope more films like this one are made by others with a more apt hand. This film, though in allignment with my anti-theist beliefs was, as has been stated by others, somewhat amateurish and narrowly focused on one guy's issues with faith as opposed to the global horror religion spews so well. I would say, if you are building a library on the topic as I am, then go ahead and buy it. It will not however be the source of your strongest arguments against that dogma which it condemns to its credit. I suggest by the way going to google videos to view "The Root of all Evil?" by Richard Dawkins, for free. This is a wonderful and more able look at the same question of religion.

Offers Nothing New Or Conclusive.......2007-08-28

Let me start by saying that I am an atheist. I have read several books and seen several films like this one, attempting to shatter Christianity and "disprove" God. I am not against these types of exposés at all, but I felt like this was perhaps one of the weakest I have encountered. It mostly ignores science and goes for more of the tired copy-cat saviour ideas, although it bases those assertions on largely unsupported claims about deities like Mithras (to name just one), who even secular scholars agree has no connection whatsoever to Christian mythology. There are also other tired arguments against things religious leaders once decreed, such as the Earth being the center of the universe, which is something the Bible itself does not record at all. Then there are the horrible examples of atrocities committed in the name of God, which anyone knows that there are fundamentalists and extremists in all walks of life - even we atheists have them.

It also spends a good amount of time detailing much of Christ's story, which I think we've also heard a million times before. The one thing of interest is perhaps to see how many Christians don't know the history of their own religion, but once again that is something not so surprising or new if you've known many believers personally. Speaking of the history of Christianity, Brian Flemming reveals in this DVD that he was raised in a Christian private school, and as one of his interview subjects later calls him on, the entirety of this documentary seems motivated by resentment from being in that situation. Many of his claims are inaccurate and would've been found to be so with just a little research, though he seems like he just went for the most popular objections with an obvious agenda in mind, pretty much as you would expect from an unwilling, rebellious child forced into a dogmatic, religious school.

You can do a lot better than this documentary. The bestsellers "The God Delusion" and "God Is Not Great" have far sounder arguments than this DVD. Not to mention the annoying selection of music chosen, lol. This really has amateurism written all over it, yet it's wide circulation seems to be gaining it a nicer reputation than it deserves. But I suppose, like the Bible says about converting people, it doesn't necessarily matter how they hear the truth or through whom they hear it - what matters is that they hear it at all.

Raises some good points, but don't use this as your only source before converting........2007-08-27

Frankly, I feel like people are trying to jump on the bandwagon with this film. Definitely, Flemming tries hard, and he presents some very good points, but I have a few problems with how he tries to establish them.

For instance, Flemming says that "Paul wrote lots of letters about Christianity. In fact, he wrote eighty thousand words about the Christian religion. These documents represent almost all we have of the history of Christianity during this decades-long gap. And here's the interesting thing. If Jesus was a human who had recently lived, nobody told Paul". Think of it this way, in the Book of Acts, Luke (who is VERY precise about historic details) does not mention the Romans destroying the Temple in AD 70. I may be stretching it here, but 100% of the time archaeological evidence could prove or disprove the writings of Luke, the prove them. If Luke did not mention such a great event, it would be more logical if those new testament books were written well before AD 70, when Flemming places them. If the books were written in closer proximity to Christ's lifetime, then Paul would not have to mention those events in his writing, as they would be common sense items that would not have to be displayed. Remember, Paul did not write his letters to convince 21st century athiests.

"Paul doesn't believe that Jesus was ever a human being. He's not even aware of the idea." Au contraire, may I direct you to 1 Timothy 6:13,"I charge you in the presence of God, who gives life to all things, and of Christ Jesus, who testified the good confession before Pontius Pilate", it is my firm belief, as it should be the belief of all outside of insane wards, that fictional characters do not address actual people, let alone confess before them. It is utterly preposterous and a slight against reason to say that Paul did not believe Christ Jesus to be a living, breathing, being. I do not think I can state it any more bluntly than this, people will not be martyred over fairy tales.

I really would have much more respect for this film and its makers if they had consulted with decent intellectual Christians who have a vague idea on how to form an argument for their religion. Christianity is not meant to be followed blindly, but one may very well think that when the primary Christian source that the film makers interview is a, let me put this nicely, chauvinist idiot. Plenty of people follow Christianity because their parents told them to, or because they had friends who did.Plenty of people have gone into war with Christianity as their battle slogan. Does that make war right? No. Does it make Christianity wrong? No. People can easily get the wrong message or the wrong idea out of something. I refuse to believe that someone's ignorance of the cultural significance of Osiris and Dionysus refutes their religion. I do not have any degrees, I am still in high school, I am willing to think, yet I am not going to be walked on.

Really though, this film is preaching to the choir. I sincerely doubt that Rev. Jed P. Ledbedder is fumbling for his credit card in order to purchase this documentary. The least I can say to everyone who is undecided about religion is this, do not let your religion be swayed by a two hour documentary or the frustrated rantings of an eighteen year old. Look at everything, weigh your choices, make good decisions. Remember, this is your soul we are talking about. Good Luck.

Why surface skimming Christianity research goes wrong.......2007-08-19

Brian Flemming is an ex-evangelical. His theology is thus based on post-reformation interpretations of Christianity. This documentary may sway evangelicals or give atheists an angle on something new (mythology) but Catholic apologetics will counter it. Horrifically Brian Flemming has undergone something that the Catholic Church stays well clear from since Vatican II (see aggiornamento). That is to stay away from the focus on salvation through fear (imperfect contrition). The Catholic Church understands that this is theology in the wrong direction. Christianity without love is considered heretical anyway. It appears that Brian has gone through the darker side of Christianity (if it can be called Christianity). In many ways Brian is interpreting the Bible for himself. This is pretty much the standard evangelical stance but Catholic policy has always maintained that guidance is important. Brian's case is a good example of why that guidance cannot be underestimated.

`The God who wasn't there' (TGWWT) starts by saying that Christianity was wrong when the Church did not approve heliocentricity forwarded by scientists (some of whom where also clergy). This is true and culminated in the Galileo affair but a complete understanding of this part of the historical record shows that there where many problems on both sides. The Church relied on arguments styled on biblical interpretations that Saint Augustine warned against (using direct literal interpretations rather than understanding their historical context [see Dei Verbum for the St. Augustine ref. in section 12]). The Pope believed that Galileo (his childhood friend) had insulted him publicly (which was a criminal offense at that time) in one of Galileo's works.

