Sweet Land - A Love Story

Amazon.com

Adapted from a Will Weaver story, Ali Selim's Sweet Land is a truly sweet story about unlikely immigrant lovers whose struggle for integration into 1920's America earns them a work ethic more American than many of their narrow-minded neighbors. Set in rural Minnesota, the sentimental film focuses on tribulations that Scandinavian settlers experienced, with a cinematic serenity reminiscent of Terrence Malik's Days of Heaven. Norwegian farmer Olaf Torvik (Tim Guinee) invites a non-English speaking German siren, Inge Alltenburg (Elizabeth Reaser), to relocate and marry him, but discovers that neither the town's Lutheran pastor (John Heard) nor the local judge will marry a German into their community for fear of wartime German spies. Inge finds friendship in neighbors Frandsen (Alan Cumming) and his wife, Brownie (Alex Kingston), who disregarding local gossip, welcome her into their home. Finally, Inge proves herself, settling in so that Sweet Land's historical narrative is framed by Inge, fifty years later, speaking to her adult son about her husband's death and their plot of land. This multi-generational tale of social acceptance and land ownership is ultimately the story of America, though the regional specificity of Sweet Land will speak especially to those familiar with Midwestern culture. --Trinie Dalton

Description

Inge (Elizabeth Reaser) is a feisty German mail-order bride who has come to Minnesota to marry Olaf (Tim Guinee), a young Norwegian immigrant farmer of few words. But in a post-WWI, anti-German climate, the local minister (John Heard) openly forbids the marriage. Inge and Olaf fall in love despite the town's disapproval. But when the town banker (Ned Beatty) attempts to foreclose on the farm of his friend Frandsen (Alan Cumming), Olaf takes a stand...and the community unites around the young couple, finally accepting Inge as one of their own.

Customer Reviews:

Great love story!.......2007-09-06

This movie was beautifully written, directed and acted. I was very impressed with the soundtrack as well. Though the movie is not action packed, it is filled with well developed characters and interesting plot turns. The gradual love story that builds through the entire film is entertaining right up to the end. I would highly recommend this movie!

Sweet Land - sweet movie.......2007-08-25

Our family thoroughly enjoyed the steady, quiet, loving pace of this movie. There are many issues of acceptance, faith, and determination that are woven into the story. It is beautifully filmed and we loved the characters. We highly recommend this movie for just about anyone.

Hypnotically Quiet, but No Less Passionate. .......2007-08-24

"Sweet Land" is an unusual love story set among homesteading immigrants in Minnesota farm country shortly after World War I. Olaf Torvik (Tim Guinee) came to the US from Norway in 1910, moved west, cleared some land, and became a farmer. A decade later, his parents in Norway find him a wife. Inge Allenberg (Elizabeth Reaser) arrives by train with 2 suitcases and her indispensable phonograph. But Inge is a German national. Post-war sentiment toward Germans prevent the minister and judge from marrying the couple. Olaf is frustrated by the situation, but Inge is determined to be his wife.

"Sweet Land" director Ali Selim adapted the film from Will Weaver's short story "A Gravestone Made of Wheat". The story of Inge and Olaf provides an window on an American culture rarely seen in film. The farms' placid beauty defies the harsh realities of eking out a living in this fickle environment. I was entranced by the quietness that results from Olaf's laconic nature and Inge's inability to speak English. The actors do a splendid job of conveying Inge's resolve and Olaf's frustrated longing and fear of this stranger with few words. "Sweet Land"'s framing device is awkward, but it does give the story context and leaves the audience satisfied to know how things turned out.

The DVD (20th Century Fox 2007): There is one featurette, a theatrical trailer (2 ½ min), and an audio commentary. "Sweet Land: A Labor of Love Story" (11 min) interviews director Ali Selim about his intentions and talks with the cast about their characters and themes. The audio commentary is by writer/director Ali Selim, actors Tim Guinee and Elizabeth Reaser, editor James Stanger, and producer Gil Bellows. Selim and Stanger discuss the framing device. Selim talks about adapting the story. Also discussed are locations, the score, performances, shooting anecdotes, and the actors share their experiences. Subtitles for the film are available in English, Spanish, and French.

