Cria Cuervos (Criterion Collection)

Description

Carlos Saura's exquisite Cría cuervos… heralded a turning point in Spain: Shot while General Franco was on his deathbed, the film melds the personal and the political in a portrait of the legacy of fascism and its effects on a middle-class family (the title derives from the Spanish proverb: "Raise ravens and they'll peck out your eyes"). Ana Torrent (the dark-eyed beauty from The Spirit of the Beehive) portrays the disturbed eight-year-old Ana, living in Madrid with her two sisters and mourning the death of her mother, whom she conjures as a ghost (played by an ethereal Geraldine Chaplin). Seamlessly shifting between fantasy and reality, the film subtly evokes both the complex feelings of childhood and the struggles of a nation emerging from the shadows.

Customer Reviews:

CRIA CUERVOS... Y TE SACARÁN LOS OJOS.......2007-08-10

Finally, it appears, Criterion is getting around to releasing some of the many great Spanish films of the past decades. High time they noticed there has been some astounding Spanish films and directors beyond Luis Buñuel, undoubtedly the great master. But Saura, Berlanga, Bardem, Borau, Erice, Bigas Luna, and quite a few more I could name, have directed some masterpieces that also deserve the special Criterion teatment. After the recent and excellent release of El Espíritu de la Colmena (Spirit of the Beehive), now comes Cría Cuervos, a fascinating parable, somewhere between fantasy and reality, that beyond the too obvious symbolism of a country finally liberating itself from a long dictatorship, it is an intelligent exploration of the scary world of troubled childhood. And Ana Torrent (the same girl of Spirit of the Beehive) speaks volumes just with those incredible dark eyes. My copy is in its way, but I don't doubt Criterion transfer and worthy extras will deserve a 5-star rating.

UPDATING: Having just received my copy, I can say I am very pleased with the excellent transfer of the movie. It looks great. But I am even more impressed by the extras on the second disc:. Mainly, a wonderfully insightful portrait of Carlos Saura (more than one hour long), produced by TVE (state-run Spanish tv) in 2004 -unfortunately in a non-anamorphic widescreen transfer-, which I found as interesting as the film itself. Also a 20-minute incredibly candid and perceptive interview in English with Geraldine Chaplin (done for Criterion in 2007 susprisingly not in widescreen). I have the pleasure of interviewing the actress some years back for a Spanish publication and I knew how good and revealing she was in conversation with the press, unlike most film actors. But I was surprised by some of her intimate revelations in this one. Another 8-minute conversation with Ana Torrent shot for the Criterion Collection as well (this one in anamorphic widescree!) is also welcomed, but should have been conducted in Spanish, as the actress is no so fluent with her English.

Go Diego Go! - The Great Dinosaur Rescue

Average customer rating:

Great for Diego lovers!!
Diego is great
Interactive and Educational
Big Hit!
Very Enjoyable!!

Go Diego Go! - The Great Dinosaur Rescue
Starring: E. Austin Valentine , Rosie Perez , Sebastian Arcelus , Jake T. Austin , and Gabriela Aisenberg
Manufacturer: Paramount
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

Animation | Kids & Family | Genres | DVD | Video

General | Kids & Family | Genres | DVD | Video

Dinosaurs | Kids & Family | Genres | DVD | Video

DVDs Under $7.49 | Today's Deals in DVD | Special Features | DVD | Video

( G ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video
Similar Items:

ASIN: B000BYRCCY
Release Date: 2006-02-21

Amazon.com

Like his free-spirited cousin Dora, the Explorer, eight-year old animated character Diego Marquez makes his film debut, an animal rescue extravaganza based on Nick Jr.'s show, Go, Diego, Go!. The preschool program focuses on animal exploration and discovery while incorporating Latin American culture, Spanish vocabulary, and plenty of audience participation. Based on the sweeping success of the series, The Great Dinosaur Rescue applies the same winsome elements to an original storyline that starts in a dinosaur museum with some fun facts about the fascinating reptiles. When Diego, Dora, and Baby Jaguar hear Alicia tell a story about a Maiasaura who got separated from her family, they know it's time for a rescue. With a little help from viewers, the team jumps back in time to the age of the dinosaurs to find Maia and return her safely to Egg Island. But the journey has some obstacles to overcome--including muddy pits, rocky cliffs, and a rumbling volcano--which require teamwork, cool gadgetry, and Diego's unique ability to communicate with animals. Preschoolers are invited to interact with the story as Diego rouses them--often in Spanish--to "Stand up!" and stretch, stomp, and jump. Integrating repetition, music, and movement, the film (like the series), is a standout for teaching problem-solving skills along with an appreciation of the animal kingdom. The 50-minute VHS ends with a computer-like game offering a question/answer review of the story; the 92-minute DVD includes two bonus episodes, "Diego Saves Baby Humpback Whale" and "Rescue The Red-Eyed Tree Frogs." (Ages 3 to 5) --Lynn Gibson

Product Description

"It's Diego and You to the Rescue!" From the creators of Dora the Explorer comes a whole new adventure - Go Diego Go! This animated, preschool, action adventure series stars Diego Marquez, an 8-year-old bilingual, Latino, animal rescuer with in intense love of nature and the animals around him. In each episode Diego partners directly with the view on a high stakes animal themed adventure.

Customer Reviews:

Great for Diego lovers!!.......2007-06-10

This DVD is worth ever penny. My two sons love to watch this on road trips. Not only do my kids like Diego, but they love dinosaurs. If your kids like Diego this is the video for them!!

Diego is great.......2007-05-07

I purchased this DVD based on other peoples' recommendations here on Amazon. My granddaughter absolutely loved it. (She is 31 months old.) She is really fascinated with Dinosaurs and I didn't even know that she had just been introduced to Diego. I can highly recommend it.

Interactive and Educational.......2007-04-18

My 2 year old son is enjoying this interactive dvd. The content prompts the toddler to respond via words and actions rather than just passively watching the visual content. It also introduces concepts like helping others in trouble, working in a group, solving problem and various others. I am happy to see my son enjoying this dvd.

Big Hit!.......2007-03-21

My grandson is a big Diego fan! He love's this show. Entertaining for him and grandma too! Don't miss this one!

