Factory Girl (Unrated)

Amazon.com

The lovely face of Sienna Miller fills in for luminous but tragic 1960s icon Edie Sedgwick, the child of wealth and privilege who found brief delight but eventual destruction in the fabled Factory of Pop artist Andy Warhol (Guy Pearce). Factory Girl begins with Sedgwick as a naive art student who comes to New York City seeking freedom from her troubled family, just as Warhol was surrounding himself with oddballs, sycophants, and drug addicts. The eager girl briefly becomes Warhol's favorite and the center of the city's attention, but when she falls into an affair with 'The Musician' (the only slightly ambiguous depiction of a certain nasal-voiced rock star, played by Hayden Christensen, Shattered Glass), Warhol is stricken with jealousy. Factory Girl wants to paint Warhol as the villain in this story of innocence corrupted, but the casting undercuts the movie's moral. Miller, though pretty and capable, never takes us under Sedgwick's skin, and Christensen's performance is one-note and clumsy. But Pearce's Warhol fascinates; it's a sneaky, stealthy performance, predatory yet passive, hiding a million neuroses beneath a cunningly vapid facade. Whenever Pearce is on-screen, Factory Girl sparkles; when he's not--despite abundant views of Miller's and Christensen's attractive naked flesh in the "uncut unrated" version--the movie loses its fizz. Also featuring Mena Suvari (American Beauty), Jimmy Fallon (Fever Pitch), and Illeana Douglas (Grace of My Heart). --Bret Fetzer

Description

(Drama) "Factory Girl" tells the story of the rise and fall of the original "IT GIRL" Edie Sedgwick. When Edie meets famed artist Andy Warhol, she is thrust into a life of glamour, parties and ultimately…tragedy.

Customer Reviews:

Guy Pearce Steals the Show as Andy Warhol.......2007-09-15

"Factory Girl" is a biopic about Edie Sedgwick, the muse of Andy Warhol...Beautiful, talented, and vulnerable, it's hard for her name not to come up when talking about Warhol. My familiarity with Edie came from a song by The Cult called "Edie (Ciao Baby)" which is a truly beautiful song about (as Ian Astbury put it) an "angel with a broken wing." This film took forever to be released, mostly because it hasn't really received good reception from anybody. It does tread over some familar ground and (in style) even bears some similarities to the recent biopic "The Notorious Life of Bettie Page" (which I did not like); But "Factory Girl" does feature dynamite performances by Sienna Miller and Guy Pearce, despite the mostly weak script. The beautiful Sienna Miller plays Edie Sedgwick, from the innocent and beautiful aspiring artist we see in the beginning to the drug-addicted, poor girl we see at the end and she never misses a beat. Once Edie finds herself in New York, she captures the attention of pop-artist Andy Warhol (Pearce, nearly unrecognizable). Andy begins putting Edie in his films (movies which, essentially, never went anywhere), as Edie grows to start using drugs with other people in Andy's factory. Soon, Edie meets a musician (Hayden Christensen) who seems to be based on Bob Dylan, and falls in love...Their romance is never really developed. It basically plays out in 4 scenes. They meet, the meet again, they have sex, and he pisses her off so they part ways. The movie does do a good job of illustrating Edie's difficult childhood (which, of course, features the sexually abusive father figure), but the whole time I was watching this film I didn't see anything that seemed new to me. If not for Miller and Pearce, the film would nearly fall flat after a fairly strong first half. I like the cinematography and the direction of the film and the first half of the movie DOES work, but it soon enters familar territory and it's all downhill from there. The performances are truly Oscar-worthy, Pearce completely blends into his role and makes you believe he IS Andy Warhol...It's one of the most impressive supporting performances I've seen this year. Miller, who's beautiful and talented but hasn't really done anything to gain her much notice, deserves an Oscar nod for this film...But she won't get one. This isn't a terrible movie and it's worth seeing for the performances alone.

GRADE: B-

Evocative But Frustratingly Elliptical Look at Andy Warhol's Factory and the Sad Party Girl in the Middle .......2007-09-06

For the concerted effort Sienna Miller puts into her searing portrayal of Warhol protégé and underground celebrity Edie Sedgwick, it would have been rewarding to experience a film that matches her unbridled dramatic impact. Unfortunately, director George Hickenlooper, primarily a documentary filmmaker, seems more focused on eye-catching cinematic techniques - a deliberately artsy mix of overtly dramatic images, grainy film stock and slow-motion photography - than honest character development in this highly fictionalized 2007 account of her brief life. The result feels energetic but ultimately rather cursory in the way he depicts the Manhattan party scene in the mid-1960's, in particular, the Factory, where Warhol let his coterie of drug-addicted fame-seekers gather to make virtually unwatchable films that reflect their constant state of ennui.

With her big raccoon eyes, pre-punk hairdo and flashing smile, Miller bears such a striking resemblance to the real-life Sedgwick that she carries much of the film by the sheer will of her character's Holly Golightly-like sense of exalted self-worth. But like Holly, Sedgwick lacked talent to sustain a film career, and the script leaves Miller to her own devices in connecting us with her character's tormented psyche amid her escalating drug use. On the upside, Guy Pearce accurately captures the discomfiting public image of Warhol down to the familiar narcissistic indifference and manipulative shyness, but his character gradually recedes into the background. At first, Hayden Christensen comes across as amateurish and unintentionally amusing as a Bob Dylan doppelganger, especially since he makes a feeble attempt at capturing the singer's recognizable speech cadences. Just as he manages to transcend the awkwardness of the character's intrusion into the story, he also disappears making his impact in Sedgwick's life feel rather fleeting.

