From Beyond (Unrated Director's Cut)

Customer Reviews:

A Great Sci-Fi Horror Film to Watch with Friends!.......2007-09-17

I first saw this on cable TV years ago with friends. We howled with laughter at its campiness-- and that was coming in on the last hour. I eventually saw the full film and fell in love with both its strangeness and subversiveness. It is an absurd tale of excess gone awry that is completely relevant to the human condition.

I greatly enjoyed watching the extended-cut DVD with friends. The added footage gave it extra punch from the toned-down version that I had seen on cable. And, it is a film that allows for comments or gasps to be exchanged during it without losing the thread of events. It's a fun horror film. There is lots of latex and some funny commentaries on s/m. It may not be for the faint of heart, but I would not call it particularly grizzly either. Enjoy!

Also, the extras are great. The interviews with the director are charming. And the section where you can see the story board images alongside the filmed sequences is ultra-cool. The director seems quite proud of his ability to draw detailed story board images and for good reason. Definitely check out the extras, even if you do not normally do so. You won't be disappointed!

Excellent DVD transfer!.......2007-09-15

Holy cow, this is one awesome release. I agree wholeheartedly with the other 5 star reviewers that this is an excellent movie, and thank the studio for it's release. The DVD transfer looks extremely clean and sharp. A+ on the video and sound. I don't see how it could get any better for DVD.

Finally on DVD!! One of Stuart Gordon's Best!.......2007-09-15

Having just got my DVD copy of From Beyond on Thursday, I'm very happy to finally have this on DVD. Now I can get rid of my old worn out videotape copy.

Finally, the film has been released uncut, with Stuart Gordon commentary with Brian Yuzna, Jeffrey Combs and Barbara Crampton-Yay!!.

The a couple of featurettes with Gordon, a interview with composer Richard Band, and a storyboard to film comparison.

This is a must for any Gordon fan, and horror fans.

( Plus if your a fan of Stuart Gordon, on the Return of The Living Dead: Collectors Edition, there is a featurette called The Decade of Darkness, with is about some 80's horror movies. It has Stuart Gordon, Joe Dante, John Landis, Dee Wallace, Tom Holland, Catherine Hicks etc).

I definitely recommend this interesting and at times strange film, but very enjoyable.

Finally.......2007-09-12

After years of waiting, Stuart Gordon's From Beyond is finally out on DVD, and be thankful that it is. Undoubtedly one of Gordon's (Re-Animator) best films and one of the best H.P. Lovecraft adaptations ever filmed, From Beyond revolves around survivor Crawford (the great Jeffrey Combs) of an experiment gone hideously awry. A psychiatrist (Barbara Crampton) however wants to continue the experiment, and returns to the house where everything went wrong, along with Crawford and a cop named Bubba (Dawn of the Dead's Ken Foree). Naturally, things don't go very well, but in Gordon's hands, the otherwise predictable story and events are frequently gross, and frequently entertaining. There's plenty of gorey, slimy moments to be had, as From Beyond is finally restored in all it's uncut glory after years of only being able to see it as a butchered, MPAA approved version that floated around on VHS. The DVD itself has some great special features as well, including an insightful commentary from Gordon, and a couple featurettes as well which detail the making of the film as well as it's re-editing for DVD. All in all, it's so great to finally have From Beyond in all it's uncut glory on DVD; and it's needless to say that if you're a real horror fan, this DVD belongs on your shelf.

Creepy,imaginative take on Lovecraft's outline..........2007-09-11

Based on essentially a sketch of a story outline by H.P. Lovecraft, the tale is of a police psychiatrist Katheryn Mc Michaels(Barbara Crampton) who is put onto a case involving a man who seems to be getting strange visions in his head,after working on an "Resonator" experiment with Dr Pretorious... so he is locked up in a mental hospital run by a rivalous and sadistic female head doctor and her brutish orderlies. Mc Michaels is more understanding however, and wants to get to the bottom of what happened by taking the patient back to the lab, to re-create the experiment. What follows is a descent into the netherworld of Lovecraft-the theory that insane people, thanks to their malfunctioning brains and a strange gland, are really seeing visions of creatures from another dimension, trying to get in, a theme Lovecraft explored well in his other stories. What makes the film remembered so well are the in-camera and on-stage make-up FX work, all done on a low budget and before the overused CGI of today. Also Barbara Crampton(Mc Michaels)in an S&M outfit is worth the ticket alone. Later, as things get out of control,and the mutating patient is re-committed to the hospital, it is now Dr Mc Michaels who no one believes-dressed in her S&M garb- and she herself is involuntarily made a patient-happily so,by her rival doctor- restrained,gagged and scheduled for electro-shock treatment to "quiet her down". Thanks to a power outage by her mutating subject who throws an orderly into a fuse box, that doesn't happen. She brains an orderly(who deserves it) and escapes back to the lab, where the ongoing "experiment" reaches it's explosive and drippy conclusion....

Average customer rating:

A great show from the golden age of Drama
It sure is great to be able to go back to wacky Rome, Wisconsin once more
Stands the test of time
One of the greatest shows finally on DVD
Great show...a classic

Picket Fences - Season 1
Starring: Zelda Rubinstein , Don Cheadle , Denis Arndt , Roy Dotrice , and Leigh Taylor-Young
Director: Michael Pressman , Dennie Gordon , Martin Davidson , Jeremy Kagan , and Arvin Brown
Manufacturer: 20th Century Fox
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Drama | Genres | DVD | Video

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ASIN: B000K7VHJ6
Release Date: 2007-06-19

Amazon.com

While Ally McBeal garnered more attention, Picket Fences garnered more acclaim. It was justified. Set in Wisconsin, the Emmy-winning drama plays like The Andy Griffith Show by way of The Commish. The focus is on small-town life from a law and order perspective. The action revolves around Sheriff Jimmy Brock (Tom Skerritt), his physician wife Jill (Kathy Baker), and their children, Kimberly (Holly Marie Combs), Matthew (Justin Shenkarow), and Zack (Adam Wylie). Storylines alternate between personal issues, like puberty and pre-marital sex, and criminal cases. As Matthew quips, "Things happen around here." At city hall, Jimmy works with officers Kenny (Costas Mandylor) and Max (Lauren Holly), dispatcher Ginny (Zelda Rubinstein), and coroner Carter Pike (Kelly Connell), who likes to exclaim, "Let me exhume the body!" Judge Henry Bone (Ray Walston) and attorney Douglas Wambaugh (Fyvush Finkel) dominate the courthouse. Cases include such tragi-comic crimes as a serial bather ("Frank, the Potato Man") and a cupid killer ("Be My Valentine"), but serious issues also come into play, such as assisted suicide ("Sacred Hearts") and incest ("Nuclear Meltdowns"). Unlike Twin Peaks, to which it was sometimes compared, Picket Fences could be heavy-handed, but piety never trumped entertainment, and Baker, Skerritt, Walston, and Finkel all won Emmys for their work.

Notable guests are a hallmark of every David E. Kelley production, from Chicago Hope to Boston Legal (and beyond). The first season attracted Carnivále's Michael J. Anderson ("Mr. Dreeb Comes to Town"), Evening Shade's Michael Jeter ("Frog Man"), and Man of La Mancha's Richard Kiley ("Thanksgiving"). The series also features one of the last of the old-fashioned orchestral scores, Stewart Levin's distinctive piano theme. Picket Fences ran for four seasons on CBS (when Kelley left between seasons three and four, ratings took a nosedive). Afterwards, Combs joined Charmed, Baker joined Kelley's Boston Public, and Holly joined NCIS. --Kathleen C. Fennessy

Description

PICKET FENCES Season 1 is the first season of the critically acclaimed series from creator David E. Kelly ("Ally McBeal", "Boston Legal") starring Tom Skerrit and Kathy Baker, in the story of a sherriff and his family in Rome, Wisconsin, a town where things never seem to be business as usual. This long-awaited fan favorite is available on 6 discs.

