Blow (Infinifilm Edition)

Amazon.com

A briskly paced hybrid of Boogie Nights and Goodfellas, Blow chronicles the three-decade rise and fall of George Jung (Johnny Depp), a normal American kid who makes a personal vow against poverty, builds a marijuana empire in the '60s, multiplies his fortune with the Colombian Medellín cocaine cartel, and blows it all with a series of police busts culminating in one final, long-term jail sentence. "Your dad's a loser," says this absentee father to his estranged but beloved daughter, and he's right: Blow is the story of a nice guy who made wrong choices all his life, almost single-handedly created the American cocaine trade, and got exactly what he deserved. As directed by Ted Demme, the film is vibrantly entertaining, painstakingly authentic... and utterly aimless in terms of overall purpose.

We can't sympathize with Jung's meteoric rise to wealth and the wild life, and Demme isn't suggesting that we should idolize a drug dealer. So what, exactly, is the point of Blow? Simply, it seems, to present Jung's story as the epitome of the coke-driven glory days, and to suggest, ever so subtly, that Jung isn't such a bad guy, after all. Anyone curious about his lifestyle will find this film amazing, and there's plenty of humor mixed with the constant threat of violence and paranoid anxiety. Demme has also populated the film with a fantastic supporting cast (although Penélope Cruz grows tiresome as Jung's hedonistic wife), and this is certainly a compelling look at the other side of Traffic. Still, one wishes that Blow had a more viable reason for being; like a wild party, it leaves you with a hangover and a vague feeling of regret. --Jeff Shannon

Description

Based on a true story, Blow gives us a fast-paced look at the quick rise and fall of George Jung (Johnny Depp) who became a premier importer of Colombian cocaine, in the turbulent 1970's, forever changing the face of drugs in America.

DVD Features:
Audio Commentary
DVD ROM Features
DVD ROM exclusive web site
Documentary
Filmographies
Music Video
Outtakes
Production Notes
Theatrical Trailer

Customer Reviews:

Very boring.......2007-09-16

There isn't much to say. I kept hearing about how great this movie is so I watched it. There is absolutely nothing about this film that is either intellectually stimulating or even superficially entertaining.

Awesome Entertainment. .......2007-09-03

I just picked this up and saw it for the second time. I put it on my list due to my coming across an interview with George Jung in a book on the Drug War. Really, I'm surprised more people didn't love this one. How many more winning attributes can a film possess? It's based a true story about famous people with tons of action and great characters. Depp, of course, was superb, but Jordi Malla as Diego (really Carlos Lehder) is almost as good. The scenes of Escobar stood out as well. I would place this one in my second tier of mafia/action movies.

George Jung.......2007-08-26

George Jung gets out of prison in a few years. Depp portrays Jung who became one of the largest cocaine smugglers in the 1980's. I question some of the truth in parts of the movie and it glamourized drug dealing. However it remains one of my favorite movie's.

Corey Cotta, Author of All of Yesterdays Tomorrows.

George Jung...the anti-hero!.......2007-08-17

What George Jung did was illegal. But why George Jung did it, is really and truly an inspiration!

George Jung vowed never to be poor, and he would do whatever it took to make sure that he (and eventually his family) had the best life they possibly could. Sadly, Jung suffered the consequences after being caught, and ineveitably lost more than his money and freedom. It is this that makes the story of George Jung so riveting and true to the heart.

He did what every red-blooded American wanted to do, make money without really having to work to make it. Is there anything wrong with that? No. Dis he get caught? Yes. Was he man enough to stand there and take the punishment? Absolutely. Jung may have sacrificed quite a bit, but he did it all, not for him, but for his family; for his daughter. For that alone, George Jung is really an American hero.

Johnny Depp has always been my favorite actor, because of his versatility and ability to make you believe that he "is" the character. No surprise here that Depp puts on a stunning portrayel of Jung! Also, I'm really not a fan of Paul Ruebens, but his character Derek was amazingly funny, as well as true.

The rest of the cast was also just as solid. Ray Liotta, Rachel Griffiths, and of course Penelope Cruz, all do wonderful and spot-on jobs as their characters! The directing in this film is also a top-notch acheivement and stands alone as a historical mark.

This film ranks right up there with "Goodfellas" for me as one to become (or may already be) a classic! I urge anyone to at least rent this movie, and see why (I believe) George Jung is a great man!

A Technicolor Life.......2007-07-30

Every time I watch one of those prison documentaries, the same question comes to my mind: How could someone keep committing crimes, knowing they're going back to prison again and again? Having watched *Blow,* I now know the answer: It just sort of happens.

George Jung as played by Johnny Depp has a wheeler-dealer mentality--always out for the next score; getting high on risk-taking; willing to walk into situations that could go seriously wrong at any moment, and roll with whatever happens. How could a guy like that put in his 8 a day at a regular job and be satisfied? Even though George gets "out" of the business periodically, he's only really happy when he's in. It's like his life in the drug business was technicolor and he's trying to live in black and white. Not gonna work.