Even though the cryptic screenplay by Captain Mauzner, Aaron Richard Golub and Simon Monjack conveniently paints Warhol and the faux-Dylan as polarizing figures pulling at Sedgwick's soul, the story really comes down to her own inner demons. The problem is that she remains oddly elliptical throughout, and Hickenlooper seems satisfied with leaving us with an impressionistic view of a person who barely warrants our attention forty years later. Among the supporting players, there are quite a familiar faces - Ileana Douglas as Vogue editor Diana Vreeland, Jimmy Fallon as Sedgwick's confidante Chuck Wein, Tara Summers as fellow Warhol protégé Brigid Berlin, Mena Suvari as Brigid's sister Richie, Edward Herrmann as the family attorney, Mary Kate Olsen as a partygoer. However, none of them are given any opportunity to shine.

The 2007 DVD includes several extras of varying interest, the best being an insightful commentary track from Hickenlooper and a thirty-minute documentary on the life of the real Sedgwick that mimics the main film's stylistic touches. There is also a bland ten-minute making-of featurette, a scene that was understandably excised, audition footage of Miller, the original theatrical trailer, and a twenty-minute behind-the-scenes video diary coordinated by Pearce. Despite strong work from Miller and Pearce, the film is only marginally effective as a dramatic vehicle even as Hickenlooper viscerally evokes a fascinating period of history in the arts scene.

Edie.......2007-09-01

This is a vey well made movie about the rise and fall of Edie Sedgwick. While it may not completely explain or try to explain why Edie did what she did it is a very well done movie. The acting, especially by Sienna Miller is very good (even if you wonder why she got the role when you see some of her screen test passages in the extras).At times the physical resemblance with the real Edie is exceptional, or at least with pictures from that era. Basically Edie was a wealthy New England socialite who left art school to go to New York where she met Andy Warhol- Being spectacularly attractive she became famous for the famous Warholian 15 minutes and then became very involved in drugs and eventually died at 28 years of age. However she has with time becom an icon of the 60's. This was confirmed by a book hat came out a while ago by Jean Stein and which is quite an excellent read.
The extras are rather good since there is a short documentary about the real Edie with interviews of survivors who knew her such as Gerard Malanga and her brother. This series of interviews actually complement the movie quite well. Together with the above mentioned book it increases the fascination one can have for her. Also as stated above there is a short screen test Sienna Miller did for the movie.
The guy who plays Warhol is not that great though.

An enchanting movie, a spirited muse.......2007-08-26

A lot of people gripe about this film, but I side with Edie's bro Johnathan: I think it does a wonderful job evoking her spirit. The acting is great, the sets and costumes and music are fabulous, and the story is heartbreaking. Though it may have some inaccuracies, I've never seen a Hollywood biographical film that didn't. I'm so glad I bought this movie so I can watch it again and again!

Now I remember why I don't like Andy Warhol.......2007-08-26

This is a movie that is a bit tricky for me to review. If you ask: "Was it well done?" The answer is yes. If you ask: "Was the cast good?" The answer is yes. However, it's simply not what I expected, and that's my fault. I did not read the plot of the movie. I read about how it was un-rated & heard that Sienna Miller did some nude scenes in it. Both are true, but neither was able to overcome my lack of interest in the story.

The movie is based on a true story of a woman named Edie Sedgwick. She was part of Andy Warhol's entourage in the 1960s. I'd always figured Warhol to be a quack. If this film is remotely accurate, then Warhol was even more of a quack than I thought!

Sienna Miller gives a terrific performance. Guy Pearce is creepy and whacked-out enough to play Warhol. The problem is, I just couldn't get into the story. I've always had a big problem having sympathy for junkies, as it seems to me that they "make their own beds" insofar as their myriad problems are concerned. The movie reminded me a lot of Angelina Jolie's Gia (Unrated Edition), which was about another troubled young woman / junkie from about a decade later.

I will be, in the end, as fair as I can be here. If you are a big fan of Andy Warhol and / or Edie Sedgwick, then this film certainly belongs on your shelf of DVDs. If you are (like me) mainly drawn to this film due to the fact that it's Un-Rated, then I would recommend you find other, more saucy UR films. That's as diplomatic as I can be.

Average customer rating:

Startup.com
What price are we willing to pay for
Great, observational documentary
Anthropological Record of the Decline and Fall of the West
don't even bother!

Startup.com
Starring: Kaleil Isaza Tuzman , Tom Herman , Kenneth Austin , Tricia Burke , and Roy Burston
Director: Jehane Noujaim , and Chris Hegedus
Manufacturer: Live / Artisan
ProductGroup: DVD
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ASIN: B00005N5QV
Release Date: 2001-09-18

Amazon.com

Directors Chris Hegedus (The War Room) and Jehane Noujaim couldn't have imagined the drama that awaited when they began documenting the creation of the pioneering e-commerce site govWorks.com. For over a year they followed the company, the brainchild of childhood-friends-turned-business-partners software geek and doting single dad Tom Herman, and ambitious young business-school-grad-turned-company-CEO Kaleil Isaza Tuzman. During the rise of the Internet investment frenzy and the subsequent crash of the dot-economy, the cameras remain keyed into the human dynamic: the lifestyle compromises, the personal sacrifices, and the clash of philosophies and personalities that ultimately tear boyhood buddies Tom and Kaleil apart...almost. Startup.com's portrait of the cutthroat nature of American business culture and the choices one makes (or doesn't) to succeed poses the one question most documentaries ignore: Is it worth it? --Sean Axmaker

Customer Reviews:

Startup.com.......2007-07-25

Anyone with the faintest un-suppressed memory of the Internet boom should watch the cautionary "Startup.com," an intense look at the treacherous waters of American business start-ups. Chris Hegedus ("The War Room") and Jehane Noujaim ("Control Room") were lucky enough to capture the full dramatic arc of Tuzman and Herman's venture, from the height of the Internet frenzy to the dot-com bubble's big burst. "Start-up" demonstrates how the rules of cut-throat modern entrepreneurship can transform positive human ambition into nerve-shredding obsession.

