Fracture (Widescreen Edition)

Amazon.com

Anthony Hopkins plays a brilliant, pathologically serene killer outwitting the good guys at every turn and taking a shine to a twentysomething law enforcer who can't conceal a rural accent and rugged origins. Could it be...? No, not The Silence of the Lambs, but an original mystery, Fracture, which plays a little like Lambs as an episode of Columbo, minus Columbo. Which means the film tells us from the get-go that Hopkins' character, a wealthy engineer, shoots his philandering wife (Embeth Davidtz) and leaves her in a vegetative state. From there, it should be a simple matter for young, assistant District Attorney Willy Beachum (Ryan Gosling) to nail Crawford, who provides a full confession and even eschews counsel. That's good for Beachum, a slick winner with a vague background of deprivation, rapidly on his way out of public service after attracting the attention of a deep-pocket, private firm. What he doesn't know, however, is that Crawford has masterminded more than vengeance against his wife, and that the state's case against him is full of pre-arranged holes and a huge time-bomb that will send Beachum scrambling to keep the pieces together.

The story, conceived and co-scripted by Daniel Pyne (Doc Hollywood), goes down easily with a minimum of blood and violence, and should easily appeal to mystery buffs as well as old fans of Hopkins and new admirers of Oscar nominee Gosling (Half Nelson). The latter holds his own in multiple, two-character scenes with the masterful portrayer of Hannibal Lecter, pacing Beachum's reactions to Crawford's polite provocations so everything spills onto his youthful face: torn loyalties, confusion, gullibility. Director Gregory Hoblit (Hart's War), still best-known for decades of distinguished television work (NYPD Blue), brings the necessary intimacy to make the stars' chemistry work effectively. His noirish atmosphere is a little over the top, sometimes pushing the audience to a level of expectation that the film isn't really ready to deliver, but this, overall, is an enjoyable work. --Tom Keogh

Description

Academy Awardï¿½ winner Anthony Hopkins and Academy Awardï¿½ nominee Ryan Gosling are brilliant in this "exceptionally suspenseful nail-biter" (Rex Reed) that's so smart it "doesn't let go, even after the final twist" (Gene Shalit, "Today"). Ted Crawford (Hopkins) brutally murders his wife and calmly waits for the police to arrest him. With the weapon and a signed confession in hand, Deputy D.A., Willy Beachum (Gosling), believes a conviction is a slam dunk; that is until the case completely unravels. Now, with little evidence, Beachum goes head to head with the cunning Mr. Crawford in a desperate search for the truth and the answer to one burning question: How is this guy getting away with murder?

Customer Reviews:

GREAT Movie!.......2007-09-17

This is a really great movie - I could not figure it out for anything! The ending was so great too it left you shaking your head saying "Nuh-Uh!". And wanting more! You get tied up in the characters wanting to know them more and the story line is one that has been done before but not to this extent. A super mind game!!
If you like Anthony Hopkins this is a must see! If you don't like Antony Hopkins you may very well change your mind after this movie!

Never sure what will happen.......2007-09-17

There's a few things that make this film one of the best of 2007:
1. It is not predictable. You believe the film will end one way and then the twist gets you.
2. Hopkins and Gosling do some great acting, especially together.
3. The plot idea is fairly unique: A man kills his wife and is playing a chess game with the prosecuting attorney with confessions and evidence.

I also liked the director's previous film "Frequency" so if you liked that, you may well like this, it is similar in genre.

The only possible draw back is that it does seem to drag on a bit two-thirds the way into the movie. They could have cut out a few scenes there.

All in all, great film.

Fracture.......2007-09-17

only Anthony Hopkins can play this type of role and do it justice. The book kept you tied to your chair until it was finished. Spellbinding!

Overly Tricky Plot Makes for Glib Entertainment Thanks Mainly to the Two Leads.......2007-09-17

There's a familiar bag of tricks at work in this 2007 courtroom-driven suspense thriller, and it goes beyond Anthony Hopkins' deliberate echo of Hannibal Lecter in his malevolently amusing performance as Ted Crawford, a wealthy and cuckolded industrial engineer. It involves the intricately plotted, marginally credible screenplay by Daniel Pyne and Glenn Gers, which reminds me of an old episode of Columbo. That's not necessarily a bad thing since those Sunday night shows could be entertaining whodunits, but the derivative veneer of this movie purposefully shortchanges logic for contrived twists. In fact, the central conceit of the film is that we know Crawford shot his beautiful, adulterous wife point blank. The story is really about how he plans to get away with it and how young Willie Beachum, an ambitious and unflagging assistant D.A. bucks the odds and seeks the truth in this case.

Giving away any more is unnecessary, as director Gregory Hoblit is no stranger to the courtroom giving us the equally twist-infested Primal Fear eleven years ago. While the twists are not as pronounced here, they also don't feel as hard-earned primarily because Crawford and Beachum feel more like movie archetypes than flesh-and-blood characters. This is where casting helps considerably since Hopkins can easily evince menace with minimal effort - a blank stare, veiled smirk, the delusion of befuddlement in the courtroom - before you can say The Silence of the Lambs. Impressive in last year's Half Nelson, Ryan Gosling plays Beachum in a likeably braggadocio manner with a heavy Southern accent and a variety of idiosyncratic tics. It is his character that goes through something of an arc from accepting a high-paying job at an exclusive private firm to a personal catharsis over his crusade for justice.

The two principal actors are well matched in their scenes together, even though one is a virtual replay of the one between Hopkins and Jodie Foster in Lambs. The rest of the actors aren't given much leeway to provide any meaningful depth to their characters - David Strathairn, in a complete role reversal from this year's Bourne Ultimatum, as Beachum's moral conscience and current boss, D.A. Joe Labruto; Billy Burke particularly lackluster as the indiscreet detective caught in the middle; Embeth Davidtz making her precious few moments count as Crawford's dissatisfied wife Jennifer; and former Bond girl Rosamund Pike as Nikki Gardner, Beachum's boss at his new firm. Her romantic relationship with Beachum seems like a particularly absurd plot convenience given the impropriety of a senior partner bedding an associate.

The twisty ending satisfies for the obvious reason but is tethered in legal precedents that seem strangely arbitrary (pardon the pun). As part of its set of extras, the 2007 DVD contains two alternatives to the final ending, both making the inevitable a more Baroque-level experience that borders on silly. The other deleted scenes are of marginal interest including two extended variations on the romantic coupling between Gardner and Beachum. While a trailer is included, there is surprisingly no commentary track from either the director or the two principals. For what it's worth, the film is a fun ride for the undemanding because a moment's thought afterward will inevitably spoil your memory of it.

Different Kind of Murder/Suspense Movie!.......2007-09-15

I enjoyed watching this movie a lot as it had some twists and turns in it that I haven't seen in other movies.... this way you won't have figured out the ending before it happens!!

In "Fracture", Anthony Hopkin's character attempts to kill his wife for having an affair with another man. It is no secret that he has attempted to kill his wife as he admits to shooting her to the police. He gets rid of nearly all the evidence, including the murder weapon.

So, now the movie in turn, focuses on how the police and district attorney's office go about making a case for attempted murder. The case seems to be straight forward ENOUGH and SHOULD PROVE TO BE AN EASY TO PROVE..... BUT PROVES TO BE OTHERWISE! Watch Anthony Hopkin's character play cat and mouse with a young, hot shot attorney from the district attorney's office!

The Graduate (40th Anniversary Collector's Edition)

Average customer rating:

Still a Funny, Perceptive Classic Forty Years Later and in a DVD Package Worthy of Its Reputation
Unlikely Tale of Immorality
Enhanced for Widescreen TV's ??? YES, YES, YES !!!
The Landmark Film - Done RIGHT!!!
Enhanced for Widescreen TV's ???