Very Enjoyable!!.......2007-02-25

My 2 year daughter absolutely love Diego. At first she was into Dora but she loves and dances to all the Diego songs and I find myself singing along with her at times. So this disc is definitely a thumbs up.

Average customer rating:

DVD learning and entertainment

Go Diego Go! - Wolf Pup Rescue
Starring: E. Austin Valentine , Rosie Perez , Sebastian Arcelus , Jake T. Austin , and Gabriela Aisenberg
Manufacturer: Paramount
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Kids & Family | Genres | DVD | Video

DVDs Under $9.99 | Today's Deals in DVD | Special Features | DVD | Video

( G ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video
Similar Items:

ASIN: B000FZETL6
Release Date: 2006-09-19

Description

"Go, Diego, Go!" is an animated, preschool, action adventure series starring Diego Marquez, an 8-year-old bilingual, Latino, animal rescuer with an intense love of nature and the animals around him. In each episode Diego encourages his viewers to participate in his high stakes animal themed adventures.

Customer Reviews:

DVD learning and entertainment.......2007-01-04

My granddaughter loves Diego and Dora. Seems there is some controversy about them, but our family loves them. They are colorful, well thoughtout, with great different characters and different animals. Always positive outcomes with showing the desire to help. The interactive part is very entertaining for the young ones and educational.

Average customer rating:

SPIKE LEE'S CROOKLYN
*Re-living Back In The Days*
Another great film by Spike Lee
[3.5]--Warm and bittersweet film
in my opinion a classic movie by da underrated delroy lindo and alfrie woodard

Crooklyn
Starring: Vondie Curtis-Hall , N. Jeremi Duru , Frances Foster , Zelda Harris , and David Patrick Kelly
Manufacturer: Universal Studios
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Comedy | Genres | DVD | Video

General | Drama | Genres | DVD | Video

Comedy | African American Cinema | Genres | DVD | Video

General | African American Cinema | Genres | DVD | Video

DVDs Under $7.49 | Today's Deals in DVD | Special Features | DVD | Video

( C ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video
Similar Items:

ASIN: 0783230524
Release Date: 1999-02-23

Amazon.com essential video

Spike Lee's semiautobiographical, 1994 film about the good and bad times for a Brooklyn family in the '70s has passion and nostalgic good feeling, but it is also a mess of random reflections and arbitrary storytelling. The centerpiece of the movie is a little girl (Zelda Harris) who views the ups and downs of her parents' experiences (mom and dad are played by Delroy Lindo and Alfre Woodard), and who navigates the life of her neighborhood. Lee tosses in a lot of '70s detail (watching The Partridge Family) and other diversions (Harris's journey through suburbia), but he has no master sensibility controlling the flow of it all. The film is more wearying than anything, although bright spots include Lindo's fine performance as a talented man suffering from irrelevance. --Tom Keogh

Customer Reviews:

SPIKE LEE'S CROOKLYN.......2007-04-14

This Spike Lee joint tells the funny, but also sad story about life growing up in Brooklyn in th Early '70's through the eyes of a no-nonsense mother, a struggling-musician father and their 5 children. The music of that time was great and you get to hear some of it throughout the movie like The Stylistics, The Staple Singers & Aretha Franklin just to name a few. Also, clips from nostaglic commercials and TV shows like The Partridge Family and Soul Train (the first season) are also featured in this story that makes this movies worth watching.

And I think the formula used for CROOKLYN may have been some sort of inspiration for the 2002-2005 NBC show AMERICAN DREAMS since they were both produced by Universal Pictures.

*Re-living Back In The Days*.......2007-04-12

The movie was awesome. It had a great story line. Also it takes you back to the late 70's and the early 80's. Spike Lee definitly did a good job with the clothing, the scenary, and the music. It is a great family movie.

Another great film by Spike Lee.......2007-02-27

The first time I saw this film, I was at my aunt's house. Each character had their own uniqueness, especially Troy. I loved her. The film is one of those timeless classics. Growing up in Brooklyn, this has to be one of my favorite films. I was born in 1982, but the film still resonates with me, because it shows me how life was back in the 1970s. Spike Lee, when is Hollywood going to give you an Oscar?

[3.5]--Warm and bittersweet film.......2007-02-16

Crooklyn, which Lee co-wrote with his siblings Joie Lee and Cinque Lee, marks a departure for Spike in its subject matter, offering a warm, tragicomic look at growing up in Brooklyn in the early 1970s, when the main drugs parents had to worry about their kids falling prey to wasn't crack or heroin but television and sugar. Alfre Woodard and Delroy Lindo head the Carmichael clan, a family of seven loosely based on the real-life Lees.

Woodard plays Carolyn, who teaches school and tries to keep the house in order, including her husband Woody (Lindo), a musician trying to stay true to his art even if that means placing his family in a financial strait-jacket. Crooklyn takes the point of view of the family's only daughter, 9-year-old Troy (Zelda Harris). While the film certainly looks through her eyes, it doesn't seem to be a strong enough viewpoint to carry the film's whimsical meandering. While Woodard, Lindo and Harris all give solid performances, the four brothers tend to disappear into the woodwork, never really developing into characters in their own rights. Subplots about a neighbor (David Patrick Kelly) and two glue-sniffing street kids (one played by Spike Lee) appear but never really go anywhere, though the glue sniffers do provide some funny camera angles. There aren't many overt flaws in Crooklyn. All but the most comic of urban violence has been removed, and we're left with a somewhat-idealized view of an early-70s Brooklyn.

Lee is as talented as any director is capturing an era, and some of the early scenes perfectly recall the mood of the time. The pop soundtrack may be a little too obvious, but it gets the job done. As usual, Lee has assembled an excellent cast. Alfre Woodard and Delroy Lindo do tremendous jobs. David Patrick Kelly provides a little comic relief as the white next-door neighbor who annoys just about everyone. Then there's Zelda Harris, whose unaffected performance is the glue that holds the picture together.

