Baby Einstein - Baby Wordsworth - First Words

Product Description

The Baby Einstein Baby Wordsworth First Words-Around the House DVD takes your little one on a playful and engaging musical exploration of the new world around him. Set to the music of master classical composers including Bach, Bizet and Schubert, Baby Wordsworth First Words-Around the House is a rich and interactive learning experience that introduces your little one to the concepts of verbal and written communication and sign language.
By using your little one's immediate and surrounding environment to enhance the learning experience, Baby Wordsworth First Words-Around the House is a fun and fascinating interactive tool that fosters the development of your toddler's speech and language skills. Special guest Academy Award winning actress Marlee Matlin introduces your little one to 25 words for objects found around the home. Words include common items like chair, dog and lamp that can be found in any of five different rooms of the house -- kitchen, living room, yard, bedroom and playroom. The delightful DVD includes enchanting puppet shows, real world images and classical music specially re-orchestrated for little ears. Plus, with three language tracks, your little one can learn new words in Spanish, French and English.DVD Features:* Closed captioning* Repeat Play* Discovery Cards* Language Tracks (in Spanish, French and English)* Expressions in Sign language* The Alphabet (in Sign Language)* Story Time with Violet's House and the Toy ChestAge: 1 year +

Customer Reviews:

Baby Wordsworth.......2007-08-09

This video has the usually good graphics and music you would expect from Baby Einstein. I bought it for my 7 month old. At the time she wasn't very interested, but now at 9 months she seems to enjoy it more with each repeated viewing. Even though some of the ideas are still a bit advanced for her, I believe it is good exposure for things she will be exploring as she crawls and begins to walk. This language video is great for children.

Was not impressed.......2007-07-21

I have recently received several DVD's as gifts for my 4 1/2 month old baby. It seems to me there is a very small window of time where a baby would actually use sign language. Although I'm no expert, I do know what my baby likes. We much prefer "The Baby Society" and Baby Einstein "Neighborhood Animals". Those two are the winners in our house!

Ok...as they get older..........2007-06-20

My daughter loved another Baby Einstein as an infant. We got her this one at about 1 year. She did not start watching it until about 18 months, as far as it holding her attention. Now, at 20 months, she loves it and says most all of the words.

BUYER BEWARE.......2007-06-16

My son has been watching the Baby Einstein video series since birth and at the age of two and a half, he is speech delayed and is actively in speech therapy. I think there is a correlation between the Baby Einstein videos and speech delay and sensory development. My son is intelligent, but is not expressive in speech. He understands but cannot express himself with words. The speech therapy is working but we will be in therapy until he is at the level he should be for his age. I also think there is a issue with sensory development. He is my second son and I never had issues with my first son who is now nine and back then Baby Einstein videos were not around. He watched Barney, Sesame Street, and other cartoons that used actual words and communicate dialog between two or more people and not so much sensory fluff. Take caution because I read one review that talked about autism and speech delay being an epidemic in the last five years. I think research needs to be conducted about the effects of Baby Einstein videos on baby and toddler development. If anyone else recognizes this problem or would like to write back, please email me directly at falina@sbcglobal.net

Baby Wordsworth, Just Stunning.......2007-06-03

Baby Einstein is a wonderful new line of videos to help aid in your child's development. Get them off to a very good start with these videos, and this special one, Baby Wordsworth. Get them well on the way to a successful future now! Don't wait!

Average customer rating:

The Miracle Worker
Bancroft Dukes it out to perform miracle acting job!
Fantastic Movie
The picture fooled me.
A Must-See for EVERYONE!

The Miracle Worker
Starring: Anne Bancroft , Victor Jory , Inga Swenson , Andrew Prine , and Kathleen Comegys
Director: Arthur Penn
Manufacturer: MGM (Video & DVD)
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Drama | Genres | DVD | Video

Classics | Drama | Genres | DVD | Video

7-9 Years | Kids & Family | Genres | DVD | Video

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ASIN: B000056HEB
Release Date: 2001-03-06

Amazon.com essential video

Patty Duke and Anne Bancroft had been playing their respective roles as Helen Keller and her teacher, Annie Sullivan, on Broadway for some time before director Arthur Penn (The Left-Handed Gun) built a mesmerizingly beautiful film around their layers-deep performances. Duke is astonishing as the deaf, blind, mute Keller, who awakens to an awareness of language under Sullivan's determined guidance. Bancroft is fascinating and focused. Penn wisely kept his adaptation unencumbered by cinematic indulgence. The black-and-white film is sparse and charged with the immediacy of the drama. The script is by William Gibson, who also wrote the original play. --Tom Keogh

Description

Starring in what is quite possibly the most moving double performance ever recorded on film (Time), Anne Bancroft and Patty Duke are remarkable in their OscarÂ(r)-winning* portrayalsof Annie and Helen. Ennobling and uplifting (Variety), this inspirational story of courageand hope is one of the finest works of art in the history of motion pictures (Boxoffice). Locked in a frightening, lonely world of silence and darkness since infancy, 7-year-old Helen Keller has never seen the sky, heard her mother's voice or expressed her innermost feelings. ThenAnnie Sullivan, a 20-year-old teacher from Boston, arrives. Having just recently regained her own sight, the no-nonsense Annie reaches out to Helen through the power of touchthe only tool they have in commonand leads her bold pupil on a miraculous journey from fear and isolation to happiness and light. *1962: Actress (Bancroft); Supporting Actress (Duke)

Customer Reviews:

The Miracle Worker.......2007-08-20

This dvd is a depiction of Helen Keller's early years with her family and new teacher Annie Sullivan and the struggles they all faced in trying to deal with Helen's blindness and deafness. It is a story of a strong will, love and perseverance which ended with most positive results.

Bancroft Dukes it out to perform miracle acting job!.......2007-08-15

This has got to be an all time classic based on the true life of Helen Keller and Anne Sullivan. The last time I saw this film, I was a young boy; but I never forgot the story of Helen Keller, her obstacles and how she overcame them with the help of a determined teacher; Anne Sullivan.

