Becket

Amazon.com essential video

Made in 1964, but set in 12th-century England, this is the fact-based story of Henry II (Peter O'Toole) and his dear friend, the Archbishop of Canterbury (Richard Burton). When the king appoints his former drinking buddy to the high religious office, he believes he has placed an ally into power. Instead, he learns that Thomas very much takes his job to heart, prompting Henry to ask that fateful question--"Will no one rid me of this meddlesome priest?"

This won an Academy Award for Best Screenplay, and it is a strong example of finely tuned performances--both leading men received Academy Award nominations for their roles. There is much passion and rage on the screen, but the beauty of their performances is that we always know that love is there as well. The film, shot on location in England, is also visually appealing. Trivia buffs may be interested to know that Peter O'Toole played Henry II four years later in The Lion in Winter. --Rochelle O'Gorman

On the DVD

The primary bonus feature is a treat: a feature-length commentary by Peter O'Toole, accompanied by a moderator. With only occasional gaps of silence, the still sharp and well-spoken O'Toole recalls the making of the film, how he didn't research the historical King Henry ("The author has made the character; that's his job. My job is to play it."), and his memories of Richard Burton, both personal ("We found that we both enjoyed rugby, we both enjoyed songs, and we both enjoyed drinking, and got along very well.") and professional ("he had an astonishing presence on the stage"). There are also two archival interviews with Burton from 1967 and 1977 (26 minutes total), in which he doesn't discuss Becket, but he does say a lot about his life on stage, he recites some lines, and speaks candidly about his drinking problem.

Don't skip over the interviews with the film's editor Anne Coates and composer Laurence Rosenthal. Coates (7 minutes) has some good stories, and Rosenthal (12 minutes) discusses the influences on his Oscar-nominated score and how he had to teach Gregorian chant to Burton ("He was one of these people whom you really can't teach anything. He had this characteristic that you can only remind him of something he already knows. But he didn't know how to sing Gregorian chant."). In addition to a photo gallery and the four-and-a-half-minute theatrical trailer, MPI's long-delayed DVD looks better than many major-studio classics. --David Horiuchi

Beyond Becket

Other Peter O'Toole Films
Other Richard Burton Films
More King Henrys on DVD

Stills from Becket (click for larger image)

Customer Reviews:

WOW.......2007-09-14

I'm so glad this one's finally on DVD. What awesome performances! Watch it together with "The Lion in Winter". A vast and sweeping epic.

One of the best performances I have ever seen.......2007-09-10

It is hard to believe this is the same guy that played the somewhat peculiar Lawrence of Arabia, which is one of my favorite movies. Richard Burton was good in this movie, don't get me wrong, but I was blown away by O'Toole. He is mesmerizing in practically every scene and completely dominates the screen and the movie. I do not own the DVD, I actually saw it on AMC, where I learned that O'Toole was only 32 years old when he filmed this movie...Wow!!

I am not a history buff so I cannot comment on the historical accuracy of this movie, but I can comment and will applaud what I have to say is one of the best performances I have seen. The scenes with O'Toole are somewhat reminiscent of a stage play where pure acting is required...and he delivers an incredibly powerful performance.

The movie is very entertaining, the dialogue is great, and Geilgud's small part is very good. I thought the costumes, scenery and setting were very well done. I was thoroughly pleased with this movie.

I will now be looking for more O'Toole movies in the hopes they are half as good as this one.

Great movie... great extras.......2007-09-05

Two Richard Burton interviews from two different eras, the flyer and advertising art from the film... great stuff.

Becket Review.......2007-08-29

A Great film. Great quality. I did not have to clean this disc to get it to work right.