The Graduate (40th Anniversary Collector's Edition)
Starring: Anne Bancroft , Dustin Hoffman , Katharine Ross , William Daniels , and Murray Hamilton
Director: Mike Nichols
Manufacturer: MGM (Video & DVD)
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Comedy | Genres | DVD | Video

Classic Comedies | Comedy | Genres | DVD | Video

General | Drama | Genres | DVD | Video

ASIN: B00000F798
Release Date: 2007-09-11

Amazon.com

Few films have defined a generation as The Graduate did. The alienation, the nonconformity, the intergenerational romance, the blissful Simon and Garfunkel soundtrack--they all served to lob a cultural grenade smack into the middle of 1967 America, ultimately making the film the third most profitable up to that time. Seen from a later perspective, its radical chicness has dimmed a bit, yet it's still a joy to see Dustin Hoffman's bemused Benjamin and Anne Bancroft's deliciously decadent, sardonic Mrs. Robinson. The script by Buck Henry and Calder Willingham is still offbeat and dryly funny, and Mike Nichols, who won an Oscar for his direction, has just the right, light touch. --Anne Hurley

Description

Nominated* for seven Academy AwardsÂ(r) and winner for Best Director, this ground breaking and "wildly hilarious" (The Boston Globe) social satire launched the career of two-time OscarÂ(r)-winner** Dustin Hoffman and cemented the reputation of acclaimed director Mike Nichols. Pulsating with the rebellious spirit of the '60s and a haunting score sung by Simon and Garfunkel, The Graduate is truly a "landmark film" (Leonard Maltin). Shy Benjamin Braddock (Dustin Hoffman) returns home from college with an uncertain future. Then the wife of his father's business partner, the sexy Mrs. Robinson (Anne Bancroft), seduces him, and the affair only deepens his confusion. That is, until he meets the girl of his dreams (Katharine Ross). But there's one problem: she's Mrs. Robinson's daughter!

Customer Reviews:

Still a Funny, Perceptive Classic Forty Years Later and in a DVD Package Worthy of Its Reputation.......2007-09-13

If there is one film deserving of a full-blown renaissance, it is this seminal 1967 social alienation comedy, and this 40th Anniversary Collector's Edition DVD presents an especially pristine print, as well as several extras that will please die-hard fans. Based on the wry 1963 Charles Webb novel, the film itself holds a special affection among its original audience even now, the aging Vietnam War-era population who championed anarchy and the people who revise their personal histories, so they can think they were members of the now-fashionable counter-cultural movement. At the same time, it has a timeless quality for new generations simply because it's a consistently witty, observant piece of cinema targeted to anyone who has experienced that sense of post-academic confusion when the responsibilities of real life inevitably intrude.

This is an accomplished film for someone directing only his second film. But then again, judging from his subsequent work all the way to Angels in America and Closer, Mike Nichols seems to have come into filmmaking fully understanding the frailties of the human condition and knowing how to convey them in a way that audiences could empathize. It is a testament to Nichols and screenwriters Buck Henry and Calder Willingham that the social comedy aspects of this film do not seem at all dated. In fact, despite its provocative veneer, it's really old-fashioned in key ways from the protagonist's moralistic tendencies to his romantically compulsive motivations toward the end. Dustin Hoffman was pulled out of complete obscurity to play Benjamin, the alienated, recent college graduate drifting amid his parents' Southern California upper-middle class, swimming pool-centered ennui.

As Benjamin figures out what to do with his life and faces unwanted advice from his parents' friends, enter Mrs. Robinson, a bored, restless wife, a self-proclaimed alcoholic and about as sympathetic as Lady Macbeth. It's hard to imagine what the original choice, Doris Day, would have done with this role, as it takes Anne Bancroft's formidable arsenal of skills to bring this vituperative woman to life. She gives a masterful performance. The hotel sequence where Benjamin awkwardly asks Mrs. Robinson for a drink is shrewdly observed and downright hilarious - the suspicious hotel clerk (Henry, the film's co-screenwriter) eyeing Benjamin's every move; the reception line which Benjamin pretends to know (TV veterans Alice Ghostley and Marion Lorne, Esmeralda and Aunt Clara from Bewitched, make indelible marks here); and the predatory Mrs. Robinson's business-like approach to seduction.

Complicating matters exorbitantly is Mrs. Robinson's daughter, Elaine, played with relative nonchalance by Katharine Ross. The film then turns into a revenge comedy with Mrs. Robinson trying to prevent the inevitable coupling of Benjamin and Elaine. She almost succeeds but not before a series of revelations and dramatic encounters that lead to the classic ending aboard the public bus. Some of the comedy and characterizations seem a bit extreme, for example, Hoffman seems to amplify his character's nebbishness a few too many times, and Elaine's fiancée appears like a textbook 1960's TV stereotype. There are also a few forgivable geographic gaffes - most of the campus scenes are not filmed at Berkeley as portrayed in the film but at USC, and Benjamin crosses the Bay Bridge in the wrong direction to hunt for Elaine.

The 2007 40th Anniversary Collector's Edition DVD contains two separate commentary tracks, both insightful but for different reasons - the first is an anecdotal remembrance with Hoffman and Ross quite engaged with details of the filming (Hoffman apparently had quite a crush on Ross and still does), and the second has Nichols and director Steven Soderbergh discussing all aspects of the production from casting to camera set-ups within specific scenes. The main featurette is the new 25-minute "Students of `The Graduate'", which amounts to an extended appreciation of the film from Henry; producer Lawrence Turman; two film scholars; various directors (Harold Ramis, Marc Forster, Valerie Faris & Jonathan Dayton, David O. Russell); and film critics (Newsweek's David Ansen, Entertainment Weekly's Owen Gleiberman). The second new short, "The Seduction", is a nine-minute retrospective look at the famous scene where Mrs. Robinson nonchalantly pounces on Benjamin. The participants from the first featurette are involved here as well, and it provides a good dissection of not only the scene but the sexual mores prevalent at the time of filming.

There are two holdovers from the 1999 DVD release. The first is the 22-minute "'The Graduate' at 25" produced in 1992 for the laserdisc release. It has the advantage of participation from Hoffman and Ross but otherwise echoes the information presented in the newer retrospective featurette. The second is a 22-minute interview with Hoffman done in quick takes. He lends invaluable and often amusing insight into his selection for the role and the filmmaking experience. He also talks about the proposed sequel which one can assume eventually turned into 2005's execrable Rumor Has It.... Beyond the original theatrical trailer, the DVD contains a print of the film that makes it look as good as it did in its original release. There is a bonus soundtrack sampler CD with four of the distinctive Simon and Garfunkel songs featured in the movie - "The Sound of Silence", "Scarborough Fair/Canticle", "April Come She Will", and of course, "Mrs. Robinson". Lastly, there is a helpful six-page booklet that fills in the rest of the blanks on the production. This is a great package for a classic film.

Unlikely Tale of Immorality.......2007-09-12

This absurd film was a sensation like a million years because of its taboo content. But was it really good? No, it was like a train wreck, you looked at it anyhow. I've seen this nonsense on TV, and it is just BORING. An old crone like Mrs. Robinson who's interested in young men could certainly get something better than the little creep played by Dustin Hoffman. He looks like the following:

1. A playmate of Pee-Wee Herman.

2. A little nerd.

3. A no muscle little sissy boy.

4. A pathetic version of Jerry Lewis (the oily hair).

In conclusion, didn't old woman Robinson have a gardener or pool man to bother? Was she that desperate? I mean Dustin Hoffman, Jeez!!!!!!!!!!!!