The film sends a great message to all of us saying that no matter how bad our hand may be that life gives us, there is nothing the human spirit can't overcome, if we simply don't quit. Helen was born blind and deaf. Her parents didn't know how to reach her or teach her; so she grew up in the dark world of her mind. This was so until a teacher, whose own past was a nightmare to overcome, enters her life to try and bring the light of knowledge and reason into young Helen's dark world.

The interplay between Anne Bancroft and Patty Duke is simply Academy Award Winning acting in my book, which this film got; as the two actresses strive to bring forward a well written script sumarizing the war it took to bring light into Helen's mind and who went to become a brilliant teacher in her own right.

This is a great film for the entire family and a very spiritually uplifting film when it comes to the battles we all face in life. If you think you have problems in your own life, this story will either make you think you are not alone or will make you think your troubles are small next to what Helen Keller had to overcome.

Fantastic Movie.......2007-08-05

I like this movie. It deserves to be seen by all age groups. Hope to see part 2 of that real great story.

The picture fooled me........2007-06-27

I guess I was expecting a colorized version of the movie because of the picture displayed. I guess I'll pay attention next time, however the movie is the one I wanted.

A Must-See for EVERYONE!.......2007-05-23

And that's no exaggeration. The Miracle Worker has everything you could possibly want in a movie and more. The powerful ending scene is as beautiful as it is gut-wrenching; poignant doesn't even begin to describe it.

As for the extras, there's really only one worth mentioning, and that is the original theatrical trailer. I enjoyed watching it because it gives you a glimpse into the past and shows you that although movie trailers were originally quite simple, they gave the audience so much and made them want to run out and see it.

Watch this movie with your family and I'm sure you will all cherish it for years to come.

Average customer rating:

if i could talk to the animals!
not happy
Too many songs.
Lost story.
It's Still Great!

Doctor Dolittle
Starring: Rex Harrison , Samantha Eggar , Anthony Newley , Richard Attenborough , and Peter Bull
Director: Richard Fleischer
Manufacturer: 20th Century Fox
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Comedy | Genres | DVD | Video

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General | Music Video & Concerts | Genres | DVD | Video

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ASIN: B00004TS0D
Release Date: 2000-10-31

Amazon.com

So, they let both Rex Harrison and Anthony Newley sing. This 1968 family musical is classier than the 1998 Eddie Murphy remake, with all of its scatological humor. This won a couple of Oscars (Best Song, Best Effects) and was nominated for seven more, including Best Picture. At the time of release, however, this was a box-office dud. Based (in part) on the magical Hugh Lofting book, it begins in Puddleby-by-the-Marsh, England, from which the world-renowned veterinarian Dolittle (Harrison) begins his quest for a giant pink sea snail. Children should find this enjoyable for its exotic creatures, such as the Pushme-Pullyou. Most adults may not agree as readily, although some of us consider this a guilty pleasure. --Rochelle O'Gorman

Description

Get ready for the wildest adventure of a lifetime in the most ambitious musical production ever brought to film. Earning a 1967 Academy Award nomination for Best Picture, this dazzling fantasy turns both ordinary and exotic animals into talking, dancing and singing sensations! Rex Harrison is unforgettable in this inspiring adaptation of Hugh Lofting's classic stories. Step into the English country home of the good doctor as he performs remarkable treatments on the wildest variety of patients you could imagine. Discover his secret cures and watch with wide-eyed excitement as he and his four-legged, fine-feathered friends charm their way into your heart!

Customer Reviews:

if i could talk to the animals! .......2007-05-21

this movie was one of my favorite movies when i was growing up, its much better than the newest dr doolittle. this is a great childrens movie! i love it.

not happy.......2007-03-14

I have recieved the dvd and couldnt play it as it was on a usa tracking system so it cannt be played in great britain i think it would be worth mentioning this when selling these kind of products. I also didnt receive a return mailing address or i would have returned it

Too many songs........2007-03-03

The film will be good for kids. too many songs for my liking. i had to keep forwarding the songs. do not expect much spectacular special effects. acting of rex harrison was the only thing that will stand out.

Lost story........2007-01-21

I had forgotten how boring Rex Harrison was. It didn't take long to remember why I didn't remember much about this movie. Harrison's performance demonstrates how muddled and off key the "songs" are and the miscasting of the actors. This is a movie for the under 6 year olds. The remake with Eddie Murphy is so much better being a comedy and no musical numbers.

It's Still Great!.......2007-01-19

After searching many different places, I finally found the original "Dr. Dolittle" here at Amazon. I was very pleased with the quick service and the DVD arrived in perfect shape. The quality of the movie was superb and my grandchildren and I all loved watching it.

Average customer rating:

THIS MOVIE HAS SOMETHING FOR EVERYONE!
Low Expectations, Great Impressions
Funny, Suspenseful, and Soooo Romantic
Living with a lost loved one!
The 3 Stars Is Because I Am Extremely Skeptical About This Disc

Ghost
Starring: Patrick Swayze , Demi Moore , Tony Goldwyn , Stanley Lawrence , and Christopher J. Keene
Director: Jerry Zucker
Manufacturer: Paramount
ProductGroup: DVD
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ASIN: B000059TEP
Release Date: 2001-04-24

Amazon.com essential video

Demi Moore and Patrick Swayze are the passionate lovers whose romance is undone when the latter is murdered during a bungled hit arranged by a rival. The clever concept by screenwriter Bruce Joel Rubin (director of My Life) extends outward into comedy (Swayze's character communicates through a sassy medium played by Whoopi Goldberg, who won an Oscar for this role), horror (the afterlife is populated by hell-bound demons and the like), and romantic complications (a handsome suitor, played by Tony Goldwyn, comes on to Moore while Swayze's spirit is still hanging around). Directed by Jerry Zucker, previously best known for codirecting Airplane! and similar broad comedies, Ghost is a careful balancing act of strong commercial elements, but at heart it is a timeless Hollywood tearjerker that easily gets under one's skin. --Tom Keogh

Customer Reviews:

THIS MOVIE HAS SOMETHING FOR EVERYONE!.......2007-09-04

I was one of those people who did not run to see this movie in theaters and waited many years to see it on video. I watched it again recently in my home theater and it holds up amazingly well. It has elements of romance,action,comedy,suspense and even horror! Yes horror! It may not be the gorefest we see now-a-days, but demons dragging their victim to hell after being impaled by a huge plate glass window falling like a guillotine through their chest qualifies in my book. The story is ingeniously written and Whoopi Goldberg steals the show and won a well deserved Oscar for her role as a "psychic medium" in this classic tale of greed, betrayal, revenge and unbound love! I have the older edition and the transfer looks excellent.