Crooklyn turns out pleasant enough, but by the end, it feels as if something has been left out and it just stops. The world of a child -- especially one pushed all-too-soon into adulthood -- is never easy, and this film captures the facets of Troy's odyssey. Beneath the surface of this deceptively simple motion picture lurks a keen insight.

in my opinion a classic movie by da underrated delroy lindo and alfrie woodard.......2006-06-28

this is one of my all time favorite movies produced by spike lee i would watch this film when i was about to go to harlem, new york to visit my family since crooklyn was a new york joint the movie starts off very funny when delroy blew his horn to call his children in for dinner however the ending is one of the most depressing finishes in film history when alfrie passed on i craved to witness crooklyn 2 to see how was the family doing a couple of years later that would have been nice to watch it could have starred almost the same cast but also included a few new faces eddie murphy as the next door neighbor since he is from brooklyn richard pryer or bill cobsy as the children's grandfather and rube d as the grandmother crooklyn was a black version of the brandy bunch from the ghetto because delroy and alfrie had a lot of children their daughter troy was the only girl in the house therefore alfrie decided it would be best that troy went to virgina to spend half the summer with her aunt, uncle, and girl cousin so would have someone the same sex as her she can relate with so as u can probably tell troy was the third person to still in this movie after delroy and alfrie

Average customer rating:

No emotion left untouched in THE SEA INSIDE
Wonderful
After months
Very Thought Provoking
Beautiful.

The Sea Inside
Starring: Javier Bardem , Belén Rueda , Lola Dueñas , Mabel Rivera , and Celso Bugallo
Director: Alejandro Amenábar
Manufacturer: New Line Home Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Art House & International | Genres | DVD | Video

General | Drama | Genres | DVD | Video

DVDs as Low as $7.49 | The Big DVD Sale | Stores | DVD | Video

General | Foreign & International | Stores | DVD | Video

DVDs Under $7.49 | Today's Deals in DVD | Special Features | DVD | Video

( S ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video
Similar Items:

ASIN: B00080Z53O
Release Date: 2005-05-17

Amazon.com

Winner of the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film of 2004, The Sea Inside is a life-affirming film about a man who wishes to die. That may seem like a massive contradiction, but in the hands of director Alejandro Amenábar (Open Your Eyes, The Others) and actor Javier Bardem (Before Night Falls), this fact-based Spanish drama concerns the final days of Ramón Sampedro, the quadriplegic poet who waged a controversial campaign for his right to die. He was denied this right for 30 years, and ultimately arranged for his own assisted suicide, but this remarkable film--and Bardem's keenly intelligent performance--examines the hotly-debated issue of assisted suicide with admirable depth and humanity, just as Sampedro did until his death in 1998. For Sampedro, death was preferable to severe paralysis (he even refused to use a wheelchair), but the film does not suggest a "disposable" attitude toward disability. Instead, it's a thoughtful meditation on life and love as gifts to be cherished, and a challenging drama that begs each viewer to examine their own personal beliefs about what makes life worth living. You may not agree with Sampedro and his ultimate denial of life, but The Sea Inside will urge you to ponder how you would react under similar circumstances, and that makes it a profoundly meaningful film. --Jeff Shannon

Description

Academy Award nominee Javier Bardem (Before Night Falls) delivers a powerful and sensitive portrayal of a quadriplegic who fights to win the right to end his life with dignity. Based on a true story.

DVD Features: Audio Commentary:Director Commentary Deleted Scenes: Documentaries:"A trip to The Sea Inside" Making-of Storyboards: Theatrical Trailer:

Customer Reviews:

No emotion left untouched in THE SEA INSIDE.......2007-09-10

BEYOND 5 stars!

Every once in a while a film comes along that is so powerful in it's message,production,direction,cinematography,soundtrack and ensemble acting that it deserves multiple accolades;such is the 2004 Spanish Award winning THE SEA INSIDE (Mar Adentro)from writer/director/soundtrack composer Alejandro Amenabar whose earlier triumph THE OTHERS was a foreshadowing of great things to come.

THE SEA INSIDE is a tour-de-force in film making.The story of Ramon Sampedro, a man who was a quadriplegic for nearly thirty years and confined to a bed in a room,could have been extremely claustrophobic in the hands of less experienced directors and actors,but Amenabar and Javier Bardem as Ramon take this film,it's message and the lead character way beyond the confines of a bedroom and open it up into a glorious triumph and resiliency of the human will to persevere for freedom of conscience and dignity.Ramon wants to die;this is his fight for the right of choice that hit headlines the world over.Ramon has a most unusual quality to inspire greatness and vitality in others, but wants to end the hell that he experiences daily imprisoned in his lifeless body.This film is not preachy,nor does it become a soapbox for pro choice or pro life.All sides are presented fairly and with much thought and sensitivity.Ultimately, the story is one man's personal desire with the issue of euthanasia and Javier Bardem,who recently impressed in GOYA'S GHOSTS (an English speaking role) shows why he is among the top actors in the world today with his transcendent performance in THE SEA INSIDE.

The film is in Spanish.The English subtitles FLY so get ready to read quickly.There is a documentary on the dvd about the writing of the screenplay with Amenabar.It is informationally quite interesting, but it is filmed like reality T.V.

This is a film that will be viewed often for it's numerous aspects of greatness.Highly recommended purchase for the price.

Wonderful.......2007-07-28

Best movie I have seen in a very long time, higly recommended. Strong and crude topic treated with an amazing sensitivity. Wondefully directed and Javier Barden act is amazing.
Don't miss it

After months.......2007-05-27

I will be writing a review for a film I have seen months ago. In the first place, what urged me to see this film was the impressiveness of the idea of two women falling in love with a man who is totally disabled. Then, while I was watching it, I had to question the line between life and death and how thin it can be sometimes. What I remember explicitly from the film now is how it presented love. It seems with this film that love is not only in what we do for the others but also in doing the things for the others which they want us to do and being able to see the world with the eyes of the others and being able to understand them. The sea inside is a beautiful film to see..

Very Thought Provoking.......2007-05-15

I had to watch this for one of my classes and I was amazingly surprised by how wonderful the movie was. I did not mind reading the subtitles in the least. It was a very powerful, thought provoking movie that inspires discussion. It is also a very good movie to test your moral issues. The actors are amazing and the plot is well laid out, with a very artistic approach to some aspects of it. I thought some parts of the movie were slow though, but overall, I would watch this movie over again gladly.

