Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room

Product Description

Based on the best-selling book of the same name by Fortune reporters Bethany McLean and Peter Elkind, a multidimensional study of one of the biggest business scandals in American history. The chronicle takes a look at one of the greatest corporate disasters in history, in which top executives from the 7th largest company in this country walked away with over one billion dollars, leaving investors and employees with nothing. The film features insider accounts and rare corporate audio and video tapes that reveal colossal personal excesses of the Enron hierarchy and the utter moral vacuum that posed as corporate philosophy. The human drama that unfolds within Enron's walls resembles a Greek tragedy and produces a domino effect that could shape the face of our economy and ethical code for years to come.

DVD Features:

Available Audio Tracks: English (Unknown Format)
Commentary by: writer-director Alex Gibney (Unknown Format)
Deleted scenes
"The Making of Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room" featuring research footage and exclusive interviews with writer-director Alex Gibney and investigative journalist Bethany McLean
Enron company skits
Enron commercial
Where are they now?: updates on the executives, traders, and whistleblowers
A gallery of Enron cartoons
The original Fortune magazine articles

System Requirements:

Running Time 110 Mins.

Format: DVD MOVIE

Amazon.com

One of the greatest scandals in American corporate history is chronicled in the riveting documentary Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room. Based on the bestselling book by Fortune magazine reporters Bethany McLean and Peter Elkin, and directed by Alex Gibney (who also produced The Trials of Henry Kissinger), the film is an epic morality tale, drawing upon a wealth of insider interviews and archival material to show how Enron, once the nation's seventh largest corporate entity, essentially faked its bookkeeping to report profits that never existed. The corrupt and closely-guarded mismanagement by Enron executives (including Kenneth Lay and Jeffrey Skilling, later placed on criminal trial) is revealed through such heinous concepts as "Hypothetical Future Value" (a way of reaping fortunes based on false profit projections) and the use of offshore "shell" companies to hide the massive losses that eventually toppled the company (along with the venerable Arthur Anderson accounting firm) and left 20,000 employees jobless. As a maddening portrait of hubris and white-collar crime, Enron transcends political and corporate boundaries by showing how smart and powerful men grew blinded by greed and brought ruin upon themselves, along with thousands of otherwise innocent victims. For better and worse, it's a perfect double-feature with eye-opening 2004 documentary The Corporation. --Jeff Shannon

Customer Reviews:

Amazingly Engrossing.......2007-09-09

From the time this documentary starts you are captured. I have never been so engrossed in a story about Corporate America before. The arrogance of business and the manipulation for self gain was astounding. Awesome how the unravelling began with one simple question. I have watched this now several times and I never cease to be amazed. A "must" to watch.

Sickening!.......2007-08-30

I had always wondered how this fiasco could be allowed to happen in the U.S. After watching this movie, I now understand! It is sad that a country such as ours could allow this type of theft, larceny, and destruction to happen to thousands of innocent people!

The hyper-capitalistic puppet masters of the invisible build Frankenstein's monster.......2007-08-21

Imagine starting a company that comes up with the idea of selling potential without actually realizing that potential first. Imagine then without the realization of that potential that loads of people invest in the idea because the CEO's know how to put on a show. Then imagine the idea becoming so big that a whole country invests in the idea. Then imagine that the company selling the idea gets so big that it ends up owning a massive share of that nation's power grid. Then imagine that the company starts telling the power company operators to perform lots of blackouts and downtime so that it can hold the nation to ransom before it turns it back on again by demanding government funds (tax money). Then imagine on top of this that the CEO's just sign themselves big fat paychecks into the tens of millions and decide to head off home when everything is falling apart because someone asked the question... "How does Enron make money?"

While the above schematic might not be the exact way things where actually done, it still is but in a more complex way that this documentary surprising makes simple for everyone to understand. We are dealing with a company that dealt in selling the imagination and then played the evil demigod when it eventually had its way. It is a documentary also about the CEO's and personalities which got too big for a nation to manage. This is when greed becomes hyper-greed and when making millions out of public disasters was considered a normal 9 to 5. Imagine Enron employees just saying `Burn baby burn' while wildfires rage under power lines. Imagine Enron employees finding loopholes in government contracts they designed and calling those ambiguous areas `fat boy' and `death star' to make millions from the gaps. Then stop calling this just imagination. This is the real thing!

Enron is essentially about the abuse of trust. It is about a nation built on freedoms and liberties actually becoming hostage to those freedoms and liberties when extremist capitalists will cash in on anything. This isn't just about cooking the books. This is about cooking independence into slavery so that a few guys could make loads of money.

In a strange sort of way it is hard to actually imagine that these guys did anything wrong in terms of how they developed a very imaginative system of corporation into a business. The tendency for them to exploit a weakness in a deal was bad character, but nothing that is that unusual in today's world. All this is considered somewhat expected in big business except for one thing. They did all this by gambling with the savings of over 20,000 US Citizens (most of them Joe Soap families with kids) while they also played with the national power grid (how many people indirectly died and suffered remains uncertain but real) to either make more money or to get their own backsides off the hook. In a way people everywhere look up to models like this but in the end Disneyland just isn't real and that is what is important to learn (and some former CEOs are learning it hard, like Jeffrey Skillings) who is serving 24 years and 4 months in prison.

A Disappointment.......2007-08-14

Could have been a seminal work on some of the most egregious robber-barons of the 1990's, but succumbed to a ridiculous partisanship characterized by heavy-handed Bush-bashing -- how tiresome (this even tho Kenny-Boy was head of Ann Richards's finance committee when Bush challenged her). Meanwhile, one of the documentary's great moralizers was investigations-target Bill Lerach, and one of the chief complainers was the since-recalled Gray Davis, who was so incompetent he couldn't sell beer on a troopship.