Low Expectations, Great Impressions.......2007-02-21

I'm not sure why I never watched "Ghost" before until last night. For some reason, I didn't pay much heed to it when it was first released and never thought it was worth watching on TV. I'm glad I gave it a chance because this is a GOOD movie. What makes it good is its' skillful mixture of suspense, romance, comedy, and the supernatural. That would seem to be too much to tackle for one movie but we get it all in the right balance. I was drawn rather quickly into the movie and got to where I couldn't wait to see what was coming next. There were a few "convenient" capabilities that these ghosts had that were necessary for the story to work. I'm a rather pragmatic person but, by the time these things came up, I was so caught up in the story that I WANTED these things to be possible.

Obviously, the writer and director deserve accolades for their work and the actors do as well. I wanted to make note of the quality of acting because it was probably the cast that left me uninterested in watching "Ghost". I was prepared to be unimpressed in particular with Whoopie Goldberg so I want to confess that I thought her Best Supporting Actress Oscar was well-deserved. I figure that I was one of the last persons in America to see "Ghost" but if there are others of you out there who still haven't seen it, give it a look; it's well worth it.

Funny, Suspenseful, and Soooo Romantic.......2007-02-19

This definitely goes on my list of all-time-favorites. Demi Moore is beautiful as the grieving girlfriend, while Patrick Swayze projects the appropriate anger, sex appeal, and bafflement as the dead boyfriend, now a ghost. He badgers Whoopi Goldberg into helping him communicate with Demi.
Whoopi is funny! The scenes between the two lovers (before and after death) are quite touching and romantic. The action is dramatic and suspenseful as Swayze realizes who had him killed and that Moore is now in danger.
Great Movie!

Living with a lost loved one!.......2007-01-31

I thought this was a great love story, that I would love to have happen to me if I lost a love the way she did, don't get me wrong I would be so afraid a first,but I would adjust and be glad to have him back in any way that I can.

The 3 Stars Is Because I Am Extremely Skeptical About This Disc.......2006-12-26

I know it's a few months away (till this disc is released), but I have a lot of questions and skeptical thoughts surrounding this release. Didn't they already release this DVD a few years ago? What more could they add that the previous release didn't already have? Do they really think people are going to repurchase this film on DVD just for a couple of featurettes? For me, there better be a commentary by the actors (not the director & screenwriter...they already had their commentary). I'd like to hear Patrick Swayze, Demi Moore, & Whoopi Goldberg sitting down watching this film and talking about the experience. I'd also like to see some deleted scenes and outtakes. I can't imagine the film was made without a couple of scenes excised (for pacing or otherwise). I'd also like to see some archival footage of awards shows (Golden Globes & Oscars...particularly Whoopi's acceptance speech and Bruce Joel Rubin's speech for Best Original Screenplay). Last but not least I'd also like to see every bad review written (and spoken) about this film compared with every good review (written & spoken) and see who was totally right and totally wrong (Eh hem...Siskel & Ebert...well, Ebert... Siskel's dead...can't fault him much...not posthumously anyway). Those would be reason to buy this film again on DVD. Not a couple of retrospective featurettes (most likely carried over from the previous release) and a commentary track from the director & screenwriter (also carried over from the previous release). That is not worth anyone's money or time. Paramount...are you listening? If you're not doing something along the lines of what I just described then scrap this project! It's the right thing to do!

Average customer rating:

Fascinating Story
A Very Well Made Film
Absolutely phenomenal
best movie love scene
A Rare Gem

Frequency (New Line Platinum Series)
Starring: Dennis Quaid , James Caviezel , Shawn Doyle , Elizabeth Mitchell , and Andre Braugher
Director: Gregory Hoblit
Manufacturer: New Line Home Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

Suspense | Mystery & Suspense | Genres | DVD | Video

Mystery | Mystery & Suspense | Genres | DVD | Video

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ASIN: B00004YA66
Release Date: 2000-10-31

Amazon.com

Frequency is really two different--though inextricably linked--movies. First, the emotional drama of a father and son reunited after 30 years of separation. Then there's a science fiction thriller, in which a couple of chance solar storms, occurring exactly 30 years apart, can provide the agency through which the father and son can communicate using the very same ham radio in parallel time frames of 1969 and 1999. The son is John Sullivan (Jim Caviezel), a cop, and his father is Frank (Dennis Quaid), a firefighter who died on the job when John was 6, which just happens to be tomorrow for Frank when he and his now-adult son begin talking across time. This is great for John, because now he can warn his dad about the upcoming fire and avert the catastrophe that left him fatherless for most of his life. Accomplishing this gives John new memories of his life with Dad, but unfortunately alters the course of a serial killer, with tragic effect on John's family history. Since John's a cop, and the case he's working on turns out to be the same unsolved case from 30 years before, he and his father work together over the ham radio to solve the case and hopefully avert the tragedy that befell their family.

