A Raisin in the Sun

Amazon.com essential video

Lorraine Hansberry's play is given sensitive treatment by filmmaker Daniel Petrie (The Bay Boy). Sidney Poitier heads a fine cast in the story of an African American family in Chicago who are struggling with mixed aspirations, not enough money, conflicts over religion, and institutional racism. The film is pretty much set-bound (as plays adapted for the screen sometimes are), but the drama is intense and moving. --Tom Keogh

Customer Reviews:

A Raisin in the Sun.......2007-06-27

Based on Lorraine Hansberry's play, Daniel Petrie's magnificent "A Raisin In The Sun" provides an ideal star vehicle for young Poitier's explosive talent. The actor projects barely suppressed rage as he pleads with Claudia McNeil's resolute matriarch, who wants to use her money to buy a new home. Poitier's raw desperation is palpable as his one chance to better himself slips away. See this for Poitier's intense performance, and McNeil's equally powerful turn as his mother

Superb! Don't Miss This Movie!!!.......2007-05-28

This is a superbly written and superbly acted "play" transformed into a movie. This must be among the "Ten Best Movies of All Time". If you haven't seen this one, PLEEESE get it. You won't be disappointed. Comments to email: boland7214@aol.co

A Raisin in the Sun.......2007-05-07

A movie taken from the Lorraine Hansberry play about a black family in Chicago circa 1966, who try to focus on family life and the possiblility of moving out of the ghetto, when an insurance check for $10,000 has come due. The family is frustrated with living in their crowded Chicago apartment and when the $10,000 arrives, they see this as an answer to everyone's prayers. But what to do with the money? Pay tuition for college, open a liquor business in Chicago, or buy a house for the now extending family in an all white suburb of Chicago.

The Matriarch "Lena Younger" is wonderfully and beautifully played by Claudia McNeil, the Son aka "Brother/Walter Lee Younger" is played by the incomparable Sidney Poitier in what I think is one of his best roles ever. Daughter/Sister "Beneatha aka Benny" played by the beautiful and talented Diana Sands is great as the "non-assimilationist" daughter who is smitten with an African Exchange Student and dates a wealthy black collegian. Ruby Dee is Walter Lee's wife "Ruth", who struggles with a "surprise" pregnancy and her role as wife/daughter-in-law/and mother in this mercurial family. The role of "Travis Younger" the son/grandson/nephew is played with total childhood reality by Stephen Perry. The supporting cast of Louis Gosset Jr. (George Murchison), Ivan Dixon (Joseph Asagai), Bobo (Lonne Elder), and John Fiedler (Mark Lindner) all do terrific jobs in their respective roles.

This is one of the best movies I have ever seen and as someone who was a child when all of this was going on, I remember it vividly as if it were yesterday. The relationships of all the family members is so much a memory of my childhood that it is watched with relish everytime I watch it with my own children.

A movie to be watched and enjoyed by the entire family.

Remind us we are in this together.......2007-04-11

The mistakes we make affect all those around us and in those mistakes we still have the one powerful gift to restore things. LOVE.

A Raisin in the Sun.......2007-03-09

An important and revealing film re African American history and culture and American history/develoopment;powerful dialogue, fine acting, sensitive directing; Hansberry's story has immense relevance/impact today.

Average customer rating:

Judged unfairly by most...
Yakuza Duck and Cover
the bad guys get iced
He May Not Be Japanese, But He Loves The Food!
Into the Toilet - absolutely horrible!

Into the Sun
Starring: Steven Seagal , Matthew Davis , Takao Osawa , Eddie George , and William Atherton
Director: mink
Manufacturer: Sony Pictures
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ASIN: B0006VL1IS
Release Date: 2005-02-15

Customer Reviews:

Judged unfairly by most..........2007-07-12

This is the first Steven Seagal movie I've ever seen, I bought it at Kmart for 5 dollars on sale. Normally, I wouldn't have bought this movie, but I was in the mood for an action movie (cheesy or otherwise) and for only 5 bucks it seemed like a good buy.
After reading the reviews and watching the movie, I must say that I don't have the buyer's remorse. It wasn't the best action movie I've ever seen, but it's a far cry from being the worst.
Although it was direct to video here in the states, it did show up in theaters abroad, and it's not low budget either. It's filmed rather well, has an okay story, and the acting is good.
While the villans in this movie are all overly cliched Japanesse Mob bosses and henchmen, and it doesn't really fit that Travis Hunter (Steven Seagal) seems to know everything about the Japanesse underworld even though he did grow up in Japan, the movie flows pretty well and (although a little sad) had a good ending.

Maybe it's just because this is the first Steven Seagal movie I've ever seen, so I can't compare it to his other movies, but I liked this movie, and I don't regret buying it. Heck, I can even see myself watching it again...

Now let's talk about the rating...
I usually don't agree with the MPAA's ratings, namely because they're always a bit off in my opinion. Yes, this movie is rated R and that is a proper rating due to the ammount of swearing & violence. However, on the back of the box, it also mentions nudity and sexual situations, which aren't that prevalant... It should've said "brief partial nudity" due to the fact that the only nudity you actually see depicts 2 women swimming topless in an oversized fish tank at a club, some 50 feet away from the camera for about 10 seconds.
Also, there's only one sex scene, and it's down right mild compared to the scenes you'd see in other R rated movies. Honestly, it's about 7 seconds long, showing Hunter and his fiancee kissing each other, then it shows the sun rise outside of their house, them waking up together, then it jumps to another scene.

The violence, while there aren't alot of fight scenes in this movie, is still enough for it to merit an R rating. And the F*** word is spoken many times throughout the movie.

Pros: A good action movie, can be a little corny at times, but still good.
Good acting.
Well coriographed fighting sequences.
Good musical score for the most part.
While the story & villans are slightly generic, you won't find yourself saying, "It's been done."