Enhanced for Widescreen TV's ??? YES, YES, YES !!!.......2007-09-11

Get out the church key and crack open a can of Olympia beer. "It's the water" couldn't be a more appropriate title for the "Sounds of Silence"/"April Come She Will" sequence as Ben drifts between diving into the pool and diving onto Mrs. Robinson.

Los Angles and Berkeley have never looked better, now that The Graduate has finally been re-mastered in the anamorphic splendor that it deserves. Ben is still traveling from Los Angeles to Berkeley on Highway 101, by way of the upper deck of the Bay Bridge. However, he finally manages to find his way to the University.

Seeing old Telegraph Avenue landmarks, such as Print Mint and Moe's Books brings back memories. Ben is probably reading the latest issue of Zap Comix as he sips his Coors at the sidewalk cafe.

The Landmark Film - Done RIGHT!!!.......2007-08-31

The previous reviews posted here are all based on what the reviewers HOPED would be on the new 40th Anniversary and raised some questions. I can answer most of the concerns having watched the DVD this week.

As for how important this film is, let's just say it defined a generation in the 1970s. And nearly anyone in either high school or college (or a recent "graduate" entering the working world) when the film was released can quote verbatim important lines and whole scenes. Try "Are you trying to seduce me Mrs. Robinson?" or even the mention of one word ""Plastics!". I have only watched the film (on VHS) once since my original viewing on the big screen forty years ago. Of course I remember many of the great moments (the finale at the church, for one) and the Simon & Garfunkel soundtrack. (Dave Grusin wrote the incidental music.). I did not see the "25th Anniversary" reissue. So much of the supplemental material was new to me.

First off the transfer is great! It must have been remastered. And yes, it's in Wide Screen. It HAS to be. The hardest video to pan and scan was always this film as Director Mike Nichols spaced his characters at the far sides of the screen. I watched this on an 25 year old 26 in TV and it was still perfect.

Okay, now the bonus features. It's a 2 "disc" set because one disc is a CD of FOUR songs from the film. So it's really more of a CD single.", That's fine with me, but most of us have the music in our collection.

There are TWO commentary tracks: One is Hoffman and Ross talking. Since Ross doesn't even appear in the film until almost half way through, she has little to say for a while. And there are long periods where Hoffman says nothing so you get to hear the soundtrack dialogue at that point. The second commentary is with Director Mike Nichols and Director Stephen Soderburgh. It more that SS is interviewing Nichols. And Nichols is very outgoing here. Where I found a small problem is that the conversation often does not match what is on the screen. During the "Seduction" scene I expected to hear details about the set up. But Nichols was talking about Screen Tests or something else. I have not made it all the way through the commentaries. Too much other good stuff here.

There is a NEW 25-minute documentary: "Students of the Graduate" which has interviews with young directors who learned techniques from Nichols direction. The Directors of "Little Miss Sunshine" were ones I remember. It's interesting. There is a short 8-minute one on "the Seduction" as well. This appears to be new.

The other featurettes are from the 25th Anniversary release. One is obvious as it's title is "The Graduate at 25". You can see from the excerpted scenes how poor the 25th Anniversary print was. And - what I found MOST interesting was a "One on One" featurette with Dustin Hoffman which runs 22 minutes. It was recorded for the 25th - similar comments appear in the "Graduate at 25" feature - but Hoffman tells GREAT stories and I was on the floor laughing!

ONE of the tywo screen tests that Ross did - with Charles Grodin - is included in the "at 25" featurette but the announced "two screen tests with introduction" are not on the final DVD. NEITHER is the "Coming of Age: The Making of the Graduate" one.

So there is lots to watch here and moments to remember. I, for one, loved this set and the special featurettes - which rarely, though sometimes, repeat themselves - briefing out things you missed and make you want to playback some scenes.

This should be a hot release for September!

Steve Ramm
"Anything Phonographic"

Enhanced for Widescreen TV's ???.......2007-08-21

There is no confirmation anywhere on the web that this new edition DVD is anamorphic or "enhanced" for widescreen TV's. The universal absence of this information makes me wonder whether it is. Especially since the previous transfers were so awful. This information needs to be available for prospective buyers. I will hold off on purchasing until this is confirmed and I would recommend to others that they do the same.

This is a great movie that deserves 5 stars and a first class transfer.

Average customer rating:

worth watching and even talking to people about
amazing!
Finally
Very Good, but Could Have Been Great - Blame the Director
Pretty long and slow

The Painted Veil
Starring: Naomi Watts , Edward Norton , Liev Schreiber , Toby Jones , and Diana Rigg
Director: John Curran (II)
Manufacturer: Warner Home Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B000NOIX48
Release Date: 2007-05-08

Amazon.com

Produced by Edward Norton and Naomi Watts, The Painted Veil works well as a movie--even better as an actor's showcase. The year is 1925. When her domineering mother pressures her to marry, Kitty (Watts) settles for shy bacteriologist Walter (Norton). Then Walter is transferred from London to Shanghai and the lonely and bored Kitty drifts into an affair with married diplomat Charlie (Liev Schreiber). When Walter finds out, he makes a startling proposition: either Kitty accompanies him to the cholera-infested countryside or he'll divorce her. With no other prospects, she comes along on what looks like a double-suicide mission. Based on the novel by W. Somerset Maugham, The Painted Veil was adapted by Philadelphia's Ron Nyswaner (who knows a little something about infectious diseases). As two previous versions made little impact--despite Garbo's presence in the 1934 melodrama--John Curran's film is sure to stand as definitive. Interestingly, Norton, who studied Chinese history at Yale, chose Watts as his co-star, while Watts chose Curran, for whom she appeared in 2004's underrated We Don't Live Here Anymore. Filmed on location, the handsome production is, in many respects, just as old-fashioned as its source material--sex is merely suggested and Kitty is shocked that their English neighbor (Toby Jones) has a Chinese lover--but the ending packs a feminist twist. Mostly though, The Painted Veil is about the acting, and Watts and Norton, along with Diana Rigg as a disillusioned Mother Superior, have rarely been better. --Kathleen C. Fennessy

Description

Based on the classic novel by W. Somerset Maugham, "The Painted Veil" is a love story set in the 1920s that tells the story of a young English couple, Walter, a middle class doctor and Kitty, an upper-class woman, who get married for the wrong reasons and relocate to Shanghai, where she falls in love with someone else. When he uncovers her infidelity, in an act of vengeance, he accepts a job in a remote village in China ravaged by a deadly epidemic, and takes her along. Their journey brings meaning to their relationship and gives them purpose in one of the most remote and beautiful places on earth.

Customer Reviews:

worth watching and even talking to people about.......2007-09-16

Confirms my idea that movies made from novels can be the best of film going fare, having a plot with a beginning, a point and a satisfactory ending.

The movie is filmed and takes place in the karst country of southern/SW China. The beautiful shades of green of paddy rice and the tall karsts dominate the view just as the river dominates the people's lives. This beauty alone is worth watching the movie.

It is a story of a rich spoiled woman, who marries a man she does not love to escape the fate of "an old maid" and her mother's sharp tongue. Her new husband is the 1920's British equivalent of today's geek, he being a MD-bacteriologist stationed in Shanghai. He volunteers to go work with a remote rural village under siege from cholera and backmails his new bride into going with him over an affair she had that he knows about. The plot is their falling in love in the midst of continuing death and danger from anti-foreigner antipathy from the Chinese.