Entertaining, not thorough & informative.......2007-07-23

It was too dramatized, I thought. Also I didn't like the stripper scene because it was too long and too much nudity for my taste... gross. You lose concentration from what they're talking about. They could have just narrated the story about the strippers, why show so much nudity in a corporate scandal documentary???
Better off reading the book called "Conspiracy of Fools"... very good reading material and informative, not too dramatic like this "documentary"

Macbeth / McKellen, Dench (Thames Shakespeare Collection)

Average customer rating:

Not High School friendly
disappointed
A test for great theatre
Definitive Macbeth
Awesome Judi

Macbeth / McKellen, Dench (Thames Shakespeare Collection)
Starring: Ian McKellen , Judi Dench , John Bown , Susan Dury , and Judith Harte
Director: Philip Casson
Manufacturer: A&E Home Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B0002TVWYW
Release Date: 2004-11-16

Product Description

Murder, prophecy, and witches! MACBETH returns, starring Academy Award®-nominee Ian McKellen (The Lord of the Rings trilogy) and Academy Award®-winner Judi Dench (Shakespeare in Love), on DVD for the first time anywhere. First broadcast on Britain's Thames Television in 1978, this stark, compelling performance of Shakespeare's MACBETH retains the entire cast of the original 1976 Royal Shakespeare Company production, directed by three-time Tony Award®-winner Trevor Nunn (The Life and Adventures of Nicholas Nickelby, Cats, Les Mis rables). When a trio of witches prophesize Macbeth's (Ian McKellen) ascension to the throne, Lady Macbeth (Judi Dench) pushes her husband into a murderous spree. But once crowned king of Scotland, Macbeth sees ghastly visions, fueled by guilt and a new prophecy, that ensure his ultimate downfall. Also starring John Woodvine (Wuthering Heights) as "Banquo," Ian McDiarmid (Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi) as "the porter", and Bob Peck (Jurassic Park) as "Macduff."

System Requirements:

Running Time 1316 Min

Format: DVD MOVIE

Amazon.com

Two of England's greatest actors, Sir Ian McKellen and Dame Judi Dench, electrify in this lean, stripped-down production of Shakespeare's darkest tragedy. In the wake of a battle, the Scottish warrior Macbeth (McKellen, Gods and Monsters, Lord of the Rings) receives a prophecy from a trio of witches: He shall be king. When fate doesn't unfold quickly enough, Macbeth and his even more ambitious wife (Dench, Shakespeare in Love, Iris) decide to give it a push. McKellen sweats anxiously and oozes a creeping lust for power, while Dench is hypnotically vicious from her first moment. For audiences used to their film careers, this grand pair will seem young as pups (this TV movie is from 1979, adapted from an acclaimed Royal Shakespeare Company production)--but that only gives them an added edge of sex and vigor. Extras include the older McKellen thoughtfully commenting on the play and this classic production. --Bret Fetzer

Customer Reviews:

Not High School friendly.......2007-07-25

Not exaclty what I had wanted for my high school class. It was a bit too sophisticated and did not have the colorful and vivid quality so craved by high school students. I would recommend it, though, for junior college and for serious Shakespere fans.

disappointed.......2007-05-09

I was disappointed that the description of this DVD stated that it was closed captioned, but it is not. Since the captioning was the main selling point for me, it was a useless purchase.

A test for great theatre.......2007-03-30

This version of Macbeth probes that for having the greatest theatrical experience all you need is a superb text, real actors and an IDEA. Trevor Nunn produced an unique experience, and the McKellen/Dench duo is simply perfect. Specially her... no one else can stand besides Dame Judi daring to be called "Lady Macbeth".
Yes, the quality is not as we could wish (it is 1978 and for TV!) but nevertheless the whole film blows up any big studio production of Shakespeare`s bloody text.
Again: master text, great actors and someone with an idea. That`s theatre!

Definitive Macbeth.......2007-01-22

I liked this DVD very much. I watched several versions of that play, but this one is my favourite now, I can't imagine a more brilliant and powerful Macbeth & Wife than sir Ian and dame Judi. Unforgettable.

Awesome Judi.......2007-01-16

If you are a Dame Judi Dench fan and you haven't seen Macbeth, you're missing a most ingenious performance. She never fails to entertain and this phenomenal award winning actress will really astound you with this rivetting performance. In the entertainment business there are good actors and great performers...Jude is "entertainment squared" in Macbeth.
In one part she emits the most eeriest primal scream I've ever heard. With Dame Judi she makes you believe she is the character in a way no one else can. Dench fans..this is a must.

Average customer rating:

Another Del Toro's Spanish Civil War story with supernatural elements
THE STORY THAT DEFIES ALL BARRIERS!!
Bonus Features
The Devil's Backbone
kiddie movie

The Devil's Backbone (Special Edition)
Starring: Marisa Paredes , Eduardo Noriega (II) , Federico Luppi , Fernando Tielve , and Íñigo Garcés
Director: Guillermo del Toro
Manufacturer: Sony Pictures
ProductGroup: DVD
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ASIN: B000274TLW
Release Date: 2004-07-27

Amazon.com

Seething passions, wandering ghosts, and an unexploded bomb fill this beautifully filmed tale of war and suspense. Though The Devil's Backbone was advertised as a horror movie in the States, it's really more of a drama that happens to have ghosts in it. During the Spanish Civil War, young Carlos is abandoned at a completely isolated orphanage. The tensions therein have been building for years, exacerbated by the unexploded bomb resting menacingly in the courtyard. Bullies scheme, tempers flare, and a ghost that visits Carlos's bed seems to be the key to it all. The movie is full of excellent performances, especially by Marisa Paredes as the gruff-but-kind headmistress, Eduardo Noriega as the handyman with secrets to keep, and Federico Luppi as the benevolent professor who likes to keep deformed fetuses in jars. A rich, satisfying drama with some good, spooky fun thrown in. --Ali Davis

Customer Reviews:

Another Del Toro's Spanish Civil War story with supernatural elements.......2007-09-13

This is a good movie, but I have seen it after seeing the more recent (and really brilliant) Pan's Labyrinth, so it's hard to be objective and judge the Devil's Backbone on it's own merits. However, all the necessary elements are there (the story is interesting, main characters are introduced with enough care, the ghost and the sectrets arount it is getting reveiled as the movie goes on), so it's a good movie for people who like to watch drama with ghost/fantasy elements. I found it not as stylish and frightening as Others (some people obviously did, according to the reviews printed on the back of the DVD box), but it's definitely worth watching.