Time-travel stories have always been problematic, demanding either an extra degree of credulity on the part of the audience or an extra level of explanation on the part of storytellers, which is invariably cumbersome. Frequency handles the troublesome time paradoxes by having John explain how, having altered his past, he now experiences both timelines, as if he's had two pasts that converge in his present. And as changes continue to be wrought in John's past, we see him becoming more and more confused. No doubt the audience can sympathize, at least those of us who try to follow the ramifications of the rapidly accruing time fractures. Luckily, the bond between father and son is so strongly realized in the deeply felt performances of both Caviezel and Quaid that you don't even need to consider the science fiction elements in order to enjoy the film. But if you can suspend your disbelief long enough to allow for the possibility of time shifts, you'll have a far richer experience. --Jim Gay

Description

A phenomenon allows police officer John Sullivan (Jim Caviezel) to save the life of his long-dead father (Dennis Quaid). But changing the past leads to a string of brutal, serial homicides. Now, they both must race across time to stop the killer.

DVD Features:
Audio Commentary
Music Only Track
Photo gallery
Theatrical Trailer

Customer Reviews:

Fascinating Story.......2007-09-02

This is such an enjoyable movie on many levels: The time-warp aspect, the suspense of the story line and the importance of family ties.
Everyone I know who has seen this movie says it is a favorite of theirs. I have to say it ranks at the top of my favorite list. I would highly recommend it.

A Very Well Made Film.......2007-08-26

This is a very well made film. It is one of my favorites. Anyone with an interest in Ham Radio needs to see this. It is like a very well written Twilight Zone.

Absolutely phenomenal.......2007-08-26

I saw this movie when it first came out in the theaters, and I remember literally sitting on the edge of my seat. I promised myself I'd buy it the minute it because available.

Fast forward to 2007, and I finally got around to buying it in July. It's as good as I remembered! From the vivid imagery to the soul-stirring music, this film pulls you in from the start.

I know it's one I'll be watching again!

best movie love scene.......2007-07-25

This overlooked film was only in theaters for a very short time, and most professional reviewers don't think that highly of it. For me, "Frequency" is my favorite movie EVER. If you're a father or a son and are not moved by the "Catching Up" scene, you've lost your heart. "Frequency" also has THE most wholesome love scene in any movie, when Frank (the father) comes home after the opening rescue scene and dances with his wife Julia in the kitchen. I've found a lot of (perhaps unintentional) depth to the movie, too - it's obviously about redemption (redeeming the past), but it's also about restoration and resolution (the son reconnecting with his long-lost father) and repentance (in the son's shouted line of desperation, "If you'd just gone the other way..."). Another reviewer said the switching back and forth between 1969 and 1999 was confusing, but I thought the movie did a good job of making this switching very clear. As the movie unfolds, watch carefully how the face of actor Jim Caviezel's character is transformed from a deeply troubled young man into one who is confident and far more fully alive - this is a brilliant acting job by Caviezel, whose subtle facial expressions change dramatically and powerfully - yet almost imperceptibly - over the course of the film. On a personal level, this movie helped me change my life, as Caviezel's shouted line "If you'd just gone the other way..." reminded me that there were things that I needed to change in my life and go "the other way" on, in order to help ensure a better future for me and my family. I've watched this movie 30-40 times and have yet to grow tired of it, and I've got the poster of the movie framed in my family den. OF COURSE none of us can change the past, but this flick is a reminder that there will come a day when every tear will be wiped away, when all accounts will be settled, when every wrong will be righted in the greatest reunion of all. Until that day, may we remember that it is stories like "Frequency" that help us stay faithful along the way. Blessings to all who read this!

A Rare Gem.......2007-07-03

One of those "new idea" movies, in-which you have not seen the concept before. Part Sci-fi, mostly mystery, great entertainment. Keeps you on the edge of your seat with suspense. You root for the relationships between the characters! It is very heartwarming, should bring a few tears to your eyes!

Average customer rating:

Persona: One of the great contributions to film.
Persona
master of tedium strikes again
Mastering the Art of Image
One of the very best...

Persona
Starring: Bibi Andersson , Liv Ullmann , Margaretha Krook , Gunnar Björnstrand , and Jörgen Lindström
Director: Ingmar Bergman
Manufacturer: MGM (Video & DVD)
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B0000YEEHG
Release Date: 2004-02-10

Amazon.com essential video

Ingmar Bergman's 1966 film, photographed by Sven Nykvist, begins when famous actress Elisabeth Vogler (Liv Ullmann) freezes on stage in the middle of a performance. Struck dumb by an unknown cause, she winds up in the care of young inexperienced nurse Alma (Bibi Andersson), and together they retreat to the seaside for the summer, where they enter into an uncommon intimacy and clash of wills. Bergman's study of the fragility of the human being and the treachery of life is incredibly moving in its perception and unrivaled imagery. And as always with Bergman and his reappearing ensemble of actors, the performances are flawless. Especially notable is the scene in which Alma recounts for the silent Elisabeth a morally and emotionally ambivalent erotic encounter she had experienced on a beach with a friend and two teenage boys. It is one of the most strangely erotic scenes ever filmed, and not a stitch of clothing is removed. Also of interest, and one of the most intriguing scenes in the film, perhaps among the most intriguing in all of cinema, is when Elisabeth paces barefooted back and forth over a patio on which we know there to be broken glass. It is an achievement in simple suspense from which many an aspiring director of thrillers could learn a bit. For those who've had their fill of predictable plots, irrelevant matter, and apish acting and are looking for something a little more sensual, poetic, and relevant to what life is about beyond the daily grind, this may be a good place to start. --James McGrath

Description

With some of the most iconic imagery ever committed to film, this exceptionally beautiful specimenof movie-making (The New Yorker) is recognized as a modern masterpiece and a landmark in late twentieth-century art (Time Out London). Actress Elisabet Vogler (Liv Ullmann) has stopped speaking and withdrawn completely. Under doctor's orders, she's taken to a remote seaside cottage by a nurse, Alma (Bibi Andersson). Alma chats to fill the silence and gradually begins to lay bareher entire identity until she discovers it is being coolly sucked away from her. As the women battle for control and sanity, the question becomes not which of them is patient and which is caregiver, but are they two separate women at all?