A Smart and Enjoyable Film.......2007-08-13

Sweet Land is a film which is enjoyable time after time for the nuances of the writing, the acting and the beautiful cinematography. Because of the focus of the film on immigrant brides, and the reality of the language barriers, my second viewing was like seeing a sequel. The actors brought real depth to the subject matter and I especially appreciated the development of the relationships in the community. A great film for the whole family.

Moving, poignant, timely, and a keeper.......2007-08-12

A friend recommended we see this movie so we drove 90 miles to the nearest theatre to view this independant flick. Wow! Now, we have the video and are every bit as impressed. Filmed on location in the vicinity of Montevideo, MN Sweetland exudes a rare authenticity that simply grips the heart and soul. Pastoral settings, migrating geese flying by, the harvest the old fashioned way...it's all there, with great magnificence and integrity. We tend to forget life tensions around 1920, emigration pressures, foreign language miscommunications, ostracism, hard work, the influence of the church and minister...While you're immersed in the story it suddenly hits you that certain contempory issues also echo within this unfolding drama. How many films have you seen lately that are bold enough to go a full ten minutes before the main title comes to view? It's 1 hour 50 minutes long. The ten minute behind the scenes feature reveals what inspired the writer and the director, adding additional dimensions to the moving story. We haven't yet taken in the audio commentary, that'll be next. Buy it, watch it, show it to your kids. Keep your hankies close, it'll tug powerfully at your heart, especially so if you have roots in the great midwest. You'll find why the land can be sweeter than money.

Average customer rating:

GREAT AMBIENCE, MUSIC AND FLOW
Great Passionate Love Story
Excellent!
Passion of Mind entertwined with Passionate Bodies
Better than expected

Original Sin (Unrated Version)
Starring: Antonio Banderas , Angelina Jolie , Thomas Jane , Jack Thompson , and Gregory Itzin
Director: Michael Cristofer
Manufacturer: MGM (Video & DVD)
ProductGroup: DVD
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ASIN: B00005V4XV
Release Date: 2002-03-26

Amazon.com

Original Sin belongs in the "so bad it's good" category of languid potboilers, offering enough nudity, sexual chemistry, and far-fetched plotting to make it an enjoyable lazy-day diversion. Based on Cornell Woolrich's novel Waltz into Darkness (previous filmed by François Truffaut as Mississippi Mermaid) and set in turn-of-the-century Cuba, the film traces a tailspin of amorous obsession when coffee plantation owner Luis (Antonio Banderas) discovers that his American mail-order bride (Angelina Jolie) is not the plain wife he'd expected, but a beautiful, scheming thief who's after his fortune. The movie asserts that love is truly blind, but absurd twists of plot make Luis appear more stupid than passionate. Writer-director Michael Cristofer fared better with Jolie in Gia; here, he's made another good-looking film about beautiful people, but its plot just can't be taken seriously. --Jeff Shannon

Customer Reviews:

GREAT AMBIENCE, MUSIC AND FLOW.......2007-09-12

I loved this picture. I love the soundtrack (can't find it anywhere) and the beautiful scenery. The critics hated this film to the same degree that I loved it. The choreography, settings and photoshots were really interesting magnified by the great music. I found it awe-inspiring, all ending in a wonderful way esp with the song with the credits at the great culmination of the film.

Great Passionate Love Story.......2007-08-20

I really enjoyed this movie! The script is fascinating and the acting is excellent. I think casting the two sexy stars in this very lusty story in an older period Cuban background was right on the mark. I've read some bad reviews and could only agree if I were approaching the movie from a stance of today's reality. The story is unusual to say the least, but describes the life of a severely abused woman who learned the worst side of life and a good hard-working man who was absolutely in love and lust with her; she learns how to truly give her heart, but not before a lot of pain occurs. This movie is full of fire and anyone who has truly in been in love this way would understand. That kind of love has no boundaries.

Excellent!.......2007-05-13

I had been searching for the Original Sin DVD for a number of years. I had seen it once when I was very young, and it wasn't available in the UK. It may not be a life changing movie, but I found it very enjoyable to watch. Jolie and Banderas work very well together. A lot better than you'd think.
Definitely one to buy!

Passion of Mind entertwined with Passionate Bodies.......2007-02-15

The film is well titled and is full of intrigue and mis-direction, yet it always returns to its central theme of over arching sexuality and attractiveness.