What price are we willing to pay for .......2007-04-10

As I write this review,I am two days removed from hearing of the tragic and senseless suicide of an acquaintance who had it all, risked it all,lost his family,fell into depression and substance abuse and hung himself.Why?.....his life WAS his startup and it came crashing down around him and he couldn't bear it.
STARTUP.COM is a timeless look at the rise and fall of businesses and the people who rise and fall with them.Some people who will view this film will only want to know one thing:How do I succeed in building a business and make money? Others will view this film and learn about the trmendous sacrifices to self and interpersonal relationships that comes from examining the failures of others driven by an intense desire or need to "succeed".This documentary examines both aspects of business-the technical and the personal.The two aspects are always competing.The lives of the "twentysomething"founders of gov.WORKS.com are examined in intimate detail as Kaleil and Tom are followed from the infancy stage of their internet organization,through it's quick rise to fame,(they were on every major mag cover and even had audience with President Clinton!!!)and it's crashing in 20 months.Loyalties and passions are questioned.This is a very realistic look at the down -and -dirty business world as portrayed in the .com rush of a few years back.What this film has to teach us is about the price that one pays in blood for what one thinks is necessary for "success".This film is a sobering look for anyone,any age who needs to possibly reexamine their priorities in business and in life.

Great, observational documentary.......2006-10-07

One of my favorite documentaries, "Startup.com" follows two high school friends as they create an internet business together.

Besides catching history on film, the filmmakers document what happens when friendship enters the business realm.

Anthropological Record of the Decline and Fall of the West.......2006-02-01

This will be as valuable to future anthroplogists after this civilisation has gone the way of all self-indulgent greed-obsessed cultures, as the murals of Pompeii's preening elite. The two main characters are equally obnoxious and equaly revealing of all that's wrong with this culture of money and ignorant selfishness. All the 'extras' floating around in the background who get churned in the delusional business fantasies of these two idiots are far more interesting, but we dont get to hear much about them. Enron wasnt a fluke, judging by this film.

don't even bother!.......2005-10-21

Okay, I was excited to see this movie. I read a few non fiction books on the dot.com bust and thought I knew a thing or two, but when I watched this movie focus on petty relationships and nothing more, I found myself wondering what planet these film makers were from. I mean, WHO cares about these people's relationships?? NOT ANYONE WHO IS WATCHING THIS MOVIE! We care about why and how businesses succeed and fail. This movie sucked!

Average customer rating:

Supernatural thriller at its best!!!
This movie is real and intense!
awseome!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
FIRST LOOK: DRIFTWOOD
Filmmaker Tim Sullivan Shows Us He's More Than Just A Maniac

Driftwood
Starring: Raviv Ullman , Diamond Dallas Page , and Talan Torriero
Director: Tim Sullivan
Manufacturer: Image Entertainment
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B000UYN9MM
Release Date: 2007-11-13

Description

Riddled with guilt over the loss of his rock star older brother, 16-year-old David Forrester (Raviv Ullman, Phil of the Future) becomes obsessed with death, leading his misguided parents to send him to Driftwood, an "Attitude Adjustment Camp for Troubled Youths" run by the sadistic Captain Doug Kennedy (wrestling legend Diamond Dallas Page) and his brutal young henchman, Yates (Talan Torriero, Laguna Beach: The Real Orange County). Once there, David becomes haunted by the spirit of Jonathan (Connor Ross), a former inmate who met a mysterious end-- a mystery whose resolution could very well be David's only way out... A startling and unpredictable chiller from Tim Sullivan (2001 Maniacs), also starring David Eigenberg (Sex and the City), Lin Shaye (Snakes on a Plane) and Marc McClure (Superman: The Movie).

Rated "R" for violence, language and sexual references.

Customer Reviews:

Supernatural thriller at its best!!!.......2007-08-25

Driftwood is a powerful, griping, and unnerving tale. Tim Sullivan has really created an edge of your seat psychological/supernatural thriller. Ricky Ullman, who plays David Forrester, gives a very strong performance. David is a character for whom you care about deeply, and can relate to. Diamond Dallas Page gives an amazing performance as The Captain, creating a truly sadistic and heartless monster. Every person in this film is complex and wonderfully portrayed. Driftwood its self is such a dark and haunted environment, almost like a modern day concentration camp. Its resident ghost fits so perfectly. His face is grotesque and tragic. The soundtrack helps add a wonderful creepy feel to this already accursed place. This film is akin to a teenage "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's nest" or a very dark and twisted "Holes". This is a must see film, one that stays with you long after you see it. Well done Tim and the gang!
Sweet Nightmares,
Jack
"The Darkest Hours"

This movie is real and intense!.......2007-08-21

Driftwood is quite magical. I watched it last night and while there are horror elements there it was something else, you feel like you are there, right alongside those there....its a transportation of your soul to that place and the characters and is a visceral expierience is the best sense. I really can ' t tell you how much i enjoy Driftwood, its a film i think every teenager needs to see to get a real and true grip on reality, and you know what it has quickly become one of my top films ever and why? It 's because it has a heart, a great big heart at the centre, that being your writing and your spirit and staying true to us teens and not giving them the adult attitude of today, but rather making them the most realistic people you could ever want to see.... For want of better words my friend Driftwood is an art all in itself, people like Spielberg and im being serious here should take a look at something like that an take a look at his films and see how he can never capture a youth of today!