Customer Reviews:

A great show from the golden age of Drama.......2007-09-12

Prior to the rise of reality TV, America watched shows that had scripts. ok seriously, this show is great. i have been waiting for it to come on DVD for years. Lauren Holly, Holly Marie Combs and an great task, perfectly cast for each roll make Rome Wisconsin come alive as they address the political concerns of the day, which oddly enough 15 years later are still the same concerns. this is a well worth purchase.

It sure is great to be able to go back to wacky Rome, Wisconsin once more.......2007-08-30

It is amazing in watching Season 1 of David E. Kelley's "Picket Fences" how much I remember about most of these episodes. But then who could ever forget the Tin Man dropping dead during the town of Rome, Wisconsin's production of "The Wizard of Oz"? On the other hand, this time around I was shocked to realized that it was a very young Elisabeth Moss (later Zoey Barlet on "The West Wing") who turned to Zack after the family had caught Kimberly in bed and utters the immortal words: "Yes, that was sex. Naked nude sex" ("High Tidings"). Those words stuck with us for some time. Nobody was ever just naked or just nude, they were always naked nude, and as for sex, it was never just sex it had to be "naked nude sex." Talk about your walk down memory lane, finally having this show out on DVD provides one of the best examples of that particular experience in quite some time.

I love dramedies and "Picket Fences" certainly counts as one. Time and time again Douglas Wambaugh (Fyvush Finkel) shows up for the defense of everybody from "the serial bather" ("Frank the Potato Man") to "the polygamist bride" ("Nuclear Meltdowns") and just when you think he is a complete clown he turns and levels somebody with a scowl and a pointed remark. It always seems to be the latter I remember better. I find nothing much has changed when I watch these episodes again. Carter Pike drives me crazy with his incessant demands to be deputized or dig up a corpse, but then his lousy love life ("Sightings," the only episode in Season 1 that does not have Kelly as at least a co-writer) renders him human again. Deputy Maxine Steart (Lauren Holly) is almost as bad as she sees serial killers around every corner, except she was right about "The Green Bay Chopper" and Cupid ("Be My Valentine"). Then there is her partner Kenny Lacos (Costas Mandylor) dating those twins ("The Body Politic"). And these are just the supporting characters.

At the heart of the show is the family Brock, where Sheriff Jimmy Brock (Tom Skerrit) give voice to Kelley's conservative impulses and his wife Dr. Jill Brock (Kathy Baker) usually gets the liberal positions (both Skerrit and Baker won Emmys for that first season, as did the series for Best Drama). The contrastive viewpoints are necessary because Kelley clearly scanned the headlines for controversial issues to write about, from mercy killing ("Sacred Hearts") and transsexuals ("Pageantry"), to menopause ("Bad Moons Rising"), an HIV-positive dentist ("The Body Politics"), and using fetal tissue to treat Parkinson's Disease ("Fetel Attraction"). Actually, I was surprised that although the issue episodes stand out, there were more dealing with solving crimes, from a 10-year-old suicide ("Remembering Rosemary") to a more recent one ("The Snake Lady"), and all the other weird cases involving "Frank the Potato Man," "The Frog Man," and the Chippewas who take over the courthouse because the city wants to put the 18th hole of the golf course over an ancient burial ground ("Rights of Passage"). Seeing Kenny in the lockeroom after the standout talking about the man he killed was just as powerful the second time, as was the whole bit with Max adopting a baby ("The Lullaby League"), and who can forget guest star Dellas Reese calling Zach (Adam Wylie) "little bittie thang" in that one? Which reminds me, Jimmy and Jill should trust Kimberly (Holly Marie Combs) and not freak out everytime she kisses a girl ("Sugar and Spice") or whatever. The kid has a good head on her shoulder and the Brocks should be open to the idea that maybe they were good parents in raising her.

There are some regrets with this DVD in that the cast does not have more of a hand in the extras found on "Picket Fences: Season 1," like with some nice commentary tracks. In the featurette on the final DVD, David E. Kelly does most of the talk but all of the other principles chime in during an all too short look at how the show came together. The show's creator expresses surprise that Judge Henry Bone became the voice of the town, but that seems absolutely inevitable given Ray Walston's virtuoso performance. Sometimes the actor is so damn good that what they are doing so effortlessly does not constitute scene stealing. Judge Bone simply commanded your attention every time he opened his mouth in his courtroom. Which reminds me: not only is there a reference to "Jimmy Berluti" early on in Season 1 ("Remembering Rosemary"), in the pilot episode I swear that Costas Mandylor as Kenny Lacos sounds just like Michael Badalucco on "The Practice." So I have the feeling that there really is a Jimmy Berluti out there in the world that Kelly is channeling through these characters.

Stands the test of time.......2007-08-29

Put in the first show/disc and within the first 60 seconds a person playing the Tim Man in the towns version of the Wizard of Oz is found dead back stage, someone leans over him and says...maybe it is his heart.

If you can't find the humor in that then you will miss the best parts of Picket Fences. There are so many huge issues taken on but also so many small gems that you can watch each show over and over and find something new.

Wonderful show, great package, bring on the next season. Soon please!

One of the greatest shows finally on DVD.......2007-08-27

Picket fences is one of the best shows ever on TV. Full of quirky yet lovable characters and some very offbeat stories that manage to force you to deal with some very important social issues. The DVD transfers are superb except for the first episode. Incidentally I'm never "Pre-Ordering" anything ever again. Shelled out $40 bucks for this and now it's going for $25.... Sigh. Can't wait for the rest of the seasons.....

Great show...a classic.......2007-08-26

I loved this show when it was in its original run on TV, and I'm finding I am enjoying it even more now that it's out on DVD. It's quirky sometimes, funny sometimes, serious sometimes...overall it's well worth the price. I'd recommend "Picket Fences" to anyone who wants to watch something a little different from the boring norm of most of today's TV shows.

Flash Gordon (Saviour Of The Universe Edition)

Average customer rating:

Flash Gordon Savior of the universe
FLASH GORDON is FUN !
So bad... It's good!
Flash Gordon, Finally
a classic

Flash Gordon (Saviour Of The Universe Edition)
Starring: Sam J. Jones , Melody Anderson , Max von Sydow , Topol , and Ornella Muti
Director: Mike Hodges
Manufacturer: Universal Studios
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Action & Adventure | Genres | DVD | Video

Comic Action | Action & Adventure | Genres | DVD | Video

General | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Genres | DVD | Video

ASIN: B000PMGS8G
Release Date: 2007-08-07

Customer Reviews:

Flash Gordon Savior of the universe.......2007-09-14

I haven't seen Flash since I was a kid in junior high.I recently purchased the DVD and it brought back a lot of memories,the show itself is a classic the soundtrack is one of my all time favorites.I recommend this DVD to all the rockers of the 80's.