Brilliant and Long Overdue.......2007-08-28

Becket sits as a classic, historical parrable of conscience and character, in the same genre as "A Man For All Seasons". Richard Burton (as the title character) and Peter O'Toole (as Henry II) lend marvelous weight to their characters. Burton, the friend who puts moral conscience and religious belief above King and Country. O'Toole, a monarch driven by dynasty is ever mindful of Becket's influence... both as a personal friend and as the conscious of the kingdom. Frustrated, the king's knights take literally Henry's loose wish to be rid of the meddlesome priest. Becket pays with his life but, ultimately Henry with his soul. Based on historical fact, Becket is not a swashbuckler but a more thoughtful film considering the primacy of church v. state. It is well deserving two hours and long overdue on DVD.

Average customer rating:

The toxic power of lies
Perfect for July 4th viewing!
WITCH TRIALS, PART I
Excellent Adaptation Of The Pulitzer-Prize Winning Play. Star-Studded Cast & Written For The Screen By Arthur Miller Himself.
Years later, better appreciation for movie's direction

The Crucible
Starring: Daniel Day-Lewis , Winona Ryder , Paul Scofield , Joan Allen , and Bruce Davison
Director: Nicholas Hytner
Manufacturer: 20th Century Fox
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ASIN: B00013F2S6
Release Date: 2004-06-01

Amazon.com

The Salem witch hunts are given a new and nasty perspective when a vengeful teenage girl uses superstition and repression to her advantage, creating a killing machine that becomes a force unto itself. Pulsating with seductive energy, this provocative drama is as visually arresting as it is intellectually engrossing. Arthur Miller based his classic 1953 play on the actual Salem witch trials of 1692, creating what has since become a durable fixture of school drama courses. It may look like a historical drama, but Miller also meant the work as a parable for the misery created by the McCarthy anti-Communist hearings of the 1950s. This searing version of his drama delves into matters of conscience with concise accuracy and emotional honesty. Three passionate cheers for Miller, director Nicholas Hytner, and costars Daniel Day-Lewis and Winona Ryder. --Rochelle O'Gorman

Description

The Salem witch trials of 1692 are brought vividly to life in this compelling adaptation of Arthur Miller's play, directed by Nicholas Hytner ("The Madness of King George"). A group of teenage girls meet in the woods at midnight for a secret love-conjuring ceremony. While the other girls attempt to cast love spells, Abigail Williams (Winona Ryder) wishes for the death of her former lover's (Daniel Day-Lewis) wife. When their ceremony is witnessed by the town minister, the girls suddenly find themselves accused of witchcraft. Soon the entire village is consumed by cries of witchcraft, and as the hysteria grows, blameless victims are torn from their homes, leading to a devastating climax.

Customer Reviews:

The toxic power of lies.......2007-08-08

Since playwright Arthur Miller used the Salem witch trials as a metaphor for the Communist witch hunts of the House Un-American Activities Committee, you might expect this film version of "The Crucible" to be too awash in symbolism to be entertaining, but it's fairly riveting throughout.

Although it's primary concern is the toxic power of lies, it touches on the belief that the Puritans were convinced of the devil's presence.

Winona Ryder is the protagonist, a girl whose love for a married man (Day-Lewis) leads her to implicate his wife (Allen) as a witch. Well-acted by a first-rate cast. Screenplay by Miller.

Brian W. Fairbanks

Perfect for July 4th viewing!.......2007-06-19

I have no in-depth review. I'd just like to say that THE CRUCIBLE would provoke maybe a shudder or two if it were not based on fact! I've made a ritual of viewing this film every July 4th for the past several years as I believe it's a perfect illustration of why we needed our independence from England and the CONTINUED need for RELIGIOUS FREEDOM and the SEPARATION OF CHURCH AND STATE!!