By CRAIG HUTCHINGS United Kingdom

awseome!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!.......2007-08-19

this needs to be the best dramatic horror film since the sixth sense! i normally dislike disney stars, and i did not know what to exppect from raviv ullman, but his performance was a pleasant surprise! ddp also gives a great performance and makes you hate him the entire film. the only thing is, fans of tim sullivan, dont expect the crazy, funny, gory, fun, splatstick goresfest snoop doggs hood of horror or 2001 maniacs was, with driftwood tim sullivan shows he can make an awseome movie without gore! driftwood is unbelievable! although it is not gory, it has some creepy visuals, it has one of the creepiest looking gohsts in a long time (not the usual boring long haired evil little girl ghost), but he does not over do it. it is not gory, but it is brutal, and what it doesnt show sometimes realy is more effective. driftwood is not pg-13, kiddie movie. it is creepy, good, smart, and real horror. anothit has ascaer great thing is the atmosphere, the whole feel of the movie, it was shot in a real " correctional facility for kids" and that makes the movie even scarier. it has a a scary feel to it. this is so different than 2001 maniacs! this is one of the best horror movies i have seen in a long time!

j.d.

FIRST LOOK: DRIFTWOOD.......2007-08-18

Like one of the kids that finds himself held captive at "Driftwood", it's easy to misjudge Tim Sullivan's new film when you glance at the surface. It's got the kid from the Disney Channel, the wrestler, and that guy from the MTV reality show. It's probably pretty easy for a horror fan to immediately think "teen horror" and dismiss "Driftwood", but "Driftwood" is not "The Covenant in Boot Camp", it's not "Stay Alive In Reform School". If you're willing to toss this film based on the cast you've heard about, then really, "Driftwood" is exactly the kind of movie you need to see. The film opens up with David Forrester (Ricky Ullman) arriving, obviously by force, at the Driftwood boot camp. He soon learns his parents, still reeling from the death of his older brother and after misreading some of David's journal entries, have placed him in the custody of the camp until his 18th birthday. David, and the other boys he will soon meet, are overseen by the vicious Captain Kennedy (Dallas Page).Kennedy runs the camp with both an iron fist and a cruel, forced hierarchy amongst the other boys in the camp that often pits them against one another. It seems the easiest way for Kennedy to get away with his brand of violent discipline is to have the boys beating each other. By his first night in Driftwood, David is having strange visions of a ghostly figure. As the ghostly presence appears again and again, a dark and violent secret begins to reveal itself.Sullivan and his co-writer Chris Kobin really know how to write teen characters that aren't patronizing, dumb, or clichéd. They feel real, and that's something so rare in horror films. With strong writing like this, you need a cast that's going be able to take the character and really make them come alive.One of most surprising thing in "Driftwood" is the strength of the performances. (Ok, well maybe not that surprising considering I think Sullivan got the best performance out of Robert Englund in damn near a decade in "2001 Maniacs".) You're not getting flat, one-dimensional teen stock characters in "Driftwood". Ricky Ullman plays David with incredible depth. Dallas Page takes the roll of the cruel leader and creates a nasty, violent son-of-a-bitch you just want to kick in the nuts.More than that, Page is able, in the end, to show Kennedy as pathetic, worn, and broken that he even garners a slight bit of sympathy from us. Also, in his first film, Talan Torriero delivers a surprisingly solid performance as an upper-classman at Driftwood, one of Kennedy's lackeys. Talan shines at the climax of the film and truly adds to the intensity and suspense of these scenes.The supporting cast, including David's cellmates all stand out on their own. Again, it's surprising to see teen characters that are all different, without being caricatures. Lin Shaye also makes a brief, but very memorable, cameo as David's confused, misguided, but well meaning mother."Driftwood" is a very different film from Tim Sullivan, who's last film was the raunchy and tongue-in-cheek "2001 Maniacs". "Driftwood" is far more subtle in its horror. A quick glance of the ghost here, a little bit more of the horrifying truth revealed there, the story quietly unwinds. Sullivan uses the boot camp setting, with its inherent cruelty and violence to build incredible tension and suspense. It's a ghost story, of course, but it's clear there are a lot more horrifying things going on in Driftwood than a haunting.I was frequently reminded of one of my favorite 80's ghost stories, "Lady in White", in the way that the story was layered. It's a very well written mystery. It's not the supernatural elements of "Driftwood" that are frightening aspects of it. It's the idea of kids being thrown away by their parents, the idea of a man like Kennedy who's so lost in his obviously unreconciled past that he takes his anger out on innocent children with tragic results. What's terrifying about "Driftwood" is the realization as you leave the theater that while ghosts don't exist in the real world, camps like Driftwood, thrown away kids like David, and human monsters like Captain Kennedy really do. - Mike C.