The plot is interesting and involving, the beauty of the land overwhelming, the point of the movie poignant and heartmoving. All which make the film excellent thought and viewing pleasure.
It would even make a worthwhile movie for a small group discussion over several important issues: the meaning of love and marriage, the importance of believing in something noble and sacrificial service to that ideal.

amazing! .......2007-09-11

I couldn't ask for more in a tragic, sweeping, romance. Beautiful cinematography, beautiful love story. I watched the movie first, loved it, then read W. Somerset Maugham's novel. It brought everything alive. I was so impressed with Watson and Norton, although I hadn't really known much about them prior to this movie. Definitely my favorite movie in a long time.

Finally.......2007-09-09

Hooray for a movie about love that lasts and the price that has to be paid to have it!!! I am tired of hook-up movies with their thousands of one-night relationships. In a world were it is too easy to change one's mind about relationships, there is finally a movie which shows that sticking together through thick and thin and getting lost in service to others, attains the greatest union.

Very Good, but Could Have Been Great - Blame the Director.......2007-09-09

2006' "The Painted Veil" has so much going for it, it should have been another "English Patient" -- a retro romance that sweeps awards and captures hearts.

Instead we have that most frustrating creature -- a very, very good movie that just misses the mark of greatness.

Even so - if you like period romances, you may love what is lovable in this movie enough to forgive it its flaws.

What "The Painted Veil" has going for it:

1.) The plot of the Somerset Maughm novel. A nerdy, scientific, cuckolded husband, who knows his beautiful, shallow, society wife married him because she was dangerously close to being an old maid and wanted to get away from her mother, punishes her for an affair by taking her to a remote Chinese cholera epidemic. Yawza! How operatic!

2.) Sky-high production values. "The Painted Veil" was filmed on location in China. Locations were mixed and matched. At one point they were along the Li River, among Guilin's famous karst scenery. Karst is the "lumpy" looking limestone topography. Towers rise abruptly, and weirdly, out of river valleys, fringed by lush rice paddies and bamboo. The village Huang Yao is a five-hundred years old, intact Ming Dynasty town.

3.) Edward Norton is perfection. He gives Walter everything he needs -- as the nerdy, scientist cuckold husband, Walter is, by turns, arrogant, insecure, vengeful, loving, sweet, icy cold, naive, calculating ... you see it all on his face, and fear him, feel for him, and forgive him.

4.) Alexandre Desplat's award-winning score. Minimalist, and yet it conveys the plot's sense of entrapped passions and spiritual dimensions. Very good use is made of Eric Satie's Gnossienne # 1 and "A La Claire Fontaine," a French folksong whose bittersweet lyrics, which can be found on the web, are so appropriate to the plot that they are heartbreaking.

5.) Diminutive blond Toby Jones' depiction of Waddington, a British provincial officer who is just barely keeping up appearances, in his day old stubble, shabby, sweat-stained suits, and live-in Chinese lover, young enough to be his daughter. Jones pumps this small role full of life. In another actor's hands Waddington would have been forgetable; with Jones, he's one of the most interesting features of the movie.

6.) The Love / Sex / Death / Religion / Self-Sacrifice nexus that modern pop culture doesn't even seem to realize exists; any work of art that reminds us that what we love is mortal and that God and Sex live next door to each other in our brains / souls / lives is way ahead of the pack.

7.) A scene from a Chinese opera. A vermilion and turquoise costume. Lin Zheng's brilliant performance.

8.) Anthony Wong as Colonel Yu. Again, a minor part, but Wong is riveting.

What I wish had been different:

1.) Liev Schreiber has an unmistakable earnestness that just doesn't work for him to be believable as a rake, cad, and bounder. He was much better as the earnest, befuddled cuckold in "Walk on the Moon."

2.) Naomi Watts. She's very pretty and very sweet and I just never, ever believed her as a shallow, devastatingly beautiful socialite who could drive two men to irresponsible action.

I kept thinking of Greta Garbo in the original "Painted Veil," or Vivien Leigh as that insufferable monster, Scarlett -- as much as you hate her, you are fascinated. Not so with Watts.

3.) John Curran's direction. This is a MELODRAMA, John. Walter says, "I despise myself for loving you." Kitty says, "If a man doesn't have what it takes to make a woman love him, that's his fault." I mean, how can you direct that so anemically? As if they are asking for change to buy cheez crackers from the vending machine? In melodrama, you have to turn up the heat, send a few lightening bolts across the screen.

4.) The ending. I didn't need a happy or a sad ending. I just needed an ending that would serve the plot, and feel less like a dead end, a flat tire, that drained, rather than contributed, meaning to what has come before.

Pretty long and slow.......2007-09-08

The Painted Veil has it all going for itself. Naomi Watts and Edward Norton leading, two great actors. An interesting theme and issue, Cholera in China in 1920 and a great location to tease beauty from, but none of this is taken to its advantage. The movie was such a disappointment. I honestly thought that since I read so many good reviews of this film, it's going to pick up soon. But it never did. Honestly, the only good thing about this movie was the scenery and acting. That's it. The storyline seemed good, but, was this movie a bore! It lasted roughly two hours, but it seemed like a good five. I was wondering when the heck this movie was going to end. It was so long and drawn out. The entire movie was dialogue. That's it. There was no action whatsoever. I am not a lover of melodramas but if you want to see a good recent one, see The Lives of Others.

Average customer rating:

"Out of Africa": The Movie, the Book, the Feminist
Wonderful movie
A classic!
The Best Movie Ever Made!!
Delight in "Out of Africa"

Out of Africa
Starring: Meryl Streep , Robert Redford , Klaus Maria Brandauer , Michael Kitchen , and Malick Bowens
Director: Sydney Pollack
Manufacturer: Universal Studios
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: 0783240171
Release Date: 2000-02-29

Amazon.com essential video

Sydney Pollack's 1985 multiple-Oscar winner is a sumptuous and emotionally satisfying film about the life of Danish writer Karen Blixen (Meryl Streep), better known as Isak Dinesen, who travels to Kenya to be with her German husband (Klaus Maria Brandauer) but falls for an English adventurer (Robert Redford). The film is slow in developing the relationship, but it is rich in beautiful images of Africa and in the romantic tone surrounding Blixen's gradual discovery of her life and voice. One downside: while we may all love Redford, he is as convincingly British as Kevin Costner is in Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves. --Tom Keogh

Description

The most acclaimed motion picture of 1985 stars Robert Redford and Meryl Streep in one of the screen's great epic romances. Directed by Oscar winner Sydney Pollack, Out of Africa is the fascinating true story of Karen Blixen, a strong-willed woman who, with her philandering husband (Klaus Maria Brandauer), runs a coffee plantation in Kenya, circa 1914. To her astonishment, she soon discovers herself falling in love with the land, its people and a mysterious white hunter (Redford). The masterfully crafted, breathtakingly produced story of love and loss earned Oscars for Best Picture, Director, Screenplay (based on material from another medium), Cinematography, Original Score, Art Direction (Set Decoration) and Sound.

Customer Reviews:

"Out of Africa": The Movie, the Book, the Feminist.......2007-09-11

The book, "Out of Africa," is a memoir of the Danish Baroness Karen Blixen's habitation near Nairobi in Kenya from 1914 to 1931 on a fertile 6000-acre coffee plantation, "at the foot of the Ngong Hills" (1992: 3). Blixen writes under the pen-name Isak Dinesen. Karen Blixen went to British East Africa (in a location in present-day, Kenya) to join her German husband (Baron Bror Blixen), and upon separation she stayed in Kenya to manage the farm by herself. The extent of her adventures in Africa, and to what extent she is a feminist is borne out by the book, as well as the film "Out of Africa," that is based on the book. This piece will examine such, as well as comparisons between the book and the film.