Better than expected.......2007-02-13

I had seen the rated version of this movie, but bought the unrated version instead. Great Movie...!! Rated or not. Worth the watch. Angelina Jolie is wonderful in this movie. And Antonino Banderas-its always a pleasure to watch him.

Average customer rating:

A review and a touch of history about this movie.
the story about the ants
Wow!
Eleanor - Oh God!!!
Heston & Parker equals spontaneous combustion!

The Naked Jungle
Starring: Eleanor Parker , Charlton Heston , Abraham Sofaer , William Conrad , and Romo Vincent
Director: Byron Haskin
Manufacturer: Paramount
ProductGroup: DVD
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ASIN: B0002WZTIY
Release Date: 2004-11-09

Description

In THE NAKED JUNGLE, Charlton Heston plays the powerful, brooding owner of a plantation in the wild and treacherous South American jungle, while Eleanor Parker plays his charming American mail order bride. He is wary of this beautiful and talented woman, and wonders why she would leave America for the rigors of jungle life. But with the advance of relentless killer ants making their way across the jungle, the two find their relationship changing as they fight to save the jungle.

Customer Reviews:

A review and a touch of history about this movie........2007-07-07

Yea, I've got this one to. First of all I didn't look up the credit scroll to make sure I got my spelling correct for some of these names and words...so bear with me.

Point one: I remember reading this short story when I was a freshman a zillion years ago...and if I'm not wrong I think I read the actual report the original story came from--I'm not sure. But I'll tell you some of what I remember, it should make your viewing pleasure just a little more informed or at least a 'little' more entertaining.

Point two: I remember in the original story that was made from the original 'report' Lanigen used a fire engine filled with gasoline "like a flamethrower" to fight the ants with. I remember a horse or cow got loose from the main compound and ran out amongest the ants and was devoured within thirty minutes.

Point three: I seem to remember...in the original report by a british or french soldier/officer on a gunboat/canoe (I don't remember which) they had been passing by villages for days that were abandoned...they didn't know why. The boat or canoe was heading up stream to find out what was going on. Somesort of fragmented reports had reached them so the government sent an expedition up river to investigate. (Remember now, this is from my memory 45 years or more ago, and I only read it once.) On the second or third day they decided to make a landing and check out the village. (The guy who wrote this report went with them ashore). One of the first things he spotted was movement to his left or right side...low to the ground--I guess living in the jungle your vision sharpens a lot. Upon closer investigation he saw a large column of army ants race out from under or behind one of the huts and seemingly take cover under something. As if hiding from him. Futher investigation showed the village hastly abandoned with food still laying around as if dropped. The natives or other people from the boat told him the village was deserted because the army ants were invading the area. The more the man who wrote the report watched these ants in action the more he felt as if they were intelligent...that he couldn't shake the feeling when they ran out from under the hut and to cover they were doing so he wouldn't see them-like a military unit taking position for ambush. I seem to remember his friends telling him army ants were like that. They would try to encircle their prey or close it in on three sides then they would build up their forces by climbing on top of one another until they were as big as it, then fall on it...(hmmm, I don't know if I can believe that one.)

Point four: Once again, it seems like I remember this guy reporting they covered an area two miles wide and twenty miles long.

Now, how much of this is real...beats me. I'm sorry I don't really know the truth about it...maybe the next one of you who writes a review will look it up and find out. I think the original story was entitled Lanigen and the Ants...I'm sorry but I don't remember the title of the original report.

Anyway, about the movie;

PROS:
1. It stars Ellanor Parker (the cutie) Charlton Heston (the force of nature) and William Conrad. That's a star.
2. Fine writing, that's a star.
3. Neat idea carried out fine with a few subplots that add to the neatness of the idea. That's a star.
4. Well acted. That's a star.
5. Well directed. That's a star.

CONS:
1. I wish it had been half an hour longer...you know more, a little more here and there and some extra upriver time when they investigate the strange occurances there.

Here's another point. Have you ever heard anybody say they "...didn't fail or quite, I was beaten...there's a difference." well this is the movie it came from.

And finally: Just incase you didn't know, this movie is about a plantation owner whose plantation is attacked, invaded, and literally eaten by invading army ants. And, as a published Science Fiction novelist with only one award to his name, (don't worry, you've never heard of me) The Naked Jungle--no matter what anybody says--is not Science Fiction. No, it is a fictional account of something that really happened...it is Fiction. It may lean a little toward horror, but is not horror...It Is Fiction.