The characters in the film are pretty one-dimensional, which is fine because the movie is really about the story, not the people in it. The only casting I didn't like was Penelope Cruz as George's Colombian wife. The one requirement for the role would be that the actress be smoking hot, drop-dead gorgeous, which, no offense, Penelope isn't. However, she does work out better later on in the movie as the worn-down, disgusted single mom stretching everything to the limit just trying to keep her and her daughter's life together.

As far as things to watch out for, there is a lot of swearing, violence, and drug use, which makes sense given the subject matter. Also, if you just quit smoking you might want to wait a few weeks before watching this one as all the characters seem to be puffing on cigs 24/7. But do watch the movie, because it grabs you from the word go and keeps you fascinated the rest of the way, even though you basically know how it's going to turn out. It's also one you can watch more than once or twice, so worth the money to get the DVD.

Average customer rating:

Absolutely Great Film, absolutely worthless commentary.
Essential film genius: Antonioni's 'Blowup.'
Antonioni gem
Blow-Up
Red Sun

Blow Up
Starring: Vanessa Redgrave , Sarah Miles , David Hemmings , John Castle (II) , and Jane Birkin
Director: Michelangelo Antonioni
Manufacturer: Warner Home Video
ProductGroup: DVD
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ASIN: B0000WN0ZK
Release Date: 2004-02-17

Amazon.com essential video

This 1966 masterpiece by Michelangelo Antonioni (The Passenger) is set in the heady atmosphere of Swinging London, and stars David Hemmings as an unsmiling fashion photographer hooked on ephemeral meaning attached to anything: art, sex, work, relationships, drugs, events. When a real mystery falls into his lap, he probes the evidence for some reliable truth, but finds it hard to reckon with. Vanessa Redgrave plays an enigmatic woman whose desperation to cover something up only seems like one more phenomenon in Hemmings's disinterested purview. This is one of the key films of the decade, and still an unsettling and lasting experience. --Tom Keogh

Description

Taking photographs of a couple making love proves deadly when the photographer enlarges the image and discovers murder. The film and pictures are stolen from his studio and the body vanishes. In this elegant balance of deciet and trickery, the photographer must question the reality of what he has actually seen.

Customer Reviews:

Absolutely Great Film, absolutely worthless commentary........2007-09-06

It's tragic, not giving this disc 5 stars. The film deserves more then 5 stars. But the commentary, is so unbelievably poor, it's almost beyond belief. It's as if this person hasn't seen it in a while, and just gave some worthless criticisms as he watched it for the second time.
I've had discussions with friends while watching this film that would be 100 times more interesting, and enlightening.
Like someone else suggested, please Criterion, do a serious release of this phenomenal film.

Essential film genius: Antonioni's 'Blowup.'.......2007-08-15

The world lost one of its greatest film directors recently. Known for his radical narrative style, Italian film genius Michelangelo Antonioni (1912-2007) depicted the alienation of man in the modern world in his powerful films. His films typically pondered existential questions of mortality, loneliness, emptiness, and moral decadence. While his quintessential film, L'Avventura - Criterion Collection (1960), earned Antonioni international recognition--exemplifying his film aesthetics of slow pacing, spare plot, a narrative structure that relies upon a series of apparently disconnected events, and a theme of spiritual isolation in a world obssessed with material wealth--it was his first English language film, Blowup (1966), that brought Antonioni major success.

Blowup is about the reliability of memory. Inspired by Julio Cortázar's short story, "Las Babas del Diablo," Blowup tells story of a mod London photographer, Thomas (David Hemmings) who, in the course of a single day, discovers he may have inadvertently preserved evidence of a murder while taking photos of two lovers in a park, a murder which may or may not involve an enigmatic woman, Jane (Vanessa Redgrave), who later visits him in his studio desperately seeking the film. Once the film is developed, blowups (enlargements) of the grainy photos seem to reveal a body. Or do they? Upon returning to the park without his camera, Thomas finds the body, but the film, pictures, and body vanish while he attempts to find a witness. Like L'avventura, Blowup is an unsolved mystery, so don't expect a typical Hollywood ending. Throughout the film, there is a sense of ennui amidst a swinging 1960s culture of fashion, pop music, marijuana, and easy sex.

The film includes celebrity cameo appearances by Jimmy Page and Jeff Beck playing together as The Yardbirds, and Monty Pythoner Michael Palin in a crowd scene. Blowup was also the first British film to depict full frontal female nudity.

Hopefully the Criterion Collection will add Blowup to its catalog, digitally remastering the film and enhancing the sound quality. Highly recommended

G. Merritt

Antonioni gem.......2007-07-31

With yesterday's death of Antonioni, I feel compelled to say something about this film. Its 1966 release in the U.S. was an adrenalin rush, its plot captivating, its mood seductive. It made a star of Hemmings, not to mention the model Verushka. It caused a frat brother watching it to shout, "There it is!" Watch it and figure out what he was shouting at. Watch it and ask yourself, "What's the significance of the number 3?" This film created lively discussion in my college English class upon its release. A must-see Antonioni film.