Customer Reviews:

Persona: One of the great contributions to film........2007-07-05

As a student of film for some ten years, I've seen over 40 of Bergman's films. Of them, Persona is one of about 4 out of something like 50 that stand out as absolutely crucial in the development of film. There might not be the ostensible progress in film, and especially TV we see today without the few films like Persona. Historically it's very important, but for someone interested in seeing Bergman's best. Persona, Cries and Whispers, The Silence, Fanny and Alexander, Wild Strawberries, and just to be thorough, The Seventh Seal, are the ones to see. Persona itself will live on in the annals of film as one of it's greatest and most daring achievements.

Persona.......2007-06-28

One of the director's more surreal, experimental works, "Persona" is an intriguing study of mental illness, role reversal, and the somewhat hazy boundary separating one individual identity from another. In the poetic opening shots culled from old reels, Bergman makes us aware we are watching a film, but the story itself derives emotional intensity from Bibi Andersson's Alma, who becomes ever more vulnerable the deeper she plumbs her life experience. "Persona" is a spooky, mind-bending film that casts a unique spell.

master of tedium strikes again.......2007-06-05

Incomprehensible tripe about a couple of troubled women at a mental health worker's seaside summer cottage. One of the actresses (when interviewed for the supplements) is asked to describe the film--and guess what? She couldn't. I guarantee you, not even the "writer/director" could explain what in hell he was trying to get across.

Worse than that even, the commentary consists of some guy saying things like: "Now we have a close up..."
"It's dark now...wait, now it's light..."
Huh? This individual is supposed to be a film historian! He couldn't figure out what was going on either, so he makes above useless comments throughout. Any wonder why college grads are dumb-as-dirt these days?

Film historian? Oh yeah. Sure, baby.

What was the writer/director on when he put pen to paper?

I have sat through my share of slower-paced films (ie: Polanski's The Tenant, Repulsion, The Pianist; Chabrol's The Unfathful Wife; Akira Kurosawa's Ikiru; Henning Carlsen's Hunger; various Fassbinder flicks; various slower-paced films by both American and Euro director's, etc.) So long as there is some semblance of story there, so long as the tale is about something and goes somewhere...I don't have a problem and can sit still long enough to see the entire film. But here? With this "masterpiece?" Painful--is about the only word that fits.

Mastering the Art of Image .......2007-05-18

If you have not seen Persona you are a lucky person .
You will have the ocasion of still HAVING A UNIC EXPERIENCE IN THE MOVIE WORLD.
The first time you watch "Persona" , Igmar Bergman masterpeace, is a unic ocasion of universal culture.
From there on, your undersanting of film making,your undersanting of how to watch cimema, will reach a new standing.
Undersantig ,the drama, the plesure, the sorrow ....that all emotion of human beings can be expressed on a moving image ! Whooo...

This is a mature film.....were the adulthood o film making was reached .

One of the very best... .......2007-03-27

Where to begin with a film like Ingmar Bergman's PERSONA? It's both a famous and infamous example of world cinema in its heyday (the 1960's, mostly), working hard to stretch the medium past traditional or straightforward storytelling. It's famous, of course, because it was directed by Ingmar Bergman, the legendary Swedish film director (THE SEVENTH SEAL, WILD STRAWBERRIES), featured two of his acting mainstays Bibi Andersson and Gunnar Bjornstrand and introduced Liv Ullmann, who would figure prominently in both Bergman's personal life and professional career. It's infamous because it is usually regarded as a "difficult" film, subject to much critical commentary and debate (which is exactly the kind of response a great film should generate, right?). Was it Susan Sontag who said this was, by and large, a modernist vampire story? I don't know if I agree, but this gives some idea of the range of critical dispute.

After a short but enigmatic prologue, the film opens up into a accessible narrative: that of an actress named Elisabeth Vogler (Liv Ullman) who mysteriously falls silent during a stage performance of Medea (a meaningful play choice in the context of the film) and thereafter will not speak. She is sent to a hospital/clinic where she is assigned to an enthusiastic, inexperienced nurse named Alma (Bibi Andersson). The doctor sends Alma and Elisabeth to her seaside home as a sort of "therapy," where their new friendship gathers an intensity which leads, ultimately, to psychological warfare and strange and symbolic happenings. If this sounds vague, well, that's mainly because the latter part of the film is difficult to summarize (especially without including one's own interpretation of what's "actually" going on).

One thing to notice in PERSONA is its indebtedness to dramatic forms: that is, stage performance. It is certainly no accident how much of the film feels very spare and theatrical. In the hospital, for instance, we see only three persons, Elisabeth, Alma, and the doctor. The hospital rooms are very empty and look, quite consciously, like a stage set. Although the prologue and epilogue include, fleetingly, a few other actors, only four actors have significant roles in the film--two of which dwarf the other two. All of this points very specifically to the notions of art and drama, and more generally, to the that of artifice versus truth; we are intended to sense the artificial structures of the film because they contribute largely to the film's meaning: What constitutes truth? Are we ever, properly speaking, not acting in some way? Can we refuse to participate in the drama of life or are we actors, whether willingly or not?

Let me add that PERSONA is not a characteristic Bergman film by any means. It is far more stylistically adventurous than most of his other films and seems to mark a break of sorts with the chamber dramas of the early 1960's, although there is a certain affinity with THE SILENCE, the final enigmatic film in the "religious trilogy." What I am saying is that, if you know and like THE SEVENTH SEAL or MONIKA or SMILES OF A SUMMER NIGHT, don't expect such austere storytelling in PERSONA, which is a forceful film partially because it can't quite be critically resolved.

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Good Family Drama
Not worth the time
Good in it's own way, just hard to classify
enjoyable
amazingly good movie ...