TGWWT then introduces us to happy Christians but also Christians who did bad things or are hoping for an apocalypse. We get a short movie about the life of Christ edited into a montage from various films about Jesus. The documentary filmmaker, Brian Flemming then interviews a woman taking care of her baby to explain the history of Christianity to him. When she limits her response to the day of Pentecost Brian Flemming complains about how inadequate her knowledge is. I would personally like to see him try that one on with a Bishop instead of a mother taking care of her infant. He then questions other evangelicals on the history of the Church. This is actually a sore spot for evangelicals because they want to avoid mentioning Catholicism. Catholicism would have given better answers in that Jesus started a Church with apostolically succeeded Bishops who can trace their Church history back to Christ as a matter of the historical record. That would have given Flemming more meat to chew on than homing in on a busy evangelical mom. However Brian Flemming was probably brought up to reject the Catholic Church so maybe we can't blame him for not seeing that angle.

Flemming then starts a timeline. He says that the Gospels came after Christ (who was crucified in 33 AD) and says that the other three are derived from Mark (known as Markan priority). He claims that since Mark talked about the destruction of the temple that the Gospels must occur after 70 AD. This might not be the case if we take it that the writing is prophetical (it could have prophesized the destruction before). Since this is more about historical criticism rather than supernatural possibilities historians go for the plus 70 AD date but it need not be. There are many early Christian writings not in the Bible (such as the Didache). Really a person needs to sit down and learn the history of the Bible here and the history of the early Church including the Judaism that came before it!

Brian Flemming then asserts that Saul (St. Paul) was responsible for the gap between 33 AD and 70 AD based only on a post-resurrection experience of the risen Christ and that he did not know anything about Christ's actual life. However Paul meets the apostles in Acts 9:26 at the Council of Jerusalem. You can read about that Council elsewhere. Flemming then quotes Heb 8:4 to say that Paul believed that the death burial and resurrection of Christ was mythical. The Heb 8:4 says "If Jesus had been on Earth". Better translations read "Now if he were on Earth" (in relation to Jesus staying on Earth as opposed to going to heaven in this context). So Brian Flemming is probably victim to a bad translation but this is more like verse mining to push a point. Brian Flemming then claims that Paul is not even aware that Jesus was human. Paul calls Jesus a man in Rom 5:15, 5:17, 1Ti 2:5 for examples. The Council of Jerusalem pretty much shows that the Church was active during this timeframe where Brian Flemming says everyone forgot. The big problem here is that the history is with the Catholic Church, not with evangelical movements who don't want to talk about that Church which they historically parted with.

Brian Flemming then goes for folklore professors (who thinks the apocryphal stories are rejected because of mysticism when in fact it was the Church that pronounced which books where to be accepted and rejected (see Council of Carthage III). Modernism is actually a 20th century phenomena and not an early Church position. See Modernism (Roman Catholicism). Read Lamentabili Sane. However the actual historical evidence for Jesus, whatever criteria is used, should be applied to all historical figures at that time. That is important. This area of research can be fun for everybody. There is lots more than just what Brian Flemming presents so the viewer doesn't really get a complete case history here.

Robert M. Price has some interesting comments which should be verified by any serious researcher. The hero pattern myth theory is well presented as are the arguments of Price. These arguments can also be found in the controversial findings of the popular `Jesus seminar' and have a lot to do with early apologetics. It is called the Mythographic perspective of Jesus and is used by Brian Flemming to conclude that Jesus is mythological. This section of TGWWT is about Saint Justin Matyr who argued that devils where responsible for creating the pagan heros who are similar in person or deeds to Jesus is a whole topic that requires an apologists full attention and you need to check sources and date them. Saint Justin Matyr was actually a pagan convert who understood pagan mythology. Saint Justine claimed that pagans had gotten some of their ideas from earlier Jewish scriptures (believed to have contained the prophecies of Jesus) and had tried to imitate the actual messiah of the Jews, acts of which St. Justine attributes to the devil. These Greek myths may not predate Christ (there sources are post-Christ). Some occurred during Christ. The sources for these greek myths are post-Christian sources although archaeological coverage turns up shrines etc., the stories when dated usually conform to post-Christian events. Read up on Dionysus and Mithras. Study up on this whole topic. There are actually better `Jesus' candidates out there (Zalmoxis for example). The bigger issue here though is the Hellenzation of Judaism and its influence on Christianity. No historian can deny this but saying Christianity took from these legends may be a stretch.

The history of the U.S Christian soldiers gets coverage (essentially fighting for God) and the problem with fundamentalism with respect to extremists groups who ignore the pacifism and non-retaliatory instructions of Christ (say an `Our Father' to find out about non-retaliatory) or read Luk 6:27 But I say unto you which hear, Love your enemies, do good to them which hate you,. Brian Flemming uses Lk 19:27 to imply that Jesus asks his followers to kill for him. Luk 19:11-12 shows that Jesus is actually quoting from a parable. Lk 19:27 is popular with anti-Christianity quote mining.

The rapture gets coverage. The rapture argument is post-reformation and is maybe 200 years old at best. It doesn't have a historical usage before that. It is based on Bible misinterpretation along the lines of the alleged `imminent return prophecy that didn't come to pass' conundrum. Sam Harris is quite interesting to listen to when he appears.

While Jesus did imply that denying the Holy Spirit meant that the sin was unforgivable (so Brian Flemming sees only hell as the result of saying or thinking this) Jesus gave his apostles and those who succeeded them (see Act 1:26 for example) the power to forgive any sin in Jn 20:23. The denial of the Holy Spirit verse in Mat 12:31 may actually imply that people who are in the spirit, but do not explicitly acknowledge Jesus, may get into heaven. Seeing Brian say that he denies the Holy Spirit on camera is just silly more than anything. It just goes to show that his version of Christianity is probably one of the most warped ones around. I would agree with him that fundamentalism is out of control (as he plainly demonstrates by his version of Christianity, even if it draws a negative). I think there are many alternatives other than just letting completely go.

I kind of feel sorry that he didn't do some better research but then again film festivals are a great way to make some money and I think his documentary is very good overall for a low-budget film maker. Kudos for that. I hope he makes a career out of making documentaries. Maybe go a little deeper next time?

Oh yeah and that school principle. He isn't a good scientist but maybe he does a good job keeping kids from physical harm. Who knows?