Blow-Up.......2007-06-27

Antonioni's existential mystery scandalized some in the 1960s with its cool, casually erotic atmosphere of sex and drugs, but still made a sizeable dent at the box office. In addition to the film's central puzzle--was there a homicide or not?--Hemmings himself is a kind of cipher, playing a detached, unsmiling artist bored with his decadent life. With its mod flavorings and occasional surrealist touches--like a pantomime tennis game--"Blow-Up" is an intriguing, unconventional thriller that makes you question the nature of reality and illusion.

Red Sun.......2007-05-22

BLOW UP (1966) was Michelangelo Antonioni's second color film, and his first in English. Interestingly it was his first film that had a male protagonist. He is considered the master of abstract cinema, and this film continues in that vein. The cinematography was presented in very abstract ways, with most shots framed oddly, blocked by beams, banisters, photographic equipment, windows, and furniture. The camera made no effort to clear these objects in order for us to see the actors. Primary reds were the dominant colors, and in London that seemed easy, passing the double-decker buses and phone booths and pubs, all painted blood red. He painted one apartment building bright blue just for the contrast.

Swinging London of the Mods in the mid-60's seemed so wonderfully dated, captured in its spectacle. Those beehive hair-dos and mini-skirts, smoking that demon joint, the beginnings of the British invasion, that hard rock sound presented in the film by the Yardbirds, the first stages of long hair on men, and the casual way nudity and promiscuity is handled; all old hat to us now, but very brazen then.

I loved the way Antonioni gave us the skewed perspective of an unnamed photographer snapping candid shots of a young couple in the park, while the director shot him doing so; an overlapping sense of three perspectives. What the movie camera saw was not exactly what was snapped by the photographer. I loved the parallel of the photographer hopping over the low fence to hide in the bushes to shoot some shots, and then later discovering in exactly the same pose and framed shot, the sniper, the killer, behind the fence in the bushes. And of course the obvious parallels of the artist's abstract paintings, just so many random dots of color, until he capped the painting with some point of view, some detail that drew it all together -and the blow ups themselves, those photos of photos, with pixels blown up so large that they too look like abstract paintings to be interpreted.

Some have argued that the park represented Nature versus the pandemonium of the city, and yet what is a park? It is just an artificial large garden planted in the middle, or on the edge of a city, and it "represents" nature. We go there and have picnics or our lattes and imagine that we are off in the forest or field. This illusionary concept is important to Antonioni. Add to this the sense of each of us remaining strangers midst the teeming masses. The photographer and the mystery lady (David Hemmings and Vanessa Redgrave) both remain nameless. People seem to know them, but never refer to them by their name; very existential. It has been suggested that the director gave us several plot lines that were never meant to make sense, like the antique store scenes; and yet that would be a place that a photographer might haunt. His suggestions that his agent would bid on the store, that he might be a real estate speculator is never explored. Unlike a real photographer who asks permission to shoot a subject, Hemmings always shot secretly; even in the opening scenes, where he pretended to be homeless to shoot those old men in the shelter. Then there is the issue as to what was reality. Hemmings thinks he saw a corpse in the park when he visited it again, and yet he was not carrying his ever present camera. Why not? It seems to suggest that any of us alone witnessing something has no validity. We must find another human being to collaborate our find, to verify our conclusions.

Then the director gave us the "Merry Makers", the 8-10 Mimes that traveled around in an open jalopy, panhandling and performing, providing a prologue and epilogue. Their wordless game of tennis became the most "real" thing the photographer encountered, as he accepted their non-reality. As Antonioni made the character disappear in the grassy field, it made us wonder if any of the story had happened, or was it an allegory or dream. A complex and provoking film, it never fails to tantalize, a provoke attempts to make sense out of a senseless act.

The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou - Criterion Collection (2-Disc Special Edition)

Average customer rating:

Very funny, but not for everyone
A sentimental comedy that mixes absurdity with ultra-realism
Maybe it was too deep for me
Comedic genius. Better than Rushmore.
The Life Aquatic, Freaky Zissou Styley

The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou - Criterion Collection (2-Disc Special Edition)
Starring: Bill Murray , Owen Wilson , Cate Blanchett , Anjelica Huston , and Willem Dafoe
Director: Wes Anderson
Manufacturer: Miramax Home Entertainment
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ASIN: B00005JNLQ
Release Date: 2005-05-10

Amazon.com

In The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou, director Wes Anderson takes his familiar stable of actors on a field trip to a fantasy aquarium, complete with stop-motion, candy-striped crabs and rainbow seahorses. And though Anderson does expand his horizons in terms of retro-special effects and a whimsical use of color, fans will otherwise find themselves in well-charted waters. As The Life Aquatic opens, Zissou (Bill Murray), a self-involved, Jacques Cousteau-like filmmaker, has just released a documentary depicting the death of his best friend Esteban, who was eaten by some sort of sea creature--possibly a jaguar shark. Zissou's troubles also include his waning popularity with the public, and a nemesis (Jeff Goldblum) who hogs up all the grant money. Hope arrives in the form of Ned Plimpton (Owen Wilson), an amiable Kentuckian who may be Zissou's son. Despite his lack of enthusiasm for fatherhood, Zissou welcomes Ned--and Ned in turn saves Zissou's new documentary (in which he seeks revenge on the jaguar shark) in more ways than one.