Cons: Camera has been sped up slightly to make the action appear more exciting, but it doesn't work...
The main bag guy, Kurado, is WAY too overly cliched. A young, arrogant, overly aggressive man, who makes Hunter's job alot easier by killing most of his own men!
Why does hunter know everything about the Japanesse underworld? I'm an Italian-American, and I don't know anything about the American underworld except for what I've seen in the movies...
On the cover, it shows Hunter walking away from an exploding area with a grenade launcher strapped to his back. (neither of which appear in the movie... No explotions, no grenade launcher.)

Overall, I think this movie was judged unfairly by others... Although it's no 5 star blockbuster, this is a decent action movie in my opinion, and worth the cheap price they're asking for it if you're in the mood for an action movie.

Overall rating: 3.8 Stars

Yakuza Duck and Cover.......2007-03-07

I like movies dealing with the Yakuza. This Steven Seagal vehicle is not bad. This is no BLACK RAIN but Seagal's strong silent type with an understanding for most things of Eastern origin, especially martial in nature, seem to work to the film's advantage. Having seen better days or not, this Seagal film is entertaining.

the bad guys get iced.......2006-06-15

Well I like to see a one-man army lay waste a wall-to-wall cast of hoodlums and devastate Japanese restaurant sets (tongs, yakuza, mafia, and terroristas are all good kendo fodder), but this film just gathers together every action flick cliche there ever was and manages to dumb it down from there - the dialog is dire, the humor pancake flat, and there is not enough action to justify getting out of bed for and it is as badly shot as any kung fu hustle I ever saw. get real

He May Not Be Japanese, But He Loves The Food!.......2006-04-17

I must like torture coz I continue to rent Seagal flicks as they come out. The last bunch of direct to video movies he did are seriously lacking. His "classic" films of the late 80s/early 90s were silly of course, but were fun. Now his films are just boring...really boring. I always knew Seagal could make a dumb movie, but not a boring one, let alone a long string of boring ones. Hell, I might just give up at this point. Plus you have to be suspicious of a film directed by someone calling themselves Mink. I'd think if you're gonna be referring to yourself by a single name, you'd better be cool enough to back it up. I don't recall any classic contributions to the film world from Mink, nor do I think we'll ever see any. And I really don't think Into The Sun is gonna make Mink a director to study in film class. Into The Sun has Seagal as a CIA agent living in Japan who's called upon to look into the assassination of a political figure. He finds that there's a new generation of Yakuza who are joining forces with the Chinese Tongs and.....oh, hell, who really cares? When have we ever cared about the plot of a Steven Seagal movie as long as he delivered the goods? Well, this time the plot is still irrelevant and he doesn't deliver the goods. Most of the film he wanders around Japan investigating the case. He talks to all these high profile Japanese figures who all seem to have the upmost respect for him. I don't know why, but it always bugged me when Seagal tries so hard in his films to be Japanese. He goes around speaking Japanese, and seems right at home with all customs and rituals. I've always found this annoying and silly with Seagal, coz I'm sure the Japanese probably hate the guy. Now I know Seagal is the first white guy to establish a martial arts school in Japan, so I know he actually is somewhat of the Real McCoy, but it still annoys me regardless coz it just seems so phony. There are a couple of fight scenes that go by rather quick, and they do look better than some of the fight scenes from his recent films. Some decent swordwork too, but it's just too little too late. Seagal, like usual, is totally sleepwalking through the film, even moreso that usual, but he can still woo the chick at least! Seagal highlights in this one include Steve ramming a guy's head into a soda machine as cans of soda come falling out, and stabbing a guy in the neck with a pair of chopsticks. I hate to sound redundant, but all in all it's boring.

Into the Toilet - absolutely horrible!.......2006-02-28

There's a VERY good reason this movie got released straight to video. It's completely horrible and dated and reminds me of the era in movie-making where all the heros in kung fu/martial arts movies were white men. It just looks really silly now that so many Asian movies are coming to the US and seeing wider releases abroad.

As horrible as this movie was, I couldn't stop watching it. For me, it was an unintended comedy. The idea that Steven Seagal's character is some kind of sword and martial arts expert supercop in Japan, being able to speak Japanese and knowing all the ins and outs of the japanese underworld is preposterous. The action sequences were horribly filmed and edited to make up for the fact that Seagal is something like in his 50's now and moves with the grace of a gorilla after a Thanksgiving dinner. His age really shows and his hair looks completely fake!

I lived near Tokyo for 3 years, so many of the settings in this movie are familiar. A couple of the scenes take place in the famous Tsukiji fish market and smaller neighborhoods around Tokyo. It's amazing to me that the director let himself squander the location. I would've loved to see him make better use of the surroundings. On a linguistic note, Seagal's Japanese, while not terrible, isn't as good as it should. He speaks like an obvious foreigner, but acts like he knows what the hell's going on and everyone else treats him as a natural japanese speaker, as ludicrous as that is. That's not my problem with this film though. It's just ridiculously made, feels really low budget, and really badly directed and written.

Average customer rating:

A Chinese Die Hard
A classic
New Re-Release on the way
THE BEST ACTION MOVIE EVER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Great action, messy plot...

Hard Boiled
Starring: John Woo , Chow Yun-Fat , Tony Leung Chiu Wai , Teresa Mo , and Philip Chan
Director: John Woo
Manufacturer: Fox Lorber
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ASIN: B00004W458
Release Date: 2000-10-03

Amazon.com essential video

Masterful Hong Kong action director John Woo (The Killer, Face/Off) turns in this exciting and pyrotechnic tale of warring gangsters and shifting loyalties. Chow Yun-fat (The Replacement Killers) plays a take-no-prisoners cop on the trail of the triad, the Hong Kong Mafia, when his partner is killed during a gun battle. His guilt propels him into an all-out war against the gang, including an up-and-coming soldier in the mob (Tony Leung) who turns out to be an undercover cop. The two men must come to terms with their allegiance to the force and their loyalty to each other as they try to take down the gangsters. A stunning feast of hyperbolic action sequences (including a climactic sequence in an entire hospital taken hostage), Hard-Boiled is a rare treat for fans of the action genre, with sequences as thrilling and intense as any ever committed to film. --Robert Lane

Customer Reviews:

A Chinese Die Hard.......2007-06-28

Hard Boiled was the last film John Woo did on location in Hong Kong before his eventual move to Hollywood. Part reaction to the escalating violence Hong Kong was experiencing at the time, the film pays homage to the Hong Kong Police.