THE STORY THAT DEFIES ALL BARRIERS!!.......2007-09-07

this movie was almost perfect. there could have been some changes here and there, but overall it was beautifully done. guillermo del toro does some wonderful stuff, and this film is proof. the story was great, the setting was brilliant, and the characters did they're best. it showed and although the language is in spanish you can't help but be intrigued and drawn in to the devils backbone. a story about an orphaned boy who sees this ghost who's bent out on seeking vengance, so the boys of the orphanage must get along to help this ghost boy find what or who he is seeking, all the while a backstabbing handyman turns on them because of his greed. their only protection, the headmistress, and the old professer. although spooky at times, it's filled with drama, and i really enjoyed this. it's hard to come across movies such as these.

Bonus Features.......2007-07-29

The movie is thoroughly engrossing, unpredictable, and worthwhile, as most of the reviews here attest. But the bonus features on this edition are worth the price of admission as well. Like Kevin Smith and a handful of other active directors, Guillermo del Toro makes an admirable effort to add value to his DVD releases with thoughtful extras for fans and film buffs. Excerpts from the director's notebook, storyboards, even the ubiquitous Making Of documentary all add more substance than the usual PR filler material. Of particular interest here is del Toro's commentary, which goes beyond the usual behind-the-scenes anecdotes to delve into the artistic and historical roots of the creative decisions he made in the film. From the history and conventions of the gothic romance to fine art and architectural influences, del Toro is like an unusually entertaining and articulate college professor with near-encyclopedic knowledge. The extras enhance an already excellent film viewing experience.

The Devil's Backbone.......2007-07-25

A shudder-inducing treat that shows artful restraint in the telling. Del Toro evokes the hard price of war in the school's run-down state and the frayed nerves of the adults who run the place, played by veterans Federico Luppi and Marisa Paredes. The ghost of Santi (Junio Valverde) is presented at intervals to jolt us back to a state of fear, but we also know Santi holds a key to the story's bigger mystery. Finally, a huge unexploded bomb is embedded in the center of the school's courtyard, an ingenious visual device that presages explosions yet to come, explosions you won't want to miss.

kiddie movie.......2007-06-26

gave it 5 stars -this is a great movie But for kids between 12-16yrs old.

Average customer rating:

Subtitles Please
ANNE FRANK
This movie is great
Education Review
Excellent Service

Anne Frank - The Whole Story
Starring: Ben Kingsley , Brenda Blethyn , Hannah Taylor-Gordon , Tatjana Blacher , and Joachim Król
Director: Robert Dornhelm
Manufacturer: Walt Disney Video
ProductGroup: DVD
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ASIN: B00005LC5R
Release Date: 2001-08-28

Description

Ben Kingsley, Brenda Blethyn, and Hannah Taylor Gordon star in the stirring tale of one of the most influential young women of the 20th century. Based on Melissa Muller's critically acclaimed book, ANNE FRANK goes beyond the story you already know and paints the true portrait of Anne both before and after she went into hiding. Get to know the high-spirited and popular girl before the war, and experience the challenges of the brave people who risked their lives trying to keep her safe. ANNE FRANK also explores the enduring mystery of who betrayed the Frank family and reveals what happened next.

Amazon.com

Anne Frank: The Whole Story delivers exactly what it promises: the incredibly moving complete story of Anne Frank, going beyond what the Jewish teenage girl wrote in her widely read diary. Anne, along with her family and friends of her family, hid in a secret annex behind her father's office in Amsterdam during the Nazi occupation of Holland. She dutifully kept a diary, which became a worldwide bestseller when her father published it in the 1950s. The story has been adapted for television and movies before, but this version, which played on ABC television, moves beyond what Anne wrote, meeting up with the Frank family before Anne receives her diary, and following her past the diary's last entries into Auschwitz and Birkenau. Hannah Taylor Gordon is a superb Anne, bringing to life the multifaceted girl, in turns intelligent, dreamy, creative, spoiled, and bratty, a girl like any other except that Anne is a Jew in Nazi-occupied Holland. The only one who outshines Gordon is Ben Kingsley as Anne's father, Otto Frank. His quiet performance is extraordinarily powerful; as he watches his family slip away, it is impossible not to feel his grief. This brave film is difficult in parts to watch--the concentration camp scenes are brutal--but this is a remarkable adaptation of Anne's life, and it is a film to be shared and discussed and remembered. --Jenny Brown

Customer Reviews:

Subtitles Please.......2007-09-05

This would be an excellent movie for classroom use if it were subtitled in English and/or Spanish. It's worth whatever it costs to subtitle, PLEASE make these movies available with subtitles. ESL students in the states and students in other countries cannot use this movie as it is.

ANNE FRANK.......2007-08-31

Unfortunattely , I couldn't watch this movie on account of the
ZONE NUMBER . Funny that I have many movies from the USA , and can
see all of them without any problemn.

This movie is great.......2007-08-01

At first i was skeptical about this movie because i was never interested in Anne Frank, but i bought this dvd for my sister and she and I loved it!! I reccommend this movie to anyone who like heartbreaking stories. By the way, this movie is extremely long, just over 3 hours long.

Education Review.......2007-06-27

I used this movie for my 8th grade class and they loved it. The only problem is that you have to manually edit it as there is a nudity scene as they are in the concentration camp. This movie gives a new perspective to the students of Anne Frank after they have read her diary. I thought it was a great movie.