Beautiful........2007-04-10

I avoided this movie for a long time even though it looked like "one of those movies" I'd like, because the description just sounded so dreary and depressing. Yeah, I shed a few tears, but it was a beautiful movie. I shouldn't have put it off. Give it a try.

Average customer rating:

Real Women Have Curves
Fun Movie!
Portrayal Seems Genuine !
The Mother-Daughter Thing
Great Gift to Women of All Sizes & Aspirations

Real Women Have Curves
Starring: America Ferrera , Lupe Ontiveros , Ingrid Oliu , George Lopez , and Brian Sites
Director: Patricia Cardoso
Manufacturer: Hbo Home Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Comedy | Genres | DVD | Video

General | Drama | Genres | DVD | Video

DVDs as Low as $7.49 | The Big DVD Sale | Stores | DVD | Video

DVDs Under $7.49 | Today's Deals in DVD | Special Features | DVD | Video

( R ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video
Similar Items:

ASIN: B000AM4P90
Release Date: 2005-09-06

Amazon.com

While My Big Fat Greek Wedding broke box-office records in 2002, Real Women Have Curves did a better job of keeping it real. Set in the vibrant environs of East Los Angeles, with a breakthrough performance by Latina newcomer America Ferrera, this comedic drama takes a familiar subject--a bright teenager struggling to define her identity--and turns it into an authentic celebration of feminine empowerment. Eighteen-year-old Ana (Ferrera) has scholarship potential, her first boyfriend, and a chubby figure that her similarly overweight mother (Lupe Ontiveros, perfectly cast) won't stop harping about. Mom insists that Ana work in her sister's dressmaking sweatshop, continuing a family tradition that can only break her spirit. How Ana defies this fate--and how director Patricia Cardoso captures the proud tenacity of several full-figured seamstresses--is what makes this film (adapted from a play by Josefina Lopez) so uniquely refreshing. Greek Wedding made more money, but Real Women--which is just as funny--makes a lot more sense. --Jeff Shannon

Description

A $6 million box office theatrical run followed awards and acclaim at the Sundance Film Festival. Should Ana leave home, go to college and experience life? Or stay home, get married, and keep working in her sister's struggling garment factory? It may seem like an easy decision, but for 18 year-old Ana, every choice she makes this summer will change her life. Right now, she may be making clothes for less shapely women. But Ana is about to discover that real women take chances, have flaws, embrace life, and above all have curves!

Customer Reviews:

Real Women Have Curves.......2007-08-31

It is America Ferrer at her finest. Anyone with old fashioned hispanic parents can relate to her. Highly Recommended!!!!

Fun Movie!.......2007-05-07

I loved this movie....it is exceptionally well acted, witty, with a smart and biting script. Though it's technically a "chick flick", I think men would enjoy it also (although maybe not admit that). I saw it on television and liked it so much I wanted to see the unedited version. You can never go wrong with a movie made by HBO, and is something that you will want to pull out of the drawer and watch again and again.

Portrayal Seems Genuine !.......2007-04-11

Great movie for all ages. This film is very enjoyable and it can be appreciated by any age group. Laughed through most of this mainly upbeat film.

Characters are portrayed very authentically and believable.

Nothing too far fetched (except maybe the underwear dancing factory workers), though that was a hysterical scene.

Loved it !
Recommend it !

The Mother-Daughter Thing.......2007-03-27

I liked this movie a lot. It's not a powerhouse, it's what I think of as a "whisperer." I watched it months ago, and there are some particular moments that keep playing in my mind, still, because I could really feel them. I'm far from being a Latina, but I love Latino/Mexican/Central American culture, so I watched this movie expecting it to be aimed at an audience much younger than me. I love "Ugly Betty" and thought seeing America Ferrera in one of her movies would be interesting. There were several mother-daughter scenes in this movie which really brought forth long-buried memories of exchanges with my own mother, moments where you realize how uncomfortable you're making your mother and you can't help it. As an adult I realize what those moments were, and they don't seem so large and terrible now, but at the time they were. This movie brought them back into focus and made me realize the importance of growing up, of becoming your own person, and the necessity for every daughter to have the courage to "step over" their mother and become herself. It's interesting to watch Ana come through the process and finally realize how HARD her family works to make her able to take that step over. On another note, I am appalled and disappointed at how many fans of Ms. Ferrera have posted on various sites that they love her, love that she's not the usual lookalike skinny stick-insect, and then finish their post with something like, "she'd be prettier if she'd lose weight." It's mean and false. This movie also made me go back and watch "The Joy Luck Club" again, another excellent mother-daughter reflection.

Great Gift to Women of All Sizes & Aspirations.......2007-03-09

It is so wonderful to have a film about women learning to just be who you are, regardless of class background and/or size. A great story of accepting yourself and others, and demanding that you be accepted for who and what you are.

Average customer rating:

Funny and Family-Friendly, But Nothing Special
A Very Good Funny Family Movie
lacked something
It's an okay movie
Not What I Expected

Are We There Yet?
Starring: Ice Cube , Nia Long , Aleisha Allen , Philip Bolden , and Jay Mohr
Director: Brian Levant
Manufacturer: Sony Pictures
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Comedy | Genres | DVD | Video

Domestic Comedies | Comedy | Genres | DVD | Video

General | Kids & Family | Genres | DVD | Video

Comedy | Kids & Family | Genres | DVD | Video

( A ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video
Similar Items:

ASIN: B000803BQC
Release Date: 2005-05-24

Amazon.com

Ice Cube has turned his frown upside down with the family-friendly screwball road movie Are We There Yet? We know the actor/rapper can use his trademark scowl to be funny (the Friday and Barbershop series), or to be mean (Boyz in the Hood)--but can he use it to melt kids' hearts? That's the question Are We There Yet? answers with a resounding yes for youngsters in the audience (which will be the lions' share), but it'll probably be an emphatic shrug for the grownups. The contrived plot has Cube playing a wannabe-player (as in ladies' man) and ex-player (as in washed-up minor league baseball star) who now owns a sports memorabilia business. His partner, played by Jay Mohr is just a throwaway, as is the talented Nia Long, the single mom that Cube sets his blinged-out sights on. To try to get in her good graces, he offers to transport her two bratty kids in his pride-and-joy Lincoln Navigator for a joy ride to a distant city where she's attending an emergency business meeting so they can have a New Year's Eve celebration together. This kiddies version of Road Trip and Planes, Trains and Automobiles has its cute moments, but plenty more gross-out moments which will please the kids no end, especially as the Navigator gets more and more trashed. Suffice it to say they all learn about each others' good sides and hearts are suitably melted all around--until after the credits roll, then you'll probably forget about the whole thing.--Ted Fry