Average customer rating:

A reverse hero quest
The Beatles in their psychedellic colorful animated best!
A Unique Contribution To The World Of Animation
Animated Beatles is Timeless.
Apple and the out of print UA films.

Yellow Submarine
Starring: George Dunning (II) , John Clive , Paul McCartney , Geoffrey Hughes , and Ringo Starr
Director: George Harrison
Manufacturer: MGM (Video & DVD)
ProductGroup: DVD
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ASIN: B00000JRUQ
Release Date: 1999-09-14

Amazon.com essential video

This restored, animated valentine to the Beatles offers viewers the rare chance to see a work that's been substantially improved by its technical facelift, not just supersized with extra footage. Recognizing that its song-studded soundtrack alone makes Yellow Submarine a video annuity, United Artists has lavished a frame-by-frame refurbishment of the original feature, while replacing its original monaural audio tracks with a meticulously reconstructed stereo mix that actually refines legendary original album versions.

What emerges is a vivid time capsule of the late '60s and a minor milestone in animation. The music represents the quartet's zenith--Rubber Soul, Revolver, and Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band. The story line, cobbled together by producer Al Brodax and a committee of writers, is a broad, feather-light allegory set in idyllic Pepperland, where the gentle citizens are threatened by the nasty, music-hating Blue Meanies and their surreal arsenal of henchmen, with the Beatles enlisted to thwart the bad guys. Visually, designer Heinz Edelmann mixes the biomorphic squiggles, day-glo palette, and Beardsley-esque portraits of Peter Max with rotoscoped still photographs and film; Edelmann's animated collages also nod to Andy Warhol and Magritte in properly psychedelic fashion, which works wonderfully with such terrific songs.

High orthodox Beatlemaniacs can still grouse that the animated Fab Four are (literally) flat archetypes, but that's missing the sheer bloom of the music or the giddy, campy fun of the visuals. Making sense of the story is second to submerging blissfully in the sights and sounds of this video treat. --Sam Sutherland

Customer Reviews:

A reverse hero quest.......2007-08-31

When this film first came out in '68 I found it unwatchable. I thought that it was mind-less, plot-less eye candy. Now, after nearly four decades I finally get it- this is a reverse hero quest.

You have old/young Fred, captain of his magical vessel, voyaging to our world in a desperate search for help. He comes from the unearthly paradise of Pepperland (the paradise of the Devas) which has been treacherously conquered by the Blue Meanies (Asuras.) He finds the earthly manifestations of the champions of his realm (Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band) on our earth in the form of...the Beatles. Together they voyage back across the seas that separate the two planes (including the Sea of Monsters.) Once they have won their way back, they use the power of music to restore the land through joy and love. That's the twist- in a traditional tale it would be a hero from earth who traveled to the supernatural realms to win a boon for mankind, while here it is a hero from the otherworld that traveled here for help. That's also kind of neat- the angelic coming to us for help for a change.

Perhaps now that our own world is so completely overrun with Blue Meanies Pepperland might send us help in our time of need. It would make an interesting sequel.

The restoration of this film is incredible. It is a visual feast for the eyes with its vivid, intricate, original artwork- and the sound could not be better. Together they make perfect alchemy.

The Beatles in their psychedellic colorful animated best!.......2007-08-25

I saw this movie for the first time when it came out as I was growing up. So I decdided to plunk down my money to purchase my copy. It was great to relive the animated treasure that Yellow Submarine was known for nearly 40 years ago. The music, and those sinister Blue Meanies!!! Enjoyed every minute of it! I think you already know the voices in the movie are NOT the Beatles but the Fab Four are featured in the closing minutes! I just wish the animated Beatles TV series was on DVD! You will enjoy Yellow Submarine and watch out for the Meanies!!

A Unique Contribution To The World Of Animation.......2007-08-18

I remember seeing this movie when it first came out, when I was eight. I had seen part of it on network TV in the mid-seventies, and again at a college film night in '77. I figured it was a time to step into the time machine.

Actually, the animation is what earned this five stars. The plot rambles, and at times seems to be a showcase for either the creative animation or the Beatles music. For example, where did an animated video of "Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds" fit in the story?

Additionally, it gave opportunity to introduce children to the themes of drugs and eastern mysticism, with some possible sexual references (was the finger of the flying hand getting stuck in the letter "o" several times just humorous cartooning, or was it an entendre, as my dad suggested?). Thus, even a G-rating doesn't mean it's wholesome for children.

There is a lot of good quality English humor in here. The video added the segment with the song "Hey, Bulldog" (my all-time favorite Beatles song, by the way), which seems like it was cut from the movie. Again, the animation was unique and creative. Kids would like it, though as I always say, parents need to be present.

Unfortunately, even 90 minutes seemed too long with the plot (and implausibilities) in this movie.

Animated Beatles is Timeless........2007-07-24

Although the animation is old style, the whole movie makes me feel great. Especially the ending. I saw the movie when it first came out, and people were leaving the theatre singing "All Together Now." -- Sam Yulish, author of "Where Have All the Hippies Gone" and "The Hesitant Psychic and Other Starnge Stories."

Apple and the out of print UA films........2007-07-21

Why Yellow Submarine is out of print is anyones guess.
Can you say AL BRODAX?
It's not particularly entertaining but my seven year old son loves it
and best yet is that he learned several Beatle songs from it.
Besides, the trailer is worth the asking price.
The 5.1 mix is very good as is the film transfer.
Go ahead and buy it already.
You know you want to.

Average customer rating:

This movie is dumb.
rabbitwhisperer
Being John Malcovich
Excellent - in all areas
Incredible original story.

Being John Malkovich
Starring: Orson Bean , Ned Bellamy , W. Earl Brown , Kevin Carroll , and John Cusack
Manufacturer: Universal Studios
ProductGroup: DVD
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ASIN: B00007AJF8
Release Date: 2002-11-05

Amazon.com essential video

While too many movies suffer the fate of creative bankruptcy, Being John Malkovich is a refreshing study in contrast, so bracingly original that you'll want to send director Spike Jonze and screenwriter Charlie Kaufman a thank-you note for restoring your faith in the enchantment of film. Even if it ultimately serves little purpose beyond the thrill of comedic invention, this demented romance is gloriously entertaining, spilling over with ideas that tickle the brain and even touch the heart. That's to be expected in a movie that dares to ponder the existential dilemma of a forlorn puppeteer (John Cusack) who discovers a metaphysical portal into the brain of actor John Malkovich.