Isak Dinesen (Karen Blixen) presents geographical detail, oftentimes comparisons and contrasts within this fertile land of the Kikuyu people that would several decades later be the crux of the Mau-Mau rebellion over whites' displacement and dispossession of natives from their land. Dinesen also compares features with those of her native Europe. Dinesen writes of the equatorial habitat, "Everything that you saw made for greatness and freedom, and unequaled nobility...Up in this high air you breathed easily, drawing in a vital assurance and lightness of heart: Here I am where I ought to be" (1992: 4). Dinesen writes of "heavy-scented lilies," of "long-rains," "ever-changing clouds," of "hills from the farm [that} changed their character many times in the course of the day, and sometimes looked quite close and at times very far away" (1992: 4). Dinesen, in precise and elegant language displays love and fascination for the geography, the clean air, the animals, the beauty of this African environment; she becomes possessed by the place.The movie captures the large, picturesque, mysterious, and varied eastern equatorial Africa where the eland, the buffalo, and the rhino are quite common sights; the movie impressively and unanimously earned, Oscar, "Best Picture of the Year."

In the end Dinesen is forced to give up her plantation, this scenario elicits a heartache and sadness. Dinesen's memoirs, years after she had left Africa could be a reflection of her nostalgic dealing with her loss of the farm as well as overall experiences in Africa. Dinesen stands out as a courageous and strong woman, one who is in the feminist direction. She lost her philandering husband, but stayed on bravely, for nearly 20 years in a foreign harsh environment, one with languages and cultures far-fetched from her own. Dinesen worked well at being appreciative of an environment that was new to her, during an era of colonialism in Africa, a time when Darwinian relegation of black Africans to the lowest of human species and elevation of whites to the upper rung was very strong. Dinesen cuts through the female traditional roles, she tries flying in planes, the goes on safari, she learns how to shoot and even shoots and kills game. She is open and welcomes countless visitors from all over the world to her home and farm. This was an age of exploration and acquisition of "Dark Africa," by Europeans and Asians. Dinesen is quite aware of her feminine strength. She rescues and adopts a wounded antelope she names Lulu; Lulu becomes a celebrity on the farm; Dinesen searches, discovers and celebrates the feminist strength in Lulu: "But Lulu was not really gentle, she had the so-called devil in her. She had, to the highest degree, the feminine trait of appearing to be exclusively on the defensive, concentrating on guarding the integrity of her being, when she was really, with the force in her, bent upon and defensive" (1992: 74). Also, "Lulu of the woods was a superior, independent being...she was in possession. If I had happened to have known a young princess in exile, and while she was still a pretender to the throne, and had met her again in her full queenly estate after she had come into her rights, our meeting would have had the same character" (1992: 78).

The book displays that Karen Blixen exemplified the Europeans with the upper hand in colonial world conquest and politics. It is to be recalled that the three weapons used by Europeans to subjugate Africans were the gun, the Bible, and the anthropologist. Karen used guns to protect herself. Catholic (mostly Belgian and French), Protestant (mostly British), and Muslim (mostly Arabic) agencies vied for power in Africa. The Germans were in present-day neighboring Tanzania (German East Africa) to the south. They would be ousted during this significant, "Scramble for Africa." The book illustrates how Karen Blixen took great interest in which religious group the young natives (some of whom served her) adhered to. Many native followers, taught to kneel and pray to an invisible white Almighty god, became converted to the political/ religious groups, as they became dispossessed of their land resources. The anthropology aspect, as mentioned, involved relegation of black Africans to the lowest rungs of evolutionary mankind...the white was relegated as the superior, the master, the savior, the benevolent, the genius. The movie is great at casting Meryl Streep as the beautiful, rosy-cheeked clean, statuesque woman amidst muddy, black African paradise! The real Karen Blixen likely had more rugged looks and likely often got "down-and-dirty," than is depicted in the movie. An equatorial Africa of long and heavy rainy seasons, of continuous tropical sun, and of limited running water would not leave the Danish heroine so clean and collected.

It is to be recalled that Dinesen is writing from an overly European point of view, hence, negative criticism of her will not be short. Her attitude to black Africans is racist and condescending. In the movie, Denys Finch-Hatton (Robert Redford) rebukes her for instructing native porters to get off her belongings by "shooing," them off!. Finch-Hatton, in shock, remarks to her, "Shoo?" as if telling her, "I do not believe you addressed these people that way!" Finch-Hatton (who became Dinesen's lover) knows the native languages (Kiswahili and Kikuyu), and goes on to communicate her instructions to the porters. Black Africans are prevalently depicted in the movie as poverty-stricken servants, laborers and porters, as helpless people close to animal nature. In tune with the movie, here Dinesen writes, "They were poor people, small and underfed; they looked like a pair of badgers on my lawn...I could hardly distinguish them against the grass. They were sank in deep grief; their bereavement and their economic loss melted into one overwhelming distress" (1992: 108). Dinesen is surprised that the, "Natives," are strikingly open, adapting, welcoming and unprejudiced. Yet, as prevalent in the colonial fashion, she does not attribute this to the inner traditions and workings of indigenous African society, but from influence from foreigners including slavers! "The lack of prejudice in the Natives is a striking thing, for you expect to find dark taboos in the primitive people. It is due...to their acquaintance with a variety of races and tribes, and to the lively human intercourse that was brought upon East Africa, first by the old traders of ivory and slaves...and...by the settlers and big-game hunters" (1992: 54).

Dinesen wishes the natives would understand and appreciate her more. It is always presumptuous to be confident of having fully understood a foreign culture and people; she does not seem to believe she is prejudiced and why the natives to a good extent regard her as a foreigner far different from them, and difficult to comprehend. She writes, "If I know a song of Africa,---I thought,---of the Giraffe, and the African new moon lying on her back, of the ploughs in the field, and the sweaty faces of the coffee pickers, does Africa know a song of me?" (1992: 83). At the same time, Dinesen quite often acknowledges that newcomers from Africa are from a noisy and rushed world, they do not have the patience and connectedness of native Africans. European colonialists imposed on the natives an alien system of forced dispossession and displacement and of monopoly. So much of this colonial intrusion was quite new to the prevalently communalist and family-oriented, egalitarian way of native African subsistence.

Karen Blixen's marriage starts out as more of a convenience than of romance. She left Denmark to marry the German Baron Bror Blixen (Klaus Maria Brandauer) and start a dairy in Kenya. Bror is actually the brother of her lover. Karen is offering her fortune for companionship and adventure (and for the title of, "Baroness") much more than for enjoying the security of a man. So, from the outset, Karen's feminist inclinations are strong. The husband changes his mind about the diary, and instead invests her money in a risky venture of growing coffee. The husband is unfaithful, philandering, gives her syphilis that will disable her from having children; the marriage breaks up. Karen is left to manage the farm, she has to battle with floods and fire. Hardly anything of British big game hunter Denys Finch-Hatton's romance with Dinesen (Karen Blixen), is mentioned in the book; the movie likely borrows from other sources depicting the life of Karen Blixen. Unfortunately the English accent of Denys Finch-Hatton is not conveyed by Redford, compared to Karen's excellent outflow of a Scandinavian accent. Yet, the movie depicts their chemistry, Denys is impressed by her strength and independence, Karen's ability to tell and weave stories, they kiss, and in one scene have sex. Karen does seem to desire long-term companionship and commitment from Denys, desire for a man who will sacrifice to be with her. She stands against having a man like Denys who wants to be "free-wheeling," one who will come and go depending on need and desire, he loves the African outdoors. Finch-Hatton is mysterious, elusive and emotionally distant, but he is miscast in that in the movie: he seems to represent an all-American jock that waywardly found his way into Africa. Karen was wounded before, and this encounter with Denys is only a brief moment of ecstasy, but she bravely soldiers on, appreciating more of what is around her. Karen is indeed confident, stoic and creative in face of the odds. She did resist going on safari with Denys, but she eventually succumbed to his quite undeniable invitation. Eventually, they got closer, she broadened her horizons, she better adapted to and better accepted foreigners and their ways.