One of Wes Anderson's greatest achievements as a director to date has been launching the autumnal melancholy phase of Bill Murray's career, starting with Rushmore in 1998, and Murray delivers a similarly comedic yet low-key performance here. Unfortunately, Zissou is one of the few characters in this ensemble to achieve multi-dimensionality. Even co-star Wilson doesn't get to develop Ned much beyond Noble Southerner, and he ends up seeming more like a prop for illustrating Zissou's emotional development rather than his own man. The Life Aquatic probably won't be remembered as a great film, but it is still one that no Anderson (or Murray) fan can afford to miss.--Leah Weathersby

Description

Internationally famous oceanographer Steve Zissou (Bill Murray) and his crew -- Team Zissou -- set sail on a expedition to hunt down the mysterious, elusive -- possibly nonexistent -- Jaguar Shark that killed Zissou's partner during the documentary filming of their latest adventure. They are joined on their voyage by a young airline co-pilot, who may or may not be Zissou's son (Owen Wilson), a beautiful journalist (Cate Blanchett) assigned to write a profile of Zissou, and his estranged wife and co-producer, Eleanor (Anjelica Huston). They face overwhelming complications including pirates, kidnapping, and bankruptcy. Oscar(R)-nominated writer-director (Best Original Screenplay, THE ROYAL TENENBAUMS, 2001) Wes Anderson has assembled an all-star cast that also includes Willem Dafoe, Jeff Goldblum, Michael Gambon, Noah Taylor, and Bud Cort in this wildly original adventure-comedy.

Customer Reviews:

Very funny, but not for everyone.......2007-08-07

As one reviewer said perfectly "The Life Aquatic is very funny, but its not for everyone" I would like to add to this statement and tell you a bit about the film, before you give in two hours of your time to watch this. Then maybe from the brief description you will decide if this is a film you will enjoy. "The Life Aquatic" has a very simple storyline. Bill Murray plays Steve Zissou who is a famous oceangrapher who is going after the shark that killed his partner while shooting his documentry. The film itself uses alot of dry humor, if you are a fan of slapstick, then this film is not for you. What we get here is a excellent perfomance from Bill Murray, who is once again in great form. You will be seeing Murrays side of his humor that is more gentle and dry, more like his peformances in Rushmore, Kingpin, and Lost in Translation. If you are a fan of Murrays slapstick humor from the movies "Meatballs", "Stripes", or "Ghostbusters" then you might be dissapointed. The film also includeds a great supporting cast along with William Defoe who is in rare form as I believe a German assistant to Murray. The film does have some hangups, as it is really slow. I mean slow. It clocks in at around two hours, and it feels a bit longer because this movie depends all on dry dialoge and there is very else action wise that is happening. If they could have cut it down a bit, I wouldnt have complained, so its not perfect, but still a very good performance buy Murray and Defoe, and still very funny, if the dry type of humor is your thing.

A sentimental comedy that mixes absurdity with ultra-realism.......2007-06-26

"The Life Aquatic" is a movie that revolves around two main characters, Steve Zissou (Bill Murray), and Ned Plimpton (Owen Wilson). Both of these characters are likable in how off-center they are. Zissou is an aging oceanographer, with all the vices of a sailor. Plimpton is a Southern gentleman and a pilot. These two people set off along with a crew to film and destroy a giant shark.

What gives this movie such a strange feel is the mixture of realism and absurdity. Some scenes are hilarious in how ridiculous they are, while others show how brutal and fragile life can be on the ocean. At times, it can leave the viewer a bit confused on what just happened.

So thinking back on "The Life Aquatic", I can best describe it as a strange sentimental movie. It has alot of elements of humor, mixed with the peculiarities of the main characters, yet weighted with death and violence. That being said, I thoroughly enjoyed it, and would recommend it to anyone who has an interest in the ocean.

Maybe it was too deep for me.......2007-06-12

If there was humor in this film it was over my head. I found nothing in this film to be even mildly humorous let alone down right funny. I think the joke is on the people who paid money to see it. Someone who says they see the 'genius' in this film is either deluding themselves, lying or a heck of a lot more thoughtful than I am. My advice: Avoid this garbage at all costs.

Comedic genius. Better than Rushmore........2007-06-11

This movie is so funny and surprisingly there is a real story in it as well. This movie has a laugh in spite of itself, while coming off as dryly serious. Bill Murray is a master of this kind of delivery. You have to listen to the entire dialogue of this movie, alot of the jokes are subtle and you may need to use your brain. Yes the fish look stupid, beautifully done but utterly fake looking. Yes Zissou smokes pot like a chimney, but he is utterly confident in his ability to come out on top. Being the ever sarcastic wise cracker Murray is at the top of his game here. I highly recommend it.

The Life Aquatic, Freaky Zissou Styley.......2007-05-12

This is one of my favorite movies and I was glad to finally get it on DVD. The special features are nice for a fan like me, you can see how incredibly creepy Mark Mothersbaugh is and what the actor who plays Esteban had to think, along with lots of great footage of Seu Jorge playing his guitar.