Filmmaker Tim Sullivan Shows Us He's More Than Just A Maniac.......2007-08-18

Filmmaker Tim Sullivan Shows Us He's More Than Just A Maniac

Imagine you are sixteen years old and you've just lost your idol, best mate and older brother to drugs. Suddenly life seems to only be about death. You've got a hole in you the size of Texas and all you can think about is dying just so you can maybe be with your brother again. To cope with this, you start keeping a blog and pour out your deepest, darkest feelings in the hope of somehow purging yourself of those demons. Then your parents find this blog, read it and assume that you are on the fast track to a massive downfall. And then, to top off all this agony, your parents decide to put you in an 'attitude-adjustment camp' called Driftwood to get you back on the right track. You are there until you turn eighteen years old. You have no rights, no freedom and no hope for escape.

That is the absolute nightmare faced by David Forrester (played by Ricky Ullman, star of the Disney Channel's Phil Of The Future), the protagonist of Driftwood. Upon arriving at the camp, he first meets the man who runs Driftwood (and surely will run David's life), Captain Doug Kennedy (fiercely played by wrestler-turned-actor Diamond Dallas Page). The two characters are almost immediately at loggerheads as David is no shrinking violet. Quite the opposite, David has no problem telling The Captain (or anyone else within earshot) exactly what he thinks of his situation and the camp. David is so strong and obstinate, in fact, that you wince with the anticipation of what awful things await him, for surely he will not be able to hold his tongue.

Very soon after arriving at Driftwood, David starts having incredibly unsettling visions of another young man who is seemingly trying to tell him something. He leads David into a corridor on his first night in the camp where David comes across a wall of photos of the young men currently interred at Driftwood. One photo is conspicuously askew, and there is no name under it. When David asks fellow inmate Noah (Jeremy Lelliot) who's in the photo, Noah clearly doesn't want to answer. As time goes by, David continues to see visions of this young man all around the camp, and soon he finds himself filled with questions. Who is this kid? What happened to him? What's really going on at Driftwood?

Ricky Ullman has got quite a future ahead of him, if his performance in Driftwood is any indication. And if he went into this project with hopes of shedding his Disney image, I think he accomplished that in spades. There are a myriad of emotions David goes through in the course of this tale, and Ullman portrays each and every one of them so convincingly that you feel those emotions right along with him.

The film also has a fantastic performance from Diamond Dallas Page (The Devil's Rejects), who's brutal Captain Kennedy is the ultimate bully. Page also gives you fleeting moments of insight into the Captain's vulnerability, which is a rarity with this kind of character (and that speaks volumes about the calibre of the writing on this flick as well). Jeremy Lelliot (7th Heaven, Smallville), who's character Noah is faced with the horror of trying to be `cured' of his homosexuality, has a standout performance as well. And Talan Torriero (Laguna Beach) is very memorable as The Captain's henchman.

Director Tim Sullivan has created a very realistically frightening world in Driftwood. There's no boogey man here. Freddie's not going to kill anyone while they're sleeping at this camp. There's only the harsh reality of a teenager who's rights have been taken away by well-meaning but incredibly clueless parents (convincingly portrayed by the brilliant Lin Shaye and Marc McClure) who, in desperation, turn to The Captain and his camp to make their little boy all better again. There's also a great mystery in the film as you discover, along with David, the answers to all of his questions about the sad, ghostly young man he sees everywhere.

If you're a fan of 2001 Maniacs (and how could you not be?), Tim Sullivan's previous film, don't expect the same black humor-laced, gore-soaked, balls-out romp. This is not a sequel to Maniacs, by any stretch (but Sullivan does have that in the works anyway, so be patient). As Sullivan once said, "I like directors like, say Robert Wise, who one day is doing West Side Story and the next day he's doing The Haunting and the next day he's doing The Day The Earth Stood Still, next day he's doing Star Trek, then he's doing Sound Of Music, you know?" Clearly Sullivan is on his way to being the same kind of varied filmmaker, and I couldn't be happier.

So go see Driftwood with an open mind, expecting a great film. You won't be disappointed.

Slick Matecheck, Fangirl Magazine (www.fangirlmag.com)

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Great Movie!!
Whats the deal?
A Charming Curiosity
Its all about the Great Ron Moody
Go Benji!

Benji's Very Own Christmas Story
Starring: Ron Moody , Patsy Garrett , Cynthia Smith , Benji , and Marcus Powell
Director: Joe Camp
Manufacturer: Good Times Video
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ASIN: B0002H3S78
Release Date: 2004-08-17

Customer Reviews:

Great Movie!!.......2007-01-10

If you love Benji and believe in Santa this is the movie for you. It is short and sweet. I love how it shows all the different Santa's around the world.

Whats the deal?.......2005-10-30

What`s the deal with this "movie" being only 26 minutes long?It`s pretty good,but it`s so much shorter than the other "Benji" movies!