In conclusion, the movie emphasizes the romantic issues and episodes in Karen Blixen's life in Africa (romance and sex sells in Hollywood), much more than the book does. The book seems to be constructed from a breadth of notes of what Blixen put together while in Africa, and weaved them into a good fairy tale. The truth is that Blixen dealt with aspects like fluctuating coffee prices, sometimes drought and heavy rains, discontented dispossessed natives, scrambles for Africa amongst several European agencies, African diseases and sometimes unsanitary conditions, wildlife from untamed neighborhoods. The movie does display the exquisite beauty of tropical Africa which Blixen did dwell on, but not on the colonial wranglings. There is lyrical beauty in Blixen's writing, and the movie does elicit an African peaceful mood through the excellent music. Blixen, in both the movie and the book is a strong and opinionated woman, yet flexible and open to ideas, people, and adventure. She is a significant precursor of modern-day feminism.

Wonderful movie.......2007-09-04

I didn't see this movie when it came out in 1985 - but I wish I had !
Fantastic scenery (shot in Kenya) and a terrific performance by Streep, Brandauer and Michael Kitchens.
This was based on a true story about author Isak Dinesen (not certain about that spelling; her pen name was Karen Blixen. Or maybe its the other way around).
It helps to know a bit about the story beforehand; and also something about colonial Africa. Otherwise it may not hold your interest (especially younger adults).
Biggest drawback is Redford's character Denis Finch-Hatton. Finch-Hatton was and Englishman but Redford makes no attempt at a British accent. Redford has the right rugged good looks but the accent messes up the character.
I highly recommend this film.

A classic!.......2007-08-28

One of the all-time best movies!...gorgeous sound track, gorgeous scenery..beautiful story beautifully narrated..top cast. I own it and view it repeatedly.

The Best Movie Ever Made!!.......2007-07-30

So Often when I ask people if they've seen this movie, they say no. I'm shocked at that, as it is, for sure, the best movie ever made. In its day it won 7 Academy Awards! First of all the acting, the scenery, and music are superb. But the story, based on the true adventures of an amazing lady will touch you forever. For Ladies, if you've ever been a woman seeking idealistic love or a woman trying to being successful in your professional efforts, you will relate to Karen, her life, her joys and her frustrations. For men, you will relate to that need men have to keep their safe distance from matters of the heart and to go out and be adventurers. Also, it may help you understand the complexities of women. I warn you both though, this movie will give you a yearning to visit Africa. I recommend you watch the director comments and especially the music comments, then go back and watch it again and again. I recently had the pleasure of meeting director Sydney Pollack and told him i've seen it about 22 times, he told me that was a record!

Delight in "Out of Africa".......2007-07-23

I wanted to update my movie collection by buying a DVD to replace my VHS tape of "Out of Africa." The quality is much better and nicer to watch. In addition, there are "extra features" on the DVD that were added and are interesting to see. For example, Meryl Streep talks about making the movie. Fascinating stuff. What an elegant movie with gorgeous photography and an amazing story of interesting people living in interesting times.

Average customer rating:

Inspiring and witty
Absolutely wonderful movie
Shirley Valetine
Reviewing Shirley
Never a disappointment

Shirley Valentine
Starring: Pauline Collins , Tom Conti , Julia McKenzie , Alison Steadman , and Joanna Lumley
Director: Lewis Gilbert (II)
Manufacturer: Paramount
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ASIN: B000MGBSIU
Release Date: 2007-05-01

Amazon.com

As movie midlife crises go, Shirley Valentine's is a doozy. A bored Northern England housewife, wondering what her life is about and how to navigate around her clueless husband, Shirley would be at her wits' end--except that she knows how to dream big. As played by the incomparable Pauline Collins (who created the role on Broadway, and won a Tony for it), Shirley embraces not only her own constricted life, but the dreams of the big, beautiful world beyond it.

Directed by Lewis Gilbert (Educating Rita), Shirley Valentine is an anthem to the freedom of the soul--with a generous dose of salt of the earth. As she assesses her life, Shirley's humor never fails her: "I think sex is like supermarkets, you know, overrated. Just a lot of pushing and shoving and you still come out with very little at the end." Yet Collins' Shirley gets as much out of defending her right to her dream (a sunny holiday in Greece) as she does realizing it, and that makes for much of the glow of the film. For while Shirley has a cinematic romance on her vacation (Tom Conti plays the dreamboat), the affair is more of a metaphor for what Shirley insists on having in her real daily life. Watch for Joanna Lumley in a delicious cameo, pre-Ab Fab. And embrace this Valentine, and share it with those you love, all year round. --A.T. Hurley

Stills from Shirley Valentine (click for larger image)

Product Description

In the role that won her Broadway's acclaimed Tony Award, Pauline Collins is the hilariously endearing Shirley Valentine, a wisecracking, completely unpredictable English housewife who proves it's never too late to recapture your dreams. Bored with her suburban life, Shirley takes a chance on adventure when a friend invites her on a vacation to Greece. Within no time she's back to her rebellious teenage roots, saying yes to a wild fling with a handsome rogue (Tom Conti) and the life she's always wanted.

Customer Reviews:

Inspiring and witty.......2007-09-14

Pauline Collins does a fantastic job of portraying this middle-aged, bored woman who finds a new life on a Greek island, away from the dreary and mundane existence of her home in England.
She becomes the person she had once been, but only after she leaves her present life behind. When she jumps into the ocean from the boat, it's the start of her transformation.
Sometimes I think I should do the same!

Absolutely wonderful movie.......2007-08-23

I saw this movie years ago and it is as wonderful as I remembered. It is not a "chick" movie. We all have regrets when we look at our lives in middle age. Shirley gets a chance to escape her boring life and reclaim her true fun-loving nature by living out one of her youthful dreams - a trip to Greece. Both Tom Conti and Pauline Collins are perfectly cast.

Shirley Valetine.......2007-08-23

Quite intertaining. Probably more of a 'Chick-Flik' then not, but I would still recommend it. Quite humorous.

Dean475

Reviewing Shirley.......2007-08-10

One of my all time favorites. From the opening song to the closing scene. If you're not inspired by this movie, you need to rewatch it.

Never a disappointment.......2007-08-07

Finally a DVD viewable in the USA. This movie is a favorite of mine, warm, funny, with heart. All positive comments about it are true. I don't have much to add, but it deserves the five-star rating, and more.

Average customer rating:

The best movie EVER!!!
Fun, funny, and wonderful
The Perfect Movie!
YEAH I LIKED IT
Worth watching (maybe even more than once); don't skip this one.

Love Actually (Widescreen Edition)
Starring: Chiwetel Ejiofor , Colin Firth , Gregor Fisher , Martin Freeman (II) , and Jill Freud
Manufacturer: Universal Studios
ProductGroup: DVD
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ASIN: B00005JMFQ
Release Date: 2004-04-27

Product 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 of Love Actually and share the laughs and charm again and again.