A must have for fans of the movie. I understand this is one of those polarizing movies where people with good taste and a good sense of humor get it and love it, while lots of other people don't get it. If you saw it and got it, then get this; or if you are into strange, odd, dark-ish, and/or interesting comedies, then check this out.

Peace
Blessed Be

Steven Wright: When the Leaves Blow Away

Average customer rating:

Blink and you'll miss it
Wright he is!
Interesting!
Very dry humor.
Steven Wright

Steven Wright: When the Leaves Blow Away
Starring: Steven Wright
Manufacturer: Image Entertainment
ProductGroup: DVD
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ASIN: B000MRA56K
Release Date: 2007-04-24

Description

Dry, wry and hilariously deadpan, Steven Wright unleashes a torrent of ironic and hysterical thought-provoking one-liners in the quirky stand-up style that has become his trademark. From Toronto's historic Elgin Theater, this Oscar-winning comedian -- #23 on Comedy Central's list of the 100 greatest stand-up performers of all time -- keeps an adoring audience in stitches with random observations on everything from baby monitors as a form of wiretapping to his addiction to placebos. The party continues with a Boston Comedy Club performance from the comic's early career, and Steven explores the meaning of life in his short film One Soldier, which he also wrote and directed.

Customer Reviews:

Blink and you'll miss it.......2007-09-05

I love Wrights wit but just to be clear here is what you REALLY get on this DVD:
20 mins of Standup
50 mins of some werid movie he made
5 mins of standup recorded in 1988 with a handheld.
Now more of the first and less of the 2nd two and this would have been good.

Wright he is!.......2007-09-03

One of the most inventive minds in comedy: I only wish he had more recordings.

Interesting! .......2007-09-02

This one is a bit more philosophical, leaving you going "huh...yeah..." quite a few times. But it does have the old-time classic Steven Wright hilariousness as well. If you're looking for straight up hilarity, go for his cd "I Have a Pony". If you like oddness, Steven Wright style, as well, then this dvd is for you! I personally like it a lot.

Very dry humor........2007-08-20

Loved Steven Wright back in the 80's, and this was funny, but in a quiet snicker way - very few laugh-out-loud moments. Still, a good blast from the past.

Steven Wright.......2007-07-29

Steven Wright is unbelieveably funny....his monitone voice and his backward humor makes you think...I love it.

The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou - Criterion Collection

Average customer rating:

Very funny, but not for everyone
A sentimental comedy that mixes absurdity with ultra-realism
Maybe it was too deep for me
Comedic genius. Better than Rushmore.
The Life Aquatic, Freaky Zissou Styley

The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou - Criterion Collection
Starring: Bill Murray , Owen Wilson , Cate Blanchett , Anjelica Huston , and Willem Dafoe
Director: Wes Anderson
Manufacturer: Miramax Home Entertainment
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Action & Adventure | Genres | DVD | Video

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

General | Comedy | Genres | DVD | Video

Stop-Motion & Clay Animation | Animation | Genres | DVD | Video

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Comedy | Criterion Collection | Stores | DVD | Video

All | Criterion Collection | Stores | DVD | Video

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ASIN: B0007UC8Y4
Release Date: 2005-05-10

Amazon.com

Description

Customer Reviews:

Very funny, but not for everyone.......2007-08-07

A sentimental comedy that mixes absurdity with ultra-realism.......2007-06-26

Maybe it was too deep for me.......2007-06-12

Comedic genius. Better than Rushmore........2007-06-11

The Life Aquatic, Freaky Zissou Styley.......2007-05-12

Average customer rating:

British are so damn gifted at movies like this
one of the best british comedies
This Movie Rocks my Socks!
Unexpected Gem of a Film
Not Bad, but Not Great either

Blow Dry
Starring: Alan Rickman , Natasha Richardson , Rachel Griffiths , Rachael Leigh Cook , and Josh Hartnett
Director: Paddy Breathnach
Manufacturer: Miramax
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ASIN: B00005K3OR
Release Date: 2001-08-14

Amazon.com

Despite a gifted Anglo-American cast, Blow Dry strikes an uneasy balance between sentiment and camp. It aims for the same sort of high-wire act that Strictly Ballroom and Priscilla, Queen of the Desert pulled off so effortlessly, but melodrama wins the day. The comic moments are suitably over-the-top (as expected in a film about dueling hairdressers), but rarely as amusing as intended. The relationships between barbershop owner Phil (Alan Rickman), ex-wife Shelley (Natasha Richardson), and Sandra (Rachel Griffiths), "the other woman," could be more fully developed but are affecting nonetheless.

The setting is West Yorkshire. The event that brings them together is the British National Hairdressing Championships. Phil initially resists the urge to compete as it reminds him of the success he and Shelley once enjoyed, but his son Brian (Pearl Harbor's Josh Hartnett) convinces him to give it a go.