So get out the popcorn and dogs, this is a serious movie, buy it.

Bye!

I'M back! After I wrote this review I did a quick google search and read about fifty of the first listings including 'Teddy' Roosevelts 1919 expeditionary notes. Despite most scientist playing down the army ant's swarm capabilities I did run across one news paper story from Brazil stating something to the effect of (this is not a quote) "...this town was invaded by army ants measuring one mile wide and one point eight miles deep. All emergency personnel went out to meet them...not all returned. Flame throwers were called in when the town was almost lost to the invaders. The cheif of police is one of those who didn't come back..." In all the science reports everybody seems to dodge around these stories about 'super colonies' were one colony picks up other colonies and pose a united front. Hmmm, like I always say at this time--beats me. BUT it sure makes a guy wonder. Bye!

the story about the ants.......2007-05-08

actually the story about the ants takes up only about half this film; the first half is about charleton heston's mail order bride, eleanor parker, who is excellent in one of her 2 best roles,( the other being 1945's "pride of the marines" w/john garfield)but when the ant story moves center stage, the movie really takes off. the technicolor is outstanding, as are the special effects.as a side note, it's interesing to see william conrad as the commissionar. on the original radio broadcast of this story, then called "leinengen vs. the ants", it was he who had the heston role.on the whole an enjoyable adventure film w/ a touch of science fiction.

Wow!.......2007-03-09

Charlton Heston is a handsome, troubled man who has his brother send him a mate. He has a beautiful home in the jungle and I guess is too busy to find his own. Are there any women in the jungle? Not any like Spitfire, Eleanor Parker, which shocks him with her beauty and personality. She is also shocked with his masculine body and good looks. There are times when you would like to smack him around, but then... The romance is definately there, he tries to protect her from ... well you'll see. It's romantic in an animal-like way. The ending is great! I love the action and the Romance!!

Eleanor - Oh God!!!.......2007-02-21

Marabunta, Shmarabunta - who cares about all that. It's worth ten times the price just to look at Eleanor Parker for two hours!

Heston & Parker equals spontaneous combustion!.......2007-02-03

I like this film a lot - Charlton Heston plays a 34 yr old virgin owner named Christopher of a massive plantation who marries a woman by proxy without ever meeting her. Eleanor Parker plays the woman that he finds is his stunningly gorgeous wife "Joanna." What an incredibly beautiful woman - the hair, blue eyes and ivory skin! Parker looks like a porcelain doll - she's so stunning in this color film that it just takes your breath away. Her character is strong and deliciously feminine. Christopher is both awed and intimidated by his "luck" in such a terrific catch. He knows absolutely nothing about women and never bedded one. Boy, is his character sexually repressed. He freaks out when he discovers Joanna has been married before and widowed. Memorable line "Lady, the piano you are playing has never been played before" - subtle hint that Joanna is used goods in his mind. He cannot forgive her and wants her to go back to where she came from - New Orleans. As he is trying to get rid of her, the ants show up and she proves her strength & character to him. The sexual tension and chemistry between Heston and Parker is electric. And yes, Heston is so handsome in this film.

Average customer rating:

Hauntingly Beautiful
Touching story set in beautiful Hawaii
Picture Bride
The Deceptive Pastoral
Married Strangers

Picture Bride
Starring: Youki Kudoh , Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa , Tamlyn Tomita , Akira Takayama , and Yôko Sugi
Director: Kayo Hatta
Manufacturer: Miramax Home Entertainment
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B0000DZTIX
Release Date: 2004-06-01

Amazon.com

The first feature by Hawaii-born filmmaker Kayo Hatta, 1995's Picture Bride takes us into unexplored story territory in its tale of a young Japanese woman (Youki Kudoh of Jim Jarmusch's Mystery Train) who leaves her home in 1918 to become the mail-order wife of a sugar plantation laborer (Akira Takayama) in Honolulu. Her first shock is discovering that her husband is actually 20 years older than his photograph; after that, life just becomes hard as the intensity and dangers of plantation work eclipse all joy. Hatta achieves an admirable authenticity in her portrait of the island community and the ghosts it (literally) harbors; she also gives us a strong sense of racial and class divisions that crackle like live wires through Oahu's booming industries at the start of the century. Tamlyn Tomita is excellent as the woman who becomes Kudoh's closest ally and friend in this new world, and the late Toshirô Mifune has a memorable, small part as a traveling narrator of silent films. This is an original, fascinating, and touching work. --Tom Keogh