Excellent Service.......2007-05-14

Excellent and Timely Service

American River: a song for Tara Cole

Average customer rating:

The First and Best
A HOMICIDAL COMEDY
Best Scarface
SKIMPY...WHY?
An early gangster film and a cinema landmark

Scarface (Universal Cinema Classics)
Starring: Paul Muni , Ann Dvorak , Karen Morley , and George Raft
Manufacturer: Universal Studios
ProductGroup: DVD
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ASIN: B000N3T0H8
Release Date: 2007-05-22

Amazon.com

Howard Hawks's Scarface was one of the first "talkies" to reclaim the fluidity of the late-silent masterpieces, while also tapping into a feral new energy that came with talking smart and moving smarter on the motion picture screen. Outgunning such contemporaries as Little Caesar and The Public Enemy--in terms of both its ferocious death-dealing and dynamic style--the movie was interfered with by censors and kept out of circulation for decades thanks to its eccentric producer, Howard Hughes. It remains the gold standard among classic gangster pictures. Paul Muni's portrayal of Al Capone surrogate Tony Camonte etched a screen original: a merciless assassin who's not only reflexively criminal but pre-civilized, almost pre-evolutionary, a simian shadow ready to rub out the world if he can't have it for his own. This is still one of the greatest, darkest, most deeply exciting films American cinema has produced. Those demonically ubiquitous X's--starting with that titular scar gouged into Tony's cheek--rival "Rosebud" for resonance. --Richard T. Jameson

Description

Generally regarded to be the best of the classic gangster films, Scarface tells the exciting story of organized crime's brutal control over Chicago during the Prohibition era. Oscar winner Paul Muni gives an electrifying performance as Tony Carmonte, an ambitious criminal with a ruthless drive to be the city's top crime boss. Produced and directed by the legendary Howard Hawks, Scarface was a groundbreaking film which established both Paul Muni and George Raft as major Hollywood stars, while influencing all gangland films to follow.

Customer Reviews:

The First and Best.......2007-08-23

This Howard Hawks directed gangster film, which a thinly disguised story of Al Capone is much, much better than the Pacino mess, with much less violence ( the film IS violent for its day ) and a " weird " subtext. Paul Muni is great as the mob boss of Chicago, Ann Dvorak is outstanding as his sister, as is Karen Morley as " Poppy " Tony's ( Muni's ) girlfriend, and both ladies are very hot, especially Ms. Dvorak, real name Ann McKim. Ben Hecht, a former Chicago newspaper man, wrote the script, along with W.R. Burnett, Seton Miller, and John Lee Mahin, Howard Hughes Produced.

A HOMICIDAL COMEDY.......2007-07-13

Like the Brian DePalma remake, Howard Hawks' original 1932 "Scarface" is a comedy with bullets telling the tale of the rise and fall of one Tony Camonte, an apish thug whose motto is: "Do it first, do it yourself, and keep on doing it." As he effortlessly rises to the top, climbing over such lesser lights as the cowardly Lovo played by Osgood Perkins--Anthony's father and a renowned stage actort in his day--and the hot-headed Gaffney--Boris Karloff, accent and all--he accidentally or purposely loses his friends, the coin-flipping Guino Rinaldo (George Raft in his star-making role), the bumbling Angelo (Vince Barnett), the icy-hot blonde Poppy (Karen Morley) and the sister he not-so-secretly lusts after (Ann Dvorak). When all are gone and he stands alone, he's an actor without an audience and the show is over.
Don't bother trying to decide which version is better--both are execllent genre entries in their own way. But be aware that Hawks' film caused as much outrage in 1932 as DePalma's version did a half-century later--and for good reason.

Best Scarface .......2007-07-13

Great movie. Better than the 'other' Scarface. Amazing film, never slowed down. Very highly recommended.

SKIMPY...WHY?.......2007-06-12

With such an historic and classic film, that really deserves a commentary track or maybe two, (one, on the films making and importance by film historians, and two, by gangster historians, to elaborate just how close to the truth this film was at the time). It is the same version that came out a few years ago in that SCARFACE box set (exclusive). At least it is out for the people who did`nt want to pay that high price. I did`nt get that then, and I`m not getting this now, since I`ve had this on VHS for a number of years now. I`ll wait for the special edition, or the collectors edition, or the anniversary edition, or the extended edition, or the directors cut edition. PS. I can probably build a whole library of first edition DVDs (sans frills), that were made obsolete when the special editions became available. Tomorrow the special edition two disc version of The Hustler is coming out, OH BOY, maybe I can decorate my Xmas tree with all the first editions.

An early gangster film and a cinema landmark.......2007-05-26

I see reviews here dating back to the year 2000. This review is for the Universal Cinema Classics release of Scarface that came out in May 2007. First off, the video and audio on this print are excellent. There is no hissing in the audio, and there are very few artifacts in the video. The extras are another matter. First there is an introduction by TCM host and film historian Robert Osborne who provides the same excellent short introduction that he would were Scarface playing in prime time on TCM and he were introducing it there - no more, no less. The only other extra is an alternate ending scene for Scarface. There is no commentary track, which is a shame considering this film, along with "Little Caesar" and "The Public Enemy" form the founding trio of the gangster film in the sound era of the motion picture.