WITCH TRIALS, PART I.......2007-06-07

This film, based on the infamous Salem witch trials of the 1690's that New England still has not lived down, was written by Arthur Miller in an earlier period in American history, the 1950's, when hysteria over the alleged internal "Communist menace" dovetailed with the opening of the coldest part of the Cold War against the Soviet Union. The dramatic tension of the play cannot be understood except as a parable on that then current atmosphere. Miller draws parallels with the earlier period of hysteria, in this case the irrational hysteria over witches in the isolated, inward-looking Puritan community of Salem, Massachusetts. The comparisons in reaction to the witches and `reds under the bed' are startling as far as the response of the societies and individuals in those societies community were concerned. Obviously in the play one needs a hero, even if it is the flawed and `fallen' John Proctor who will stand up, in the final analysis, even unto death for his principles. We will always find a few, even if reluctant, fighters. What is more compelling, and frightening, is the reaction of the `honest' town folk. Then, as in the case of the Cold War hysteria, those `good' folk turned the other way, joined actively in on the action or in some way justified the trials. As we are again in a period when the new hysteria is over Islamic fundamentalists and their motives this remains an extremely powerful cautionary tale. Read the play and/or watch a movie version of it.

Excellent Adaptation Of The Pulitzer-Prize Winning Play. Star-Studded Cast & Written For The Screen By Arthur Miller Himself........2007-05-25

Adapting his own Pulitzer-Prize winning play for the silver screen and enlisting a top-notch star-studded cast, Arthur Miller creates a cinematic masterpiece. Academy Award winner Daniel Day-Lewis (Best Actor
for "My Left Foot") and Academy Award nominee Winona Ryder ("Bram Stoker's Dracula"; another excellent adaptation of the vampire novel penned in 1897) star in this classic film version, supported by Academy Award winner Paul Scofield (Best Actor for "A Man For All Seasons") and Academy Award nominee Joan Allen. Well worth viewing. Rated PG for brief nudity.

Years later, better appreciation for movie's direction .......2007-05-12

The film version of Arthur Miller's The Crucible is quite a satisfactory visualization, especially for anyone who is looking for a good supplement to the play.

Being a film, the traditional play can be a little loose in its translation, usually a negative trait in transferring a work from book to film; but in this case it definitely gives the work a little more intensity. What the work loses in its claustrophobic atmosphere of being primarily in a courtroom, it gains in its hysteria-laden tone. Sometimes this works (Abigail's chilling screams in the courtroom have an eerie mood to them), and sometimes this goes to excess (case in point: Mrs. Putnam's screams are overtly hysterical to the point of overkill).

Still, bringing the play to film does have its advantages over all. We get to see the Puritan town of Salem, and the people who move about through place to place. The few scenes between Abigail and Proctor make their past history a little more apparent, and this helps in illustrating Elizabeth's cause for concern and her lack of trust in the initial part of the film. And, other parts of the play just work well outside, one of the best being Mary Warren screaming wildly after the girls turn on her, in which she frantically runs to the water and screams out against Proctor.

I had viewed this movie once before, thinking it quite mediocre at film's end, but, years later, watching it again, have a better appreciation for it. The film's intensity really picks up in the second half of the movie, particularly in Daniel Day Lewis' portrayal of John Proctor. One of the film's climactic moments, when Proctor gives his "Because it's my name!..." speech to Danforth, is perhaps the most impressive and dramatic of all the film's scenes.

Written as a reaction to the McCarthy trials, The Crucible's literal witch hunts are somewhat bizarre and somewhat chilling, and this film successfully and succinctly captures this mood. While this film is not a work of art, and certainly has some "Hollywood" in it, it is a satisfactory retelling in the long run.

The DVD version also includes an interview and behind the scenes between Arthur Miller and Daniel Day Lewis. If you aren't familiar with the story, you should check this part out.