Hartnett and Rachael Leigh Cook (She's All That), as the daughter of Phil's old nemesis, seem like peculiar casting choices for a British film, but Hartnett's accent is passable (Cook plays an American) and they don't embarrass themselves as much as supermodel Heidi Klum, who plays a tacky, two-timing hair model. The screenplay is by Simon Beaufoy of Full Monty fame. Although not up to that standard--and certainly no match for Shampoo (the greatest hairdressing movie of all time)--Blow Dry is still a good showcase for the talents of its three leads. --Kathleen C. Fennessy

Description

Starring Rachael Leigh Cook (SHE'S ALL THAT), Josh Hartnett (PEARL HARBOR), and Alan Rickman (GALAXY QUEST) in a great ensemble cast -- the Academy Award(R)- nominated writer of THE FULL MONTY has crafted a hilarious story about the things everyone wants in life: love, happiness, and great hair! As the National Hair Championships descend upon a small town in England, the country's top stylists aren't expecting much from the local talent. But they didn't count on Phil Allen (Rickman), the retired golden boy of the competition circuit, entering the fray! Also starring Natasha Richardson (THE PARENT TRAP), Rachel Griffiths (MY BEST FRIEND'S WEDDING), and supermodel Heidi Klum -- laugh along as the locals dazzle the out-of-towners with some hair dos ... and don'ts.

Customer Reviews:

British are so damn gifted at movies like this.......2007-07-11

The British are so damn gifted at movies like this, that have a great script, awesome actors, great setting and great cinematography that actually makes you feel as if you are a part of the film. The story line is funny, sad and who ever knew hair could be formed into such wild and wonderfully eclectic designs. But is the end that is the keeper and if nudity can be funny as well as classy this is it.

one of the best british comedies.......2007-05-23

I absolutely loved this movie. What hmade the movie was Alan Rickman and BillNighy. they are an absolute scream. it has comedy, drama, and fun. i would higfhly recommend this movie to anyone who likes to laugh and be entertained!!!!!!!

This Movie Rocks my Socks!.......2006-09-28

this has to be one of my favorite films. It is a touching story about what really matters in life, love, family and beating the snot out of the bad guy. The jokes are great and the story even greater. Don't miss it.

Unexpected Gem of a Film.......2006-08-07

I rented this movie without knowing anything about it other than it starred Alan Rickman and Josh Hartman. But I enjoyed it so much that I immediately purchased two copies of it, one for a friend and one for myself. The story is a little silly but the actor's performances are wonderfully low-key and humorous. This is one of my favorite British films yet.

Not Bad, but Not Great either.......2006-07-22

Blow Dry was a bit of a disappointment, considering the makeup of the cast: Alan Rickman, Natasha Richardson, Bill Nighy and Josh Hartnett among others, though by no means is it a bad movie.
The British Hairdressing Championship competition is a broken family's last opportunity at reconciliation...
In short, the acting is pretty good (though nothing great), the setting is average, while the dialogues and the plot are below average.
The major setbacks are in relation to:
1) The weak plot and especially the weak dialogues, for which the writers are to blame.
2) Rachel Griffiths was not that great as Sandra. Just as bad were the actors playing the minor roles.
3) Josh Hartnett's attempt at a British accent was sad.
4) Alan Rickman, Natasha Richardson, Bill Nighy and Josh Hartnett were given terrible lines. What a waste of an AMAZING cast!
It seems as though the actors/directors/producers went to England on vacation separately, while there they met up with each other at the hotel lounge over drinks, and then decided, on the spot, to make the best of their stay by doing a quick and easy film on the side for some extra cash/spending money.
Though the potential for a good movie was definitely there it fails to take off, primarily due to the writers.
In a nutshell, it's an ok movie and that's about it; no masterpiece here... Wait till they show it on TV.

Average customer rating:

Practically Perfect
A great beginning -- and end -- of a director's career
Essential French cinema: Truffaut's 'Les Quatre Cents Coups.'
Oh, I lie now and then, I suppose
The 400 Blows

The 400 Blows - Criterion Collection
Starring: Luc Andrieux , Patrick Auffay , Robert Beauvais , Jean-Claude Brialy , and Christian Brocard
Director: François Truffaut
Manufacturer: Criterion
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B000E5LEV0
Release Date: 2006-05-09

Amazon.com essential video

Francois Truffaut's first feature was this 1959 portrait of Antoine Doinel (Jean-Pierre Léaud), a boy who turns to petty crime in the face of neglect at home and hard times at a reform school. Somewhat autobiographical for its director, the film helped usher in the heady spirit of the French New Wave, and introduced the Doinel character, who became a fixture in Truffaut's movies over the years. Poignant, exhilarating, and fun (there's a parade of cameo appearances from some of the essential icons and directors from the movement), this film is an important classic. --Tom Keogh