As for the movie itself, it is based on real events that happened in the criminal career of Al Capone, although Capone's criminal career had already ended with his conviction on charges of tax evasion six months before this film was released in April 1932. You know you're watching a Howard Hughes production when, during the first scene, a bar employee is sweeping up after a party held by one of Chicago's big gangsters and finds a bra among the confetti. The film shares some aspects with its gangster film predecessors - Tony Camonte is motivated by a desire for power just as Edward G. Robinson's Rico was in "Little Caesar", and also like Rico takes over the gang from a boss he perceives as weak. However, Camonte doesn't seem to have the pent-up rage of Public Enemy's Tom Powers. When Tony performs acts of violence it is usually related to gangland business. The actual deaths are strictly business, but the execution of the killings themselves are something Tony takes pride in - a sort of work of art on his part. Like Tom Powers, Tony Camonte is given a family background, but unlike Tom Powers, Camonte's family is a completely dysfunctional one. What is unique in this gangster picture is Tony's trio of love interests. He wants his boss' girl, Poppy, as a status symbol. He also seems to have a love affair going with the machine gun, acting like he has discovered America the first time he shoots one. Finally, Tony is in love with his own sister Cesca. Tony's only true fits of rage occur when he sees her with another man, and it is this loss of emotional control over this one issue that is ultimately his downfall. George Raft, an ex-gangster of sorts himself, is terrific as the smart and level-headed Guino Rinaldo, Tony's right-hand man. Finally there is Vince Barnett as Tony's extremely inadequate secretary in a bit of comic relief turned tragic at the end of the film. This film is truly a classic. I just wish Universal had put in a commentary track, for such a cinema landmark is certainly worthy of one. Highly recommended.

Average customer rating:

Classic MOVIE!!!!
What can I say about this movie!
Cam's Shining Moment = Another Rocafella Films Classic............
Gangsta Painted with Love
Not your typical hood movie-- through Az's eyes

Paid in Full
Starring: Karen Andrew , Cam'ron , Kevin Carroll , Jonas Chernick , and Remo Greene
Manufacturer: Dimension
ProductGroup: DVD
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ASIN: B00008DDUY
Release Date: 2003-04-08

Description

Hot stars Mekhi Phifer (8 MILE, SHAFT, TV's ER) and Wood Harris (REMEMBER THE TITANS) team up in an edgy, hard-hitting film with a slammin' soundtrack! Stuck in a nowhere job, Ace (Harris) is a restless teenager who envies the expensive cars, flashy clothes, and high-rolling lifestyle of his drug-dealing friends. Then when he sees his chance, Ace makes the move that suddenly changes his life! Drawn by the seductive lure of easy money in the illicit Harlem underground, he uses his skills to quickly take control of the streets and seize all the power than comes with it! Also starring rap star Cam'ron (WOO) and Chi McBride (GONE IN 60 SECONDS, TV's BOSTON PUBLIC) -- you don't want to miss this gripping look at chasing the American dream ... from the wrong side of the tracks!

Customer Reviews:

Classic MOVIE!!!!.......2007-07-27

Highly recommended. All actors do an amazing job, even Camron! Easily one of the best hood movies out!

What can I say about this movie!.......2007-05-11

This is one of the best kingpen movies I've ever seen! All the actors do a great job in this one, even Cam managed not to mess this one up. All I can say is, forget Scarface, this is the new movie all the up and comers will be looking at!

Cam's Shining Moment = Another Rocafella Films Classic...................2007-05-09

Wood Harris and Mekhi Phieffer are great in this movie as 1980's New York drug kingpins. The surprise of the whole movie is Camron's convincing role as the villain of the movie.

Gangsta Painted with Love.......2007-03-26

In a mood that deemphasizes the sex and violence in favor of the moral cost of the drug trade, this film has the easygoing persona of a soap opera with a bite that hits you afterwards.

Not your typical hood movie-- through Az's eyes.......2007-03-04

The movie is definately above your average straight to video or Menace II Society clone. What is working for this film is a combination of many vital elements that combine to make quite a tasty slice of urban life. The film has plot,character development and outstanding acting. The stand out preformance in the movie is Mekhi Phifer playing one of the three Harlem drug dealers with such freshness. Cam'ron's role as Rico is quite good considering he is a rapper and not a trained actor. Then again, I guess the role Cam'ron played is not a strech consdering the type of lyrics presents in his music.

The plot of the movie is based around the life of three famous drug dealers in Harlem named Az,Alpo,and Richard Porter. In the movie their names are fictionalized into Ace[Az],Mitch[Richard Porter],and Rico[Alpo]. I will not bore with anyfurther details because I am sure the following has probably been overemphasized enough in other reviews. Understand,though, the movie was told primarly through the eyes of Az and not through Alpo. Alpo even complained that this movie presented him as a follower instead of a leader in the drug game.

Solid movie that defies the notion that urban drams are all cut from the same cloth.

Average customer rating:

One of my all-time favorite TV shows
Best Cop Show Ever
Timeless
Its great!
Love this series

Crime Story - Season One
Starring: Crime Story
Manufacturer: Starz / Anchor Bay
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B000A59Q8C
Release Date: 2005-09-20

Amazon.com

Conceived as a "22-hour movie for television," the incendiary first season of Crime Story (1986-87, on NBC) marked a controversial milestone in TV history, and its lasting influence can be seen in such better-known series and films as The Sopranos, Homicide: Life on the Street, Donnie Brasco, Casino and elsewhere. The season-long story arc followed Chicago Police detective Lt. Mike Torello (Dennis Farina) and his tireless pursuit of fast-rising mob boss Ray Luca (Anthony Denison) from Chicago to Las Vegas, circa 1963-64. Heading the Major Crimes Unit (MCU) with his hand-picked team of detectives (including fresh-faced Bill Campbell, long before Once and Again) and passionate public defender David Abrams (Stephen Lang), Torello moves from city to federal jurisdiction as Crime Story unfolds its post-Kennedy scenario with stark, often brutal authenticity, pausing for stand-alone episodes that propelled the Torello/Luca rivalry while showcasing such up-and-coming guest stars as David Caruso (in the electrifying pilot), Gary Sinise (who also directed two episodes), Ving Rhames, Lorraine Bracco, and 19-year-old Julia Roberts, who shows early promise as a sexually abused teenager in "The Survivor," a typical example of the show's emphasis on character depth and gritty, hard-hitting plotlines.