Starring Chow Yun Fat and Tony Lueng as two policeman out to stop an arms smuggling triad. The two actors exhibit all of the characteristics of any actor in Woo film. Woo also uses his trademark filmmaking style and ulta violence to make his points. Look for freeze frames and Sam Peckinpaugh like slow motion throughout the film.

This is not for the squeamish or those not fond of gun violence. Approximately 100,000 blanks were fired making the film and the body count tops 200. Part of the point here is that violence affects us all. Bystanders are not spared by Woo. The only hope may lie in the next generation. Woo states in his commentary track that this is why he often employs infants in his films. Woo says that he was angered with the Hong Kong situation at the time of filming and his anger shows.

The version I viewed was the Winstar edition. The quality of the transfer was fine but the subtitling could have used some improvements. However, we find out in the commentary that Woo is not too concerned with dialogue he would rather have images tell the story. The sound is also adequate. We have a mono track that would really be improved by at least a stereo remaster. This is not the best edition of the film out there but unless you are willing to shell out the big bucks for the out of print Criterion this is the best you are likely to get.

This edition has production notes and filmographies, trailers for Hard Boiled and The Killer and an excellent commentary track by Woo and Terrence Chang.

Worth seeing.

A classic .......2007-03-28

This movie truly is a classic action movie. Chow Yun Fat at his best. I loved it. Be warned, Dragon Dynasty is re-releasing a 2 disc edition in July with all new bonus features.

New Re-Release on the way.......2007-02-24

I love this movie so much. I haven't watched it in a while mostly because I have a widescreen TV and the old Criterion version is non-anamorphic. The good news is that Dragon Dynasty will be re-issuing this John Woo classic in May. I cannot wait and those of you who can't find it, stop wasting your money on ebay and stop spending way too much. You'll be able to get your own very soon. Start the countdown...

THE BEST ACTION MOVIE EVER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!.......2007-01-27

THIS IS BY FAR THE BEST ACTION MOVIE EVER MADE! JOHN WOO IS A MASTER DIRECTOR. CHOW-YUN-FAT IS THE MAN. THIS MOVIE HAS THE BIGGEST BODY COUNT IN ANY MOVIE I HAVE EVER SEEN. THIS IS ACTION FILM-MAKING AT ITS UTMOST FINEST. DEFINATELY ONE FOR ANY HARD-CORE ACTION FANS COLLECTION.

Great action, messy plot..........2006-12-27

This was the last film John Woo made in Hong Kong before he left for Hollywood (which has royally screwed him over, but that's another review). Many people debate whether Hard Boiled or The Killer are Woo's best. My money is on The Killer, but I still really admire the hell out of this film. It has some of the most amazing action sequences ever committed to celluloid. Are they realistic? Absolutely not. One of the funniest things about Woo films is that the characters rarely, if ever, reload their guns. The teahouse shootout is a great example. Yun-Fat picks up the bad guys' guns, and fires at least 40 rounds or so with each gun. Automatic guns hold 10 bullets or so in a clip, so where Yun-Fat found the extra clips is unknown at this point. The plot of this film leaves quite a lot to be desired. The film was a troubled production. The original script had Tony Leung's character as a pyschotic killer who was planning on poisoning little children by tampering with baby formula. After shooting the teahouse shootout, the film shut down for a month, and a major rewrite took place. They ended up making Leung's character an undercover cop. This was due to the fact that Chow Yun-Fat thought the Hong Kong public would find a baby killer too disturbing. Woo agreed, and shut down the film (Hong Kong films are quite similar to Hollywood in that respect). A lot of this film doesn't make an ounce of sense when Leung's character kills many people, just in order to stay in character. I'm not really sure about that. Thematically, the film is a mess. But the opening shootout at the teahouse, the warehouse raid, and the utterly amazing shootout at the hospital (it lasts nearly 45 minutes, including an unbroken take of 2 minutes and 42 seconds) make this film worthwhile. This film didn't have as much depth as Woo's other Hong Kong work, but it still manages to outdo all Hollywood films in terms of character and depth.

Average customer rating:

A place like this can hide many things!
Island in the Sun
DOROTHY DANDRIDGE IS THE REASON TO WATCH!
Interesting, but frustratingly slow-paced race-relations soap opera
good photography, dull movie

Island in the Sun
Starring: James Mason , Joan Fontaine , Dorothy Dandridge , Joan Collins , and Michael Rennie
Director: Robert Rossen
Manufacturer: 20th Century Fox
ProductGroup: DVD
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ASIN: B000BOH91S
Release Date: 2006-01-10

Amazon.com

This race-relations film from 1957, based on a novel by Alec Waugh and set on a West Indies island, stars James Mason as a wealthy man who runs against a local union leader (Harry Belafonte). The rest of the players, one way or another, deal with the consequences of their rivalry. Mason and Belafonte leave a strong impression, but the film overall doesn't live up to its own sense of significance. Joan Collins is good as Mason's sister, who worries that the contest will cost her an engagement to the governor's son. --Tom Keogh

Description

Four different love affairs simultaneously wreak havoc in the lives of the inhabitants of a tropical paradise. A wealthy plantation owner plots murder when he suspects his wife of having an adulterous relationship. At the same time, his sister-in-law is drawn to his enemy, a dedicated black labor leader, and a governor's aide is torn over his scandalous affair with a native woman. Darling and exquisitely filmed on location, this rich romantic story with it's focus on race, passion and politics, was one of the most talked about films of its day.