Amazon.com

The knowing yet innocent face of Jean-Pierre Leaud, the 14-year-old star of The 400 Blows, is the heartbreaking core of Francois Truffaut's most intimate film. As Antoine Doinel, Leaud begins his career as director Truffaut's alter-ego, a young boy neglected by his mother and stepfather who, to cover his absence at school, tells a lie that leads him to run away from home and end up in reform school. There's nothing remarkable or surprising about the plot; the power of this film comes from how completely it draws you into Antoine's life. Antoine is a vivid, natural presence, one of the most compelling collaborations between a writer/director and an actor. The movie seems to capture him as he lives. Antoine endures his parent's indifference, humiliations at school, deprivation and juvenile delinquency--yet the movie never feels pitying or condescending, as if it were trying to rub your nose in Antoine's suffering. On the contrary: His resilience is what grabs you, his refusal to be broken down as he struggles towards a more adult understanding of the world. Truffaut and Leaud made many excellent films together (Day for Night, Two English Girls), including further chapters in Antoine's life (Bed and Board, Stolen Kisses), but none were quite as simple, rich, and devastatingly potent as The 400 Blows. (The title, incidentally, refers not to abuse or anything sexual, but is a French idiom for a wild and unruly youth or "raising hell.") --Bret Fetzer

Description

Francois Truffaut's first and most personal feature film, told from the perspective of the director's lifelong cinematic counterpart, Antoine Doinel. Sensitively recreating the trials of Truffaut's own childhood, The 400 Blows unsentimentally portrays aloof parents, oppressive teachers, petty crime, and a friendship that would last a lifetime. Available after a long absence as a single-disc release.

Customer Reviews:

Practically Perfect.......2007-09-09

There is a piece of acting in this film that is so sublime, it took my breath away. You'll know the moment when it happens; our hero, Antoine, sits at a table and simply talks. I've come to Truffault late in life (well, at 36 it's late for me) and the wait was worth it. The 400 Blows is gorgeous, haunting, and altogether heartbreaking. I love this film. Oh, and be careful not to dismiss the scene of the PE coach leading his charges through the town as mere style; it speaks volumes about the film's key theme of lonely, disaffected youth.

A great beginning -- and end -- of a director's career.......2007-07-24

Generally I am not a very big admirer of Truffaut as a director. His works generally exude that kind of vapid, but not lighthearted fluffiness as if a clinically depressed had written a comedy. But maybe he was really just trying too hard in his later films to please his audience. In this, his first full-length motion picture, the humor is warm, the pace is brisk, and despite numerous obstacles, there is a very real sense that -- like its hero -- the director always knows where he wants to go next. It is a far cry from the aimless meandering in "Jules and Jim" and later films. (I happen to like some films that seem to have no aim or plot, it is just that Truffaut's or Fellini's works in that category are not good examples of how to do this successfully.)

It is said that everyone can write at least one pretty good book, namely one's autobiography. And maybe that was true of Truffaut also, the one-hit-wonder who might have preferred going back to being a movie critic after finishing his first -- and best -- movie.

Essential French cinema: Truffaut's 'Les Quatre Cents Coups.'.......2007-07-20

Inspired by Orson Welles' Touch of Evil (Restored to Orson Welles' Vision), François Truffaut's (1932-1984) film debut, The 400 Blows (1959) was a turning point for French and world cinema. Challenging traditional Hollywood cinema, it marked the beginning of the radical French New Wave Movement. Truffaut won the Best Director award from the The 1959 Cannes Film Festival, the same festival that banned him the previous year. It follows Antoine Doinel (Jean-Pierre Léaud ) through his adolescent misadventures in Paris. Born to an unwed mother into an unhappy home life, Antoine is perceived to be a trouble maker at school. (The film's French title refers to "faire les quatre cents coups," which means "to raise hell.") Poorly dressed and poorly fed, Antoine is also considered an unwanted burden by his indifferent mother and step-father, who eagerly surrender him first to a detention center, and then to a reform school, transorming the film into an exposé of the injustices of the treatment of juvenile offenders in France at the time. Antoine eventually escapes his work camp and runs towards the sea. Truffaut creates film history by ending his film with an unforgettable freeze-frame of Antoine on a beach with his feet in the surf, looking back to the shore, with no place left to run. Antoine has never experienced the sea before.

Léaud and Truffaut continued "The Antoine Doinel Cycle" with four other films depicting Antoine at later stages of his life: Antoine and Colette; Stolen Kisses; Bed and Board; and Love on the Run. Criterion has collected The 400 Blows with these later films in a highly-recommended collection, Francois Truffaut's Adventures of Antoine Doinel (The 400 Blows / Antoine & Collette / Stolen Kisses / Bed & Board / Love on the Run) - Criterion Collection.

Funny yet heartbreaking, playful yet melancholy, Truffaut's 400 Blows is among my all-time film favorites. This first-rate Criterion edition offers a crisp digital transfer with a clear soundtrack, screen tests, as well as an anecdotal commentary on Truffaut.