A Charming Curiosity .......2004-12-14

The year is 1978, and Benji is on top of his game! But wasn't he really a she, or was that just an urban legend? Anyway, Benji and "his" onscreen family, Cindy Smith and Patsy Garret, have been invited to a lovely Swiss mountain village to be grand marshals in their holiday parade. On their way to the event, however, they are sidetracked by their driver, Kris Kringle, the parade's Santa Claus. You see, Kris is the REAL Santa Claus, and since his elves will be too busy to enjoy this year's parade and see the movie stars themselves, he is bringing the stars to them. Suddenly, the human and canine actors find themselves on a walking tour of Santa's own little village, as he explains to them why his elves are busier than usual. It seems that Kris has broken his leg, and the elves will have to make his annual rounds in his place this year. The elves are beside themselves trying to learn the tricks of the trade and barely have time to chat, but Kris manages to introduce a few to the group along the way, including Needles and Pins, the official tailors. While in the wardrobe department, we get a firsthand explanation of how Kris must change costumes for every country he visits, since every country has their own view of Santa. In fact, much of the tour involves little explanations of the facts and complications of being Santa Claus, such as getting around the world in one night and keeping reindeer from flying away (by keeping them in a giant birdcage). The tour culminates in the letter department, where elves from the various countries of the world sort and respond to the letters children have written to Santa. Here, Kris Kringle is inspired to break into a catchy song and dance about his own "multiplicity." It's to his own undoing, however, when during his rigorous dancing, Kris's cast breaks apart and his ruse is exposed. He wasn't injured at all, he simply wanted to enjoy Christmas at home for a change, like everybody else. In the meantime, however, the elves are distracted by their chance to meet and pet Benji, and the lovable dog's ability to feel at home anywhere he is loved teaches Kris a valuable lesson and restores his eagerness to make his annual flight. So, with all things put right again, Kris Kringle returns with the little group to the parade route, and a wonderful Christmas is had by all!

"Benji's Very Own Christmas Story" is a charming little tale, though it carries a subtle touch of 70's nostalgia as well for all those who are aware of it. Benji, himself (or herself), is a 70's icon to begin with, and the lovely miss Cindy Smith comes off as sort of a poor man's Linda Blair (circa Exorcist 2, yowza). Plus, there's that whole "I'd like to teach the world to sing..." feel to the story. As a previous reviewer pointed out, Benji isn't given much to do in this one. Mainly, he's just carried around by Cindy Smith and gets petted by the elves at the end. Smith and Ron Moody, who plays Kris Kringle, are pretty much the stars of the whole program. More than anything, it's a "get to know Santa" kind of film, with a strong focus on his many international incarnations. Moody is center stage the whole time, as the Oscar nominated actor (Fagin in "Oliver!") handles most of the dialogue and displays his song and dance talents beautifully. Only a few gripes, like the fact that Santa has relocated to Switzerland because the North Pole was too cold, and the elves prosthetic noses are none too convincing in close-up shots, but otherwise, this is a very charming holiday special at a fantastic price! Nominated for an Emmy as "Outstanding Children's Program," you can't go wrong with this combination of the cutest dog of all time and the most wondereful time of the year! Oh, and be sure to watch for a cameo by Rudolph!

Its all about the Great Ron Moody.......2003-12-12

Really, this Christmas special has an odd feel to it because Benji is ostensibly the star, but mostly gets carried around. The plot is goofy, and sets are low rent, and acting is wooden. But the whole caper is just an excuse for the brilliant Ron Moody to do his schtick. For those who loved Ron Moody as Fagan in Oliver (which is practically anyone who has seen it), he is in peak form. The climax of the piece is Ron Moody as Santa Claus doing an elaborate musical number, which oddly has the Klezmer/jewish sound of songs like "I think I'd Better think it Out Again" from Oliver.

Its a tour de force performance from him. The directors clearly knew what they were doing and just let him steal the show. It makes you wish there was more output from him on film and video. It lifts the whole project up and for that reason gets four stars from me. The flashes of brilliance from Moody make this a real Christmas treat that can be enjoyed more than once.

Go Benji!.......2002-11-14

Benji is the sweetest dog in the whole world! How can anyone say 'no' to Benji! Kids will LOVE Benji!

Ghoul School: Super Bloody Splatter University Edition

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ghoul school

Ghoul School: Super Bloody Splatter University Edition
Starring: Nancy Sirianni , Anthony Scavone , Vancho Tolomanosi , Lorna Courtney , and Natalie Ferrier
Director: Timothy O'Rawe
Manufacturer: Camp Motion Pictures
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B000M2DKBW
Release Date: 2007-03-13

Description

Rock'n'Roll High School meets Re-Animator in this notorious and outrageous 1990 horror/gore comedy. When two criminals accidentally release toxic chemicals into a school's water supply, those who come in contact with the lethal brew become flesh-hungry members of the walking dead. As the dead bodies pile up, the student body battles to stay alive amidst the blood-splattered carnage. The only hope for survival for this high school gone to hell is a pair of bookish nerds and a talent-challenged heavy metal band, but they might not make it out of lunch period in one piece.

Customer Reviews:

ghoul school.......2007-03-13

like to laugh at low budget give this one a try. i onley liked it because im a horror fan. but like horror and low budget give it a try.