Customer Reviews:

Funny and Family-Friendly, But Nothing Special.......2007-09-10

Nick Persons (Ice Cube) is a swinging bachelor that lives in Portland, Oregon. He runs a successful and highly profitable sports hobby shop. One day Nick sees a beautiful woman that he almost immediately falls for. Her name is Suzanne Kingston (Nia Long) and she has all the characteristics of a mate that Nick has been looking for. However, Nick soon learns that Suzanne is divorced and has two children. Nick is terrified of children, but he likes Suzanne and is determined to make their relationship work. The kids, daughter Lindsey (Aleisha Allen) and Kevin (Philip Daniel Bolden), still desperately want their parents to get back together and have done everything in their power to prevent their mom from having a successful relationship with anyone else. Even though Nick is nicer and more loveable than some of the other prospects, he is NOT an exception to the kids' dislike and they use their full measure of ingenuity to get rid of him. But it doesn't work because Nick has fallen for Suzanne and vice versa. Then Suzanne is forced to stay in Vancouver for New Years and asks Nick to bring her the kids so they can be together for the holiday. The journey becomes a test for the relationship between Nick and Suzanne as well as the turning point between Nick and Lindsey and Kevin.

Other than being set in the beautiful Pacific Northwest, ARE WE THERE YET? is a highly derivative film and doesn't really offer anything new to the family road trip subgenre. There are scenes in the movie that are slightly altered, but have been used before in such films as NATIONAL LAMPOON'S FAMILY VACATION, HOME ALONE, and TOMMY BOY. Also, it takes awhile for the audience to feel empathetic towards Lindsey and Kevin and the abuse they pour on Nick. For half of the movie, the children seem completely selfish, uncaring, and downright cruel.

Still, even with a fairly weak and derivative script and a couple of self-centered kids, ARE WE THERE YET? works as a family movie. The movie only has some comical violence, hardly any foul language, and contains an important message about the importance of family, sticking together, and the power of unconditional love. It may not be a great movie, but ARE WE THERE YET? is a decent one that children and their parents can safely enjoy watching together.

A Very Good Funny Family Movie.......2007-08-12

I absolutely loved this movie. I kind of had my doubts when I saw Ice Cube's name because I didn't know if it would be okay for family viewing, but after watching this DVD I must say I was pleasantly surprised. It's a DVD that I will watch over and over. Ice Cube's character, Nick becomes infatuated with Nia Long's character, and is disappointed to learn that she has two kids. The little girl is especially sassy, and neither of the children trust Nick who has the task of driving them across the country during the Christmas holidays. The children put Nick through hell, and try to run him away from their mother.
All in all the movie ends well, and they all learn to like each other.

lacked something.......2007-08-01

like depth! The story line was great. A single guy doing a favor for a female he wants to get to know better. The favor turns out to be more than he bargined for. This is not a family movie. Too bad!

It's an okay movie.......2007-05-12

Not a bad movie. Not a great movie, but not bad either.

Not What I Expected.......2007-05-07

We saw the move, "Are We There Yet?" in the theater and really enjoyed it, so we decided to purchase this DVD. It would be a good movie for kids if not for the swearing and bad attitudes of the children in the movie. We probabbly will not watch the DVD again (at least not with kids).

Average customer rating:

Great fun, visually beautiful, and a kid's introduction to Mayan culture
Apocalypto, the Musical Comedy
The Other City of Gold
On The Road with the Children
Cartoon Nudity

The Road to El Dorado
Starring: Armand Assante , Tobin Bell , Elton John , Kevin Kline , and Kenneth Branagh
Director: Don Paul , and Bibo Bergeron
Manufacturer: Dreamworks Animated
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

Animation | Kids & Family | Genres | DVD | Video

General | Kids & Family | Genres | DVD | Video

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

10-12 Years | Kids & Family | Genres | DVD | Video

Family Films | Kids & Family | Genres | DVD | Video

General | Animation | Genres | DVD | Video

Feature Films | Animation | Genres | DVD | Video

DTS | Fully Loaded DVDs | Features | DVD | Video

( R ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video

DVDs Under $14.99 | Today's Deals in DVD | Special Features | DVD | Video
Similar Items:

ASIN: B00003CXG7
Release Date: 2000-12-12

Amazon.com

In its third foray into animated features, DreamWorks came up with something unfortunate: the routine animated picture. Plagued with production problems (it was originally conceived as a mold-breaking PG-13 adventure), the likable film is a Hope/Crosby-style road picture about two scalawags who stumble upon the Latin American paradise of El Dorado, the mythical city with riches of gold. Kenneth Branagh and Kevin Kline are quite fun as Miguel and Tuilo, two Spanish con artists who are shipwrecked in the New World with a scene-stealing horse. The pair follow a map to the secret city where their loyalty will be tested: do they return home rich men or continue to live in this paradise? Of course there are some obstacles: a high priest (Armand Assante) is locked in a power struggle with the benevolent chief (Edward James Olmos) and the perfunctory girlfriend (Rosie Perez) puts the two friends at odds. Like too many of the animated features of its time, The Road to El Dorado impresses only on a visual level (it's drenched in gorgeous greens and golds). The story and Elton John's songs are quite forgettable; only Branagh and Kline's playful banter keeps the film alive. The PG rating is for some bare backsides and a suggestion of off-screen sex that should soar right over the little ones' heads. Slick and light, it's a fine 83-minute entertainment for ages 5 and up, including the nondiscriminating adult. --Doug Thomas

Customer Reviews:

Great fun, visually beautiful, and a kid's introduction to Mayan culture.......2007-03-25

Wow, I wouldn't add another review of this movie except that some of the posted ones are sooo bizarre!