Customer Reviews:

A place like this can hide many things!.......2007-01-06

I had the chance to watch this film last night and even though "Island in the Sun" was produced in 1957 it should be recognized as indisputable breakthrough! There have been plenty of movies like this, but keep in mind that interracial relationships were political detonate at the time - and yet some of the film's observations remain upsetting even today.

In this film the wealthy whites are ridicule here once again, lording their money-driven power over the black Caribbean field workers in this timely but talky issue-film. Belafonte also stars here as a native son on the fictional West Indies island of Santa Marta who wants to wrestle control of the government from the ruling white British regime, here embodied by political candidate James Mason (who harbors a deep, dark secret of his own -- pun completely intended). Joan Fontaine essays a white woman who happens to be in love with Harry; Dorothy Dandridge plays a local girl in love with a white man (John Justin); and Joan Collins portrays Mason's sister, trying to get English lord Stephen Boyd to fall for her.

The location (Barbados/Grenada) of this film was just beautiful, and so is Harry Belafonte's voice, singing Jamaican songs at sunset. His relationship with Joan Fontaine is fantastic--if not especially romantic. The love story sidebars are soapy but not dull and they give the film what passion it has. Personally what I really wanted to see was more of Belafonte. He was at a peak here, and since he didn't get to use his own singing voice in "Carmen Jones", this is a great chance to watch and hear him perform unfettered.

I also recommend is "Stormy Weather" because it is a important piece of history, being one of Hollywood's first pictures to star an entirely African-American cast. Though some racial stereotyping is on-hand here and there.

Island in the Sun.......2006-11-11

A Review of Island in the Sun
By: Noran L. Moffett

In an era for which the racial hegemony was challenged by the liberation struggles of the formerly enslaved Africans, the complex circumstances of life, love and legalities were centrifugal in the movie.

In the initial scenes of the movie, the primary characters surfaced on the screen with tacit commentary and documented tension over social, political and economic life forces, love choices and legal limits.

For the viewer of Island in the Sun, the social dynamics of racial taboos over love choices were confounding the characters who were engaged in legal and social polemics. Yet, the movie rapidly explores the dynamic political leadership of the African and Multiracial majority against the established socially, politically and economically powerful European minority.

The movie ends with the emergence of the true love for the political realities facing the Afro Caribbean population by the Afro Caribbean leader (played by Harry Belafonte) over the obvious passion for him by the Euro Caribbean woman. As a result of the movies multifaceted mood, tenor and tone, the viewer can recognize historical evolution and the introduction of interracial romantic revolution.

DOROTHY DANDRIDGE IS THE REASON TO WATCH!.......2006-05-13

Interracial romance is just one of the topics covered in "Island in the Sun", a Darryl Zanuck production,directed by Robert Rossen(The Hustler).Politics and political crime are also covered,especially those areas that touch the Fleury family of James Mason,in a so-so performance.The REAL star of this film is the utterly fantastic Dorothy Dandridge,who sizzles EVERY moment she is on screen!The rest of the cast Stephen Boyd,Joan Collins, and Michael Rennie is just average.The "other" interracial romance between John Fontaine and Harry Belafonte is a bore.Included in the DVD is at he original theatrical trailer,a fine documentary from A&E concerning Dorothy,and a poor commentary,on the film, by John Stanley,who is listed as a film historian.

Interesting, but frustratingly slow-paced race-relations soap opera.......2006-03-26

Set on a fictional West Indian island under British rule, Island in the Sun has all the elements to be a great 1950s soap opera: exotic locations, all-star cast, jealousy, angst-ridden male protagonists, racial tensions, sex, interracial desires, political intrigue, murder. What a great movie someone like Douglas Sirk (Written on the Wind, the 1959 Imitation of Life) would have made with the same cast, location and storylines!

Unfortunately, producer Zanuck and director Rossen spend more time showing off the West Indian locations than developing the characters and speeding the pace so that we can keep up with the different storylines. By the time you get back to some of the characters, youve lost interest or forgotten what happened the last time we saw them. Of the all-star cast, only James Mason (as the angst-ridden male) and Harry Belafonte (as the angry black man) get to have showy scenes and make an impression. Joan Fontaine (as a wealthy woman who falls for Belafonte) and Dorothy Dandridge (as a sassy West Indian who falls for a white man) are criminally wasted in this film. Even though their storylines got the most publicity (the interracial romances) when the film was released, all the two actresses are made to do is look good (which they do) in their costumes. Joan Collins is just okay as James Mason's sister and Diana Wynyard has one good scene as their mother.

Overall, the most interesting aspect of the movie, and the only reason worth watching it nowadays, is the 1950s Hollywood depiction of interracial romance, although there were so many compromises made that none of the two couples really seem to have much sexual chemistry or desire for each other.

The film's Cinemascope location shots look great on the DVD transfer and the DVD also features the Biography episode on Dorothy Dandridge. (I skipped the commentary track.)

good photography, dull movie.......2006-03-21

I remember seeing this movie years ago when it was released. I was a child and I had not seen it since. I was quite surprised to find out that it had been released on DVD so I ordered it. When I saw it in the theatre as a child, it seemed larger than life with the palm trees, vibrant colors, etc. I also fell in love with Dorothy Dandridge who I thought was absolutely beautiful.
Looking at this movie now, it seems rather bland and it did not hold my interest. There are a lot of story lines going on in the movie and none of them are particularly exciting. The women looked beautiful (except for Joan Fontaine who seemed quite plain and devoid of any personality) but their characters did not contribute much to the story lines.
The theme of race relations was not really explored the way I thought it would be, except as an undercurrent. The only black person in the movie to address the issue was Harry Belafonte and who does he wind up with but the ever-exciting Joan Fontaine. At the end he basically tells her to get lost.
I compare this movie with one of my all-time favorites, "Black Orpheus" which, while not having a complicated plot, was extremely well done.
In conclusion, while I would recommend this movie for historical reasons and for the boldness (at the time) of addressing the race issue, I would caution that it is not very interesting or exciting.

Average customer rating:

A Chinese Die Hard
A classic
New Re-Release on the way
THE BEST ACTION MOVIE EVER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Great action, messy plot...