3 ½ stars

The Last Mimzy (Widescreen Infinifilm Edition)

Average customer rating:

The Easter Bunny phones home
Great story--I hope children will love it and will understand it years later when they see it again
Suckiest Movie In History With Even Worse Casting
Fantasy + Science Fiction + Environmentalism
Fine movie, disgraceful DVD

The Last Mimzy (Widescreen Infinifilm Edition)
Starring: Chris O'Neil , Rhiannon Leigh Wryn , Joely Richardson , Timothy Hutton , and Rainn Wilson
Director: Robert Shaye
Manufacturer: New Line Home Video
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ASIN: B000Q66FB6
Release Date: 2007-07-10

Amazon.com

Comparisons with E.T. are inevitable, but the more modest The Last Mimzy is based on the classic short story "Mimzy Were the Borogoves," by Lewis Padgett (a pseudonym for husband-and-wife writing team Henry Kuttner and C.L. Moore), that anticipated Steven Spielberg's extraterrestrial fantasy by nearly four decades. Chris O'Neil and Rhiannon Leigh Wryn give winning, naturalistic performances as siblings Noah and Emma, whose lives are transformed by a box of mysterious objects they find on the beach outside the family's Seattle vacation home. Among its contents is a stuffed rabbit that Emma names Mimzy and becomes quite attached. Noah and Emma are your typical outsiders. He is not good at sports, and she is interested in astronomy and plays the violin. But the objects work wonders on them. Their brainpower increases exponentially, Noah is able to drive a golf ball hundreds of yards, and Emma begins to communicate telepathically with Mimzy, who reveals his true identity and purpose. Rainn Wilson of The Office displays an off-center charm as Mr. White, Noah's New Age-y science teacher, who discovers similarities between Noah's intricate notebook doodlings and ancient renderings of the universe ("This is so out of my league," he marvels at one point), and becomes involved in Mimzy's back-to-the-future quest. Timothy Hutton and Joely Richardson are solid as the understandably confounded and increasingly concerned parents. Michael Clarke Duncan is a menacing FBI agent who, invoking the Patriot Act, arrests the family after Noah inadvertently causes a citywide blackout with one of the futuristic objects. The Last Mimzy may not reach E.T.'s spectacular heights, but as thoughtfully adapted for the screen by Bruce Joel Rubin (Ghost) and Toby Emmerich (Frequency), it is a transporting, idea-rich family film that is free of gratuitous coarse language (save for Mr. White's offhand classroom use of the word "screw") or bathroom humor. --Donald Liebenson

Description

When Noah and Emma Wilder discover a special box on the beach, they open it and unlock an exciting adventure beyond imagination. Inside they find Mimzy, a magical stuffed rabbit along with other mystical toys, which give the children exceptional powers of their own. Able to move objects with their minds and to solve complex equations, these new wonder kids begin to attract the attention of their parents, teachers... and even the FBI. Surrounding the phenomenon of Mimzy is an awesome secret Â¿ one that holds the key to saving the future of all mankind.

Customer Reviews:

The Easter Bunny phones home.......2007-09-13

*spoilers*

"The Last Mimzy" is such a shameless and unabashed rip-off of "E.T.-The Extra Terrestrial" that Steven Spielberg ought to sue the makers of the film for blatant copyright infringement of his famous material.

Noah and Emma Wilder are two Seattle youngsters who discover a mysterious box floating in the ocean. Upon opening it, the children find it contains several abnormal objects including an odd stuffed-animal rabbit that calls itself Mimzy and communicates in a garbled, incomprehensible language to the little girl. In addition, the children themselves become endowed with strange preternatural knowledge and extrasensory powers as a result of their encounter with the material. The first part of the movie is dedicated to the kids' efforts to hide the secret from their parents, while the second involves the government scientist's typically clumsy efforts at studying the bizarre phenomenon.

Virtually every major idea from "E.T." manages, at some point or other, to find its way into this film, starting with the basic alien-from-outer-space-being-hidden-by-adorable-children scenario and heading on from there. The other similarities include the psychic connection between alien and child, the frightened, uncomprehending adults, the threatening government officials, the seemingly dying alien, and the kids' stealing of a vehicle in an effort to outrun the authorities. This is certainly not the first movie to try to siphon off some of "E.T."'s irreproducible charms for its own benefit ("Short Circuit," "The Iron Giant" and "The Indian in the Cupboard" come first to mind), but it is definitely the creepiest and most New Age-y of the lot. Then, after all is said and done, the screenplay gives us an anticlimactic epilogue so convoluted and muddled that even Stephen Hawking himself would have trouble comprehending it.