The puppeteer's working as a file clerk on the seventh-and-a-half floor of a Manhattan office building; this idea alone might serve as the comedic basis for an entire film, but Jonze and Kaufman are just getting started. Add a devious coworker (Catherine Keener), Cusack's dowdy wife (a barely recognizable Cameron Diaz), and a business scheme to capitalize on the thrill of being John Malkovich, and you've got a movie that just gets crazier as it plays by its own outrageous rules. Malkovich himself is the film's pièce de résistance, riffing on his own persona with obvious delight and--when he enters his own brain via the portal--appearing with multiple versions of himself in a tour-de-force use of digital trickery. Does it add up to much? Not really. But for 112 liberating minutes, Being John Malkovich is a wild place to visit. --Jeff Shannon

Customer Reviews:

This movie is dumb........2007-08-19

After viewing it for myself, I feel that most of the comments made about the movie are seriously misleading (The good reviews were the reason that I purchased the movie in the first place). There are some aspects of the movie that I consider well thought out and interesting, but the movie itself falls short of all the "ingenious, original, modern masterpiece" nonsense that is said about it. During the first half of the movie, my expectations were high that this was going to turn out to be an offbeat indie movie comparable to the works of Michel Gondry . . . . that is not the case at all.
The beginning of the movie, like I said before seemed promising. . . . the main character is an unemployed puppeteer who is truly gifted with creative genius in his art. Unfortunately for him, his line of work is a dying breed and because he is a nameless no one, he lives his life in obscurity, giving performances on street corners, which even there are not well received. Based on a suggestion by his wife (an eccentric sort herself, with numerous pets to compensate for lack thereof of children), he seeks employment. The only appealing job he finds remotely related to his line of work, is a job as a filing clerk, requiring someone with nimble hands. His new job is found on the 7 1/2 floor of an office building, where the ceilings are so low that workers have to hunch over in order to walk around it.

After dropping a file behind a cabinet, he accidental discovers a portal into the mind of John Malkovich. He crawls down it and finds that he can now see through the eyes of John, becoming him for 15 minutes. After which, he is flung out of the portal and is thrown into a ditch along the Jersey Turnpike. He and another coworker (a love interest for both him and his wife) quickly decide to use this discovery to make fast cash and market the portal as a sort of theme-park ride for individuals willing to pay out 200 dollars to go through the tunnel.

The plot takes a serious nosedive after this point. The remaining times that the main character or his wife go through the portal to be john Malkovich are basically for the sake of having sex with the main character's coworker in an out of body experience. . . which I thought was a disappointing turn in what could have been an otherwise very good movie. . . . Am I the only one that doesn't find it appealing to watch this kind of crap?

I don't understand how this can even remotely be considered a work of cinematic art. It uses sex, like so many other shallow movies, to cover up the empty space between the beginning and end of the movie to hold over the viewers interest and disguise a lack of substance in a poorly developed point in the plot.

The climax of the movie displays some of the same creative qualities that I found appealing in the introduction, but overall it just left me just hoping it would hurry up and end. . . . . . Needless to say I will not be watching this movie again anytime soon.

rabbitwhisperer.......2007-07-21

Funny, Inventive, and asks the cosmic question of what if we could be somebody else.

Being John Malcovich.......2007-07-11

This strangely inventive surrealistic comedy was the inaugural collaboration between onetime music-video director Jonze and talented screenwriter Charlie Kaufman. With such a bizarre concept, this film could have sent audiences home scratching their own noggins, but Cusack, Keener, and an unrecognizable Diaz have a bright, wonderful chemistry that shines through all the head-trippiness. And who can deny that Malkovich, normally such a priggish presence, doesn't have a devilish sense of humor, especially in a hilarious scene where he enters his own head and freaks out? Clever, inspired, and extremely funny, "Malkovich" is cinema-as-funhouse-mirror, and the effect is dizzying.

Excellent - in all areas.......2007-07-01

A great original film which shows the potential once again of an independent production. The photography and the writing were exceptionally well done. I've revisited this film at least 10 times.

Incredible original story........2007-06-16

This film is a modern masterpiece, an original idea that has no rival. Genius in film making. That being said it was damn funny too. Who would have thought that you could base an entire movie around John Malkovich. The ; "in your own head scene" was the funniest thing I've seen in years. Great movie definitely recommend. Call my agent, From now on out its all puppets.

Average customer rating:

This is Poverty - White Trash Style
Anyone with a soul should find this movie horrible
It claws your senses, twists your logic, and murders your soul; and yet I can't look away.
time better spent elswhere
I like cats.

Gummo
Starring: Wendall Carr , Charles Matthew Coatney , Bryant L. Crenshaw , Darby Dougherty , and James Glass (II)
Manufacturer: New Line Home Video
ProductGroup: DVD
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ASIN: B000059HA8
Release Date: 2001-03-20

Description

From Harmony Korine, screenwriter of Kids, comes a haunting portrait of life in small-town America. Through a collection of dreamlike and devastating images, Korine offers a glimpse of Xenia, Ohio, a world existing in the aftermath of a tornado.

Customer Reviews:

This is Poverty - White Trash Style.......2007-09-13

For those folks that thought this movie was "dirty" and "gross", well, this is how it is in white trash poverty. If you can't stomach it, please, show it to your kids. I would highly suspect that if every kid in America watched THIS movie instead of "Free to Be You and Me" (or whatever whacko liberal feel good/do what you want in life/don't worry about what anyone else thinks movies they show today), there would be no drop-outs, class skipping or failed grades.

Anyone with a soul should find this movie horrible.......2007-08-01

this movie was a horribile, disgusting collection of scenes featuring white trash doing white trash things: Pimping out your mentally retarded sister; Huffing glue; Killing stray cats and selling them to the chinese resturant; Deformed retarded gay midgets coming on to one other; and then random things like a kid running around with bunny ears on.....? everything in this movie is DIRTY (as in unsanitary..not explicit), POOR, and improperly worded.

however if you enjoy being disgusted and appalled as i sometimes do then watch this movie, DONT BUY IT ...you wont want to watch it more than once. i'd rather watch this movie than something i've already seen 10 times.......but i'll never watch it again

i took a shower when it was over, it made me sick.

It claws your senses, twists your logic, and murders your soul; and yet I can't look away. .......2007-05-23

Another reviewer said Gummo was "unlike anything else of TV." My Holy Goodness, how right they were. If a lunatic was voted mayor of a town, Gummo would be the film depicting the townsfolk who call such a place "home-sweet-home."