Hard Boiled - Criterion Collection
Starring: Bobbie Au-Yeung , Philip Chan , Yun-Fat Chow , Michael Dingo , and Jun Kunimura
Manufacturer: Criterion
ProductGroup: DVD
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ASIN: 1559408677
Release Date: 1998-06-10

Amazon.com essential video

Description

Violence as poetry, rendered by a master-brilliant and passionate, John Woo's Hard Boiled tells the story of jaded detective "Tequila" Yuen (played with controlled fury by Chow Yun-fat). Woo's dizzying odyssey through the world of Hong Kong Triads, undercover agents, and frenzied police raids culminates unforgettably in the breathless hospital sequence. More than a cops-and-bad-guys story, Hard Boiled continually startles with its originality and dark humor.

Customer Reviews:

A Chinese Die Hard.......2007-06-28

A classic .......2007-03-28

This movie truly is a classic action movie. Chow Yun Fat at his best. I loved it. Be warned, Dragon Dynasty is re-releasing a 2 disc edition in July with all new bonus features.

New Re-Release on the way.......2007-02-24

THE BEST ACTION MOVIE EVER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!.......2007-01-27

Great action, messy plot..........2006-12-27

Average customer rating:

A Nice LIttle Film
Not terrible
superb
Good music, Bad dialogues and Cliche Cliche Cliche...
Great

Race the Sun (Sub Dts)
Starring: Halle Berry , Casey Affleck , Eliza Dushku , Kevin Tighe , and Anthony Ruivivar
Director: Charles T. Kanganis
Manufacturer: Sony Pictures
ProductGroup: DVD
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ASIN: B0000639FG
Release Date: 2002-04-30

Customer Reviews:

A Nice LIttle Film.......2007-05-22

For curious movie buffs, "Race the Sun" is a blend of "Breaking Away", "Walkabout", and "Summer School"; making it quite unique and considerably better than its rating. It's neither ambitious nor technically brilliant; in fact the cinematography somehow manages to NOT capture the inherent scenic beauty of a series of Hawaiian and Australian locations. But the casting and directing are solid and the story has so much charm that you don't mind it being corny and predictable.

Halle Berry and James Belushi play teachers at a Hawaiian technical high school who reluctantly sponsor a team of students building a solar-powered car. "Race the Sun" was inspired by a group of Hawaiian students who actually entered the World Solar Challenge in 1980. The film would have been better if the cartoonish corporate villain had been replaced by some actual scientific explanations and a bit of background on the race itself. Speaking of cartoons, the solar cars look like something out of "Wacky Races" but there is no sign of Penelope Pitstop in this entertaining race.

The school is in Hawaii, which makes for some interesting cultural details (as does the race's Austrialian setting), but for viewer identification purposes the settings could be anywhere.

Thankfully the film avoids a couple of obvious traps. Berry and Belushi end up liking and respecting each other but there are no obligatory romantic sparks between them. Likewise for Casey Affleck and Elisha Dushku (who plays his step-sister).

Then again, what do I know? I'm only a child.

Not terrible.......2007-02-26

This movie was "okay" but if I hadn't been from Hawaii, I doubt if it would have held my interest. If you are from Hawaii, don't expect all the characters to be authentic - seems like they had mainland actors trying to act like locals. The acting and the script were sub-par. Fortunately, I watched on TV so I could turn away whenever the racing part was not on. Who wants to watch typical adolescent conversations if they can avoid it? This is one of those stupid PG movies that will not hold an adult's interest but they throw in some bad words and a middle finger so you wouldn't want your kids to watch it.

superb.......2007-01-21

I teach science and this is entertaining and deals with science and science fairs, the kids love it and it is inspirational. The students (I have 6th graders) look up the world solar challenge (which is still going on) and the Kono Poly team who is still competing, on the internet.

Good music, Bad dialogues and Cliche Cliche Cliche..........2006-07-22

I'm simply amazed at the reviews this film has received so far; nearly 5 stars??? You gotta be kidding!
Race the Sun was quite a disappointment, considering the makeup of the cast: Halle Berry (who is GORGEOUS), James Belushi, and Steve Zahn.
The movie brings to the screen the story of several Hawaiian High School kids that in trying to put together a high school project end up participating in a Cannonball Run type race in Australia.
The acting is surprisingly (!) weak, the humor and the dialogues are way below average, while the plot is just bearable, and then there's the great locations; Hawaii and Australia...
It seems as though the actors/directors/producers went to the isles on vacation separately, while there they met up with each other at the hotel lounge over Pina Coladas, and then decided, on the spot, to make the best of their stay by doing a quick and easy film on the side for some extra cash/spending money.
In short:
Belushi's character was next to non-existent and really not the great; he was unexpectedly plain and bland.
Halle Berry and Steve Zahn were given terrible lines. What a waste of talent...
Most of the kids' (especially the girls) acting was sad, with the exception of Casey Affleck who seems promising.
So it's a weak plot, terrible dialogues, bad acting, a great setting, wonderful music, and a good cast, which when put together fail to take off.
The potential for a decent movie was definitely there.
In a nutshell, it's an ok movie if you're under 13 and/or are heavily intoxicated, and that's about it; no masterpiece here... Wait till they show it on TV.

Great.......2006-03-01

I have enjoyed this movie, I have been looking for this movie for awhile. All the movies that I have bought are the movies that I love and have not been able to find in the stores.

Average customer rating:

Not Bad
Please See The Original Film Version First
THE LADDER OF THE TWO VERSIONS..
Moving Story of an African American Experience
Assignment for English class is viewed with pleasure.