System Requirements:

Running Time 135 Min

Format: DVD MOVIE

Amazon.com

With no fewer than eight couples vying for our attention, Love Actually is like the Boston Marathon of romantic comedies, and everybody wins. Having mastered the genre as the writer of Four Weddings and a Funeral, Notting Hill, and Bridget Jones's Diary, it appears that first-time director Richard Curtis is just like his screenplays: He just wants to be loved, and he'll go to absurdly appealing lengths to win our affection. With Love Actually, Curtis orchestrates a minor miracle of romantic choreography, guiding a brilliant cast of stars and newcomers as they careen toward love and holiday cheer in London, among them the Prime Minister (Hugh Grant) who's smitten with his caterer; a widower (Liam Neeson) whose young son nurses the ultimate schoolboy crush; a writer (Colin Firth) who falls for his Portuguese housekeeper; a devoted wife and mother (Emma Thompson) coping with her potentially unfaithful husband (Alan Rickman); and a lovelorn American (Laura Linney) who's desperately attracted to a colleague. There's more--too much more--as Curtis wraps his Christmas gift with enough happy endings to sweeten a dozen other movies. That he pulls it off so entertainingly is undeniably impressive; that he does it so shamelessly suggests that his writing fares better with other, less ingratiating directors. --Jeff Shannon

Customer Reviews:

The best movie EVER!!!.......2007-09-08

There are so many things that I love about this movie... it would take me an hour to write them all out... so I'll sum it up by saying this- this is a movie that leaves you feeling strangely optimistic about humanity. I know that sounds silly to say about a movie, but it seriously does give you a warm and happy feeling. Everyone I've shown this movie has gone out and bought it. Truly fantastic.

Fun, funny, and wonderful.......2007-09-07

I smiled, I laughed and I thoroughly enjoyed this movie! (I must be a closet romantic.) "Love Actually" runs the gamut of love stories by having several different love stories running at the same time. Each one is enjoyable. What I enjoyed the most was spotting each plot in the other stories and how they each were woven into the whole.

The DVD extras and commentary are also entertaining if you're interested in seeing how the director thinks and how each story line develops.

I won't spoil it for you, but it you're looking for a fun movie that you can watch again and again, this is it.

The Perfect Movie!.......2007-08-24

As my review title says - perfect cast, perfect music, perfect writing =
The Perfect Movie. I hope you can't "wear out" a DVD, because I've watched it so much I might just do that.

YEAH I LIKED IT.......2007-08-23

Love Actually is a movie comprised of vignettes. It is basically a story about men, their loves, their losses. The step-father who has lost his wife and his step-son who has lost his mother and who is also in love for the first time. The cuckolded husband, the poor drip who can't get laid, the married man pursued by his ammoral secretary, the new prime minister infatuated with his employee, the man secretly in love with his best friend's girl, the porn body-double who is very much a gentleman, and the aged ex-heroin addict ex-pop star. And then there is the poignant addition of the woman who is doomed to suffer unrequieted love.

The movie is fast paced and the editing of the various vignettes form an interwoven story that is funny, sad and entertaining. Hugh Grant's dance scene and Colin Firth's childish tantrum on the sidewalk when he can't get a taxi are hilarious. It's always charming to watch grown men act like little boys!

This movie isn't for children due to mimed sex scenes and naked female breasts.

In my opinion, the one vignette that stole the entire movie is the one about the aged ex-heroin addict ex-pop star staring Bill Nighy. They could have made an entire movie about this character. Most of the laughs are generated by this character as he tries to make a half-hearted come-back with a remake cover of an old song called "Love is All Around." I usually don't find older men attractive but Bill Nighy is so wonderfully weird, strange and clever in his role, that I couldn't help but find him a little bit sexy as the burned out old pop star trying to market his pathetic "turd" of a Christmas song.

This isn't Shakespeare, it's just pure, goofy fun. I'm sure if you watch this film you will be attracted to more then one of the characters and maybe even relate to them in some way.

Worth watching (maybe even more than once); don't skip this one........2007-08-22

So I don't really dig lovey-dovey movies, but this one made the cut. "Love Actually" is a pulp-fiction style movie that deals with how much love bites, but that sometimes, just sometimes, it all turns out ok. It's very well done and will likely leave you feeling better about love, life and relationships. If you check it out, be forewarned that it does have some nudity/ sex scenes, but probably not like you've ever seen before. The movie could have gotten along ok without them, but it's more meaningful than you might first suspect. Pornography IS the most impersonal, irreverent, pernicious form of nudity known to humanity. But this movie capitalizes on that fact by having two porn stars' most intimate, most sincere moment with each other develop with ALL of their clothes ON, on a doorstep, via an awkward chicken-peck on the cheek. It's brilliant. And if you pay extra close attention to the male character's dialog later on, you learn that he's really a virgin anyway. Absolutely brilliant.
If you're a thinker and a lover (and I know you can be or wanna be) you'll dig this movie.

Average customer rating:

I hate it when I know the story from the first five minutes.
If you look close enough, you'll find everyone has a weak spot :-)
Interesting crime but less than stellar delivery
Not 2 Bad
3.5, Ok, But Not Great.

Fracture (Full Screen Edition)
Starring: Anthony Hopkins , Ryan Gosling , David Strathairn , Rosamund Pike , and Embeth Davidtz
Director: Gregory Hoblit
Manufacturer: New Line Home Video
ProductGroup: DVD
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ASIN: B000R4SMD6
Release Date: 2007-08-14

Description

Customer Reviews:

I hate it when I know the story from the first five minutes........2007-09-04

This movie was pretty good, except as a mystery it gives too many clues from the onset. The whole time I felt like talking to the screen. Although the acting was much better than average and the cinematic directing very engrossing, the story was too weak to match, and failed to engage any empathy with any of the characters.

Overall a pretty good but far from great movie.

If you look close enough, you'll find everyone has a weak spot :-).......2007-09-02

This is a very smart movie. I really enjoyed it (although some parts moved too slow). Anthony Hopkins is as on top as ever and he really delivered a great performance. Ryan Gosling also did a fantastic job and was very believable as a district attorney out to prove Hopkins guilty of shooting his wife.
I found this gripping and engrossing and there were enough surprises in it to keep me guessing. While there was one or two predictable parts, the ending was great and I like the fact that we were left to do a little bit of wondering. I don't know that it's the kind of movie to go out and buy to watch over and over, but as a first time viewing and maybe once more after you've pieced it all together, I really recommend you at least see this once. Very entertaining.

Interesting crime but less than stellar delivery.......2007-08-31

This ho-hum thriller starts slowly, once Ted Crawford (Anthony Hopkins) shoots his wife for cheating on him. Young prosecutor Willy Beachum (Ryan Gosling) is assigned the case - believed to be an easy and immediate conviction - as he is about to leave for a lucrative corporate law position. A game of cat and mouse ensues between Willy and the arrogant and educated Ted, once Ted gets all the evidence against himself thrown out of court. The ending is fairly interesting, but it's a long, slow haul to get there. In between, the viewer must endure a stale romance between Willy and his new boss - an anorexic blond with the charisma of cardboard whose only acting skills are opening her gaunt eyes wide and intensely staring at Willy as if he was a sandwich she would kill to get a bite of. Hopkins sleepwalks through a toned down version of Hannibal Lector, albeit without the interesting homicidal nuances of that character. And Gosling, who showed he has true talent in Murder by Numbers - seems to flounder as a lower class, Midwesterner clawing his way to the top in LA. His accent and body language feel forced, and he isn't ever believable as a successful attorney. The whole movie has the feel of trying too hard, yet never quite succeeding at gripping the audience.
-Jessica Teel, MA

Not 2 Bad.......2007-08-26

I would say this was a really good movie. I would recommend to watch. i don't know about buy though. It was kind of predictable if you actually look at all the clues , think about the what's going on, and know something about law. Than it probably want be as interesting in the end, but it was still a good movie.