Spanglish
Starring: Adam Sandler , Téa Leoni , Paz Vega , Cloris Leachman , and Shelbie Bruce
Director: James L. Brooks
Manufacturer: Sony Pictures
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ASIN: B0007OCG56
Release Date: 2005-04-05

Amazon.com

Anyone familiar with writer/director James L. Brooks (Broadcast News, As Good As It Gets) knows the man has a real feel for interesting women and a disarming way with a one-liner. The main women in Spanglish are Deborah Clasky (Téa Leoni), a moneyed SoCal mom, and non-English speaking Flor Moreno (Paz Vega), the beautiful Latina whom Deborah hires as a housekeeper. The one-liners, some of them amusing, are everywhere. Brooks provides an intriguing set-up for the two women to butt heads--Deborah's pudgy daughter Bernice (Sarah Steele) needs the affection at which Flor excels, while Flor's clever, bi-lingual daughter Cristina (Shelbie Bruce) is enamored of the financial advantages Deborah can provide--then proceeds to make Deborah so hatefully ignorant you can't imagine why her neuroses are the main thrust of the film. And Deborah's celebrated chef husband John (Adam Sandler, way over his head) is such a perfect parent he doesn't seem human--what happened to the Brooks who had Terms of Endearment mom Debra Winger turn to her scowling little boy and grunt "Don't make me hit you in the street"? Cloris Leachman has a nifty supporting role as Deborah's boozy, ex-jazz singer mother, but it's only one offbeat chord in an earnest film that hits all the wrong notes. --Steve Wiecking

Description

John Clasky (Adam Sandler) is a devoted dad whose skills as a chef have afforded his family (T=E9a Leoni, Cloris Leachman) a very upscale life, including a summer home in Malibu and a breathtaking new housekeeper, Flor (Paz Vega), who has recently immigrated to L.A. from Mexico, and is trying to find a better life for her remarkable daughter, Cristina (Shelbie Bruce), who is rapidly embracing the American way of life. When Flor and Cristina move in with the Claskys for the summer, Flor has to fight for her daughter's soul as she discovers that life in a new country is perilous...especially when you're being embraced by an affluent, eccentric American family.

Customer Reviews:

Good Family Drama.......2007-09-03

This movie really surprised me. It is a reasonably good family drama with a couple of very strong performances, most notably from Paz Vega, who in my view steals the show both in terms of her performance and the moral weight of the character she portrays.
Adam Sandler is OK as a celebrity chef who's married to a shrewish woman played by Tea Leoni in a bit of an over the top performance.
Overall I enjoyed this much more than I expected to and discovered Paz Vega , who is quite a good actress as well as an extraordinarily beautiful one.

Not worth the time.......2007-08-08

I was really looking forward to seeing this movie. The trailer made it look quite good. So, with eager anticipation, my daughter and I watched it the other night. The premise of the story was great; a Mexican maid who speaks no English starts working for a wealthy, white family (husband, wife, daughter and son). There were some of the usual conflicts you would expect in this situation; miscommunication, etc. The wife, Mrs Clasky, played by Tea Leoni, was a self-obsessed control freak. The husband, played by Adam Sandler, was a sweet and weak willed professional and successful chef. Paz Vega played the Mexican maid, Flor. She was the best part of the movie. One of the major conflicts arose with Mrs Clasky taking too much of an interest in Flor's daughter and doing things with her and for her without her mother's permission. I was quite disappointed with the orgasmic sex scene. Mr Clasky gets some good news so he and his wife decide to "celebrate". I don't have a problem with that, and I will grant that the scene effectively showed Mrs Clasky's self interest. Mrs Clasky wore her sport bra (great abs Tea) and Mr Clasky was covered in the right places with a blanket. But they went bouncing around "forever" and Mrs Clasky screamed and grunted herself into exhaustion. This movie is rated PG-13, not R. It should have been R. I had to finally mute it because the scene went on and on. If not for that sex scene, I would say the movie was okay and would be fun to watch once in a great while. But because of the sex, I'm trashing it. I wouldn't want to lend it to someone expecting a relatively clean PG-13 movie. On a positive note, Mr Clasky and Flor come close to committing adultery, but don't.

Good in it's own way, just hard to classify.......2007-08-04

First off, this is not your regular "Adam Sandler" Film. It should not have been marketed that way. He was the big name to get people into the theater, and he did a good job at his role, but Paz Vega is the true lead in this. Paz plays a immigrant from mexico who decides to make a better life for her and her daughter by getting hired on as a housekeeper for an eccentric, upper class housewife who is clueless about daily life. Adam Sandler plays the homeowner husband who just tries to hold life all together, and is just as grounded as Paz's character. The movie follows the relationship of a housekeeper and the family over about a 6-12 month period, through the eyes of the housekeeper's daugther. Despite a huge language barrier, bonds are made. This is not really a comedy at all, but has it's humorous parts. Good flick to just take in. You'll either like it, or push it aside. Worth a spin though, and give it a chance. Good rental.

enjoyable.......2007-07-22

A very funny and heartfelt movie. I am not an Adam Sandler fan but in this he was tolerable. I think they should have cast David Dachovny as Tea Leoni's on screen husband, since they are off screen spouses. The story is enjoyable to watch. Cloris Leechman is always funny.

amazingly good movie ..........2007-07-15

twice i have watched this movie, and i must say it is a good movie. all the actors are excellent in it. special mention are Bernice and Christina, they both nearly steal the show. however, the neurotic woman (tea leoni) is not half bad either ... the whole story line is great. personal values; intergrating with adopted new country yet trying to preserve own birthplace' identity; and NOT keeping up with the joneses; bringing up children in a fast-pace materialistic world; understanding your children, husband; mother/daugther relations = flor/christina;mrs.clasky/bernice;mrs.clasky/mrs.clasky's mother. for those who hv yet to watch this movie or who hesitate to watch it because of negative reviews ... ignore them - do watch it with an open mind. you'll be pleasantly surprised.

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L'Eclisse
what a beautiful movie, just that
a great end!
"More a sensation than an idea"
Antonioni is cinema.