Riding high on the success of Miami Vice, executive producer Michael Mann (who helmed the penultimate episode "Top of the World") had several aces up his sleeve: Cocreator Chuck Adamson had been a legendary Chicago detective; Farina was an 18-year veteran of the Chicago Police before he switched to acting; and Luca's dim-witted Mafia sidekick, Pauli Taglia, was played by John Santucci, who had been one of Chicago's most notorious criminals in the 1960s. All of this--along with James A. Contner's color-saturated, mostly nocturnal cinematography--guaranteed that Crime Story would be unique for its time, earning controversy (over its rugged depiction of violent cops) and just enough ratings against ABC's Moonlighting to win a second-season reprieve. Unfortunately, Anchor Bay's budget-conscious DVDs represent a missed opportunity: Crammed onto four discs with five episodes each (with the pilot on a separate disc), the transfers barely rival VHS quality, and costly music rights resulted in song replacements that loyal viewers will regret. Lack of chapter indexing and a perfunctory background essay do little justice to a landmark TV series that deserved a full-featured release on DVD. Those caveats aside, Crime Story can be appreciated as an ambitious American epic that still packs a wallop. --Jeff Shannon

Description

Following the phenomenal success of MIAMI VICE, Executive Producer Michael Mann returned to television with a new kind of gritty crime drama, one that talked tougher and hit harder than anything the small screen had ever seen before. For two explosive seasons, CRIME STORY told the hard-boiled saga of hair-trigger cop Lieutenant Mike Torello [Dennis Farina] and his obsessive pursuit of ruthless gangster Ray Luca [Anthony Denison] from the mean streets of early '60s Chicago to the neon nights of mob-run Las Vegas. Today, CRIME STORY is considered a true cult classic as well as one of the most startling series in television history. THE COMPLETE FIRST SEASON features a stellar supporting cast that includes Stephen Lang, Bill Campbell, Ted Levine, Darlanne Fluegel and Joseph Wiseman, and such guest stars as David Caruso, Michael Madsen, Pam Grier,Ving Rhames, Lorraine Bracco, Gary Sinise, Deborah Harry, Vincent Gallo and Julia Roberts.

Customer Reviews:

One of my all-time favorite TV shows.......2007-04-20

I used to love "Crime Story" when it was on TV and was both disappointed and disgusted when the show ended as it did (those of you who know, probably agree). Not since "The Untouchables" had a crime drama dealt with organized crime and the cops who bust them in such a compelling way. But where Robert Stack's Ness was stoic, straight, and incorruptable, Farina's Turillo is willing to do whatever it takes to nab his prey, blurring the line between who he is, a cop, and those whom he pursues, the criminal.

Well, now I own the first season of the show and can enjoy it as much as I like. Watching it on DVD reminds me of how great the film really was, how it captured the mood of an era - and it just wasn't period music being played in the background.

Dennis Farina's cop against Anthony Dennison's hood is a great story of near epic proportions as Turillo's obsession in busting Ray Lucca finally consumes him. Thinking about it, could the series have ended any other way? (No, this is not a spoiler, consider it a tease).

What can I say? If you love crime dramas - this is the show for you. Even if you don't love crime dramas, you might find this a pleasant surprise. It's good TV, good story telling, and reminds one of what TV can do when it really tries.

Can that Michael Mann (Miami Vice, Last of the Mohicans, Heat) tell a story or what?

Best Cop Show Ever.......2007-03-11

Best cop show ever on TV, period. Except this isn't really a TV show. It's really a film masquerading as a TV show. This program has it all: flawless directing, exquisite camera work, sublime acting, superb music. Dennis Farina as Lt. Turello makes Clint Eastwood look like a little girl, while Anthony Denison as Ray Luca is the epitome of Machiavellian evil. I gave Seasons One and Two to my husband as a Valentine's gift, and a month later, he's still watching. It's the gift that keeps on giving!

Timeless.......2007-01-19

In one word Crime Story is "Brilliant".When you realise what the majority of the cast have accomplished since,it was a starting point for many of the most acclaimed actors of our time! A must see!

Its great!.......2006-02-28

I got it for my boyfriend and I have been watching with him because I never saw it before, I'm totally wrapped-up in it...

Love this series.......2006-02-21

Crime Story was, and is, one of the best shows that TV has ever had...it was so underrated in it's day. So happy to own this box set. A must have for Crime Story lovers!

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Gotti
The Rise & Fall Of A Reale Life Mafia Don
Wonderful movie
Gotti
BEST MOVIE EVER!

Gotti
Starring: Armand Assante , William Forsythe , Richard C. Sarafian , Frank Vincent , and Anthony Quinn
Director: Robert Harmon
Manufacturer: Hbo Home Video
ProductGroup: DVD
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ASIN: B00004U103
Release Date: 2000-09-19

Amazon.com

A very impressive treatment of the rise and fall of New York crime boss John Gotti, this made-for-TV movie succeeds in large measure because of the outstanding work of Armand Assante (I, The Jury, Mambo Kings) as Gotti. Assante creates a complex portrayal of a man loyal to the mob while struggling with personal demons and his own self-destructive ambitions. The film traces the dapper don's rise through the ranks of the Gambino crime family, first through the patronage of his mentor (Anthony Quinn) and then through a brazen assassination of the Gambino boss. Eventually Gotti's world crashes around him as his arrogance over beating the government at trial and his thirst for the limelight causes a rift with his right-hand man, Sammy "The Bull" Gravano (William Forsythe). Gotti boasts terrific New York City locales and a truly impressive cast, including standout work by Forsythe and Quinn. But it's Assante's movie all the way, and he makes the most out of a larger than life character by making him seem no more, and no less, than human and flawed. --Robert Lane

Customer Reviews:

Gotti.......2007-08-25

This was Armand Assante's best role playing John Gotti. The movie was entertaining and took me through the rise and fall of the late mafia don.