3.5, Ok, But Not Great........2007-08-19

Hopkins is a great actor and can always pull off any character he plays. The story line was too weak. It had the potential to be a good suspenseful story, but lacked enough substance. It was ok for a rental. I wouldn't buy this movie.

Average customer rating:

The toxic power of lies
Perfect for July 4th viewing!
WITCH TRIALS, PART I
Excellent Adaptation Of The Pulitzer-Prize Winning Play. Star-Studded Cast & Written For The Screen By Arthur Miller Himself.
Years later, better appreciation for movie's direction

The Crucible
Starring: Daniel Day-Lewis , Winona Ryder , Paul Scofield , Joan Allen , and Bruce Davison
Director: Nicholas Hytner
Manufacturer: 20th Century Fox
ProductGroup: DVD
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ASIN: B00013F2S6
Release Date: 2004-06-01

Amazon.com

The Salem witch hunts are given a new and nasty perspective when a vengeful teenage girl uses superstition and repression to her advantage, creating a killing machine that becomes a force unto itself. Pulsating with seductive energy, this provocative drama is as visually arresting as it is intellectually engrossing. Arthur Miller based his classic 1953 play on the actual Salem witch trials of 1692, creating what has since become a durable fixture of school drama courses. It may look like a historical drama, but Miller also meant the work as a parable for the misery created by the McCarthy anti-Communist hearings of the 1950s. This searing version of his drama delves into matters of conscience with concise accuracy and emotional honesty. Three passionate cheers for Miller, director Nicholas Hytner, and costars Daniel Day-Lewis and Winona Ryder. --Rochelle O'Gorman

Description

The Salem witch trials of 1692 are brought vividly to life in this compelling adaptation of Arthur Miller's play, directed by Nicholas Hytner ("The Madness of King George"). A group of teenage girls meet in the woods at midnight for a secret love-conjuring ceremony. While the other girls attempt to cast love spells, Abigail Williams (Winona Ryder) wishes for the death of her former lover's (Daniel Day-Lewis) wife. When their ceremony is witnessed by the town minister, the girls suddenly find themselves accused of witchcraft. Soon the entire village is consumed by cries of witchcraft, and as the hysteria grows, blameless victims are torn from their homes, leading to a devastating climax.

Customer Reviews:

The toxic power of lies.......2007-08-08

Since playwright Arthur Miller used the Salem witch trials as a metaphor for the Communist witch hunts of the House Un-American Activities Committee, you might expect this film version of "The Crucible" to be too awash in symbolism to be entertaining, but it's fairly riveting throughout.

Although it's primary concern is the toxic power of lies, it touches on the belief that the Puritans were convinced of the devil's presence.

Winona Ryder is the protagonist, a girl whose love for a married man (Day-Lewis) leads her to implicate his wife (Allen) as a witch. Well-acted by a first-rate cast. Screenplay by Miller.

Brian W. Fairbanks

Perfect for July 4th viewing!.......2007-06-19

I have no in-depth review. I'd just like to say that THE CRUCIBLE would provoke maybe a shudder or two if it were not based on fact! I've made a ritual of viewing this film every July 4th for the past several years as I believe it's a perfect illustration of why we needed our independence from England and the CONTINUED need for RELIGIOUS FREEDOM and the SEPARATION OF CHURCH AND STATE!!

WITCH TRIALS, PART I.......2007-06-07

This film, based on the infamous Salem witch trials of the 1690's that New England still has not lived down, was written by Arthur Miller in an earlier period in American history, the 1950's, when hysteria over the alleged internal "Communist menace" dovetailed with the opening of the coldest part of the Cold War against the Soviet Union. The dramatic tension of the play cannot be understood except as a parable on that then current atmosphere. Miller draws parallels with the earlier period of hysteria, in this case the irrational hysteria over witches in the isolated, inward-looking Puritan community of Salem, Massachusetts. The comparisons in reaction to the witches and `reds under the bed' are startling as far as the response of the societies and individuals in those societies community were concerned. Obviously in the play one needs a hero, even if it is the flawed and `fallen' John Proctor who will stand up, in the final analysis, even unto death for his principles. We will always find a few, even if reluctant, fighters. What is more compelling, and frightening, is the reaction of the `honest' town folk. Then, as in the case of the Cold War hysteria, those `good' folk turned the other way, joined actively in on the action or in some way justified the trials. As we are again in a period when the new hysteria is over Islamic fundamentalists and their motives this remains an extremely powerful cautionary tale. Read the play and/or watch a movie version of it.

Excellent Adaptation Of The Pulitzer-Prize Winning Play. Star-Studded Cast & Written For The Screen By Arthur Miller Himself........2007-05-25

Adapting his own Pulitzer-Prize winning play for the silver screen and enlisting a top-notch star-studded cast, Arthur Miller creates a cinematic masterpiece. Academy Award winner Daniel Day-Lewis (Best Actor
for "My Left Foot") and Academy Award nominee Winona Ryder ("Bram Stoker's Dracula"; another excellent adaptation of the vampire novel penned in 1897) star in this classic film version, supported by Academy Award winner Paul Scofield (Best Actor for "A Man For All Seasons") and Academy Award nominee Joan Allen. Well worth viewing. Rated PG for brief nudity.

Years later, better appreciation for movie's direction .......2007-05-12

The film version of Arthur Miller's The Crucible is quite a satisfactory visualization, especially for anyone who is looking for a good supplement to the play.

Being a film, the traditional play can be a little loose in its translation, usually a negative trait in transferring a work from book to film; but in this case it definitely gives the work a little more intensity. What the work loses in its claustrophobic atmosphere of being primarily in a courtroom, it gains in its hysteria-laden tone. Sometimes this works (Abigail's chilling screams in the courtroom have an eerie mood to them), and sometimes this goes to excess (case in point: Mrs. Putnam's screams are overtly hysterical to the point of overkill).

Still, bringing the play to film does have its advantages over all. We get to see the Puritan town of Salem, and the people who move about through place to place. The few scenes between Abigail and Proctor make their past history a little more apparent, and this helps in illustrating Elizabeth's cause for concern and her lack of trust in the initial part of the film. And, other parts of the play just work well outside, one of the best being Mary Warren screaming wildly after the girls turn on her, in which she frantically runs to the water and screams out against Proctor.

I had viewed this movie once before, thinking it quite mediocre at film's end, but, years later, watching it again, have a better appreciation for it. The film's intensity really picks up in the second half of the movie, particularly in Daniel Day Lewis' portrayal of John Proctor. One of the film's climactic moments, when Proctor gives his "Because it's my name!..." speech to Danforth, is perhaps the most impressive and dramatic of all the film's scenes.

Written as a reaction to the McCarthy trials, The Crucible's literal witch hunts are somewhat bizarre and somewhat chilling, and this film successfully and succinctly captures this mood. While this film is not a work of art, and certainly has some "Hollywood" in it, it is a satisfactory retelling in the long run.

The DVD version also includes an interview and behind the scenes between Arthur Miller and Daniel Day Lewis. If you aren't familiar with the story, you should check this part out.

3 ½ stars

Average customer rating:

Imagine - A Great Movie
Sensitive and Humorous Film about a Controversial Subject
Very Cute
Best thing about this film is Matthew Goode
Great Movie

Imagine Me & You
Starring: Piper Perabo , Lena Headey , Matthew Goode , Celia Imrie , and Anthony Head
Director: Ol Parker
Manufacturer: 20th Century Fox
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Comedy | Genres | DVD | Video

General | Drama | Genres | DVD | Video