FLASH GORDON is FUN !.......2007-09-12

Flash Gordon (Savior of the Universe Edition) is FUN to watch. We consider it a Sci-Fi Classic. There is 1 episode of the old black and white series of Flash Gordon on the DVD, which was cute to see, but would have been much better if they had the whole series to compare with the movie. Love the campy movie, very colorful version. Of course, music by Queen is fantastic ! Can watch it over and over. It's GREAT !

So bad... It's good!.......2007-09-12

There are so many things to criticize in this movie. The acting is atrocious, the lines are bad, and the special effects are brutal, but it is still fun and entertaining to watch. It is a classic!

Flash Gordon, Finally.......2007-09-09

I'm very glad to see this awesome camp favorite finally out on DVD. I would have been happier to see it in HD or Blu-Ray.

Many people have already expressed their disappointment with the extra features, so I won't go there.

Overall, this is the movie you wanted to own on DVD, on DVD. It is what it is. Nothing special, nothing horrible.

a classic.......2007-09-06

I remember watching this movie when I was 8 years old on HBO and to me it is still one of the coolest films ever made. Flash Gordon had very colorful special effects that made it stand out.Though they were not of the Star Wars quality they did make the picture viual. Ulike the Ming in the new Flash Gordon this Ming is the true Ming.With the attitude, the costume, and the head gear and berd that is what Ming is all about it think.And finally the women are more exotic in this version such as Aura and Dale which were so hot that they lid up the picture.I reconmend this film for those who have never heard of Flash or are wanting to see it for the first time.

Average customer rating:

I watched a different movie than most reviewers
hostile movie masquerading as a heartwarming movie
How do we know we're loved? 4 1/2 stars
Georgia May Rule...But This Movie Sure Doesn't
Uneasy blend of comedy and drama

Georgia Rule (Widescreen Edition)
Starring: Jane Fonda , Lindsay Lohan , Felicity Huffman , Dermot Mulroney , and Cary Elwes
Director: Garry Marshall
Manufacturer: Universal Studios
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B000T988I8
Release Date: 2007-09-04

Customer Reviews:

I watched a different movie than most reviewers.......2007-09-16

I truly enjoyed this movie. I've always been a Fonda fan. Felicity has never disappointed. And Lindsay shows she is a quality actress, right up there with the other two. In the scene in the boat where she's seducing the guy and they show a close up of just her face, you can see every emotion that crosses her mind.

My biggest difference, however with the reviewers is that they harp on how odd it is to have humor in a film on such a serious topic as sexual abuse. I found this movie to be rather on target with its light hearted moments mixed in with the pain. And then these usually male reviewers go on about was she abused, wasn't she, why doesn't she make up her mind. To me, it seems obvious these fellows have never experienced such abuse personally, nor have they observed, with any care, someone who has. There's no straight line to recovery.

I loved this movie for its story and the acting. Nothing rang false in my book.

hostile movie masquerading as a heartwarming movie.......2007-09-13

This is a movie about a ridiculously dysfunctional family composed of morbidly dysfunctional women. There are people who actually like movies about this type of person (for whatever reason). If you are one such, fine; but if you are not, avoid this film at any price.

After 100 minutes of watching them tear each other apart and blame each other for everything, abruptly in the last five minutes, all their deep psychological problems disappear without therapy or any other cause, and everybody is going to live happily ever after. Right. This cheap shot of an ending was obviously tacked on to save this movie from being a total economic disaster.

Even if you're a fan of Jane Fonda or of Lindsay Lohan or both, you won't like them in this movie (unless, as I said, you like this type of movie).

Bottom line: you have a better chance with almost any other movie.

How do we know we're loved? 4 1/2 stars.......2007-09-11

Though I don't recall this movie getting great reviews from the critics, I expected at least a decent movie considering the three main stars. I got more than expected. The three lead actresses were well chosen. Jane Fonda, looking exceptionally well at age 70, is outstanding as the grandmother, Georgia, who lives her life by certain 'rules,' hence the title, and who has a history with her daughter, Lilly, (Felicity Huffman), that seems lacking in emotion. 'Seems' is the operative word. While we aren't exactly privy to what has caused this rift between mother and daughter, we glean from one particular scene that Georgia's parents never told HER that they loved her. We gather that Georgia's apparent inability to say the three words, "I love you" to her daughter may simply be because she was not told what she needed to hear from her parents. In one touching scene between Georgia and Lilly, when Lilly asks her mother if she ever loved her, Georgia replies, 'How could I not love you?' She still is not able to say those three magic words to her daughter though she has no trouble saying them to her granddaughter, Rachel, (Lindsay Lohan). Dermont Mulroney is wonderfully cast as the kindly veterinarian whom Rachel works for and Cary Elwes well cast in a somewhat chilling performance as Rachel's stepfather.

Rachel lies, manipulates, has a history of drug abuse and all manner of teen problems. There is, of course, a reason for her behaviour and underneath it all, we see many glimpses of a tender heart.

This is Ms. Lohan's best performance since she made her wonderful debut as identical twins in 'The Parent Trap' at the age of eleven. Despite the two other big name stars, Lindsay Lohan is THE star of this movie. We can only hope that this gifted young lady is able to heal herself before a very promising career is ruined.

Georgia May Rule...But This Movie Sure Doesn't.......2007-09-10

I am uncertain what to make of this misshapen 2007 dramedy. Attempting to be a new millennium cross-hybrid between On Golden Pond and The Prince of Tides, this film ends up being an erratic mess shifting so mercurially between comedy and melodrama that the emotional pitch always seems off. The main problem seems to be the irreconcilable difference between Garry Marshall's sentimental direction and Mark Andrus' dark, rather confusing screenplay. The story focuses on the unraveling relationship between mother Lilly and daughter Rachel, who have driven all the way from San Francisco to small-town Hull, Idaho where grandmother Georgia lives. The idea is for Lilly to leave Rachel for the summer under Georgia's taskmaster jurisdiction replete with her draconian rules since the young 17-year old has become an incorrigible hellion.

The set-up is clear enough, but the characters are made to shift quickly and often inexplicably between sympathetic and shrill to fit the contrived contours of the storyline. It veers haphazardly through issues of alcoholism, child molestation and dysfunctional families until it settles into its pat resolution. The three actresses at the center redeem some of the dramatic convolutions but to varying degrees. Probably due to her off-screen reputation and her scratchy smoker's voice, Lindsay Lohan makes Rachel's promiscuity and manipulative tactics palpable, although she becomes less credible as her character reveals the psychological wounds that give a reason for her hedonistic behavior. Felicity Huffman is forced to play Lilly on two strident notes - as a petulant, resentful daughter to a mother who never got close to her and as an angry, alcoholic mother who starts to recognize her own accountability in her daughter's state of mind. She does what she can with the role on both fronts, but her efforts never add up to a flesh-and-blood human being.

At close to seventy, Jane Fonda looks great, even as weather-beaten as she is here, and has the star presence to get away with the cartoon-like dimensions of the flinty Georgia. The problem I have with Fonda's casting is that the legendary actress deserves far more than a series of one-liners and maternal stares. Between this and 2005's execrable Monster-in-Law, it does make one wonder if her best work is behind her. It should come as no surprise that the actresses' male counterparts are completely overshadowed. Garrett Hedlund looks a little too surfer-dude as the naïve Harlan, a devout Mormon whose sudden love for Rachel could delay his two-year missionary stint. Cary Elwes plays on a familiar suspicious note as Lilly's husband, an unfortunate case where predictable casting appears to telegraph the movie's ending.