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Outstanding docudrama: Sheen, Brown and Gardenia shine!!
Very high quality experience
ONE OF TV'S BEST MINI-SERIES
best Kennedy impersonation ever
History and Entertainment

Kennedy
Starring: Martin Sheen , John Shea , E.G. Marshall , Geraldine Fitzgerald , and Vincent Gardenia
Director: Jim Goddard
Manufacturer: Lance Entertainment
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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Miniseries | Television | Genres | DVD | Video

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ASIN: B0000AKCME
Release Date: 2003-10-07

Amazon.com

Martin Sheen played president well before his stint on television's The West Wing in this affecting miniseries about John F. Kennedy. All of the momentous events of JFK's remarkable term are covered (with actual news footage used to excellent effect), but it is the portrayal of the entire Kennedy family as real, flawed people that gives Kennedy its power. The Kennedys gossip, snipe, joke, and bother each other like a real family rather than rigid historical figures or threadbare caricatures. Sheen plays Kennedy as a man with lofty ideals who is more than willing to dirty his hands to serve his greater purpose. Blair Brown plays Jacqueline Kennedy with a shrewd understanding of politics, but also a whiff of vanity. In addition to the strong performances by both leads, Vincent Gardenia gives a brilliant performance as J. Edgar Hoover: stiff, quirky and strange, prurient and moralistic at the same time, and boiling with hatred. The DVD includes 75 minutes of documentary footage from the Kennedy library. --Ali Davis

Customer Reviews:

Outstanding docudrama: Sheen, Brown and Gardenia shine!!.......2005-12-30

This is a fantastic (20th anniversary) docudrama of the highest order. Martin Sheen (as JFK), Blair Brown (as Jackie), and Vincent Gardenia (as Hoover) are amazing, as is some of the other cast (i.e. E.G. MARSHALL). The dialogue and settings are very good, ESPECIALLY for 1983-era regular tv. I even liked the Clint Hill stuntman. Get this!!
Vince Palamara-JFK/ Secret Service expert (History Channel, author of two books, in over 30 other author's books, etc.)
Pittsburgh, PA

BEST JFK ASSASSINATION BOOK: ULTIMATE SACRIFICE
BEST JFK SECRET SERVICE BOOK: SURVIVOR'S GUILT BY YOURS TRULY :)

Very high quality experience.......2004-09-26

This is a mini-series that I think is worth coming back to time and again. Martin Sheen does a fabulous job of playing JFK. The series itself continues to surprise despite repeated viewings of trying to show everyone in the most realistic light possible, without sacrificing the narrative arc or the need for entertainment.

It is amazing to me how action packed the 1000 days of the Kennedy administration were and how wide ranging and far ranging the issues that were tackled - i) nuclear war, ii) soviet expansionism, iii) civil rights, iv) space technology advances, v) industry/labor relations etc.

Given later movies and writing on Lyndon Johnson, I wondered if he was shown in a more than unflattering light in this series, or if this was how the Kenndy's viewed LBJ.

Finally, the dialog, script, casting and acting are absolutely top notch and credible.

The extras, as other revieweres have pointed out are absorbing. Watching President Kenney deliver the Inaugral address is a singularly inspiring experience.

A rare gem.

ONE OF TV'S BEST MINI-SERIES.......2004-05-21

Having already mastered RFK in 1975's THE MISSLES OF OCTOBER, it was only logical that Martin Sheen step up to the role he was seemingly born to play in what has proved to be one of the best mini-series ever produced. KENNEDY is a believable docu-drama that stays true to the 1000 day historical record. What's very commendable is Jim Goddard staying away in mass from the soap opera element of JFK's now much publicized adultery and the blind eye turned (to it) by his wife, staff and family. Vincent Gardinia offers memory burn as J. Edgar Hoover, just as Sheen does with JFK. The final ride through Dealy Plaza is horrific.

best Kennedy impersonation ever.......2002-10-26

Martin Sheen plays an excellent John Kennedy in the 1983 mini-series, Kennedy. he's got the voice of John Kennedy down almost to perfection.

the DVD version is great. you get additional footage such as JFK's Inaugural Address, One Day in Berlin, One Week in October, and The Last Two Days.

throughout the mini-series you see the tension between Hoover and both Jack and Bobby, you go along on the campaign trail with JFK, right up until the shots are fired in Dallas.
good mini-series.
i surley enjoyed watching all of it.

History and Entertainment.......2002-01-15

It's wonderful to have this five-hour mini-series complete and on DVD. Prior to this release, a VHS version of the program (squeezed onto one tape) edited out at least half an hour of the show. This presentation is a two-disc release that has parts one and two on disc one and part three and the 75 or so minutes of documentary footage on disc two. The mini-series itself is very well done and surprisingly poignant considering it was first broadcast in 1983. Martin Sheen's accent, while at first startling and seemingly exaggerated, is actually brilliant and spot-on 99% of the time. He is the best "John F. Kennedy" I have ever seen portrayed, hands down.

My only complaint (and this might be isolated to my own Sony DVD player) is that the picture occasionally slows and then speeds up. This is not like a dual-layer pause but an actual slowing of the film and then a burst of speed to "catch up." It is only slightly irritating and does not warrant you not purchasing it, since it is only a minor problem. Overall, I was quite surprised to see the film and audio to be as crisp and vibrant as it appears. I can't help but guess that this DVD is a great deal better than having watched the original broadcast in 1983. And yes, it is expensive...but you are getting over six hours of material.

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Of Civil Wrongs and Rights - The Fred Korematsu Story
Starring: Fred Korematsu , Rosa Parks , and Bill Clinton
Director: Eric Paul Fournier
Manufacturer: Docurama
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Documentary | Genres | DVD | Video
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Unfinished Business

Days of Waiting

American Pastime

Dark Circle

Gitmo - The New Rules of War

ASIN: B000KJU1IC
Release Date: 2007-03-27

Description

In 1942, Fred Korematsu was an average 23-year-old California native working as a shipyard welder. But when he refused to obey Executive Order 9006, which sent 120,000 Americans of Japanese ancestry into internment camps, he became something extraordinary--a civil rights champion. Award-winning director Eric Paul Fournier follows Korematsu's story from the moment he first resisted confinement to the hard-won victory he finally achieved 39 years later, with the help of a new generation of Japanese-American activists seeking vindication and the assurance that such a terrible injustice would never occur again.