As Noah and Emma, Chris O'Neill and Rhiannon Leigh Wryn don't exactly set the screen on fire with their performances, but they are at least adequate to the task they are called on to fulfill - which is more than can be said for Timothy Hutton, Joely Richardson, Rainn Wilson and Michael Clark Duncan who are stranded in poorly written roles as the various adults on hand.

Forget about phoning home; E.T. should be calling his lawyer.

Great story--I hope children will love it and will understand it years later when they see it again.......2007-09-11

Two children visiting their cottage on Whidby Island find a box full of toys, including a stuffed rabbit. Soon, their abilities expand. Noah, the eldest, was barely passing Science now he's submitted a Science Fair project that could win National. And, Emma is talking to her stuffed bunny and it's telling her about a very bleak time for a future race and asking her to help.

The story's great, the casting and effects are enthralling. I think "Mimzy" is destined to be a children's classic. While the young ones won't really understand what the story means right now, I think it's one they will watch again and again--and a valuable lesson will sink in.

Suckiest Movie In History With Even Worse Casting.......2007-09-04

I have never seen a more miscast, boring, irritating movie in my life. Where was this movie made? Another Galaxy? It---and the "cast"---were totally unrelatable, unlikeable, and made me squirmy. It was so bad I asked for my money back.

Fantasy + Science Fiction + Environmentalism.......2007-08-31

The title of this movie, The Last Mimzy, refers to a toy bunny doll that is actually a form of artificial intelligence, created in the distant future, and sent back in time. Its creator is a scientist who lives in an Earth that has been so polluted that the human gene pool has been horribly damaged. These scientist makes these toy dolls and sends them back through time to collect virgin human DNA to bring back to the future to replenish the human gene pool. No Mimzy has ever made it back to the future, except for the one discovered by Emma and Noah, a sister and brother who live in Seattle with their parents. Once discovered, Mimzy embues both siblings with astonishing brainpower and technical skills that changes their lives, and leads them to create a bridge through time for Mimzy to travel through. The DNA Mimzy takes back is from a teardrop from Emma.

This was one of those movies that did not do that well at the theaters. Its release was short, and soon ended up on DVD. This is surprising considering the quality of this movie. The cast are comprised of mostly unknowns, but they deliver. The dialogue is realistic, and the special effects help carry the movie. The storyline is a blend of family drama, science fiction, adventure, and environmentalism. Overall, a great movie, and worth the time to see it.

Fine movie, disgraceful DVD.......2007-08-26

This is the first DVD I've ever encountered where its authors disabled the pause, rewind, and fast forward buttons. This is defective by design. I liked the film, but the restrictions on the DVD are something I can not stand.

Gandhi (Widescreen Two-Disc Special Edition)

Average customer rating:

a majestic masterpiece.........
A treasure to own
Beautiful Film
Watched this when
Gandhi

Gandhi (Widescreen Two-Disc Special Edition)
Starring: Ben Kingsley , Candice Bergen , Edward Fox , John Gielgud , and Trevor Howard
Director: Richard Attenborough
Manufacturer: Sony Pictures
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ASIN: B000KX0IOA
Release Date: 2007-02-20

Amazon.com

Sir Richard Attenborough's 1982 multiple-Oscar winner (including Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Actor for Ben Kingsley) is an engrossing, reverential look at the life of Mohandas K. Gandhi, who introduced the doctrine of nonviolent resistance to the colonized people of India and who ultimately gained the nation its independence. Kingsley is magnificent as Gandhi as he changes over the course of the three-hour film from an insignificant lawyer to an international leader and symbol. Strong on history (the historic division between India and Pakistan, still a huge problem today, can be seen in its formative stages here) as well as character and ideas, this is a fine film. --Tom Keogh