We are introduced to the following: two awkward, gangly teens who kill cats and sell the rotting corpses to a local grocery store for a dollar per pound; three sisters who are about as backwards as anything this side of Appalachian poverty; a seedy brother who pimps his retarded sister out to teenaged boys; a sinister-looking young lady who, obviously being on the slow side, enjoys walking around the town singing "Jesus loves me this I know" as well as the always depraved "A-B-C-D-EFG-" song. Along the way, we also meet a young man wearing nothing but some swim trunks and a pink bunny hat who has the habit of urinating on cars driving beneath a local underpass. Oh, and for fits and giggles, we meet a group of rowdy mullet-styled rednecks who get their kicks from wrestling kitchen chairs to the point of exhaustion.

Sound like fun? This is a messed-up movie about twisted people living in the aftermath of a tornado that has swepth through their little slice of heaven. Nothing runs together smoothly as scenes and storylines come and go without rhyme or reason. Even the David Lynch and Terrence Malick crowds out there will feel disoriented in about 90% of this film.

A word of caution: if you begin to watch Gummo, you will have trouble turning away. I would liken it to a drug addiction that you know will harm you in some if you keep using it, but you end up alleviating such a warning by telling yourself, "Hey, just a little more. Just a little bit mo...."

time better spent elswhere.......2007-05-19

Here are some alternative suggestions to watching this movie:
1) spend the hour and a half in a forest preserve out house...
2) try making your own crystal meth and then doing it
3) eat some spoiled chicken, get sick, puke and then role around in it.
4) piss in your pants and don't change your clothes
Doing one or all of the above is a far better experience than sitting through this piece of vile trash.

I like cats........2007-05-19

I hated this trash. I'm so glad I saw it on IFC and didn't pay for rental. I can't ask for my money back. I do want that hour and a half back though. That so called writer/director(?) should go away.

Average customer rating:

Probably a better rental
Spellbinding
Man On The Moon
Weird
Thank you very much...

Man on the Moon
Starring: Gerry Becker , Jim Carrey , Danny DeVito , Paul Giamatti , and Marilu Henner
Director: Milos Forman
Manufacturer: Universal Studios
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B00003CWTL
Release Date: 2000-05-30

Product Description

In this entertaining comedy Jim Carrey hilariously portrays the late Andy Kaufman, considered to be one of the most innovative, eccentric and enigmatic comics of all time. Along for the ride to the top is Kaufman s manager, George Shapiro (Danny DeVito), his best friend and writer, Bob Zmuda (Paul Giamatti) and girlfriend Lynn Margulies (Courtney Love). You ll stand up and cheer for Carrey in "A comic wallop of a movie!"

System Requirements:
Starring: Jim Carrey, Danny DeVito, Paul Giamatti, and Courtney Love.
Directed By: Milos Forman.
Running Time: 1 Hr. 59 Mins., Color.
This film is presented in "Widescreen" format.
Copyright 2000 Universal Distribution Corp.

Format: DVD MOVIE

Amazon.com

"There is no real you," jokes Lynn Margulies (Courtney Love) to her boyfriend, Andy Kaufman (Jim Carrey), as he grows more contemplative during a battle with cancer. "I forgot," he says, playing along, though the question of Kaufman's reality is always at issue in Milos Forman's underappreciated Man on the Moon.

The story of Kaufman's quick rise to fame through early appearances on Saturday Night Live and the conceptual stunts that made his club and concert appearances an instant legend in the irony-fueled 1970s and early '80s, Man on the Moon never makes the mistake of artificially delineating Comic Andy from Private Andy. True, we get to see something of his private interest in meditation and some of the flakier extremes of alternative medicine, but even these interludes suggest the presence of an ultimate con behind apparent miracles of transformation.

Screenwriters Scott Alexander and Larry Karaszewski (The People vs. Larry Flynt) allege that transformation was Kaufman's purpose--more than a shtick but less than a destiny. As we see him constantly up the ante on the credibility of his performance personae (the obnoxious nightclub comic Tony Clifton; the insulting, misogynistic professional wrestler), Forman makes it harder and harder to detect Kaufman's sleight of hand. But it's there, always there, always the transcendent Andy watching the havoc he creates and the emotions he stirs.

Carrey is magnificent as Kaufman, re-creating uncannily detailed comedy pieces etched in the memory of anyone who remembers the real Andy. But while Carrey's mimicry of Kaufman is flawless and funny, the actor probes much deeper into an enigmatic character who, in life, was often a moving target even for those closest to him. --Tom Keogh

Customer Reviews:

Probably a better rental.......2007-05-14

I really enjoyed this movie, and it does a great job telling Andy's story. However, I can't say I would watch this movie more than once a year, so a rental would probably work for this movie. I recommend this movie highly, and enjoyed it, however the bonus DVD features are kind of disappointing.

Spellbinding.......2007-02-01

Jim Carrey is absolutely spellbinding in his portrayal of the late Andy Kaufman. Lore has it that Carrey stayed in character even when he wasn't shooting a scene. I may be incorrect, but I don't believe he was even nominated for an Oscar for this role and that is an absolute joke. The movie does a good job of moving through the different periods of Kaufman's ever-changing comedy periods. The one thing that I didn't particularly like about the movie was the time devoted to crowd shots, but I suppose that was Forman's way of showing Kaufman's effect on an audience. Highly recommended both for Carrey's performance and to learn about Kaufman.

Man On The Moon.......2006-10-08

Andy Kaufman isn't as famous in Australia as he is in America. I remember the first time I saw "Man in the Moon". I thought it was a very interesting concept, a film about an unconventional comedian who liked to provoke not just laughter from his audience, but confusion, anger and relief. It wasn't until halfway through that someone told me that it was based on a true story. "You mean, someone actually did all this?" I said, impressed. Kaufman must have been quite a character in real life, a character in more ways than one!

Jim Carrey plays Andy Kaufman, and I think he does a pretty good job potraying Kaufman from his low-key beginnings in the comedy clubs, through his days in "Taxi" all the way to the Carnegie Hall concert just before his death. He plays him as a passionate, curious man with a vision, a man who likes to have things his own way, and has a few ways of getting it. He's a man who seemed spontaneous but seemed to plan things both on stage and in life very carefully.