Corey Cotta, Author of All of Yesterdays Tomorrows.

The Rise & Fall Of A Reale Life Mafia Don.......2007-07-21

GOTTI is a exelent mobster movie one of the best i`v seen, armand assante`s appearance is not only explosive & rich but also verry powerful
A Absolute must have fore mobster-movie fans and armand assante fans

Wonderful movie.......2006-12-22

This movie was great. It's up there with "Goodfellas" and "Casino". Armand Assante becomes John Gotti right before your eyes. The acting was great, the story was great, the movie was great. A real 5 star movie. If you love mafia movies, this is one you should have in your collection.

Gotti.......2006-08-23

The movie had its moments some of the dialogue was hard to understand but the acting was fine. Assante and Quinn both were very good in their roles. It's worth buying if your into mafia movies.

BEST MOVIE EVER!.......2006-06-09

I am a huge mob fan (and being from BKLYN, know a bit about the real mob) and an even bigger John Gotti fan. Gotti is one of the best mob movies ever made. Although it is not 100% accurate (to say the least), it is an amazing movie with amazing actors. Many actors from current TV shows like the Sopranos & other movies make an appearance on this movie. IF YOU LIKE MOB MOVIES, THEN YOU WILL LOVE THIS MOVIE.

"Five, Ten years from now...they're gonna miss John Gotti."

Average customer rating:

crime staory
Jackie Chan like you have never seen him before

Crime Story
Starring: Kent Cheng , Jackie Chan , and Kirk Wong
Director: Kirk Wong
Manufacturer: Dragon Dynasty
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B000Q7ZKWK
Release Date: 2007-08-07

Description

(Martial Arts/Action) Based on a true story, Jackie Chan plays a special agent assigned to protect a wealthy business magnate. Things get complicated when the tycoon is kidnapped in a daring ambush.

Customer Reviews:

crime staory.......2007-09-02

a great action flick. a good jackie chan movie.a must for your collection.

Jackie Chan like you have never seen him before.......2007-08-11

Jackie Chan takes up his usual cop role in this crime thriller and is hired to protect a very wealthy business man. The business man fears that he is going to be kidnapped, and that is exactly what happens. The kidnappers are holding him for ransom and demand 60 million dollars for his safe return. They order his wife to get the money. The cops do a great job of surveillance on the wife and do everything they need to do to catch the criminals, but they don't know that one of their top detectives is one of the kidnappers. Kent Cheng (Butcher Wing AKA "fatso" from Once Upon a Time in China #1) stars as the dirty cop and Jackie gets assigned to work with him. It gets very inense when Jackie suspects that Cheng is helping the kidnappers.

Jackie Chan has had many good acting performances in his career, but this tops them all. His usual slapstick comedy is completely absent, but he still does a few of the other things you have come to expect from him. In one scene he is in a car chase and his car gets tipped onto its side. Well, Jackie just pushes the car back on its wheels and keeps on driving. Jet Li was supposed to play this role which seems like it would have been a good choice, but Jet's acting wasn't as good back then as it is now. Jackie plays this role to perfection, and in my opinion, there is no way that Jet Li could have pulled this role off as well as Jackie. If you have ever doubted Jackie as an actor, then check this movie out to see what he can really do. I would actually recommend this movie more to non Jackie Chan fans, but Jackie's die hard fans will also enjoy it.

I have always known Kent Cheng as somewhat of a bumbling idiot on screen, so this movie was a real eye opener for me. He shows that he is a great actor when given the oppurtunity. He couldn't have played his role any better.

The movie also stars Chung Fa and Ken Lo who are involved in a group fight with Jackie, and Blacky Ko has a nice cameo as a captain of the Taiwan police force.

There is not as much fighting as most Jackie Chan movies, and they keep it more real. The stunt work is top notch and will have you saying ouch, but it is actually the car chases and huge explosions that give the most excitement.

This is almost a perfect movie. Rating- 4.5/5

The picture quality is very good. Subtitles are well written. The original Cantonese mono and Cantonese 5.1 tracks sound good. There is also an English dub that I didn't mind too much.

Dragon Dynasty gives the best special edition possible by having a commentary with the director Kirk Wong. Bey Logan joins in to provide information and ask questions to the director. One thing they talk about is how this movie is based on a true story, and they actually filmed on some of the real locations where real events happened. This is my favorite Dragon Dynasty commentary I have heard. Unlike the movie, there are many laugh out loud moments in the commentary. I just wish the movie was longer than 107 minutes so that they could have talked longer. Lucky for me Kirk Wong has a great 29 minute interview where he gives his thoughts on the cuts that Jackie made to the final cut of the movie.

The 12 minute interview with Teddy Chen (one of the writers) is very informative. He talks about the script itself and gives his thoughts on the actors.

3 deleted scenes are included.

The last special feature is interesting. Dragon Dynasty always includes the original trailer, which is nice, but this one is different than most. Since it was based on a true story, they actually show news footage and interviews at the start of the trailer.

The only problem I have with this DVD release is the cover art. Jackie looks like he is posing for a rap album.