Stills from Gandhi (click for larger image)

Beyond Gandhi on Amazon.com

Other Oscar Winners at Oscar Central
More Biographies on DVD
The Films of Ben Kingsley

Description

A critical masterpiece, GANDHI is an intriguing story about activism, politics, religious tolerance and freedom. But at the center of it all is an extraor- dinary man who fought for a nonviolent, peaceful existence, and set an entire nation free. Winner of 8 Academy Awards® including Best Picture, Best Director (Lord Richard Attenborough) and Best Actor (Sir Ben Kingsley), GANDHI's highly acclaimed cast also includes Candice Bergen, Edward Fox, Sir John Gielgud, Roshan Seth and Martin Sheen.

The extras include more than 90 minutes of new material, including interviews with director Lord Richard Attenborough; actors Geraldine James, Saeed Jaffrey, and Edward Fox; Diana Hawkins (Director of Publicity), Terry Clegg (Executive in charge of production), Billy Williams (Cinematographer) and Stuart Craig (Production Designer). The DVD includes a Director's commentary with Attenborough, who also filmed a personal introduction to the film. The featurettes include In Search of Gandhi, Reflections on Ben, Madeleine Slade: An Englishwoman Abroad, The Funeral, Shooting an Epic In India, Looking Back, Designing Gandhi (3 mini featurettes) and From the Director's Chair (2 mini featurettes).

Customer Reviews:

a majestic masterpiece................2007-09-09

GANDHI is nothing short of a beautiful work of cinematic art. Director Lord Richard Attenborough beautifully recounts the life of the late, great Mahatma Ghandi. His journey as an aspiring young lawyer in South Africa is forever changed when he is thrown off of a train for being a "kaffir" (a pejorative term for dark-complected South Africans). It was then that he realized just how biased the laws were against Indians, and, thus, began his life long dedication to non-violent protest as well as working as a proponent of the campaign to emancipate India from the oppressive British rule.

Ben Kingsley beautifully portrays the title character and won a well-deserved Academy Award for his performance. The cinematography is gorgeous, the supporting cast works great together as an ensemble, and the production truly honors Gandhi and his message. This film is one of the most important historically-based biographical films out there. See this today.

A treasure to own.......2007-08-26

I was born many decades after the Mahatma's passing, and was privileged to see this picture when it premiered in our town in India. I bought the DVD so my children could learn of the man who played a central role in setting India free.

It is in some sense, entirely befitting that the movie was made by a Britisher, and an actor of British/Indian origin in the lead role. Other reviwers have complained of a bias -- I see none, except perhaps a bias towards the deification of Gandhi. I would have liked to see more of the human side of the Mahatma in the movie.

The DVD has been beautifully mastered, and plays very well on an HDTV. It definitely has a place in the library of anyone else interested in the impact of Gandhi's principles on history.

Beautiful Film.......2007-08-24

The film opens with Gandhi's assassination. The next scene, his funeral, is one of the greatest scenes in cinematic history. Attenborough managed to recreate Gandhi's funeral on January 31st, 1981, the 33rd anniversary of the actual funeral. It is estimated that nearly 400,000 people were on hand to be a part of the filming the recreation. This film was made before CGI, so the funeral scene is probably the last live action crowd of that magnitude that will ever be filmed.

Chronicling the rich, unforgettable life of a one Mohandas K. "Mahatma" Gandhi - played to shocking perfection by the wonderful Sir Ben Kingsley -this is a film that I can say really, deeply affected me with its power, its scale, and of course, its timeless message of love and non-violence. As a matter of fact, ever since I first saw the film, and became much more aware of the back story, I can also say that Gandhi is now one of my biggest role models in life. I cannot fully express how much this great man's way of thinking - his words, his struggles, his accomplishments - has affected my own.