We first rented this movie when my daughter was maybe 5 and loved it. There are several sequences where the color and animation are just stunning, and the buddy-movie plot in a historical setting is very funny and (somewhat) educational at the same time. The story involves two Spanish con-artists, Tulio and Miguel, who are accidental stowaways on Cortez' ship and end up in El Dorado, where they are received as gods. Although no specific location for El Dorado is identified and story elements are borrowed broadly from Meso-American culture, the imagery is largely Mayan, and the woman with bigger dreams who helps our Spanish heros is named Chel, no doubt taken from the Mayan goddess Ix Chel.

I find it bizarre that some reviewers find a few seconds (literally) of rear nudity of cartoon characters who are bathing to be objectionable for children. Children are likely to be last ones who think this is unusual. And the suggestion that there is implicit sex in this movie is even stranger, unless you are talking about the fact that children are depicted in some scenes (and we all know where children come from!) Adults can read what they want into the relationship of Tulio and Chel, but I had no problem with my daughter seeing this either when she was 5 or now that she is 8.

A more serious issue than the sex that isn't there is the theme of human sacrifice. This was indeed hard to explain to my 5-year-old, but certainly no worse than many other 'kids' movies, and much easier than explaining the daily news. The actual implied deaths in the movie are limited (if I recall completely) to an anonymous skull on the beach and the sadistic priest's assistant, whom one understands to be murdered in a cutaway scene that shows no actual violence. The scene in which heros Tulio and Miguel are being pursued by a giant stone jaguar was a little scary to my 5-year-old, but is viewed as fairly tame now that she is 8. Overall, it's a far less violent movie than things like Star Wars, Pirates of the Caribbean, and the ubiquitous shoot-em-up TV cartoons (or old cartoon standards like Huck Hound and Road Runner). It is certainly less violent than most of the Bible or kids' movies based on it such as Prince of Egypt. More importantly, the message is clearly anti-violent, and the off-screen violence is not glorified as something noble, ethical, patriotic, or the will of God.

A historical element that was more difficult for a 5-year-old to comprehend than why there was human sacrifice is why the Spanish were received as gods, and what exactly that meant. Sometimes it's good to be forced to explain theologcical concepts and how they vary among cultures to 5-year-olds. It can help sharpen your own understanding or ability to communicate it.

From a historical perspective, the good chief/sadistic priest dichotomy is an overly simplistic view of how sacrifice functioned in meso-American cultures, but it seemed about right to introduce kids to an unsavory historical topic, and works in the plot as the standard good/evil conflict that many or most stories revolve around. There are other historical and cultural tidbits that may not all be exactly in the correct context, but nevertheless introduce kids and many adults to details of Mayan and broader meso-American culture. For example, the movie is appropriately set in 1519, the year when Cortez actually did set out (from Cuba, not Spain) to Mexico, and landed first on Cozumel, a major pilgrimage site for the temple of the goddess Ix Chel, before heading on to conquer the Aztecs. The movie features in fairly accurate way the ball game that was a central cultural element of Meso-American cultures and is a key element in the Mayan creation myth (Popol Vuh). In one scene, Miguel takes a turn as a voladore (a person who swings upside down suspended from a tall pole). I don't know if the Maya specifically had voladores, but they are a ubiquitous and colorful feature of Mexican tourist spots, including at Maya ruins.

I rented this movie a second time (and eventually bought it because I like it) this year to help my daughter understand who the Maya are (and were) before we took a family vacation to Cozumel. Although it might not be as accurate of a cultural depiction as the books I also got for her, it is safe to say that she was more easily engaged in the movie. Fortunately, she also got to meet real Maya and see how they live now. I took the movie along on our trip and watched it with the entire extended family, who all enjoyed it immensely and laughed frequently (ages 8-80).

Apocalypto, the Musical Comedy.......2006-12-13

Because, really, what better topic for easy laughs with the kiddies than ritualistic human sacrifice?

We really enjoy family movie night at our house. With kids of 13, 10, and 7, it can be a challenge to find something that a) no one has seen and b) has at least some appeal to all three. We came home from the video store with this movie with a rare consensus. By the time it was about 2/3 over, my wife and I had an even rarer consensus, we needed to turn this movie off. I can't say what happens after the point where we stopped, but the Spanish Conquistadors meeting with the Aztecs didn't seem like it would be good fodder for a children's movie. It is a measure of how bad this movie is that none of our kids objected.

Did I mention that the movie was bad? Bad, bad, bad, baddity-bad-bad. One of the worst children's cartoons I have ever seen. Possibly the worst ever. How is it bad, you ask? Let me tell you:

1) Bad plotting. I went in to the kitchen to make popcorn, and I missed the scene that introduced the European Villain (c'mon, it's a movie that includes Aboriginal Americans, how can there NOT be a European Villain). That's how little he was on the screen. Yet, fast forward to the ultimate conflict, and there he is, making a reappearance. Imagine Star Wars with Darth Vader showing up in the opening scene, and then only reappearing at the end to shoot at Luke outside the Death Star. That's what it was like. Bad.

2) Bad singing. I was listening thinking that it sounded like a bad Elton John impersonator who had cribbed from The Lion King. No, it actually WAS Elton John. I can't believe Sir Elton has not paid to have his name expunged from this turkey. This has to be the low point of his career. Elton, seriously, if you read this, if you ever need money this badly again, give me a call. I'll try to help. Bad.

3) Bad topic. I hope the idiot who gave this the green light lost his or her job. Murderous indigenous culture as a comedy vehicle? What's next? An animated musical comedy version of The Diary of Anne Frank? The whole time watching it, I had a creeping dread as to how they were going to deal with this. Bad.

4) Politically correct badness. Of course, the Aztecs were just a bunch of fun-lovin' pacifists with one bad apple leader. Of course they had magical powers that came from their superior communion with nature. Of course they were all fit, friendly, strong, and beautiful. Riiight. Bad.

5) Bad as in inappropriate. The female lead was drawn by someone who thought Disney's Pocahontas looked too childlike and demure. There is swearing for the sake of swearing. There is a love scene that, I kid you not, showed the male character, when interrupted, rising up from "off camera" between the female character's legs. None of this even advanced the plot. B-A-D.