There are a few special features on this DVD, and they're pretty interesting. There's a selection of deleted scenes, a featurette on the real Andy Kaufman, the original theatrical trailer, and two music videos from REM, who contributed to much of the soundtrack.

Overall, worth a look for fans of biopics.

Weird.......2006-05-29

In this Andy Kaufman bio the viewer is left asking one question: Who is weirder, Jim Carey or Andy Kaufman. I don't know the answer, but both of them are fruitcakes.

The problem with this movie is that if it is accurate, Kaufman was really not a very nice man, so you really don't feel for him when he gets sick. Also, the movie never really gave much insight into Kaufman. It's like nobody knows him or understands him. Not uncommon amongst comedians, most of them are messed up people.

Thank you very much..........2006-01-24

The greatest comedian who ever lived! Andy was very special, a rare breed! My hometown hero from Long Island, NY. Sorry that you had to go so quickly. God bless you Andy where ever you are? Here I come to save the day...

Average customer rating:

Funny, spooky, and delightful
There's a light, over at the Franken... er Femm ... place
The Old Dark House
It really was a dark and stormy night...
Great Classic

The Old Dark House
Starring: Boris Karloff , Melvyn Douglas , Charles Laughton , Lilian Bond , and Ernest Thesiger
Director: James Whale
Manufacturer: Kino Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B00000ILEU
Release Date: 2003-09-02

Description

A dark, gothic, one-of-a-kind macabre comedy. Directed by James Whale, subject of the acclaimed "Gods and Monsters," "The Old Dark House" tells the story of three weary travelers who find shelter in a mysterious Welsh manor, soon find themselves in the unwelcoming company of the psychotic Femm family--and never will they be the same!

Customer Reviews:

Funny, spooky, and delightful.......2007-08-12

This is such a great old fashioned dark house mystery. The characters alone are worth watching the movie. Movie greats Raymond Massey, Charles Laughton,Boris Karloff, and Melvin Douglas were so young way back then! The really corny old characters make the movie eerie enough to watch it to the end. What great fun!

There's a light, over at the Franken... er Femm ... place.......2007-06-23

I only noticed it mentioned by one of the earlier reviews but it immediately struck me that this must have had a strong influence on Rocky Horror Picture Show. Even some of the dialog had me finishing it in my head with the Rocky Horror version. ("There's a light ...", "Madness ... takes its toll"). You can almost hear the RHPS music (over the storm). It even has a little bit of "gender bending" -- not to be confused with homosexuality as one reviewer does. But the film soon casts its own spell and you're hooked on its terms. Have a potato! And some gin! Enjoy the ride.

In any case -- this is a minor masterpiece with some great performances. The Femm family are especially good and Charles Laughton is notable for what I think is his first Hollywood role.

Like many of the "strangers stranded in a spooky house" movies (of which this must have been one of the first) it is filmed almost as if it were a stage play, giving it much of its considerable charm. The cinematography and lighting are pure "Universal Horror". This film was a trend-setter. Anything it didn't actually originate it certainly made its own.

And the title of the film is perfect!

P.S. Why not five stars? Need to leave a little room for Bride of Frankenstein!

The Old Dark House.......2007-06-21

One of Whale's most indispensable horror films, "House" marries dark wit with bizarre, wonderfully eerie scenarios involving the three Femm children: addled atheist Horace Femm (Ernest Thesiger), his fanatically Christian sister Rebecca (Eva Moore), and older brother Saul (Brember Wills), a pyromaniac kept under lock and key--usually. Karloff, in his first big role, is memorably ghoulish as a gin-swilling servant, but Thesiger and Moore play the demented siblings to sinister effect. Inspired camerawork, spooky lighting, and brilliant ensemble acting from the whole cast put a sardonic twist on this sublime tale of gothic lunacy.

It really was a dark and stormy night..........2007-02-05

Any film that starts with the visual version of "It was a dark and stormy night" might otherwise be regarded with suspicion but not in the hands of director James Whale. Is it worth checking out? Absolutely as this is one of Whale's masterpieces using humor, some creepy imagery and a great cast (Boris Karloff, Melvyn Douglas, Raymond Massey, Gloria Stuart, Charles Laughton, Ernest Thesinger and other notable stage vets) to create a moody chiller with humor.

The extras include a thoughtful trivia filled commentary Gloria Stuart and a second commentary by Whale bigorapher and film historian James Curtis. Curtis Harrington provides a detailed introduction of how he became involved in saving the film, meeting Whale, etc. The video quality of this portion is so-so. The transfer of the film looks solid although it could use more digital cleaning up (like the recently reissued editions of "Frankenstein" and "Dracula"). Although the film appears a bit unsteady in the beginning, it improves. I personally thought the contrast could have been improved a bit as well. Audio sounds good but the volume is a bit low and probably could stand a bit cleaning up to get rid of some hiss and popping.

The follow up to Whale and his star Boris Karloff's "Frankenstein", this witty, cynical horror film is well adapted by writer Ben Levy. Thought lost for years (the original film has been out of circulation for at least 44 years when William Castle made his weak remake), director Curtis Harrington found a copy of the film from which this version is drawn.
The film was almost lost when Universal sold the rights to Columbia in 1963. Luckily director Curtis Harrington (who befriended director Whale late in life)while working at Universal asked to have the negative pulled and duplicated. Otherwise the film would be lost as the firs reel of this classic was in pretty bad shape.

Overall this is a pretty good reissue of a classic Whale film that has been out of circulation for too long. It's a classic right up there with Whale's "Waterloo Bridge", "The Bride of Frankenstein", The Invisible Man" and "Frankenstein" although closer in tone to "Bride" and "Invisible" than his straight horror films.

Great Classic.......2006-11-10

A great classic worth every penny. A bit dated but that makes it even better. From the director who brought you such classics as Frankenstein with Karloff and The Invisible Man with Claude Rains. They just don't make movies like this anymore. Highly recommended.

The Tales of Hoffmann - Criterion Collection

Average customer rating:

I've never seen anything like it
Total British post-WWII success
good, but expensive
From a would-be dancer
After The Red Shoes

The Tales of Hoffmann - Criterion Collection
Starring: Moira Shearer , Ludmilla Tchérina , Anne Ayars , Pamela Brown , and Léonide Massine
Director: Emeric Pressburger , and Michael Powell
Manufacturer: Criterion Collection
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B00008YOFG
Release Date: 2005-11-22

Amazon.com

Jacques Offenbach died with his masterpiece not quite finished, and that has made The Tales of Hoffmann a predestined victim for adapters who have dropped some numbers, inserted others, altered the plot, fiddled with the casting, and changed the order of scenes. It has survived and kept its essential identity through many adaptations because its music is so witty and compelling, its imagination so vivid and varied, its story of the poet Hoffmann's unhappy loves so intriguing they can transcend such tinkering.