There is also the omnipresent Dermot Mulroney in the morose triple-play role of the wounded widower, Lilly's former flame and Rachel's new boss as town veterinarian Dr. Simon Ward. Laurie Metcalf has a barely-there role as Simon's sister Paula, while Marshall regular Hector Elizondo and songsmith Paul Williams show up in cameos. Some of Andrus' dialogue is plain awful and the wavering seriocomic tone never settles on anything that feels right. There are several small extras with the 2007 DVD, none all too exciting. Marshall provides a commentary track that has plenty of his trademark laconic humor. There are several deleted scenes, including three variations on the ending, and a gag reel. A seven-minute making-of featurette is included, as well as the original theatrical trailer, a six-minute short spotlighting the three actresses and a five-minute tribute to Marshall.

Uneasy blend of comedy and drama.......2007-09-10

In an industry that increasingly misrepresents its products via preview trailers, this is the most appalling example I've ever seen. Have you seen the trailer? Are you expecting a mostly lighthearted "troubled girl puts her life on track with guidance from her sassy grandmother" movie? Think again.

I'm spoiling a plot development from about 20 minutes in so don't read farther if you don't want to know.

*Georgia Rule* is actually a heavy-handed molestation tale, with Lohan playing a dangerous and unpleasant "am I telling the truth or lying?" game by accusing (then recanting, then accusing, then recanting) her stepfather of abusing her when she was 12-14, three years ago.

Such stories have a place, and some probably open doors of communication in troubled families. However, this one strikes an extremely uneven balance between comedy and drama thanks to director Garry Marshall's mistaken vision. A mother's alcoholism, a daughter's abuse and subsequent slide into drug use and sexual promiscuity can't be juxtaposed with Fourth of July pie-eating contests (naturally featuring cameos by Marshall's never-ending supply of relatives) and wacky hijinx down at the local vet's.

The acting is good, but the script and direction are very, very, very bad. The script kicked around Hollywood for a decade; it should still be gathering dust on a forgotten bookcase.

Average customer rating:

Little Miss Sunshine Dazzles
This was bad, boring, and a waste of time.
Yawn. Utterly pointless
Great Example of the Academy's Ability to Brainwash the Populace At Will
"Are you gonna win?"

Little Miss Sunshine
Starring: Abigail Breslin , Greg Kinnear , Paul Dano , Alan Arkin , and Toni Collette
Director: Jonathan Dayton , and Valerie Faris
Manufacturer: 20th Century Fox
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Comedy | Genres | DVD | Video

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ASIN: B000K7VHQE
Release Date: 2006-12-19

Amazon.com

Pile together a blue-ribbon cast, a screenplay high in quirkiness, and the Sundance stamp of approval, and you've got yourself a crossover indie hit. That formula worked for Little Miss Sunshine, a frequently hilarious study of family dysfunction. Meet the Hoovers, an Albuquerque clan riddled with depression, hostility, and the tattered remnants of the American Dream; despite their flakiness, they manage to pile into a VW van for a weekend trek to L.A. in order to get moppet daughter Olive (Abigail Breslin) into the Little Miss Sunshine beauty pageant. Much of the pleasure of this journey comes from watching some skillful comic actors doing their thing: Greg Kinnear and Toni Collette as the parents (he's hoping to become a self-help authority), Alan Arkin as a grandfather all too willing to give uproariously inappropriate advice to a sullen teenage grandson (Paul Dano), and a subdued Steve Carell as a jilted gay professor on the verge of suicide. The film is a crowd-pleaser, and if anything is a little too eager to bend itself in the direction of quirk-loving Sundance audiences; it can feel forced. But the breezy momentum and the ingenious actors help push the material over any bumps in the road.-- Robert Horton

Beyond Little Miss Sunshine

More Dysfunctional Family Comedies
More films from the stars of Little Miss Sunshine
More Independent Films Turned Sleeper Hits

Stills from Little Miss Sunshine

Description

Take a hilarious ride with the Hoovers, one of the most endearingly fractured families in comedy history.

Father Richard (Greg Kinnear) is desperately trying to sell his motivational success program...with no success. Meanwhile, "pro-honesty" mom Sheryl (Toni Collette) lends support to her eccentric family, including her depressed brother (Steve Carell), fresh out of the hospital after being jilted by his lover. Then there are the younger Hoovers?the seven-year-old, would-be beauty queen Olive (Abigail Breslin) and Dwayne (Paul Dano), a Nietzsche-reading teen who has taken a vow of silence. Topping off the family is the foul-mouthed grandfather (Alan Arkin), whose outrageous behavior recently got him evicted from his retirement home. When Olive is invited to compete in the "Little Miss Sunshine" pageant in far-off California, the family piles into their rusted-out VW bus to rally behind her?with riotously funny results.

Customer Reviews:

Little Miss Sunshine Dazzles.......2007-09-06

Little Miss Sunshine is the Oscar-nominated comedy starring Abigail Breslin, Greg Kinnear, Steve Carell, and Alan Arkin. It's the American family road-trip movie for the current generation. There was a lot of hype last year about this little-movie-that-could, directed by Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris, and none of it was undeserved. Now on DVD, this film never ceases to entertain and delight.

The eccentric Hoover family from Alberqueque rallies around their awkward young daughter, Olive, who has been invited to compete in the "Little Miss Sunshine" pageant in California. Mom, Dad, daughter and son, along with Grandpa and Uncle pile into their old yellow VW bus, which has seen better days, and go off to help Olive chase her dream of being a beauty queen. The cast is an impeccable ensemble of Hollywood's relative newcomers and veterans, and legend-in-the-making Steve Carell, steals several scenes as Uncle Frank, the suicidal, homosexual Proust scholar. Young Abigail Breslin really shines, though, and even earned an Oscar nod for her unforgettable performance.

Little Miss Sunshine seems mildly humorous, with spots of black humor and somber heart-warming moments, for the first three quarters of the film. Then suddenly, without warning, it is uproariously funny, and stays that way until it fades to black. When the film was first released to theaters, the audience would invariably be falling out of their seats, crying and laughing, as little Miss Breslin performed her "talent" in the pageant. It truly is charming and warm and you do really fall in love with the characters, but the film offers so much more than just family dysfunction. It's also a sharp satire of child beauty pageants. The last scene, at the pageant, is the funniest scene in any film released last year.

The only thing that drags this little gem of a film down is the writing, and even that is easily overlooked. But something about the way writer Michael Arndt set up each character for a rise and fall came off as a little cheesy. It seemed just a little too much, especially when Dwayne, played by Paul Dano, found out he was color-blind. In the end, though, fifteen minutes into the film later, all is forgotten, dissolved into hysterical laughter.

Little Miss Sunshine walks the delicate line of dark humor and family comedy with such precision and passion. It's impossible to watch this film and not love it. The DVD includes four alternate endings and director commentary, and the film is just as good on the second, third and fourth viewings, as it was on the first.

This was bad, boring, and a waste of time. .......2007-08-27

This movie was a huge waste of time. The story was pointless; it was simply of little value. What good thing could be said of this movie? Nada. I was hoping for something more from this fabulously overhyped piece of junk. It's a bad movie because these people simply have no redeeming features about them. As a result, the movie seems overly contrived and without direction. Avoid this one like the plague; you'll be better off saving a few books.

Yawn. Utterly pointless.......2007-08-23

I dont get the hype about this film. We basically went to see if because of all the build up. I disliked it off the bat. It was kind of boring and completely disbelieving. No way in hell would anyone in their right mind do anything that happened in this film. I hate these 'dysfuntional family' type movies which never make sense and again, are not realistic in the least. I am shocked the Academy even nominated this for anything.