Recsk 1950-1953: The Story Of A Secret Concentration Camp In Communist Hungary

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Recsk 1950-1953: The Story Of A Secret Concentration Camp In Communist Hungary
Director: Géza Böszörményi , and Lívia Gyarmathy
Manufacturer: DreamQuest Films
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B000A7JKNG
Release Date: 2006-09-26

Description

"This European Film Award winner documentary tells the story of Recsk, Hungary's most notorious political prison camp, which operated between 1950 and 1953. During the early 1950's the very existence of this camp for political prisoners at Recsk was one of the Hungarian communist regime's deepest secrets. Hundreds of people were taken there without ever actually being sentenced by any court, and had to suffer through the brutal treatment handed down by their sadistic captors. This documentary tells the story of Recsk from both the captors' and the prisoners' point of view, capturing the atmosphere of paranoia, humiliation and degradation that prevailed throughout the Stalinist gulag system."

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Great Movie!!
Whats the deal?
A Charming Curiosity
Its all about the Great Ron Moody
Go Benji!

Benji's Very Own Christmas Story
Starring: Ron Moody , Patsy Garrett , Cynthia Smith , Benji , and Marcus Powell
Director: Ron Moody , and Joe Camp
Manufacturer: Ventura Distribution
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B00005A8SA
Release Date: 2001-10-16

Customer Reviews:

Great Movie!!.......2007-01-10

If you love Benji and believe in Santa this is the movie for you. It is short and sweet. I love how it shows all the different Santa's around the world.

Whats the deal?.......2005-10-30

What`s the deal with this "movie" being only 26 minutes long?It`s pretty good,but it`s so much shorter than the other "Benji" movies!

A Charming Curiosity .......2004-12-14

Its all about the Great Ron Moody.......2003-12-12

Go Benji!.......2002-11-14

Benji is the sweetest dog in the whole world! How can anyone say 'no' to Benji! Kids will LOVE Benji!

Average customer rating:

Arguably the worst movie of all time...
A surprisingly good independent film ...

Camp Stories
Starring: Elliott Gould , Jerry Stiller , Paul Sand , Zachary Taylor , and Ted Marcoux
Director: Herbert Beigel
Manufacturer: Madacy Records
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B000244ENI
Release Date: 2004-06-01

Customer Reviews:

Arguably the worst movie of all time..........2005-11-06

"Camp Stories" is a movie that ironically does not have a story, let along stories. David (played by Zach Zaylor) is forced to attend a Jewish all-boys camp when he would rather stay home and watch movies all summer. His parents tell him the reason he must go is, "Because your Jewish!" I knew I was in for a long 90 minutes when I heard that line. David quickly establishes himself as a hot-shot when he accepts a challenge from the reigning rafterball champ, Paul (Kris Park) and beats him. From there, David's camp adventures just get more and more exciting (YEAH RIGHT). The movie suffers from a lack of anything that would keep a viewer interested. The actors just plod along in a very episodic manner, there is literally nothing that happens in this movie that you will remember 5 minutes after you finish watching it. I served as an extra in this movie, and was unfortunate enough to see how poorly this film was made. How they got the actors they did (Elliot Gould, Jason Biggs, Jerry Stiller) is beyond me, but sadly I don't think any actor could have saved this script.

A surprisingly good independent film ..........2005-08-04

I found out about this movie in a fairly unusual way: the summer camp used as a location for filming was owned by close relatives and I watched the video while visiting my relatives at the actual location where as a 10-year-old I'd been a camper myself, only a few years after the era portrayed in this film.

The actual camp, Camp Mohawk, was nothing like the Orthodox Jewish camp portrayed in the film. It was not a religious camp and discipline was merely the bare minimum necessary to keep campers from drowning each other in the lake. It was pretty casual.

The summer camp shown in Camp Stories, on the other hand -- if writer/director Biegel is to be believed -- was more akin to eight weeks spent at a Young Communist camp in the Soviet Union: a maniacal head counsellor on a power trip, an Orthodox Jewish camp owner who thinks rock and roll is obscene, religious rules that kept boys and girls on opposite sides on the camp, the slightest infraction punished by dangerous physical torture -- and a sign posted near the mail room promising campers that any mail complaining to their parents would be censored.

As I said, the actual summer camp this movie was filmed at was nothing like that.

But as an independent film, this picture is of studio quality, with a remarkable cast including Elliot Gould, Jerry Stiller, Jason Biggs, and Paul Sand. I thought the acting was good throughout, the writing and directing appropriate to the subject, and good use was made of the locations.

The script is a not-untypical story of minor teenage rebellion against the artificially repressive sexual code of the 1950's -- or at least how the Baby Boom campers remember it. It's a boy-meets-girl-on-the-other-side-of-the-tracks story, a sexy-wife-cheats-on-her repressed husband story, and a religious-culture-meets-the-outside-world story. The Orthodox Jews portrayed in this movie are only one step less out-of-touch than the Amish portrayed in Witness -- in other words, clueless. And, of course, any healthy teenager without salt peter in the food is not going to take to this sort of religious repression without a fight.

Technically -- for writing, acting, directing, cinematography, editing, and musical score -- I gave this movie a 4 out of 5.

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