A critical performing edition prepared by musicologist Michael Kaye has made it possible to come close to Offenbach's original intentions after more than a century of misunderstanding, and major companies have begun to use that edition, but so far no universally satisfying production of it has reached video. An Opera de Lyon production, using Kaye's research but with a radically untraditional staging, has won wholehearted approval from some fans but unequivocal rejection from more.

As adaptations go, this 1951 film is the best compromise currently available on video and will always be a classic in its own right, even when a more faithful treatment becomes available. It drops some of Offenbach's music and includes some that is spurious, and it changes the plot (Hoffman's beloved Stella is made a dancer--Moira Shearer--not a singer). But at least it treats the story with affection, imagination, and technical expertise. The music presents only highlights of the score, but it is in the hands of a great conductor, Sir Thomas Beecham. The movie is essentially the work of the same team that produced The Red Shoes (directors Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger); it has the same kind of imaginative appeal and its technical resourcefulness is still exciting, still on the cutting edge despite its age. I expect eventually to add a more faithful Tales of Hoffmann to my video collection, but I will never stop enjoying this one. --Joe McLellan

Description

In Jacques Offenbach's fantasy opera, the poet E.T.A. Hoffmann dreams of three women - a mechanical performing doll, a bejeweled siren who steals his reflection, and the consumptive daughter of a famous composer - all of whom break his heart in different

Customer Reviews:

I've never seen anything like it.......2007-05-05

"The Tales of Hoffmann" (1951) - a beautifully photographed film version of Jacques Offenbach's opera, his final masterpiece is a magic (and there is no other word to describe it) blend of Adventure / Romance / Fantasy / with an endless stream of gorgeous melodies, seductive and tender love scenes, bizarre characters - comic, romantic or villainous, and tragic climaxes. The film was a follow-up to "The Red Shoes" (1948) a fantasy/musical/romance/drama set in the world of ballet with the same directors, stars, and production designers.

In "The Tales of Hoffmann", Robert Rounsevill stars as E.T.A. (Ernst Theodore Amadeus) Hoffmann, the poet and writer who tells three stories of his great but unhappy loves all ending tragically thanks to the meddling of his enemy, a supernatural villain (Robert Helpmann as quadruple evil, Lindorf, Coppelius, Dapertutto and Dr Miracle). Objects of Hoffmann's love and admiration include Olympia the wind-up doll (Moira Shearer who also plays Stella the dancer, the fourth and yet another Hoffmann's misadventure), Giulietta, the Venetian courtesan who sails away after trying to capture Hoffmann's soul (Ludmilla Tchérina -absolutely brilliant as the siren and the seductress who elegantly walks over the dead bodies, literally), and Antonia the beautiful opera-singer with the fatal voice and deadly illness. One of the greatest choreographers and dancers of the last century, Léonide Massine shines in three absolutely different roles demonstrating his talent as a dancer, strong emotions and tremendous humor.

What makes "The Tales of Hoffmann" not just an ordinary screen adaptation but the stunning unforgettable event, the film which had inspired the future famous directors George Romero and Martin Scorsese to become the filmmakers is the perfect combination of fantasy, classical music, ballet, singing, stunning visual effects, imaginative and often bizarre and even disturbing images that would fit a horror movie (deconstructing Olympia -the doll is horrifying), incredible but calculated feast of colors, their mixture, the unique color palette to match each story, camera work that is so innovative and dynamic that even now, 56 years after the film was made, looks fresh and modern. The feast for eyes, ears, and feelings, "The Tales of Hoffmann" is the love child of incredibly talented people from different epochs and countries. The opera by Jacques Offenbach, the French composer is based on the dark romantic fairy tales by the German E.T. A. Hoffmann. The team of two directors known as "The Archers", the British Michael Powell and the Hungarian Jew Emeric Pressburger who had to flee his country before the WWII, and their international team of stars, color consultants, choreographers and production designers made this miracle happen. The last but not the least is legendary Sir Thomas Beecham conducting the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra.

Total British post-WWII success.......2007-01-21

As Britain's film industry revived after WWII, the arts stablishment put its best into this lavish, spectacular, ravishing production that I fist saw on its 1951 release and have loved ever since, as a so-so tape and now a much improved DVD release. With its scenes in the traditional order, it has Sir Thomas Beecham conducting, the fine light tenor Robert Rounseville as Hoffmann, ballet greats Moira Shearer, Leonid Massine and Robert Helpman and extraordinary sets, all directed with panache and grace by Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger. Only a grumpy fussbudget wouldn't like it.

good, but expensive.......2007-01-15

It is a good purchase, but if you add the cost of shipping, taxes, conversion to region 4 and the product itself, I payed about 100 dollars for it.

From a would-be dancer.......2007-01-15

What a wonderful set of tales! I first saw this many years ago and was fascinated by the stories and the dancing and the way they were woven together with beautiful voices. I especially loved the scene in which Dapertuto attemts to charm Giulietta with the gems he mad of candle wax. I feel so lucky to be able to get a copy of this.

After The Red Shoes.......2007-01-12

Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger's The Tales of Hoffmann (1951) has long suffered by comparison with their lush, ostensibly realistic masterpiece, The Red Shoes (1948). The visual blandness and musical tedium of Hoffmann's final episode accounts for this, at least in part, as well as the libretto's relentlessly artificial variations on a premise that's all too precious. A word might also be said about the miscasting of Robert Rounseville as the eponymous hero-victim. All of this is more than offset, however, by brilliant dancing - Moira Shearer's, of course, but also Leonide Massine's, Robert Helpmann's, Ludmilla Tcherina's, and choreographer Frederick Ashton's - to say nothing of the ambitious and almost perfectly realized production values, including some ingenious special effects. Nor can the musical performance - by the Royal Philharmonic under Sir Thomas Beecham - be slighted. Some viewers of the original film and its VHS copy have complained of imperfect illumination and color clarity, both of which this ultra high-tech version has brilliantly remedied. This, then, is the best possible Powell-Pressburger Hoffmann. And, as in Criterion's version of The Red Shoes - a wealth of extra features provides otherwise unavailable insights into the auteurs' ingenious planning, production, and editing. Recommended.