A Raisin in the Sun
Starring: Helen Martin (II) , Starletta DuPois , Joseph C. Phillips , Danny Glover , and Stephen Henderson
Director: Bill Duke
Manufacturer: Monterey Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Drama | Genres | DVD | Video

Drama | Kids & Family | Genres | DVD | Video

( R ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video
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ASIN: B00018Y0U2
Release Date: 2004-03-09

Customer Reviews:

Not Bad.......2006-07-23

I will have to disagree with some of the earlier reviewers. I think there is a tendency to prefer more updated versions just because they're newer. Danny Glover's portrayal of Walter Lee is far too exaggerated. In his interpretation, the quiet rage of Walter Lee Younger is inflated to almost maniacal behavior which is distracting and over the top. Esther Rolle (Lena) and Starletta Dupois (Ruth) are both pretty good, but Kim Yancey sometimes overplays Beneatha. Although I know it's inevitable to do so, I think it's unfair to compare this version to the 1960 film, since we all know that production regulations of the time period dictated the accommodations that were made. Besides, the 1960 version is a feature film, and this version is really more of a filmed stage production, which makes them different animals entirely. When time allows, I show both versions to my classes. Some actually prefer the 1960 version, while others like this one better. Ultimately, I think each has merits of its own and should be judged individually.

Please See The Original Film Version First.......2005-05-28

This version is decent, but it pales in comparison to the original film version. Ester Rolle as Lena Younger doesn't have quite the command and authority of Claudia McNeil, but her performance is solid and convincing. Danny Glover's Walter is serviceable, but trying to match the electricity of Sidney Poiter's interpretation is an uphill battle. Starletta DuPois' portrayal of Ruth fails to convey the physical and emotional fatigue that Ruby Dee exuded with seeming effortlessness. Kim Yancey's performance as Beneatha is solid, but seems to borrow too liberally from Diana Sands' work in the earlier film. A nice treat is John Fiedler, reprising his role from the earlier film. Worth seeing, but... see the original, classic version first.

THE LADDER OF THE TWO VERSIONS.........2004-08-18

This is absolutely the best version of this play ever.....Not to take anything away from the Sidney P. version, but it had too many cuts and added scenes and lost alot of what Lorraine Hansberry was really saying...Danny Glover's Walter Lee is stellar and far more compelling that Sidney's...Its just and all around master piece

Moving Story of an African American Experience.......2003-05-29

I thoroughly enjoyed this play which ran for almost three hours. It takes place in the early sixties. It tells the story of a black family, which receives a $10,000 insurance payment after the death of a family member. The Grandmother, her daughter, her son and his wife, and her grandson all live in the small apartment. There is conflict over what to do with the money. The son wants to invest it in a liquor store. The grandmother wants to buy her own home so the whole family can be more comfortable and she can at last have her own garden. The son becomes despondent after the grandmother buys a house. He starts drinking heavily and quits his job as a driver. His wife, who is two months pregnant, considers having an abortion. The sister, who is quite brilliant, struggles to get through medical school. She has to choose between two boyfriends: A Nigerian and a wealthy black American (who wears white shoes). She also explores her afrocentricity and tries to repel ýassimilationý by wearing an Afro.

To bring her son out of the funk heýs in, Mama gives him the remainder of the money leftover after the down payment on the house. She directs him to put half the money in the bank for his sister so that she would be able to pay for medical school and invest the rest of the money as he saw fit. (Who knew $10,000 could go that far. Talk about miracle money). Unfortunately, the son didnýt do as he was told and was swindled out of all the money. This was not discovered until after the chairman of the welcoming committee, of the neighborhood they were supposed to be moving into, offers to pay the family not to move in. I must say that Danny Glover is one hell of an actor. It was really scary when he broke down and cried after he found out he was robbed. He decides to call the welcoming committee chairman to accept his offer to get some money back. He couldnýt do it. Because of the pride instilled in him by his dead father, pressure from his mother, and the poor example he would be setting for his son, he backs out at the last minute.

I saw this play because the story was referenced in a monologue from Vin Dieselýs MultiFacial. Pride was just as important to Vinýs character. I am glad that I saw it. If it wasnýt for Vin Diesel, I probably wouldnýt have come to know this great story about an African American transitional experience. Thank you Vin!!

Assignment for English class is viewed with pleasure........2001-12-13

As an assignment for a college class, after reading the play, I had to watch the movie version of "A Raisin in the Sun." I was amazed at how well the movie script stuck to Hansberry's award winning version. The acting was superb, (particularly Glover and Rolle) and the three hours flew by quickly. I recommend this movie highly.

Average customer rating:

Jazz Raises its Fist
Jazz is Dead!
The historically significant CRY OF JAZZ
for the completist
For CRYin' Out Loud!

Sun Ra - Cry of Jazz
Director: Edward Bland
Manufacturer: Quantum Leap
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

Avant Garde & Free Jazz | Jazz | Styles | Music

General | Jazz | Styles | Music

Contemporary Big Band | Swing Jazz | Jazz | Styles | Music

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

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ASIN: B00012SYSM
Release Date: 2004-02-10

Product Description

CRY OF JAZZ (SUN RA)

Customer Reviews:

Jazz Raises its Fist.......2006-06-28

I first became interested in this film after reading about it in "Film as a Subversive Art" that said it was a "forerunner to black power". That said, yes it is dated but this was a turning point in jazz. Not the "death of jazz" but the birth of free jazz (Ornette and company were just getting warmed up)and Archie Shepp shouting in "Live at the Pan-African Festival", "Jazz is black power!". "The Cry of Jazz" is very much at a point in time, before rock really mattered, when jazz was music to be listened to, not yet music to take up a cause to. My only objection is titling it "Sun Ra-Cry of Jazz" because even though it has footage of Sun Ra, it is not a documentary about Sun Ra or a concert of his performances (though of course footage is shown). Instead it is a documentary about racial oppression and how jazz relates to it, in standing up against it. Of course, our society has progressed beyond that point now and jazz is mostly played sedately for appreciative audiences in expensive nightclubs (with notable exceptions such as Charles Gayle and David S. Ware). To travel back in time and see when jazz was just starting to take up a political cause, "The Cry of Jazz" will be a worthwhile find.