6) Bad vocal talent. Kenneth Branagh's Royal Shakespeare British, Kevin Klein's American-pretending-to-be-British, and Rosie Perez's "you-got-a-problem-with-that" Puerto Rican are not so bad individually, but they were atrocious as a combination. Actively distracting, although, given the rest, maybe that was a good thing. Bad, bad, and bad.

So inappropriate, unentertaining, and politically correct, other than that, it was great.

(Did I mention that I thought it was bad?)

The Other City of Gold.......2006-10-31

I'm a big fan of the old 1980s cartoon series "The Mysterious Cities of Gold", a series about a couple of Spanish kids exploring the New World and discovering many strange things. A few years ago, there was no sign of it on video or DVD (and as far as I know, there still isn't), but a fan site did mention there was a DreamWorks animation coming out in cinemas called "Road to El Dorado", featuring two Spanish guys exploring a mysterious city... of gold! The similarities end there though, and this film is still pretty entertaining.

Tulio and Miguel are best friends, who live by their wits in the streets of Spain. They win a map to El Dorado, the famous New World city of gold, in a game of dice. Unfortunately, their opponents discover their dice are loaded, and in the duo's escape, they get caught on Hernando Cortez' ship bound for Mexico. (Don They are caught, then escape with a boat and a horse, and after many days in shark infested waters, run aground at exactly the place where the map begins. They discover El Dorado, and it's people mistake the two men on a horse for two of their gods, and pay tribute to them. The two men decide to take advantage of this misunderstanding and ask for gold and a ship to get home. But curiousity, a beautiful Mayan woman, and a bloodthirsty priest undo all their deception, and they are caught out several times. Will they make it out of El Dorado with their lives, or will the people allow them to stay?

The two best things about this film, I think, are the colourful design of the New World and the banter between Tulio and Miguel (played by Kevin Kline and Kenneth Branagh). They seem to be having a lot of fun in their roles, and though some of the dialogue is modern sounding, it's not cluttered with cheesy cultural references like some more recent animated features. Jim Cummings (the voice of Winnie the Pooh and Darkwing Duck) does the voice of Cortez, and though the tone of his words are all too familiar if you've watched his cartoons, he does a good job at capturing the bitterness and the greed of the man. The music, by Elton John, Tim Rice and Hans Zimmer is pleasant enough too.

Special features on the DVD include a director's commentary with Eric Begerson and Don Paul, a fairly interesting making of documentary, a behind-the-animation montage, narrated by the crew, the original theatrical trailer, and Elton John music video, in which you see the singer animated. He looks very peaceful as a cartoon...

Worth a look for fans of adventure.

On The Road with the Children.......2006-07-05

My kids love this movie, when we are in the car traveling all I have to do is pull out this DVD and there is instance silence.

Cartoon Nudity.......2006-06-07

Just a quick note for parents of young children- This movie has, in addition to some of the other suggestive scenes, some very raunchy scenes of exposed behinds, which was something that neither I nor my eight year old daughter were prepared for.

I really don't find the tone of this scene to be appropriate viewing for an eight year old. This scene could have been portrayed much more mildly and without the brazen and extended nature of the posterior nudity.

My daughter had never seen anything of that nature before and I was not aware that a Disney movie geared for children would be allowed to have those types of scenes. Partially my fault for being way out of touch with movie ratings, but I saw Disney and thought it was a "G" movie.

If I had known that it was for 13 and over, I never would have allowed her to watch it. In case other parents are new to the movie rating scene, this movie really is for way older children. I still don't think it necessary to have such an extended scene even for 13 year olds.

Average customer rating:

I liked it like that!!
Wepa que viva Puerto Rico!
Attempt
sweet
perfect love story

I Like It Like That
Starring: Lauren Vélez , Jon Seda , Tomas Melly , Desiree Casado , and Isaiah Garcia
Director: Darnell Martin
Manufacturer: Sony Pictures
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Comedy | Genres | DVD | Video

Drama | Kids & Family | Genres | DVD | Video

Comedy | Kids & Family | Genres | DVD | Video

4-for-3 All DVDs | 4-for-3 DVD | Stores | DVD | Video

DVDs Under $7.49 | Today's Deals in DVD | Special Features | DVD | Video

( I ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video
Similar Items:

ASIN: B00023GG94
Release Date: 2004-07-13

Amazon.com

A Latina woman from the Bronx shakes up her life--which consists of a difficult marriage and three kids--by taking a job at a Manhattan recording company. Playing the central character, Lauren Vélez has a captivating rough beauty that suggests her suspension between misery and grace. Director Darnell Martin also has a kind of unpolished approach that keeps the film looking a bit amateurish. But Martin's observations of and insights into the heroine's world--a slice of American Latino life that hasn't been particularly well represented on film--are original and potent. Griffin Dunne is very good in a supporting role as the heroine's exploitative boss. --Tom Keogh

Customer Reviews:

I liked it like that!!.......2007-06-20

This movie has been out for years but I just stumbled upon it recently on late night cable TV.

I loved it! It was wonderful. I loved the emphasis put on the Puerto Rican community, I loved the up close, gritty look at average New York life. I loved the interactions between Chino, Lisette and the kids, they weren't perfect parents, but they loved their kids. I just loved how realistic it all was.

I'm a black woman, born and raised in California, I have no idea how life in the Bronx is but I definitely related to a lot in this movie.

My favorite character was Alexis, she was a trip!

5 stars!

Wepa que viva Puerto Rico!.......2007-01-17

This is one of my all time fave movies. Jon Seda did an excellent job as he always does. I especially loved seeing my idol from childhood Rita Morena ( and fellow Humacao resident) act in this movie. This movie is a must see! So much good Boricua acting going on!