Ben Kingsley played Gandhi. He was the perfect for the role. He resembled the real Gandhi. He was young enough to portray Gandhi as a young man. He is a British actor that nailed the British influenced Indian accent. He is a wonderful actor that was patient and humble with such an important part. And he was a relatively unknown actor at the time, so the "big-time actor" persona did not get in the way of viewing the film.

No other film biography I ever have seen works so well. It will stand the test of time and inform multiple generations.

Watched this when .......2007-08-14

I was younger and was bored out of my mind. Watched it this evening and was enthralled. A very good film about Gandhi. Excellent movie showing the truth about his life and struggle to bring independence to India and freedom to humans.

Gandhi.......2007-07-06

The multiple-Oscar-winning "Gandhi" explores the life and principles of an extraordinary man who became an enduring example of holiness, humility, and humane resistance. Ben Kingsley inhabits his role with saintly authority, brilliantly conveying Gandhi's charisma and unwavering courage, while Candice Bergen (as photographer Margaret Bourke-White) and John Gielgud (as Lord Irwin) also shine in their respective roles. Melodramatic epic sequences--especially the Salt March and massacre scenes, which required Attenborough to direct 300,000 extras--are handled with graceful verisimilitude. A deeply moving, masterful epic.

Average customer rating:

Revolutionary filmmaking that grabs you and never lets you go...
American History X
Painfully searing and thought provoking
Wow... Just Wow
Makes you think!

American History X
Starring: Edward Norton , Edward Furlong , Beverly D'Angelo , Avery Brooks , and Jennifer Lien
Director: Tony Kaye
Manufacturer: New Line Home Video
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ASIN: 6305313687
Release Date: 1999-04-06

Product Description

Edward Norton's Academy Award nominated role as a White Supremist who sees the error of his ways while jailed for murder. Unfortunately, he leaves prison to find his brother (Edward Furlong) heading down the same path.

Amazon.com

Perhaps the highest compliment you can pay to Edward Norton is that his Oscar-nominated performance in American History X nearly convinces you that there is a shred of logic in the tenets of white supremacy. If that statement doesn't horrify you, it should; Norton is so fully immersed in his role as a neo-Nazi skinhead that his character's eloquent defense of racism is disturbingly persuasive--at least on the surface. Looking lean and mean with a swastika tattoo and a mind full of hate, Derek Vinyard (Norton) has inherited racism from his father, and that learning has been intensified through his service to Cameron (Stacy Keach), a grown-up thug playing tyrant and teacher to a growing band of disenfranchised teens from Venice Beach, California, all hungry for an ideology that fuels their brooding alienation.

The film's basic message--that hate is learned and can be unlearned--is expressed through Derek's kid brother, Danny (Edward Furlong), whose sibling hero-worship increases after Derek is imprisoned (or, in Danny's mind, martyred) for the killing of two black men. Lacking Derek's gift of rebel rhetoric, Danny is easily swayed into the violent, hateful lifestyle that Derek disowns during his thoughtful time in prison. Once released, Derek struggles to save his brother from a violent fate, and American History X partially suffers from a mix of intense emotions, awkward sentiment, and predictably inevitable plotting. And yet British director Tony Kaye (who would later protest against Norton's creative intervention during post-production) manages to juggle these qualities--and a compelling clash of visual styles--to considerable effect. No matter how strained their collaboration may have been, both Kaye and Norton can be proud to have created a film that addresses the issue of racism with dramatically forceful impact. --Jeff Shannon

Customer Reviews:

Revolutionary filmmaking that grabs you and never lets you go..........2007-07-12

Fueled by a powerfully convincing Oscar worthy performance, `American History X' is probably my favorite movie of the given year. It's an intense portrayal of hatred and racism and the causes behind it as well as the horrible consequences that spawn from it. In its gritty black and white sequences it establishes an air of hostility and vindictive fervor, but what's strangely enamoring about this film is that, with all it's shocking violence and hate filled propaganda, it raises a level of sympathetic understanding that you'd never expect to find nestled underneath it's repelling shell. Through the eyes of Derek Vinyard we begin to realize his struggle and understand his viewpoints, no matter how wrong they really are. The reasoning behind his hatred is explained with such conviction and assurance that he begins to sell the audience. This is important because Derek is a man we're supposed to connect with and sympathize with, and without understanding him that becomes impossible and he remains a monster to us.