L'Eclisse - Criterion Collection
Starring: Alain Delon , Monica Vitti , Francisco Rabal , Louis Seigner , and Lilla Brignone
Director: Michelangelo Antonioni
Manufacturer: Criterion
ProductGroup: DVD
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ASIN: B0007989Y8
Release Date: 2005-03-15

Amazon.com

Michelangelo Antonioni's L'Eclisse rolls over you and wraps you in its stylish embrace. The plot, such as it is, follows Vittoria (luscious Monica Vitti, The Red Desert) as her engagement falls apart and she slowly falls into a giddy but anxious affair with Piero (Alain Delon, Le Samourai, Purple Noon), a trader in Rome's stock exchange. Like Ingmar Bergman (Scenes from a Marriage, Persona), Antonioni examines the nuances of human relationships--but where Bergman is dense and dialogue-driven, Antonioni is spare and visual (there's maybe a page of dialogue in the first fifteen minutes of L'Eclisse). Every frame is like an exquisite black and white photograph, yet there's nothing static about this movie. It's fluid, sleek, and graceful, achieving its own kind of visual music. L'Eclisse contrasts opposing elements: Light and shadow, noise and silence, laughter and death, love and money, desire and dissatisfaction. Critics often describe the movie as a portrait of modern alienation, but they focus too much on Vittoria herself; while she finds her own life wanting, all around her Antonioni's camera captures a much larger world, full of as much vitality as despair, as much hope as loss. This is a movie essential to anyone's understanding of what movies can be. --Bret Fetzer

Description

The conclusion of Michelangelo Antonioni's informal trilogy on modern malaise, which began with L'avventura, L'eclisse (The Eclipse) tells the story of a young woman (Monica Vitti) who leaves one lover (Francisco Rabal) only to drift into a relationship with another (Alain Delon).

Customer Reviews:

L'Eclisse.......2007-06-27

This meticulously composed, at times breathtakingly abstract drama provides another variation on the Italian maestro's central preoccupation in the early '60s: the tenuousness of human connection. Vitti, his oft-appearing muse, never looked more radiant or alluring, a quality that makes her recoiling from physical affection even more puzzling and alienating. Delon, perhaps the handsomest French film icon of all time, is winning as Piero, a confident young buck who knows how to make money at the exchange but fails to fully possess Vittoria. Beautifully stylized and ambiguous, "L'Eclisse" casts a chilly eye on the nature of love and attachment.

what a beautiful movie, just that.......2007-05-12

L'Eclisse is a beautiful Italian neo-realist movie by director Michelangelo Antonioni, starring Monica Vitti as Vittoria and Alain Delon as Piero. Vittoria is a good-hearted woman who is "halfway there", meaning that finds herself at a point of desperately needed change. She can't see how a change would add meaning to her life, but she shows interest about all that surrounds her, and is willing to try new and eccentric things (like flying over Rome one afternoon or dressing up as a Somali woman) that ultimately prove to be empty of meaning. At the beginning we witness her separation from her fiancé, who was not a thrill to her either.
Piero is a hyperkinetic stocks runner, Vittoria's mother being a client, whose job demands absolute concentration, time, and iron people skills. Even though he never stops moving and jumping around, he also proves to be unable to see much meaning in life.
The two meet and fall in love, beginning a torrid romance, but even though they are with each other most of the time, be it playing or going for a walk, they hardly ever speak about anything and they seem to each have a large percentage of their thoughts devoted to scrutinizing every single thing, perhaps not for fun but to find significance in them; they are constantly laughing and smiling at little things, trying to be creative and break the routine, but Vittoria does not even consider the idea of making theirs a long-term relationship because she sees nothing to it: "I wish I didn't love you, or loved you much more", she says. She finds everything "halfway there", nothing is intense or dramatic enough to have real relevance.
Vittoria is Antonioni's existential heroine. She has a sort of innate elegance, a sort of abandon to her gestures and her contagious laughter, but she is able to adapt her face to the situation into a shyly desperate expression. Piero is constantly on the run and usually very cruel, but is unable to mistreat Vittoria at all. It is never clear if they like each other because they recognize their nihilism in the other's personality, but I sensed it so. They are so caught up in their own labyrinths that they become physically and emotionally dependent of the other: the reflection in the mirror.
The film ends quite abruptly as Vittoria and Piero set a date for the evening after a long embrace that could very easily mean "good-bye", but regardless of whether they continue their relationship it is not meant to last. With so similar an outlook of the value of daily life, they would most likely evolve to become nihilistic about each other.
On the more technical side, the film is a photographic masterpiece. Every frame looks like a carefully designed picture, every single one is priceless. Monica Vitti's performance is very endearing because she is not an ice maiden and she is not a silly bimbo, she's a credible good-natured woman in a difficult situation. Alain Delon is also remarkably charming (and repulsive at times) as Piero. The film itself is full of music and beautiful, albeit usually lonely, scenarios of Rome, and even though it exceeds 160 minutes, I found it hypnotizing enough not to realize the passing of time.

a great end!.......2007-05-10

Mónica Vitti has the silliest laugh in the cinema and the most expressive eyes. Acts without speaking, her African dance is extraordinarily sensual, the scene in the stock exchange is incredible. A great movie