Jazz is Dead!.......2005-12-24

This is a most excellent critical analysis of Jazz. Brutally honest and totally factual. This 35 minute film packs more of a wallop than the ENTIRE 10 disc Ken Burns Jazz documentary. The Ken Burns story of Jazz only exceeds in its rare footage of great Jazz men and their participation in the film.

The Cry of Jazz succeeds in its dramatization of a discussion between blacks and whites where the blacks participating in the dialouge actually carry the story rather than being the by-standers listening to whites tell our story.
However, the advertisement of Sun Ra's name on the package is misleading. Sun Ra is only used during one segment. If you look at the state of Jazz today, it truly is in a dormant, dead state... Slayed by two Cosmic African Warriors, namely Sun Ra & Sir Miles D. Davis.

The historically significant CRY OF JAZZ.......2005-01-10

Thanks to the efforts of Atavistic, Ed Bland's historically significant film, THE CRY OF JAZZ has finally made it onto DVD. Adapted from Bland's book, THE FRUITS OF THE DEATH OF JAZZ, and produced by the innovative KHBT Productions, THE CRY OF JAZZ is a fascinating analysis of the state of jazz music in the late 1950s and its relationship to African-American life. No other film of the 1950s probes as deeply into the evils of racism and the appropriation of African-American art forms by white jazz musicians.

Bland's film is divided into two, alternating segments. The first features dramatic scenes of a racially-mixed party wherein the subject of jazz comes up in conversation. The white individuals are skeptical of one African-American's claim that "jazz is dead." In the alternating sections, a voice-over discusses the foundation of jazz and what makes the art form African-American by nature. The philosophical musings on the "paradox of jazz" are quite thought-provoking: Bland argues that the form of the music (repeating chorus or head) is restraining while improvisation allows for freedom. This paradoxical element of jazz is elaborated on as Bland relates the form/changes to the "suffering, futureless future" for African-Americans while identifying improvisation/solos as the eternal present and hope for change. Here are a few quotes that are representative of the tone and direction of this controversial film:

"The jazzman must be constantly creating, otherwise the dehumanizing portrait of him in American life will triumph"

"The American Negro produces an oblique musical product and a damaging commentary on the human wastelands of America."

"The cry of joy and suffering in jazz is based on the contradiction between freedom and restraint. The feeling of freedom is based on the negro's view of what life in America should be, why the feeling of restraint is based on the actual inhuman situation in which the Negro finds himself."

All of the music here is beautifully done by Sun Ra and his Chicago Arkestra of 1958. Although Ra himself is rarely seen in the film, some of the great Arkestra players - like John Gilmore and Julian Priester - are seen up close on the stage.

What makes this film historically significant is Bland's overt commentary on blatant racism and his clear condemnation of whites who appropriate jazz music without truly understanding the art form.

for the completist.......2004-08-13

Unheard Music could have fit both of their DVD releases onto one disc with room for many extras, but this is Sun Ra, so fans pay alot for very little in most cases. For an enthusiast 15 dollars is a small price to see footage of a young Arkestra.

That aside, the stregth of this release is the very clean transfer of both image and audio, compared to underground VHS tapes that circulate in collectors circles.

the message of the film is an intersting reflection of the times.
"Jazz is Dead!"

For CRYin' Out Loud!.......2004-04-12

A lot of $ for a 35 minute DVD, and a grand total of three face-shots of Sun Ra. He gets more screen time on the still-photo feature, with those same three head shots. His *hands* are on screen far longer than he is. The soundtrack is not exclusively Arkestra, either, and what there is sounds like it's culled from "Sun Song". The "educational film" approach, with its black folks vs. white folks confrontational discourse on what *is* jazz (circa 1959, and its imminent death is forecast) is like a MAD-TV sketch. The word "Negro" is used (possibly) a hundred times in those 35 minutes.

Average customer rating:

Space is Not the place
pretty good
More Archetypal Than Archestral
What a bizarre delight!
Sun Ra universe will be verified by physics!

Sun Ra - Space Is The Place

Manufacturer: Plexifilm
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Jazz | Styles | Music

General | Soul | R&B | Styles | Music

General | Musicals | Broadway & Vocalists | Styles | Music

( S ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video
ASIN: B0000CD5F5
Release Date: 2003-10-28

Amazon.com

This peculiar, rather warped feature is a product of the highly original mind of the late "musician-thinker" Sun Ra (the former Herman "Sonny" Blount, an accomplished jazz pianist and bandleader). The 82-minute, 1974 film melds effects that are straight out of '50s Japanese sci-fi, politics reflecting '60s racial radicalism, and the overall vibe of '70s blaxploitation films, with some African-Egyptian mythology thrown in for good measure. It isn't exactly a masterpiece of cinema; the production values are mediocre, the story is thin (Ra, who co-wrote, portrays an alien who offers oppressed African Americans the opportunity to seek their "alter-destiny" in outer space; complications ensue before his spaceship departs with true believers on board), the acting amateurish. But it's entertaining--Ra's array of costumes (especially his headgear) is impressive, and we do at least get a taste of his Intergalactic Solar Arkestra's heady brew of avant-garde jazz. --Sam Graham

Description

DESCRIPTION:Science fiction, blaxploitation, cosmic free-jazz and radical race politics combine when Sun Ra returns to earth in his music-powered space ship to battle for the future of the black race and offer an "alter-destiny" to those who would join him. Intentionally created as an homage to the low-budget science fiction films of the 50's and 60's, SPACE IS THE PLACE became a visual embodiment of Sun Ra's Afro-Egyptian myth of salvation in outer space. The special effects, outrageous plot line and apocalyptic message harmonize with the otherworldly score and a climactic live performance by one of the most innovative and profound groups in jazz history. After having traveled through space in a yellow spaceship propelled by music, Sun Ra finds a planet he believes could serve as a new home for the black race. Returning to earth, he lands in Oakland, California circa 1972 and has to battle The Overseer, played by Ray Johnson (from 1971's DIRTY HARRY), a supernatural villain exploiting the black people. The Overseer, the FBI, and NASA -- who are after Ra's Black Space Program -- attempt to assassinate Ra, who escapes into space with his followers before the destruction of Earth. Cosmic blaxploitation cum sociological critique, SPACE IS THE PLACE defies categorization. It is at once a platform for Sun Ra's radical racial philosophies, an indictment of the government's policies in Vietnam-era U.S., cult camp flick, sci-fi movie and concert film with unforgettable performances by the Intergalactic Solar Arkestra. Since its extremely limited release in 1974 -- the film played very briefly in San Francisco and New York -- SPACE IS THE PLACE has become an underground legend spoken about but never seen, and if so, in poorly dubbed bootlegs or in the severely adulterated 1992 VHS version.