Description

Highly acclaimed by critics everywhere, this memorable story of passionate love is set amid the breathtaking scenery of a tropical paradise. With only a picture in hand, a beautiful young woman leaves behind all she knows for the far-off islands of Hawaii -- and an arranged marriage with a man she has never met. Though she initially regrets her decision, in time her new life on an island sugar plantation is filled with unexpected discovery and joy. Featuring Youki Kudoh (MYSTERY TRAIN) and Tamlyn Tomita (THE JOY LUCK CLUB), PICTURE BRIDE was the winner of the Audience Award for Best Dramatic Film at the prestigious Sundance Film Festival.

Customer Reviews:

Hauntingly Beautiful.......2007-07-13

I stumbled onto this film by accident while searching for Toshiro Mifune films to see or purchase. It particularly caught my eye, because Mifune was about 74 or 75 years old when he appeared in this movie, and I had only seen him as a robust, energetic and physical actor who could always command whatever scene he was in with just a look from his flashing dark eyes or booming deep voice.

I was not aware of the "picture brides" who had basically been mail-order brides from Japan to Hawaii in the very early 1900's -- evidently around 20,000 of them. The movie's premise is simple. An older man sends a picture of himself as a young man to the matchmaker and receives a very young bride, who appears to be in her late teens. The young girl is horrified when she sees her husband-to-be and refuses to have anything to do with him. As the story unfolds, and the man wins her over, there are beautiful sweet scenes between the man and his new wife. The new bride is taken under the wings of the other women she works side by side with in the cane fields. In particuclar, she strikes up a friendship with a slightly older woman who helps to guide her along her way to happiness. Unfortunately, tragedy strikes but serves as the final impetus for the young bride to accept and love her new husband.

Toshiro Mifune makes a much too brief appearance as a benshi, a person whose job it is to narrate a silent film and explain exactly what is taking place. One of these films is sometimes shown to the farm workers on Saturday nights as a reward or benefit for working hard in the fields all week. Mr. Mifune was just as impressive playing this small role as he was in his earlier more athletic/dramatic roles. His voice was still strong and booming. His posture was still straight, erect and strong, and he still had those flashing dark eyes. When he is first seen in this film, he is in a wagon with the other people who will be showing the movie that night to the farm workers. There are two children playing at swordfighting. Mr. Mifune shouts out to them and demonstrates to them the correct way to hold their swords. The children's names were Toshiro and Akira. It was an extremely poignant moment in the film as though Mr. Mifune were telling Mr. Kurosawa that he had not forgotten him and still remembered all the swordplay movies they had made together. I found the scene extremely emotional.

The movie is cinematically beautiful as is the music. The characters are well played and very believable. It is a movie I can watch over and over and not tire of it. It's unfortunate that it seems to be an undiscovered gem.

Touching story set in beautiful Hawaii.......2006-10-29

Picture Bride is the touching story of a young Japanese girl who travels to Hawaii in 1918 to marry a man she has only seen in a photo. The movie does an excellent job portraying the emotional ups and downs of the immigrant Japanese community and their complex relationships to the other cultural groups in Hawaii at the time.

Youki Kodoh gives a memorable performance as the young bride. She is probably best know to English audiences from her roll as a Japanese tourist in the quirky move "Mystery Train" and her smaller role as a Geisha in the more recent "Memoirs of a Geisha." This film also contains the last appearance of veteran actor Toshiro Mifune. Despite his failing health at the time he wanted to help this remarkable story be told.

The DVD extras contain an informative documentary on the making of the film and the history of the real people who inspired the movie. The all woman team who produced, directed and wrote the movie interviewed many Japanese Americans who had gone through similar experiences to get their first hand recollection of this historical phenomena. This sense of authenticity is in part why it was voted an Official Selection at the Cannes Film Festival and won the Audience Award at the Sundance Film Festival.

For anyone interested in the history of Japan, America and Hawaii this is good choice.