Attempt.......2006-11-12

I think this movie made a decent attempt to capture the struggle of living in poverty as Nuyoricans. It has a good amount of poignant moments from beginning to the very end and also its equivalent share of wacky hilarious moments, which I wont spill and spoil for you that should buy this movie if even you are latino or not, it doesnt matter. I think anyone can relate or try to the struggles we personally face or others do. I think the fact that I expected too much realism, being Puerto Rican myself, was a reason why I could not digest the exaggeration it portrayed. If you want more realism about what it truly means to be hispanic or want to know more and you are not , please, please check out Manito I promise you will not regret it and will feel so much more moved than this movie.

sweet.......2006-11-06

As a Lauren Valez fan I would have loved this film even if she just came on screen and recited the alphabet. This is a sweet film about the trials of relationships when you have friends and family involved. Jon Seda is great as a tough working father whose wife and family is his Achilles heel. Lauren Valez is the young mother who has to think fast when her husband ends up in jail. Fans of either actor would like this film, it's from the early 1990's, and you can see that their acting skills were still being honed at this stage. I really did like the film though, especially the ambiguous ending. Not bad for a Friday evening treat after a hard week at work.

perfect love story.......2006-07-09

I have always loved this movie. It made me cry and it also made me laugh.If your a young woman or man you will love everything about this movie.

Average customer rating:

The Beginning
family movie
Pretty good for a book adaptation
A Painted House (DVD) based on novel by John Grisham
Read it instead.

A Painted House
Starring: Scott Glenn , Arija Bareikis , Robert Sean Leonard , Melinda Dillon , and Logan Lerman
Director: Alfonso Arau
Manufacturer: Lions Gate
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Drama | Genres | DVD | Video

Period Piece | Drama | Genres | DVD | Video

General | Kids & Family | Genres | DVD | Video

Drama | Kids & Family | Genres | DVD | Video

DVDs Under $9.99 | Today's Deals in DVD | Special Features | DVD | Video

( P ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video
Similar Items:

ASIN: B0000C3I8M
Release Date: 2003-10-21

Product Description

Until that September in 1952, Luke Chandler had never kept a secret or told a single lie. But in that long, hot summer when 10-year-old Luke Chandler comes of age, two groups of migrant workers and two very dangerous men - come through the Arkansas Delta to work the Chandler cotton farm. And suddenly mysteries flood Luke's world. A murder leaves the town seething in gossip and suspicion. A beautiful young woman catches Luke's eye.
A fatherless baby is born, and someone has begun furtively painting the bare clapboards of the Chandler farmhouse, slowly, painstakingly bathing the run-down structure in gleaming white.
As young Luke watches the world around him, he shelters secrets that could shatter lives and change his family and his town forever.
A memorable adaptation of John Grisham's life-affirming story, A Painted House draws on childhood memories and "local lore" from his Arkansas roots.

SPECIAL FEATURES :

Full screen version

Digitally Mastered

2.0 Dolby surround

Production Notes

Cost and Credits

System Requirements:
Running Time: 98 Minutes

Format: DVD MOVIE

Amazon.com

Even by the high standards of the Hallmark Hall of Fame, A Painted House is well above average. John Grisham's well-received "lawyer-free" novel was respectfully adapted by Patrick Sheane Duncan (Mr. Holland's Opus), and director Alfonso Arau (Like Water for Chocolate, A Walk in the Clouds) brings just the right touch of toughness and delicate nostalgia to Grisham's semi-autobiographical remembrance of boyhood in rural Arkansas, circa 1952. Grisham's alter ego is 10-year-old Luke Chandler (well played by Logan Lerman), and when tempers flare into violence between the Mexican migrant workers and itinerant "hill people" hired to harvest cotton on his grandfather's farm, Luke--who has witnessed a murder--must decide whether to expose the killer or keep the crime a secret. Filled with warm grace notes and a perfect cast including leather-faced Scott Glenn and Melinda Dillon (as Luke's grandparents), A Painted House juggles multiple crises (including devastating rainstorms) with strong family values, capturing the humor and hardship of farming life at a crossroads of fading tradition and inevitable change. Combining elements of To Kill a Mockingbird and Places in the Heart, this is a purebred Hallmark production in every respect, earning a badge of pride for everyone involved in its making. --Jeff Shannon

Customer Reviews:

The Beginning.......2007-08-12

When I first saw this on TV I really like it, probably because it is a coming of age story. Coming of age stories are good because they make you aware of how you came to be a certain way as an adult.
A Painted House I felt when I saw it allows you to see how different life can be for others. My life growing up was nothing like those in this film and actually I couldn't really identify with any of the characters.
Everyone knows that opposites attract and that is the only reason I can explain for liking this movie.
Also the story is told from the youngest boy's point of view and that added something special to the narrative structure because the storyteller is looking back on his childhood.
That's another reason I enjoyed it, I love movies about writers, even though A Painted House had nothing to do with writing in its story; I still enjoyed that element that the boy would grow up to be a writer. Most people are unaware of the writer's creative process and just seeing this kid picking cotton and watching fights and going to five-cent matinees and knowing he grows up to be a writer made me watch a little more careful to see how that creative process began.

family movie.......2007-03-13

It keeps you thinking. It has a great theme of family and closeness. The story of one boy and his families hardships living by the river.

Pretty good for a book adaptation.......2005-09-01

I was curious about this film because I had recently read - and enjoyed - the book by John Grisham. And well, yes, the book IS better, but who would expecte anything else? The movie version still is very good indeed, the acting was good. Scott Glenn played the grandfather very convincingly and Logan Lerman gave a promising performance as young Luke Chandler. These two worked well together and they are the main characters. Although some slight story adaptations were made, the film still stays true to the book (John Grisham himself was involved in the project). There should have been a little more focus on the character of Cowboy, since his part in the story got bigger towards the end and only little background about the developing conflict between him and Hank Spruill (a very good performance by Pablo Schreiber as the angry young man) was really given - whereas in the book the conflict builds gradually. The final - and fatal - fight between the two also differs from the book version, but the way it starts here was probably necessary to make it work (see my comment about the lack of development). Apart from a few minor upsets, this is a fine and entertaining film.

A Painted House (DVD) based on novel by John Grisham.......2005-08-03

An excellent movie breathing life into the story and characters as depicted in John Grisham's story.
I loved the book and this film really does it justice. A must have for any John Grisham fans.

Read it instead........2005-01-27

If you see it you'll never want to read it, a great book to read. The movie didn't carry the half of it.

DVD:

DVD

DVD