"More a sensation than an idea" .......2007-05-06

A young free-lance translator breaks up with her fiancé after an incommunicative night. She goes to the stock market, seeking comfort from her mother who is preoccupied with her stock trading; however, she meets her mother's young stockbroker. She next has the following experiences: a carefree girl's night, flight through clouds in an airplane, and the openness of a small airport environment. The stock market crashes, causing financial hardships, and her mother becomes more concerned with her stock losses than her daughter's well being. The stockbroker takes the young woman to his parents' house while no one is at home. The couple approaches and withdraws, and eventually becomes intimate. Post-intimacy conversation reveals their lack of understanding of each other. Office sex ensues, and the couple decides to see each other forever, and to meet again that night. There is an eclipse that night.
The theme of this film is the alienation that leads two self-absorbed, affluent young people to create a superficial and dependant love relationship in the context of materialism and parental neglect.
This theme is supported by the use of the elements of film style. Dialogue gives us contrastive language between the two people which reveals how little they know of themselves and each other. "I feel like I'm in a foreign land," Pierro says to Vittoria. "You make me feel the same. How strange," she replies. This dialogue tells the audience that this couple, though physically intimate, is not emotionally connected, cluing us into the superficiality of their relationship and their self-absorption. Action shows us Pierro and Vittoria kissing through the glass pane of the cabinet door. This suggests to the viewer their physical longing for one another while reinforcing their disconnectedness. Composition places the couple on the edge of frames and at crosswords. These displays make the audience feel tense, lonely and precarious. This use of composition relates to the theme in that it makes the audience feel the lack of insight that Vittoria and Pierro suffer from. The fast cuts within the editing of the stock market scene emphasize the animalistic nature of the stock market, making the audience feel entranced and frightened. The materialism aspect of the theme is shown through this editing scene. The musical score and various sound effects create contrasts of anxiety, calmness, and desolation which put the feeling of alienation into the viewer.
This film is ultimately valuable today because its theme is inescapable. From the time that Antonioni created L'Eclisse, the world has grown no less materialistic and healthy relationships have grown no less dependent upon a strong sense of self and understanding of others. Although the alienation of the young people was caused by the threat of nuclear war, financial struggle and parental neglect of 1960's Italy, similar political, financial and familial instabilities can cause similar feelings among the youth of today. Technology continues to progress, and with it, one could easily argue, human communication declines. L'Eclisse argues that awareness of self and of the external motivations for personal desires is necessary for healthy relationships in such an environment. This awareness entails intense understanding of emotion: the human factor that connects us even in states of desolation and loneliness. Antonioni wrote of the film, "All I am capable of thinking is that during an eclipse even feelings probably come to a halt." Thus the eclipse is the connecting factor for the alienated characters of the film, proving at least that, by existing together, we are capable of union. Antonioni portrays what critic `Hawk' of Variety Magazine referred to as the "eclipse of sentiments" masterfully in the final ten minutes of the film. The final montage is dominated by a slow movement from images of crossroads, a construction site, Vittoria's apartment building, and various unknown faces: all people, places, and things that have witnessed the development of Vittoria and Pierro's relationship. This montage ultimately creates "a sensation which defines the film" by relating seemingly unrelated things, proving the connectedness of life even within the context of L'Eclisse.
As is to be expected with an extreme artistic endeavor such as L'Eclisse, the film received mixed reviews. While Hollis Alpert of the Saturday Review commends Antonioni's masterful use of cinematic style, he complains that Vittoria and Pierro's emotions "have become so vitiated that we cannot help but wonder why we are to be so concerned about them." That is one of the primary concerns of the film, however: the understanding of what context leads to such impaired emotions and what comes of them. An unknown critic for Time similarly complains that Antonioni's "pessimism" is "sick" and "naïve." There is hope even within a world that loves money, and "evil is not the dominant quality of modern life," this critic claims. One fails to understand exactly which film this critic was watching. To have missed the hope that Antonioni layered into L'Eclisse is astonishing. Even if the musical score and dialogue were taken away, one could not watch the beautiful sequence of image and montage without feeling both the struggle and the immense hope. Other critics, such as Bosley Crowther (The N. Y. Times) and "Hawk" of Variety Magazine attained a greater grasp of Antonioni's "eclipse of sentiments" and the context which drove the characters to their low state and the audience to its revelation. "Modern society and the money which commands it are turning man into an object... unable to maintain normal relationships," says "Hawk." Thus, he says, the eclipse metaphor works on several levels, emphasizing both the eclipsing effect of materialism and displaced emotion, as well as the veil of human connectedness that ends the movie.

Antonioni is cinema........2007-03-26

This review may contain spoilers.

I say this is a film. L'Eclisse can easily be described: Desolation married with beauty. Absolutely. Though this four-lettered description of Antonioni's masterpiece is appropriate (on some level), it will never say enough. It is the details. The small things, you know, that make this haunting display of isolation transpire into its own dimension of aesthetics. This film should initially be viewed for its unconventional techniques. But is also remarkably enjoyable on a simpler level with humor placed sporadically and wonderfully throughout. Ultimately, though, the film's focus is the destructiveness of the modern world.

The cinematography of the landscape. It is fresh and crisp. Its breadth is spectacular. Antonioni leads the scenery into the foreground. To an exalting and resplendent effect. The vacuous setting superimposes the characters and belittles them from every facet. Monica Vitti is perfection. Oh, rather. Visually fragrant to the point that her screen presence draws you into her spellbinding "loneliness." Vitti's Vittoria constantly feels the world through her fingertips. Attempts a physical connection to her surroundings. Yet, her environment is lifeless and barren. Her relationships the same. The men Vittoria sees are emotionally inert.

We start off with the end of Vittoria's relationship with Riccardo (Francisco Rabal). Riccardo stares off into nothing here and there. Vittoria trying to feel a connection with anything as she wanders around the room. She leaves finally. She later meets Alain Delon's Piero, a materialistic stock broker that is also void of any real emotions reserved for the love Vittoria is seeking. His love is for money. While she has a relationship with Piero, it is an empty affair. One simply for convenience in the end. Although the ending is seemingly a short art-house film for the sake of innovative elegance (and leaves Vittoria and Piero's realtionship to speculation), it is magnificent.

Like Alain Resnais' films, L'Eclisse is tantamount only to itself. And is appreciated, perhaps, by only those with an affinity for cinematic high-end art. For that is what it is. And that is why I love it.

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yeah dig that hole!
"I see a red door and I want it painted black..."
Ghosts, gotta love them.......
An atmospheric horror movie!
very spooky!

Stir of Echoes (Special Edition)
Starring: Zachary David Cope , Kevin Bacon , Kathryn Erbe , Illeana Douglas , and Kevin Dunn
Director: David Koepp
Manufacturer: Lions Gate
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