Picture Bride.......2006-07-13

This is a good movie that presents what happened in Hawaii in the early 1900's. It's important that 3rd, 4th and 5th generation Japanese Americans see this movie so they have a sense of what life was probably like for their ancestors.

The Deceptive Pastoral.......2006-06-13

Caught between a rock and a hard place, "Picture Brides" succumb to the "push" factors that force them to leave their homes (in this case Japan) to marry "site unseen" (except for a picture of a man halfway across the world) in this case, Hawaii.

Picture Bride centers around the life and time of the fictional Riyo (Youki Kudoh - who made the character "Pumpkin" in Memoirs of a Geisha famous), a 17-year-old who leaves Yokohama, Japan; in order to marry a man (as mentioned previously) she's never met. Set in Hawaii in 1918, Matsuji (Akira Takayama) it is revealed lied about his age. He is 25 years older than she is. Their relationship is unsatisfactory to both sides - her from the betrayal and him, well, you do the math. In the interim, Riyo, formerly of Yokohama is having difficulty coping with her new conditions - working in the sugar fields with one leg in Hawaii and another trying to book passage back "home."

Riyo meets up and forms a bond with Kana (Tamlyn Tomita), who teaches her to earn extra money by doing laundry for others after work in the fields - she fuels a dream to go home. Riyo, as previously mentioned is desperately trying to get back to Japan, puts money away until she slowly begins to see her condition from a different perspective - she will become a settler.

The movie is sensitively directed by Kayo Hatta. Hatta does an incredible job maneuvering this already tense drama which sets the stage for the likes of Snow Falling on Cedars but was presaged by Come See Paradise. Engaging in yet a different version of the deceptive pastoral, the movie is set in picturesque Hawaii.

Picture Bride is a tribute to the resilience of immigrants and an amazing filmic representation of a narrative that would have otherwise gone silent.

Miguel Llora

Married Strangers.......2005-09-07

"Picture Bride" is the first film by director Kayo Hatta. It won the Audience Award @ the Sundance Film Festival in 1994. Hatta has apparently remained inactive as a director until this year with a short film "Fishbowl" in 2005. This film is gorgeously photographed with the landscape in Hawaii breathtakingly photographed by Claudio Rocha who also served as cinematographer on a film I enjoyed with Peter Fonda called "The Maldonado Miracle." Yuki Kudoh who was so memorable in "Snow Falling on Cedars" and has "Memoirs of a Geisha" out this year plays Riyo, a young Japanese woman who becomes engaged to a man in Hawaii only by looking at his picture. She does an excellent job of showing the character's inner strength as she works in the fields, brings in extra work doing laundry and eventually finds her place in her new home. In his first & only film credit of which I'm aware, Akira Takayama plays Matsuji her husband who is 25 years older than his photograph. Riyo's main friend becomes the worldly-wise Kana played by Tamlyn Tomita who has been in "Karate Kid, Part 2," "The Joy Luck Club" & "The Day After Tomorrow." Tomita brings out the strength and caring of the character and shows the tragedy of people who are not considered important as she perishes searching for her baby who has wandered when the sugar cane is set on fire. Her husband is played by the dashing Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa whose long list of film credits include "The Last Emperor," "Mortal Combat," "The Phantom," "Snow Falling on Cedars," "Pearl Harbor" & "Elektra." As Kanzaki, he is not the most caring of husbands, inflicting bruises and abuse. But his drunken misbehavior is also balanced by being a buddy to Matsuji and with a great grief scene as he realizes his wife & child have perished. Legendary Toshiro Mifune from "Rashomon" (1950) & "The Seven Samurai" (1954) does a cameo as the Benshi, who narrates silent films. Yoko Sugi who did 8 Japanese films in the 1950's gives a cameo performance as Aunt Sode who sets up the marriage. While the episodic film doesn't climax with a great crescendo, it does paint the picture of those in the early 1900's who married strangers to find a life. Enjoy!

Average customer rating:

Century Hotel the movie
An interesting, quircky movie
Despite flaws and uneven quality, I found it enjoyable
Interesting idea with mixed results
Interesting idea with mixed results

Century Hotel
Starring: Joel Bissonnette , Lindy Booth , Albert Chung , Colm Feore , and David Hewlett
Director: David Weaver (II)
Manufacturer: Platinum Disc
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B00019PD52
Release Date: 2004-01-01

Customer Reviews:

Century Hotel the movie.......2007-05-13

Great movie to watch. You have to watch the whole thing form the beginning or you could get lost. David Hewlett was great.