Great Example of the Academy's Ability to Brainwash the Populace At Will.......2007-08-23

I can't believe how people can trick themselves into thinking that watching this is an enriching and profound experience. That's what scares me the most about this film. That millions of people are going to go out and search for similar films in an attempt to recapture the "experience" that had with this one. They think this is high culture. They think this is art. They think that this was a "moving" performance by all. I can't see how this could do anything but greatly harm American society, anything but hinder attempts by folks to find genuinely meaningful films, books, art, etc. It's truly astounding they way we're just letting Hollywood dictate our lives for us.

First of all, and I'd really really like to know, could this movie have possibly been anymore cliched? A roadtrip! Gosh what an original way to carry a film! That's never been done before!

Those types of tired cliches abound in this film. The police officer with a vice, lucking your way out of a speeding ticket, the brother who comes to a realization shortly after his sister puts his arms around him, the potential embarassment that comes with purchasing pornographic magazines, forgetting to bring your child on the trip you're taking, oh and don't foget...they have car trouble in addition to all of this. MAN is all of this tired. These areas have all been run into the ground by television and cinema for the past thirty years.

Secondly, why is it when an indie film engages in the same crass vulgarity as anything commonly found on Spike TV it get's treated as "honesty" instead of what it really is? Reading some of these reviews is absolutely nausiating. I can't even believe I'm living in this coocoo-clock. What has to happen to a person to say some of the things folks have said in these reviews? Let me get it right for all of you. Under no, and I mean NO circumstances is it EVER appropriate to make light of sexual assaults on children. That is not something you joke about. How a person could ever be so warped as to find that to be something humorous is mortifying enough in it's own right, but to insert it into a film and have millions upon millions laughing along with you is enough to send any decent human being spiraling into a state of endless despair. I really don't know how anyone could ever justify the sexualization of young actresses in a movie. It's truly something I never could have even phathomed before this film came out. I can't believe what depths folks will sink to in order to defend this garbage.

This is yet another movie with an all to synical approach to life. The life advice the "lovable" old gramps gives to his grandchildren: bang as many women as possible and shoot heroin when you get older. Charming. And when this grandfather dies this family that supposedly cared so much for him (and so much for each other) is grieving so deeply at this loss that they have just enough time to drop his probably still warm corpse out of a second story window, cram it into the back of their van, and still arrive at their destination on time. What a lovely image! Only when you hold true to your message that life is ultimately meaningless can death be treated in such a superficial and disgusting manner.

Finally, why is it that vulgarity is confused with authenticity? Why is it that folks who like this film seem to think that foul language isn't really foul at all but rather "honesty," or "keeping it real" as it were? Why do you all seem to think that the inner-most depths of one's soul can be most profoundly expressed through swearing? That a meaningful expression of despair is to hop out of a van and scream the F-word out into the desert? Just utter superficiality throughout this film.

I don't know about the rest of you but I would start cutting off contact with folks who own this film. If you walk into a house and see this on the shelf leave immediately. Run far far away from this film while you still have a chance.

"Are you gonna win?".......2007-08-19

This is one of the funniest movies I have seen in the last few years. This is the result of a combination of fascinating characters, great dialogues and outstanding performances by an all-star cast. On top of that, the final scene is so unexpected and hilarious that you will be rolling on the floor laughing.

Olive is a seven-year-old girl whose hobby is to compete in pageants. She spends a lot of time practicing her routine and watching recordings of the Miss America pageant and mimicking the gestures of the competitors. She has one of the most dysfunctional and peculiar families you can think of. Her father, Richard, has created a nine-step program to transform people into winners. He is trying to get a publisher for the book, "Refuse to Lose", and the economic future of the family depends on the success of this enterprise. Her mother, Sheryl, likes to be brutally honest, feeds her family chicken out of a bucket every night and hides her smoking habit. Sheryl also has to deal with the suicide attempt by her brother, uncle Frank. Olive's grandpa also lives with the family. The old man is Olive's coach and has a drug addiction. Finally, there is the brother, Dwayne, who has promised not to talk until he is accepted into the Air Force and who idolizes the German philosopher Nietzsche.

The dialogues are so good that it is unreal. For example, the honest approach of Sheryl led to a discussion during dinner in which Frank ended up explaining about his suicide attempt. But this carried further, since one of the reasons for it was being rejected by his male lover. Imagine the faces and comments of a seven-year-old when hearing about this! During this dinner, Olive finds out that the girl she lost to in the regional Little Miss Sunshine pageant has withdrawn from the finals. Now Olive has the chance to take her place and compete for the national title. The result is a road trip to California with the whole family in an old yellow van.

There are a variety of complications during the trip and we get so see how the different members of the family react to stress. Once again, the conversations are what drive the interest, and grandpa (Alan Arkin) stands out with his incomparable sarcasm. Arkin's is the best performance of the bunch, but the other members of the cast do not lag far behind. Greg Kinnear and Steve Carell play their roles convincingly, and Paul Dano really shows us how a conflicted teenager behaves. Abigail Breslin deservedly got an Oscar nomination for her performance, and she joins the group of outstanding kids in movies, like Elijah Wood, Macaulay Culkin and Ivana Baquero. If you want to have a good time and laugh for a while there are few options better than this one. Highly recommended!

Average customer rating:

"Away From Her" is brilliant!
Astounding Filmmaking Debut for Polley Spotlights a Luminous Christie in a Moving Study of Loss
The Long Good Bye
One of my "top 10" for 2007!
Julie Christie and Gordon Pinsent in a touching story about Alzheimers

Away from Her
Starring: Julie Christie , Gordon Pinsent , and Olympia Dukakis
Director: Sarah Polley
Manufacturer: Lionsgate
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B000T5O48A
Release Date: 2007-09-11

Description

Married for almost 50 years, Grant's (Gordon Pinsent) and Fiona's (Julie Christie) commitment to each other appears unwavering. Their daily life is filled with tenderness and humor; yet this serenity is broken by Fiona's increasingly evident memory loss - and her restrained references to a past betrayal. For a while, the couple is able to casually dismiss these unwelcome changes. But when neither Fiona nor her husband can deny any longer that she is being consumed by Alzheimer's disease, the couple is forced to wrenchingly redefine the limits of their love and loyalty - and face the complex, inevitable transition from lovers to strangers.

Customer Reviews:

"Away From Her" is brilliant!.......2007-09-17

"Away From Her" is brilliant! The cast led by Julie Christie (as Fiona) and Gordon Pinsent (as Grant), who both give Oscar-worthy performances, is brilliant! The directing by Sarah Polley (known for her role as Nicole in Atom Egoyan's "The Sweet Hereafter" (1997) is brilliant! The screenplay by Polley, based on the short story "The Bear Came Over The Mountain" by Alice Munro, is brilliant! The music by Jonathan Goldsmith is excellent! The cinematography by Luc Montpellier is excellent! The film editing by David Wharnsby (Polley's hubsand) is excellent! The casting by John Buchan (Polley's brother) is excellent! The production design by Kathleen Climie is excellent! The art direction by Benno Tutter is excellent! The costume design by Debra Hanson is excellent! This is an beautiful moving drama that hits you in the gut and doesn't let go. This is one of the best films of the year, so far.