Average customer rating:

Throne of Blood
Outstanding Film: A Kurosawa Classic!
True Classical Shakespearian Japan Style
Absolute excellence
Kurosawa's interpretation of Macbeth: a masterpiece

Throne of Blood - Criterion Collection
Starring: Toshirô Mifune , Isuzu Yamada , Takashi Shimura , Akira Kubo , and Hiroshi Tachikawa
Director: Akira Kurosawa
Manufacturer: Criterion
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ASIN: B00008RH1H
Release Date: 2003-05-27

Amazon.com essential video

A champion of illumination and experimental shading, Kurosawa brings his unerring eye for indelible images to Shakespeare in this 1957 adaptation of Macbeth. By changing the locale from Birnam Wood to 16th-century Japan, Kurosawa makes an oddball argument for the trans-historicity of Shakespeare's narrative; and indeed, stripped to the bare mechanics of the plot, the tale of cutthroat ambition rewarded (and thwarted) feels infinitely adaptable. What's lost in the translation, of course, is the force and beauty of the language--much of the script of Throne of Blood is maddeningly repetitive or superfluous--but striking visual images (including the surreal Cobweb Forest and some extremely artful gore) replace the sublime poetry. Toshiro Mifune is theatrically intense as Washizu, the samurai fated to betray his friend and master in exchange for the prestige of nobility; he portrays the ill-fated warrior with a passion bordering on violence, and a barely concealed conviviality. Somewhat less successful is Isuzu Yamada as Washizu's scheming wife; her poise and creepy impassivity, chilling at first, soon grows tedious. Kurosawa himself is the star of the show, though, and his masterful use of black-and-white contrast-- not to mention his steady, dramatic hand with a battle scene--keeps the proceedings thrilling. A must-see for fans of Japanese cinema, as well as all you devotees of samurai weapons and armor. --Miles Bethany

Description

One of the most celebrated screen adaptations of Shakespeare into film, Akira Kurosawa's Throne of Blood re-imagines Macbeth in feudal Japan. Starring Kurosawa's longtime collaborator Toshiro Mifune and the legendary Isuzu Yamada as his ruthless wife, the film tells of a valiant warrior's savage rise to power and his ignominious fall. With Throne of Blood, Kurosawa fuses one of Shakespeare's greatest tragedies with the formal elements of Japanese Noh theater to make a Macbeth that is all his own—a classic tale of ambition and duplicity set against a ghostly landscape of fog and inescapable doom.

Customer Reviews:

Throne of Blood.......2007-06-27

A brilliant re-imagining of Shakespeare's "Macbeth" in feudal Japan, Kurosawa's gripping 1957 tragedy is a less frenetic, more haunting outing than previous films like "Seven Samurai." Yet it's still visually potent, containing unforgettable images of austere beauty within a persistently tense and eerie atmosphere. Yamada's character, modeled on Lady Macbeth, is sensationally chilling, while the outsize Mifune's breath-catching demise in a hail of piercing arrows is something every film lover should see more than once. For a provocative East-meets-West experience, mount "Throne of Blood."

Outstanding Film: A Kurosawa Classic!.......2006-12-06

"Throne of Blood" also known as (SPIDER WEBS CASTLE) is Kurosawa's attempt at Macbeth, only with a Japanese twist. This film is great and boasts a very strong and excellent supporting cast, including the legendary Japanese actor Toshiro Mifune as the warrior Taketori Washizu in the lead. This is one of my favorite Kurosawa films. However it is the role of Lady Washizu (Isuzu Yamada) as the wife of Taketori which I found to be the most interesting character in the film.

In this Kurosawa version of Macbeth, we find the story taking place in medieval Japan with the samurai as the main characters. Both (Toshiro Mifune) and (Minoru Chiaki) [a great and legendary actor himself] are rewarded for putting down a rebellion. For this they are rewarded by their overlord. However, they were previously warned in the forest by an old women that Mifune would rule, but his reign will be short-lived. This film is more of a Japanese film than a Shakespeare adaptation [which is good]. The film is definetly one of the greatest of Kurosawa's films and I recommend it highly. Everything about the film is great. [Stars: 5+]

True Classical Shakespearian Japan Style.......2006-07-15

I liked it better then "Ran". Deep visual and dramatic expression. Leaves you thinking about it for days.

Absolute excellence.......2006-03-23

Throne of Blood is a masterpiece by one of the world's greatest film makers at the height of his powers.

Only Kurosawa could take the essence of Shakespearian stage drama and incorporate it into the medium of film as a dynamic tour de force. Yet at the same time he remains faithful to elements of Noh (a stagy traditional Japanese play-form in which design and movement are minimalized). A seeming contradiction, dynamism and static-ness yet Kurosawa masters both in the same medium. As usual; acting, writing, cinematography, sound, direction and production are all pitch perfect.

In this second Shakespearian based film by Kurosawa, focus is on the interplay of fate, free will and the fine thread the human psyche uses to weave the two together. On a more simpler level it is a man living and dying by the sword. In short what goes around comes around. What comes around for Toshiro Mifune as he gets his just deserts is a scene with straight as an arrow, perfect direction by Kurosawa leading to quite a pointed culminatin of events (pun intended...see the movie you'll understand).

Bonus features include excellent linear notes as well as the superb commentary of Donald Richie. Few people are more knowledgeable about film and Japanese film then he. The commentary is almost as interesting as the movie itself.

As usual Criterion presents its film in pristine condition. Some may complain that Criterion is too pricey but with them you get the best cinema has to offer. You cannot go wrong. One Kurosawa masterpiece packs more poignancy, punch and philosophy then 10 lesser films thus you get 10 times the movie at 5 times the price, really quite a deal if you look at it that way.

Kurosawa's interpretation of Macbeth: a masterpiece.......2006-01-14

Macbeth comes to Japan, and although it's set in feudal times and sometimes has the feel of a classic Noh play, Kurosawa borrows freely from Shakespeare: there are the prophecies of an evil spirit; there's Lady Macbeth feeding the fire of her husband's ambition and madly trying to wash the blood off her hands; and, of course, there's Birnam woods moving toward the castle at the end. Toshiro Mifune is Macbeth, and the final scene as he's barraged with countless arrows is a classic. Isuzu Yamada is Lady Macbeth, and she puts in a virtuoso performance of frightening proportions. The movie is very atmospheric - foggy woods, braying horses, an eerie musical score - that only adds to its intensity; but it's also poetic and moving in its own unique way. It's a brilliant piece of filmmaking. [I identify the characters using Shakespeare's play; in the movie they have Japanese names.]

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