An interesting, quircky movie.......2007-02-11

Century Hotel is a movie about a hotel room, and seven stories about the people who have stayed in Room 720 over nearly a century. The writers and director made conscious decisions about the cinematic styles for each era, and even though none of the stories was very long by necessity, they brought the moment into the light and gave you enough for you to hang your imagination on. They went for edgy and succeeded in some ways with stories about love, betrayal, beginnings and endings. The stories are told through the characters' actions and dialog, and you're allowed to draw your own conclusions about what went on after.

I liked Century Hotel, it was a fine freshman effort that came in under $750,000. The DVD is nicely done, with a commentary track that is a tiny bit pretentious, but overall they do have a few things to say about the film. The short "Moon Palace" was worth the cost of the DVD.

Despite flaws and uneven quality, I found it enjoyable.......2005-05-29

This 2001 Canadian art film is composed of several short stories which all take place in the same hotel room over the last century. Century Hotel is a low budget film and a good platform for aspiring actors, most of whom were unknown to me with the exception of Mia Kushner who I recognize as the character who plays Jenny on "The L Word".

Some of the stories work. Some don't. And the quality of the acting is mixed. The stories are not interrelated but yet we see them in pieces which make the concept rather interesting. Also, the many romantic scenes all display an abundance of flesh and there are many surprises in the twists and turns of the plots. There are definitely flaws in the production however and some of the stories are quite unbelievable.

I can't help it though. I enjoyed this film immensely and couldn't stop watching. I therefore give it a mild recommendation just because it held my interest.

Interesting idea with mixed results.......2003-08-21

I feel like this plot has been done before - vignettes about the various occupants of a single hotel room - but I was still intrigued by this movie. The setting is a hotel in a cosmopolitan Canadian city. The stories - set in 1921, 1933, 1945, 1953, 1968, the late '80s to early '90s, and the turn of the millennium - do not follow each other in chronological order but are broken into short scenes and jumbled together in a creative if sometimes confusing (especially early on) manner.
As the box cover says, there are four lost souls, three love stories and one murder, the murder being part of one of the love stories. Some characters are easier to sympathize with than others. I really felt drawn to the sad Asian woman in an arranged marriage in the Depression era. I also rooted for the eccentric cuckold seeking his wife with the aid of a hotel detective in the noirish '50s story.
Mia Kirshner is sweetly seductive as the prostitute who agrees to annual liaisons with a besotted customer. Unlike the other stories, this piece allows for a passage of time within the story as we see the two meet for brief occasions over the next few years.
Other characters left me cold, like the two gay war veterans who betray one's fiance to satisfy their own sexual urges. Then there are the two millennial youths planning what turns out to be a suicide pact. The girl in this case was selfish and dishonest, yet the ending is supposed to be some magical completion of a circle. It was an unsatisfying ending.

Interesting idea with mixed results.......2003-08-07

Average customer rating:

GREAT AMBIENCE, MUSIC AND FLOW
Great Passionate Love Story
Excellent!
Passion of Mind entertwined with Passionate Bodies
Better than expected

Original Sin (R Rated Version)
Starring: Antonio Banderas , Angelina Jolie , Thomas Jane , Jack Thompson , and Gregory Itzin
Director: Michael Cristofer
Manufacturer: MGM (Video & DVD)
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Drama | Genres | DVD | Video

Period Piece | Drama | Genres | DVD | Video

Crime & Criminals | Drama | Genres | DVD | Video

Drama | Kids & Family | Genres | DVD | Video

General | Mystery & Suspense | Genres | DVD | Video

( O ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video

ASIN: B00005V4XU
Release Date: 2002-03-26

Amazon.com

Customer Reviews:

GREAT AMBIENCE, MUSIC AND FLOW.......2007-09-12

Great Passionate Love Story.......2007-08-20

Excellent!.......2007-05-13

Passion of Mind entertwined with Passionate Bodies.......2007-02-15

The film is well titled and is full of intrigue and mis-direction, yet it always returns to its central theme of over arching sexuality and attractiveness.