Astounding Filmmaking Debut for Polley Spotlights a Luminous Christie in a Moving Study of Loss.......2007-09-17

At 28, Canadian actress Sarah Polley already has a prodigious career exploring characters with searing intelligence and psychological depth (Guinevere, The Sweet Hereafter). With the addition of director and writer to her resume, she offers a film most unexpected from someone so young since it reflects a keen perspective that recognizes the subtle changes in relationships that have endured for decades. The 2007 film is a compelling character-driven study of people well past sixty, all dealing with loss in various forms. The chief focus is on Grant, a retired English professor, and his wife Fiona, a handsome, childless couple married for 44 years and living an idyllic life in her parents' comfortable country home in rural Ontario. Suffering from increasing memory lapses, Fiona is diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease and recognizes the need to enter an assisted living facility, Meadowlake.

However, instead of focusing solely on the erosion of Fiona's memory, the unsentimental film looks at Grant's hard-pressed response to her debilitating condition, which is made all the more heartbreaking by Meadowlake's strict policy of not allowing him to visit Fiona during the first thirty days of her stay. Moreover, Fiona's memory appears to deteriorate in a most unpredictable manner as long dormant feelings of anger and resentment come to the surface over Grant's past indiscretions with his female students. This added emotional complexity makes it even more difficult for Grant to accept how Fiona, now completely robbed of her memories, has now bonded with Aubrey, a wheelchair-bound stroke victim whose wife Marian routinely leaves him there during the day. Another unexpected bonding occurs between Grant and Marian, who find themselves in similarly isolated situations.

Casting the luminous Julie Christie, still achingly beautiful at 65, as Fiona is Polley's masterstroke here. Christie - whose own illustrious career goes back to vivid images of her beauty and conviction in Darling, Far from the Madding Crowd, and most memorably, as the elusive Lara in Doctor Zhivago) - gives so much unobtrusive dimension to her moving performance that I didn't realize how much I've missed seeing the full bloom of her talent work onscreen. It is also a tribute to the delicacy of her work that she does not overshadow veteran Canadian actor Gordon Pinsent, who plays the mostly taciturn Grant with a subtle force that beckons his determined resistance to allow his wife to go gentle into that good night. Two other performances are compelling - Olympia Dukakis, who brings her trademark no-nonsense manner to Marian and then reveals her vulnerability in halting measure, and Kristen Thomson, who makes the smiling nurse Kristy a hard-earned voice of reason with an unexpected edge.

Michael Murphy has little to do as Aubrey except react mutely to the drama around him, and Wendy Crewson presents that familiar arm's-length crispness to Meadowlake's chief administrator. Fully capturing the snowy beauty of the area, especially in the cross-country sequences, Luc Montpellier's cinematography is especially noteworthy here. Polley takes no easy avenues in telling the story she has adapted with precision from Alice Munro's powerfully affecting short story, "The Bear Came Over the Mountain" (from her excellent short story compilation, Hateship, Friendship, Courtship, Loveship, Marriage). Amazingly avoiding any confusion, she intriguingly adjusts the narrative by having characters go back and forth in time by hinging on the key turning points in the plot. As a whole, the film represents a truly masterful debut.

The 2007 DVD features a commentary track from Christie. With no one else with whom to converse, especially a conspicuously absent Polley, she sounds engaged in the first half-hour and then drifts in and out thereafter. She can be quite illuminating, but most of her comments are rather general in nature. It would have been nice if Polley could have probed further into some of the actress' observations. Polley, however, is present, on the commentary of five minor deleted scenes. There is also a celebrity-filled PSA for for the Alzheimer's Association.

The Long Good Bye.......2007-09-16

It is frequently a topic of discussion: who suffers more, the one afflicted with Alzheimer's or the spouse? `Away from Her,' (featuring Julie Christie in a marvelous performance as Alzheimer's patient, Fiona) sheds light on this struggle with heartbreaking candor. With a drama that unveils the progression of this insidious disease, Fiona, herself, can only describe saying, "I think I'm beginning to disappear," we get a revealing portrait of aging like no other in memory since `On Golden Pond'. Said as a matter of fact without a trace of self-pity, we get glimpses at times of her quiet terror. More of a focal point, her husband, Grant (Canadian actor Gordon Pinchot of 'Red Green' fame, here in a beautifully understated pensive performance) mirrors the torment as she forgets him as her husband when they both agree to committing her to Meadowlake, a facility handling Alzheimer's patients as a specialty. Using cross-country skiing and Icelandic books to elicit memory, Grant must face the clinical facts of his wife's closing synapses. The story zeroes on his dilemma as he tries to sort out his guilt over his past transgressions and discerning her continuing decline.

Deliberately slow moving, `Away from Her' reveals the degeneration well with Christie's excellent performance. Both husband and wife have flashbacks to earlier times, trying to live in a mindset when life was not as much of a struggle. As consolation Grant has a neighbor friend, Marianne (Olympia Dukakis) whose husband, Aubrey, is suffering from the same illness, making Mari a good resource. Some of the beautiful scenes with their cozy home in the snow and Grant's conversations with Meadowlake caretaker, (Kirsten Thomas) give some emotional depth to the story. Sarah Polley's screen adaptation and directing give the drama laudably understated realism which could have easily been overdone. All the performances shine, and Christie gives us a flashback of brilliance like O'Toole did earlier this year. (Based on a short story "The Bear Came over the Mountain".)

One of my "top 10" for 2007!.......2007-09-16

There is little likelihood that more than 9 movies will be as well made, or as moving a film experience in 2007 than "Away From Her". Thus, it already makes my top 10. Do whatever you have to do to find it and see it.

It is perhaps easier with short stories, and almost a virtual certainty if you retain the novelist as screenwriter. With the short story format, not chosen by many any more, going to the screen means the author can build on the story, feature nuances from the novel as scenes on the film, build character. No ripping apart and leaving on the film floor, you get to add to your own work.

Those are the choices made by first time Director Sarah Polley in her film from 2006 (released in the US in 2007) - "Away from Her" . Polley is a fine Canadian film actress noted for her independent choices (and political agenda) who had just finished filming "No Such Thing" with the sublime Julie Christie in a character role, in 2001. Polley was returning to North America from a Iceland, where the film was made, when she read "The Bear Went Over the Mountain" from one of Alice Munro's collections of short stories, 2001's "Hateship, Friendship, Courtship, Loveship, Marriage: Stories". She embarked on a path to make this film, doggedly determined to feature Christie in the lead role. And, she succeeded in a way that she must be immensely proud of.

This particular story of the impact of Alzheimer's on a family has always struck a chord with me. Munro is truly one of our great contemporary writers, and although I didn't favor this collection (my favorite Munro collections are "Runaway" and "Dance of the Happy Shades"), when I watched the film "The Notebook", a tale of coping with Alzheimer's in a marriage, I returned to this subliminal story and fell in love with it all over again. I didn't know about Polley's project to bring it to the screen until I read some scraps of a movie reviewer's piece last year, relishing the thought of Julie Christie returning to a leading actress role.

In "Away From Her", a couple (Christie as Fiona and Gordon Pinsent, for over 70 years a fine Canadian talent) confront the emotional as well as physical ravages of Alzheimer's, as they must part in order for her to obtain care in a nursing home. Filmed beautifully, Polley never lets the movie drag, as sad movies with determined endings often do. Polley evokes the strangeness of the situation in the facial expressions of the lovely Fiona. There is an invisible force of the disease present in almost every scene, in her manner, her face, her actions.