Customer Reviews:

Space is Not the place.......2007-07-21

Appropriately named a blaxploitation film, Space is the Place does more harm than good in promoting "blackness", in spite of its attempts to weave in sophisticated technological and mythic themes. It is an arduous task finding positive representations and ideas amidst the white noise of drugs, bitches, pimps, and, well, noise. Ironically, part of the process is not understanding, as finally clarified in Sun Ra's concert approaching the end of the film.

The good versus evil, religious, and Egyptian themes are relatively transparent, and the exclusive application to blacks (though strangely only to American blacks), is a reaction to the same monopolization on the part of whites. There is a mythical garden, an Eden-like place, an ark in the form of a space ship, and immortality in space/heaven, all reserved for blacks. Rather than promoting equality and peaceful coexistence, the message is one of segregation and near mutual annihilation. This could be because the divide between blacks and whites seems wide and hopelessly irreparable, or because blacks themselves are unable to rise up out of their oppressed state without outside or divine assistance. In all these cases thus far, the militant pro-black attitude actually agrees a great deal with white racism, promoting segregation and stating that blacks bear a great responsibility for their own plight, and cannot get their acts together.

This negative presentation of disenfranchised groups continues in the hyper-sexualization of black women (and white women), seen in the whores, stories of abused women, told by their men and pimps, nurses, and numerous silent women riding in cars. Another notable phenomenon is the use of exploiting women to elevate one's status, especially if the woman is white. This implies not only that the assignment of female is even more subjugating than blackness, and that white women are a greater prize than black ones: the overseer's choice woman is white, and he first shows sexual interest in the white nurse, who happens to bring her black friend. Lines like "...do what your daddy says, and everything will be fine--it's better than shooting up on the stoop, isn't it?" both deprive women of the ability to make choices, and imply their predisposition to drugs and catering to their carnal instincts; this resembles the antiquated, racist, white perceptions of blacks, this time transferred to women. The line spoken by the pimp, who defends the fact that he beat his woman to the point of hospitalization, says "bitches need it". Somehow this man receives salvation in the end, but why, we never know.

The alternating predatory or impotent black male persists throughout Space is the Place. The best example of this is in the devil-like Overseer, and his pathetic (half-white?) assistant. It could be, however, that the impotent part of him comes from that inner whiteness in his personality, since the two NASA men are unable to perform in the same brothel on the same day.

The concert is the moment where Sun Ra explains his philosophy. Throughout the film, he establishes music as a balancing, mathematical, sophisticated force that can power anything from spaceships to an entire race. It can cause chaos, revolution, and salvation, so the fact that Sun Ra uses his unusual form of jazz to spread his message is expected. He asks, at the end of the film, for blind trust, for understanding that blacks are "the pattern and spirit of man", he asks them to not be afraid and to embrace their ignorance as their salvation. It is an ambiguous ending resulting in the salvation of whores, teenage hoodlums who save Sun Ra from the NASA men, a pimp who abuses women, and the black half of Jimmy Fey, helper of the Overseer.

If nothing else, this film may be good for a laugh as some charmingly dated things can be, but whether in its own context of the time or now, it is offensive to the mind and ear. Best seen with a group of drunk friends, I would imagine.

pretty good.......2006-03-31

this film is pretty nice but not nearly as great as the documentary A Joyful Noise. I highly recommend purchasing A Joyful Noise first because it provides a deeper look into Sun Ra.

More Archetypal Than Archestral.......2005-05-25

I picked up this curious period piece of psychedelic, indie-fueled moviemaking some time ago. Sorry now I waited so long to view it. It's a delightful combination of '70's pop culture, science fiction fantasy, Sun Ra musical storytelling through his Inter-Galactical Outer Space Archestra, and black pride allegory that manages to be quite on point.

Initially, I was too fascinated by the imagery and music to think much about any message. In retrospect, Sun Ra is a spiritual being from a space colony playing chess with an earthly demonic pimpmaster for big stakes: the souls of exploited people, black (mostly) and white. The pimpmaster also plays the system, selling his black brothers and sisters to addiction and prostitution for his own pleasure, trapping them in an oppressive, seemingly inescapable existence. A third main character is the media commentator--Jimmy Fay--who seems to be a shill for the pimpmaster and his worldly culture but eventually comes around (perhaps more John the Baptist than Jesus Christ) to sharing the enlightened message of Sun Ra, joining those who are delivered from bondage. All ends happily in a Sun Ra space colony of resurrected, reborn black/white humanity.

Even if you don't buy the Biblical allegory, it's still a cool trip, with a bit of harmless nudity and violence for good measure (just like Cecil De Mille).

What a bizarre delight!.......2004-10-07

What a simultaneously hysterical with fits of lucidity presentation! The running battle between Ra and "Overseer" is a great subtext. Gives some insights into the man, somewhat in spite of Sun Ra's best efforts to stay a "Mystery". The cheesey effects and over the top acting has to be viewed as an ultimate camp cult movie. A JOYFUL NOISE is almost as bizarre, but probably more accessible. Most of the charm is that you can't tell whether he is plain nuts or goofing with you. I understand this was very calculated and intentional on his part.

Parliament/Funkadelic owe more to this guy than I think anybody realizes. I don't know if George Clinton has ever acknowledged his debt to Sun Ra, at least conceptually, for doing the full blown conceptual thing decades before him.