G. Merritt

Oh, I lie now and then, I suppose.......2007-07-04

The first thing I noticed with this debut film by the great Francois Truffaut is that it is shot in wide-screen format. I later learned this was the first to be presented in that way, which immediately established the twenty-eight-year-old man amongst the greatest directors.
I have some difficulty grasping the title, 400 Blows. But I guess it is a French idiom for "hell raiser". The story launched a series of films about this boy, Antoine Doinel. This character is recognized as Truffaut's on-screen alter ego.
I think it is rare to see a more compelling, in-depth look at adolescence. Other movies might showcase some horrible childhood acts simply for shock value, but that's not the case here. This story moves along smoothly, with such a genuine feel.
The look at Antoine's home life will probably invoke some sympathy. He's almost treated as an afterthought by his mother. These neglected feelings might be the reason why he frequently tells lies. He also recieves harsh criticism from his school teacher, which can't help his self-esteem. He eventually turns to a life of petty crime.
In one scene, he needs an excuse for his absence after ditching school. He tells the teacher, in a solemn voice, "I'm sorry sir, my mother died".
You get the feeling that sometimes he might actually wish that.
At such a young age, Antoine is forced to do some soul searching and find his place in the world. It is a journey worth catching.

The 400 Blows.......2007-06-26

The first feature by writer-director François Truffaut, "Blows" is an early, timeless classic of the French New Wave, released the same year as Godard¹s "Breathless." Drawing on his own life experience as a truant and petty thief, Truffaut created a lyrical, poignant story of innocence and injustice featuring the astonishingly expressive Jean-Pierre Léaud. "Blows" not only helped change the face of film--especially with its documentary-like feel for Parisian street life and a wrenching, poetically ambivalent final image--it also became the gold standard for all tales of youthful misery.

Average customer rating:

It's Just Alright
Rare Laserdiscs-dvds Collector
1985 capsule
Still Good
Hip Hop Classic!!!

Krush Groove
Starring: Sheila E. , Joseph Simmons , Darryl McDaniels , Jason Mizell , and Mark Morales
Director: Michael Schultz
Manufacturer: Warner Home Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B00007BK2Q
Release Date: 2003-01-14

Product Description

In this movie based on the life of Russel Simmons, hot young record producer/manager Russel Walker has all the hottest acts on the record label Krush Groove records. The acts include Run-DMC, Dr.Jekyll and Mr. Hyde and Kurtis Blow. When Run-DMC has a hit record and Russel doesn't have the money to press records he borrows money from a drug dealer/loan shark. At the same time Russel and Run are both competing for the heart of Sheila E.

System Requirements:

Running Time 95 Min

Format: DVD MOVIE

Amazon.com

Like its progenitors Beat Street and Wild Style, Krush Groove is a movie about hip-hop that in its rush to document an emergent culture ignores plot, acting, cinematography, and anything else that makes a movie watchable or worthwhile. That said, Krush Groove contains some nifty performances from hip-hop legends Run-DMC, the always hilarious Fat Boys (see Disorderlies if you can't get enough of their weighty shtick), brilliant MC Kurtis Blow, and Prince protégé Sheila E. Also look out for soon-to-be L.A. Law-yer Blair Underwood in a lead role. Performances aside, Krush Groove isn't def, it's just so-so. --Ethan Brown

Customer Reviews:

It's Just Alright.......2006-10-23

This movie was alright, but not something I'd like to watch again. Once is enough. I never knew Sheila E. had starred in "Krush Groove" and it was kind of weird hearing her rap and mingling with hip-hop artist. She really looked out of place. Other than that, this movie isn't anything to write home about.

Rare Laserdiscs-dvds Collector.......2006-04-28

Krush Groove is one of My Favorite Movies,i have it on dvd,'tis a great Movie :P

1985 capsule.......2006-03-03

this film is unbelievable if you enjoy pure old school this film will fill your heart with nothing but the love you have for
music expressed in words. this film is like a two hour video of
where hip hop got it's first big break. ll cool j,rundmc.new edition.dr. jeckyll mr. hyde, kurtis blow and sheila e. and the fat boys. the only group I wish was there is whodini. other than that this film and the comentary was excellent. this film is a must have...........period.......................

Still Good .......2006-02-24

If your between the age of 25 & 30 and saw this movie years ago.
It will bring back great memories of your childhood. The cast is pretty much made up of rappers and rap groups of hip hop past. So it's worth it just to see all your favorites of yester year, before it was all about shoot em up and other nonsense

Hip Hop Classic!!!.......2005-12-13

Radio, A Love Bizzare, If I Ruled The World, All You Can Eat........you can't stop the streets and the groove with the greatest hip hop movie of all time, Krush Groove!!!!! Other than Shelia E's terrible acting, the movie was a classic and a must buy. Before the dvd release, I thought I would never see this movie again, but now, I'm sure glad I purchased it. "KRUSH GROOOOVVINNNN' BODY MOOOOOOVVVINNNN"!!!!!"

Average customer rating:

Good scream from the streets of Philadelphia.,
a very good movie,
Political Murder Mystery
Has great moments, but never capitalizes
Manipulative trash

Blow Out
Starring: John Travolta , Nancy Allen , John Lithgow , Dennis Franz , and Peter Boyden
Director: Brian De Palma
Manufacturer: MGM (Video & DVD)
ProductGroup: DVD
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ASIN: B00005K3NV
Release Date: 2001-08-28

Amazon.com

Brian De Palma's 1981 thriller is something of a homage to Michelangelo Antonioni's masterful Blowup, though there are hints of Francis Ford Coppola's paranoia-inducing Conversation sprinkled throughout. John