If the buzz surrounding "Away from Her" strengthens, if it moves from art houses to the big screen, as it did in my city, if American film-goers continue to try to find the best, not just the biggest films at their 20+ plexes, well "Away from Her" may result in a new career for Munro on the screen, an ability for Polley to command projects as a director and awards for Julie Christie's amazing performance. Indeed, the ensemble is truly all worth note.

Not to be outdone, and with award possibilities all around, the finest individual performance, it can be argued, is Gordon Pinsent's. He is remarkable as Grant, a role that is perfect for his skills. Devastated, heart broken, and still a hero, Pinsent is worth his weight in gold.

Julie Christie and Gordon Pinsent in a touching story about Alzheimers.......2007-09-15

I do not remember if the word "Alzheimers" is even mentioned in "Away from Her," although its utterance is not necessary to understand what is happening with Fiona (Julie Christie). When she put the frying pan in the freezer, where it is dutifully retrieved by her husband, Grant (Gordon Pinsent), we know the situation, even without seeing the PSA for fighting the dastardly diseases that plays at the start of this DVD. Fiona has taken to wandering away, unable to find her way back home, and Grant cannot watch her every minute. Since that is the sort of attention she needs as the disease progresses (captured in a painful moment at a dinner party where Fiona struggles to remember what is in the bottle she holds in her hand), Grant must find a home in which to place his wife of nearly 50 years. He chooses Meadowlake.

When Grant brings Fiona to Meadowlake the first of two flaws that affect my response to "Away from Her" moves the story forward. Meadowlake has a policy that new residents cannot have neither visitors nor phone calls during the first 30-days of their stay. Now, I fully understand why such a policy makes sense if you are dealing with somebody sent to prison or checking into a rehab clinic, but at a home for the elderly that pays attention to people suffering from Alzheimer's? It would be hard to come up with something crueler. Your mind is starting to betray you and you move away from the home you have known for decades into a strange new place, and you cannot see your family and friends? No wonder when Grant arrives a month later his beloved wife thinks that he is just a new resident of the home.

This "policy" is ultimately a plot contrivance to arrive at just this situation, with the added insult to injury that Fiona has apparently transferred her affections to Aubrey (Michael Murphy), another one of the residents at Meadowlake. Aubrey is mute and has trouble getting around, but Fiona is constantly attentive to his every need. Clearly taking care of him makes her happy, but we cannot help but see the irony that Aubrey no more acknowledges Fiona that she acknowledges Grant on what are becoming daily visits. For Grant the situation is unacceptable, but with Fiona's condition there does not seem to be anything that he can do about it, and that is what serves as the film's ultimate conflict.

This 2006 Canadian film is based on Alice Munro's short story, "The Bear Came Over the Mountain." It is faithfully adapted to the screen by Sarah Polley in the actress' first feature film as director. Polley has assembled a solid cast to tell this tale. Christie is still radiant, and any attempt to make her look haggard can never fully succeed once you see her eyes. Pinsent brings a sense of restraint to both his pain and his resolve in dealing with this cruel twist of fate that life has dealt him (one of my favorite scenes takes place between Grant and a teenager forced to come visit somebody at the home by her family). In contrast, Olympia Dukakis as Marian brings a harsh dose of reality to both Grant and the story. Despite the stupid policy that creates the film's tragic situation, Meadowlake is a fine place for Fiona to be, personified by Kristy (Kristen Thomson), one of those angels that you pray would be taking care of your loved one.

The performances perfectly match the delicate situation, but for me there is a second flaw in this film in what happens between Grant and Marian. That is because it takes away some of the grace from the film's moving final scene and changes Grant's motivation from what I would want it to be into something much less noble. At one point I was thinking that it would be better if Marian did not have the specific relationship she has to another character in this story, but without that reason Grant would never have cause to seek her out (certainly he would not meet her by happenstance). Even with these flaws this is a touching film, so clearly these are not fatal flaws, but they still prevent me from rounding up on "Away from Her," even with the stellar performances by the principles.

Average customer rating:

Drawn Out
Nice Suprise
Beyond Third Rock
Well-acted "psychological noir."
A Thriller That Is Also a Compelling Character Study.

The Lookout
Starring: Joseph Gordon-Levitt , Jeff Daniels , Matthew Goode , Isla Fisher , and Carla Gugino
Director: Scott Frank
Manufacturer: Miramax
ProductGroup: DVD
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ASIN: B000QFCD8Q
Release Date: 2007-08-14

Description

Acclaimed screenwriter Scott Frank (Out Of Sight and Get Shorty) makes a mind-blowing directorial debut in The Lookout, a gritty, high-tension crime thriller starring Joseph Gordon-Levitt (TV's Third Rock From The Sun, Brick), Jeff Daniels (RV) and Isla Fisher (Wedding Crashers). Chris "Slapshot" Pratt (Gordon-Levitt), whose once-bright future has been dimmed by a severe head injury, is a night janitor at a bank. Lonely and frustrated, Chris falls prey to a con man's seductive promise of romance and a better life, and agrees to help rob the bank where he works. Filled with heart-pounding action, edge-of-your-seat suspense and a twist you'll never see coming, The Lookout will grip you and never let go.

Customer Reviews:

Drawn Out.......2007-09-12

The problem I have with this movie is it spends a long time developing charactors that have no impact on the plot. The overall premise of the film has potential, but you spend over an hour watching people interact with each other that have absolutely no bearing on the point. For example, the janitor's family- why spend a 1/2 hour at Thanksgiving dinner with these unimportant cast members? The stripper girlfriend of the main actor- she is introduced, developed, then never seen again after the bank heist. The blind roommate- why does this guy even exist? He adds nothing to the plot, and despite his constant skeptisicm of the janitor's new friends, he helps him in no way.

This movie is a very basic tale of scheming burglars trying to capitalize on a simple-minded janitor. If they kept along those lines, this film could have been better. The director tries way too hard to make this a complex, intelligent thriller by developing cast members just for the sake of doing so. In reality, this is a 1/2 hour short story on HBO late night. I'll give it 2 stars for being mildly entertaining.

Nice Suprise.......2007-09-11

This is one of those little films that can easily be overlooked. It didn't get a 3000 screen wide release, it doesn't take up 6 shelves at the local video store, and it doesn't make it to the top of any sales list. Still, this is a quality film both in acting and story. Joseph Gordon-Levitt is terrific as is his co star Jeff Daniels. This is the story of a young man who had it all, then lost it. This is about what he would be willing to do to get back even a portion of even the normalcy of his previous life. Working as a janitor with short term memory problems, some physical limitations and rooming with a blind man. Chris is befriended by a group of guys who need him to help him rob the bank he works for. This is an interesting story and very well worth the watch.

Beyond Third Rock.......2007-08-30

If you haven't checked out Joseph Gordon-Levitt since he played the part of Tommy on Third Rock From the Sun you are missing out on a very talented actor. Levitt's portrayal of a brain injured young man in this movie is a very convincing and moving one.

Well-acted "psychological noir.".......2007-08-27

First of all, let me say that the best reason to see this film is to enjoy the nuanced, assured performance from Joseph Gordon Levitt. He has now totally left 3RD ROCK (on which he was very good) behind, and can now be taken totally seriously as a film actor. As the star of THE LOOKOUT, he's forced to play a person who is something of a cypher (due to the horrific accident in the first scene of the film that leaves him a shell of a man, MEMENTO-like). He's trying to rediscover himself, his motivations and his personality. Yet Levitt never just puts on a blank face and let's that act for him (Tobey Maguire anyone?). You can see his mind working, his wheels SLOWLY grinding if you will. It's a subtle work, and he makes his character very sympathetic. And this is an important accomplishment, because if we can't look past his faults (which are deep and considerable) we can't get caught up in rooting for him.