Better than expected.......2007-02-13

Average customer rating:

Two years
Good when mixed with brews and bros...NOT a "chick flick"
A Norovirus of a Mooovey
Dystopian masterpiece...
Cant Believe its a Mockumentary!!!

Mail Order Wife
Starring: Jose Canseco , Charles Debold , Krista Gall , Luke Geissbuhler , and John Gramaglia
Director: Huck Botko
Manufacturer: First Independent
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Comedy | Genres | DVD | Video

General | Drama | Genres | DVD | Video

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

( M ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video

4-for-3 Comedy | 4-for-3 DVD | Stores | DVD | Video

4-for-3 Drama | 4-for-3 DVD | Stores | DVD | Video
Similar Items:

ASIN: B000AL72RI
Release Date: 2005-10-04

Description

An outrageous film about the lengths some men will go to for the companionship of an attractive woman, MAIL ORDER WIFE captures the story of a doorman from Queens, his mail order bride, and the one man they entrust along the way. The film stars Andrew Gurland (Cheats, Frat House) Eugenia Yuan (Memoirs of a Geisha; Charlotte Sometimes), and Adrian Martinez (The Interpreter).

Customer Reviews:

Two years.......2007-08-27

I didn't know for two years that this was a mockumentary. Great movie all around.

Corey Cotta, Author of All of Yesterdays Tomorrows

Good when mixed with brews and bros...NOT a "chick flick".......2007-06-16

This mockumentary is funny and played off very well. While it has a few good laughs, this is relatively dark humor that you might need to be in the right mood for. The movie starts out pretty slow for the first half because it's trying to convince you that it's a legit documentary, so I wouldn't recommend starbucks prior to viewing. This would be good for chillin' with your bros and having a few drinks. Not even close to a first date movie...the male stars are just the very revolting pigs that women should avoid like the plague. Debra Teng, who plays the Chinese translator, is a knockout and I hope to see her in more films, preferably in nude scenes.

A Norovirus of a Mooovey.......2007-04-11

The shot of Andrew the filmmaker's denim-clad flat backside pretty much sums up the condescending posturing of the title character's tormentors.

Dystopian masterpiece..........2007-01-03

...this film reminds me of the work of Todd Solondz, who also specializes in making movies designed to make the audience squirm and cringe, yet keeps us riveted out of morbid curiousity as well as strong filmcraft and the unmistakable stench of ugly reality.

I had not read the synopsis/blurb on the box real closely before watching it, so like many other reviewers I was also not entirely sure if this were a documentary or a mockumentary until about 2/3rds through.

Really superb characters, script, acting and direction.

Cant Believe its a Mockumentary!!!.......2006-11-02

I was seeing the first 30 minutes of the film in cable, and I thought how horrible for the girl to be "ordered" and a maid for a disgusting man. I actually was disgusted by it thinking it was a real documentary and stopped seeing it. Today I was curious over what happend to her, so searched here to my surprise it was a fake! So now I want to watch it. They are so convincing, good acting I tell you. Not happy with the other reviewers they kind of gave it away.

Average customer rating:

Century Hotel the movie
An interesting, quircky movie
Despite flaws and uneven quality, I found it enjoyable
Interesting idea with mixed results
Interesting idea with mixed results

Century Hotel
Starring: Joel Bissonnette , Lindy Booth , Albert Chung , Colm Feore , and David Hewlett
Director: David Weaver (II)
Manufacturer: Velocity / Thinkfilm
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Drama | Genres | DVD | Video

Period Piece | Drama | Genres | DVD | Video

General | Indie & Art House | Stores | DVD | Video

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

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

ASIN: B00006JMSI
Release Date: 2002-10-22

Customer Reviews:

Century Hotel the movie.......2007-05-13

Great movie to watch. You have to watch the whole thing form the beginning or you could get lost. David Hewlett was great.

An interesting, quircky movie.......2007-02-11

Despite flaws and uneven quality, I found it enjoyable.......2005-05-29

Interesting idea with mixed results.......2003-08-21

Interesting idea with mixed results.......2003-08-07

Average customer rating:

Different but deeelicious!

Victor Herbert - Naughty Marietta
Starring: Patrice Munsel , Alfred Drake , John Conte , Gale Sherwood , and Don Driver
Manufacturer: Video Artists Int'l
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music

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