Average customer rating:

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

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ASIN: B000OHZL44
Release Date: 2007-06-26

Description

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

Average customer rating:

Best ending ever!
This movie has Miike written all over it.
Wipe that milk mustache off your face!
Yakuza in Twin Peaks
good but not great

Gozu
Starring: Hideki Sone , Sho Aikawa , Kimika Yoshino , Shohei Hino , and Keiko Tomita
Director: Takashi Miike
Manufacturer: Pathfinder Home Ent.
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ASIN: B0002Z7RNG
Release Date: 2004-11-23

Description

From the acclaimed director, Takashi Miike, comes a Yakuza/horror film to shock and amaze audiences everywhere! When Minami is sent to kill his mentor, Ozaki, who is in the midst of a nervous breakdown, he embarks on a journey of unexplained natural phenomenon that only the director of such films as Audition, Dead or Alive and Ichi the Killer can provide in this surreal Lynchian/Cronenberg-like odyssey!

Customer Reviews:

Best ending ever!.......2007-09-16

Takashi Miike is one of my favorite directors now without a doubt. Gozu is a great film from Miike and ranks as one of his best. He admits to using Cronenburg and David lynch influences in his movies and it really shows for Gozu, especially Cronenburg. This one is a lot like his other movie visitor Q, using comedy and gross out factor to disturb, confuse and shock his viewers. This is a VERY strange flick and some have compared it to Lynch's Mulholland Drive but I've never seen that so can't say. Some of the stuff in this movie will probably have you laughing so hard to the point of crying. It did to me.

Now this is without a doubt the best ending ever IMO for a horror movie. I garantee your jaw will hit the floor when you see this ending, I've never seen anything like it. Japanese people are not affraid to use taboo elements, they know that it is a grown-up movie, made for grown-up people. I will not go into detail about this ending because Amazon would never post this review, but I will tell you: Prepare to be shocked.

This movie has Miike written all over it........2007-06-01

The vast majority of the film doesn't make a lick of sense, but it's so funny and jolting that sense would almost be a distraction. Gozu is a fascinating trip which is bizarre, perverse, entertaining, downright hilarious in parts, with some stunning cinematography and in all honesty a very interesting exploration of the intense bonding of brotherhood between the Yakuza that goes beyond loyalty and into self-sacrificial love. Gozu is a completely different film in comparison to Miike's earlier work, while some may call upon the definitive identity the film has as a Miike production in all honesty he has never really made a film like this before. The violence on display is very much toned down with no real shock factor. In Gozu Miike parodies his earlier work (thus the scenes of lactation) and the violence that is present is more restrained and bizarre as opposed to offensive.

It's Miike doing Lynch and Cronenberg and I have to say its an ill-fated entertaining ride. Gozu is simply not supposed to be taken seriously, any film that opens with the paranoid ramblings of a Yakuza claiming Chihuahuas are trained to kill simply has to be taken with a pinch of salt. And yet, despite the often ridiculous locations, characters and plot turns there is still a fascinating subtext to be found that lifts Gozu from the realms of entertainment into a genuinely interesting film.

However tenuous this may seem, Gozu is actually quite an interesting take on homo-eroticism in the yakuza. Without giving too much away, (the film really is best experienced blind) Miike examines themes of masculinity, and the difference of physical and emotional attraction with the bonding of men whose only cause for separation lies within their physical embodiment. This in turn, leads to one of the biggest "what the hell" endings I have seen for a long time. When dissected however, it only further enhances the sexual politics of the story bringing more weight to the question of sexual orientation. This subtext however, takes backseat to just pure unadulterated dirty humor and entertainment as Miike pulls out all the shots to dazzle, perplex and excite the audience into a frenzy of surrealist humor, inventive plot twists and plenty of in-jokes to satisfy his ever growing fan base.
Looking at this jacket of this disc led me to believe that Gozu would deliver a garish horror film, however, there is very little horror on display despite the occasional moments of suspense as Miike relies heavily upon the strains of the cello score rather than a true deep rooted sense of fear. but what we truly get is a film that dives into a surrealist landscape which is much more bizarre than terrifying. However, with tongue firmly in cheek Miike does succeed in living up to its kitsch B-movie feel.

Wipe that milk mustache off your face!.......2007-03-11

At first, "Gozu" begins like one would imagine a Yakuza movie might. An underling, Minami, has been given the unenviable task of disposing his superior and best friend Ozaki, who seems to have gone crazy. When Ozaki mysteriously dies on the road to Nagoya, and later disappears, the warped minds of writer Sakichi Sato and director Takeshi Miike rush in to assault Minami and viewers with a seemingly endless parade of quirky characters and disturbing imagery which would give Freud and Jung fits.

Why do half of the characters in a town outside Nagoya seem to make no sense? Who exactly is the pretty young woman Minami finds in his car? And why does he keep seeing a man with a cow head in his dreams? Minami seems to be locked into a nightmarish roller-coaster ride of insanity. I can guarantee you'll never look at milk or soup ladles the same way again.

If you've not seen Miike's films before - as I had not - "Gozu" might not seem to make a lot of sense at all. If you give in to your will to be weird, however, you might recognize the terrifying beauty of Miike's creation.

Yakuza in Twin Peaks.......2007-01-05

If you ever wanted to see what would happen if you threw a David Lynch movie in the blender with a Takashi Miike movie, I'd say this film is most likely what you'd get.

This movie is pretty damn strange but being that I love both directors, I couldn't help but love this strange tale of.... man, I don't even want to spoil it for you but this one goes down as one of the oddest Yakuza movies in existence.

This is a nice DVD package. Picture is good, sound is fine, and there are a good amount of bonus features, like interviews, commentary and other goodies.

Hey, if you like Lynch or Miike films, give this one a shot. One of the better Miike films I've seen.

good but not great.......2006-09-18

I was expecting more from this movie but it left me wanting more...The movie was strange and a little disturbing but there ws nothing scary or horror like about it...I would recommend this film if you're a Takashi Miike fan.

Average customer rating:

Disturbing intrigue
Every element fits as they should in good art works
One of my all-time favorites/A No Spoiler Review
Minor Polanski
An ending you'll never forget

Bitter Moon
Starring: Hugh Grant , Kristin Scott Thomas , Emmanuelle Seigner , Peter Coyote , and Victor Banerjee
Director: Roman Polanski
Manufacturer: New Line Home Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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