The script is the next best thing. It's an inventive story. Some call it a heist movie...but truthfully, the heist is really only a small part of the film and isn't even mentioned until nearly the midway point of the film. It's a dark film, but it's not a crime film. While the idea of a character with severe memory problems is not totally original (again, MEMENTO springs to mind), it does get a grittier take. It's less concerned with using the memory problems to have clever temporal surprises...it's interested in seeing how these problems eat away at Levitt. This is the heart of the film.

Jeff Daniels plays Levitt's roommate, a blind man who serves as friend, advisor and sometime moral compass. Again, the part could be one-dimensional...but Daniels never gives easy or uninteresting performances. He isn't always in great films...but he's always terrific himself.

My biggest complaint about the movie is the "bad guys." Their motivations aren't as developed as Levitt's. They seem a little bit generic. They are amazingly stupid...which is actually believable...but they are only sketchy in their menance. Certainly, we hate them and root against them...but they aren't fascinating. Isla Fisher plays Levitt's "love interest," whose motivations are far from pure...and while she is a beguiling presence...her character is underwritten.

Despite these weaknesses, the movie is quite tense, and the final 15 minutes or so, when the heist plays out...are pretty DARN TENSE indeed. I was on the edge of my seat. And while the ending isn't quite a stunner...it DOES have a quiet power...just like the rest of this off-beat, dark and highly original little film. Check it out!

A Thriller That Is Also a Compelling Character Study. .......2007-08-24

"The Lookout" is an unusual character study fitted into a heist film mold. Chris Pratt (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) was a star high school athlete with a bright future before a prom night auto accident left him with a traumatic brain injury. Now he gets through his daily routine only with the aid of notes and his roommate Lewis (Jeff Daniels). Four years after the accident, Chris works as a night janitor in a bank and aspires to be a teller. He is befriended by a man named Gary Spargo (Matthew Goode), who claims to be an old acquaintance. Gary flatters, cajoles, and gets Chris a girlfriend (Isla Fisher) in order to lure Chris into helping him rob the bank.

"The Lookout" takes too long to arrive at the meat of the story, but it does eventually get there. That's the only fault I find with this otherwise impressive directorial debut by screenwriter Scott Frank. Joseph Gordon-Levitt is one of the most charismatic actors working in film. Chris struggles with his limitations, with powerlessness, and most of all, with the aching memory of what he once was. And we root for him. Cinematographer Alar Kivilo has done a wonderful job of recreating the bleak Kansas winter landscape that accentuates Chris' isolation. Chris' cognitive problems are somehow a more compelling obstacle than thrillers or character dramas usually offer. Fans of both genres won't want to miss "The Lookout".

The DVD (Miramax 2007): "Behind the Mind of Chris Pratt" (9 min) primarily features Joseph Gordon-Levitt discussing Chris and how he prepared to portray someone with a brain injury. "Sequencing The Lookout" (20 min) interviews Scott Frank and the producers about the inspirations for the script, themes, and the actors. Production designer David Brisbin talks about locations in Canada, and the cast is interviewed. There is an audio commentary by writer/director Scott Frank and cinematographer Alar Kivilo. I am always grateful for commentaries by cinematographers, and this one is all about how and why the visuals were achieved. Lots of info about camera work, locations, sets, etc. Subtitles available for the film in English SDH, French, Spanish. Dubbing available in French.

Average customer rating:

An interesting movie, but not Mansfield Park.
I think this is one of the best Austen movies (so shoot me.)
An improvement over the book
Rent this. Don't buy.
Fascinatingly brilliant, romantic, and dark at the same time

Mansfield Park (1999)
Starring: Hannah Taylor-Gordon , Talya Gordon , Lindsay Duncan , Bruce Byron , and James Purefoy
Director: Patricia Rozema
Manufacturer: Miramax
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ASIN: 6305907145
Release Date: 2000-07-11

Description

This fun and sexy comedy tells a timelessly entertaining story where wealth, secret passions, and mischievous women put love to the test ... with delightfully surprising results! When a spirited young woman, Fanny Price, is sent away to live on the great country estate of her rich cousins, she's meant to learn the ways of proper society. But while Fanny learns "their" ways, she also enlightens them with a wit and sparkle all her own! Featuring an exciting ensemble cast of young stars -- you'll join critics everywhere in their overwhelming praise of this smart, playful, and funny hit!

Customer Reviews:

An interesting movie, but not Mansfield Park........2007-09-06

This would have been an interesting movie if the film makers had titled it something other than "Mansfield Park." However, since they chose to present it as a rendition of the Jane Austen novel, I think they took far too many liberties with the story.

The biggest difference was in the character of Fanny Price. No matter how badly we in the twenty-first century want to believe it, she was *not* a modern, outspoken, independent woman. She was deeply conservative. If the film makers disliked that aspect, why choose this book to film at all?

No film can completely capture the spirit of a novel. But when I watch an adaptation I want to feel that it was created with a fundamental level of understanding of the book, and appreciation for it. This film fails.

I think this is one of the best Austen movies (so shoot me.).......2007-08-31

So often Austen movies are mis-cast and the characters you loved become just annoying. I think this movie was cast great. I realize that some liberties were taken, but I thought the tone was great. It moves fast, and Fanny Price is given more life than the book did. It makes her out to be a little bit more like Austen herself would be in my immagination. When so many of the other movies have blown it (by casting too old, too stupid, too mean etc,) this movie got a lot of things right. It made me want to read the book again which was probably a good goal for them.

An improvement over the book.......2007-08-30

I greatly enjoyed this movie. While the characters are different from the book, the plot is essentially the same. The literary Fanny is, to put it bluntly, a "drip" and the literary Edmund is a sanctimonious prig. The Fanny in the film is bright, sardonic, and literary-minded, much like the young Jane Austen, while still being high-minded and loving. This Edmund, while still being serious and with a vocation for the church, is more capable of having fun. One can see why they're together. In the book, I couldn't.

Rent this. Don't buy........2007-07-27

I'm glad I chose to rent this before I bought. I own many Austen romances in movie form, but I won't bother buying this one. I didn't care for the interpretation at all. The cast had decent potential, but no one really stood out. This really wasn't romantically protrayed. I also didn't appreciate the raunchy undertones that were added. Not necessary and not appropriate for a wide audience.

Fascinatingly brilliant, romantic, and dark at the same time.......2007-07-14

This is one of my favorite movies and the best film version of Mansfield Park that has been made. Frances O'Connor does a wonderful job of capturing Fanny's emotions and letting us see into her mind. What's more, the romance between Fanny and Edmund is full of the tension and yet sweet, innocent, and deep love that Jane Austen portrayed in the book. All in all, a wonderful a film, one you have to see if you loved the book!

Average customer rating:

If you enjoyed microwave massacre...
Goof of the Gods
H.G. Wells would cry bitter tears
The Classic Monster Movie of the 70's!!!!!!
TOTALLY GOD-AWFUL GREAT!!!!

The Food of the Gods
Starring: Marjoe Gortner , Pamela Franklin , Ralph Meeker , Jon Cypher , and Ida Lupino
Director: Bert I. Gordon
Manufacturer: MGM (Video & DVD)
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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Gortner, Marjoe |