So then, much praise must be heaped upon the amazing Edward Norton who completely devours his role here. His performance is one of the most impressive and earth shattering portrayals of the human heart I've seen in years, perhaps forever. His control over his character is incredible. His conviction, his determination, his grip on his characters reality is so strong it's engrossing and absorbing. Derek Vinyard is a revelation. As the film shifts from present time, with Derek being released from prison and trying to put his family back together, to past tense, where in that gritty black and white we see the rise and fall of Derek's Nazi days, we are invited into this mans world, and effortlessly we see Norton shift from a man determined to hate to a man determined to fix the mess he started.

The film focuses mainly on the relationship between Derek and his younger brother Danny, played brilliantly by Edward Furlong. Upon arriving home from prison Derek sees that Danny has now fallen just as deep into the race hating ways he was once privy to and he realizes he has his work cut out for him. Having been reformed while behind bars Derek is now a much different man than he once was and he begins to try and reason with his brother, prove to him that the life they are leading is one only destined for failure and doom. Unfortunately Danny has fallen into ties with Cameron, the leader of a group of Neo-Nazi tyrants who once worshiped the ground Derek walked on. Breaking Danny of this pact would not only result in Derek's segregation but could result in his death.

Tony Kaye does a fantastic job directing this film, creating an unsteady air about the scenes that adds layers to the message behind this film. The film is forceful and blunt but it manages to invest itself so deeply in the audience that we become invested in the film and thus and compelled to keep watching despite the at times very harsh sequences of events. `American History X' may not be the easiest film to sit through, but it's easily one of the most important films to ever address the bounds of racism. Highly superior to the Oscar winning `Crash', `American History X' sets a profound statement that not only rationalizes with the villain but breaks down his barrier and exposes the scared little child growing within him. Thanks in large part to the Oscar robbed Edward Norton, this is one of those films that will move you to rethink everything you think you know about the ones you think you understand and realize that maybe, just maybe, you don't know as much as you give yourself credit for.

American History X.......2007-07-11

Tony Kaye's hard-hitting, frighteningly credible look at racism and aggrieved adolescence smoothes over nothing in its depiction of angry working-class California youth who find pride and camaraderie under the aegis of a White Power demagogue (Stacy Keach). But "X" owes its extraordinary power to the super-charged, Oscar-nominated performance by Norton, beefed up and seething with monstrous hatred in the film's many flashbacks. With Norton so convincing in balancing Derek's obvious intelligence and charisma with his more noxious Nazi persona, "American History X" is a raw, engrossing tale of a pained conscience turned inside out.

Painfully searing and thought provoking.......2007-06-27

I really can't remember a more emotionally charged movie. American X will make you feel angry, frightened, uncomfortable, shocked, sad, and hopefully introspective. It plunges deep into the heart of racism and ultimately exposes the ignorance that fuels it.

Edward Norton is scary. He received an oscar nomination as he became fully immersed in this role as Derek, an angry white supremist.

One of the scenes I found most profound was a glimpse of his upbringing. He is having a conversation with his father, explaining his admiration and respect for his school teacher, who happens to be a black man with two Phds. His dad drops subtle little hints and discriminatory remarks to discredit the man, and his son takes it to heart.

That's really the point of this whole movie, that nobody is born with hatred. Sadly, sometimes it is learned.

This movie is filled with intense moments where the rage and racism are much more blatant. Derek's hatred for all minorities keeps growing, even though he doesn't bother to get to know any of them. Until he goes to prison, and his work partner shows him the error of his ways.

Although this plot development is predictable and Derek's complete change of heart unfortunately seemed a little forced, this still is an exceptional movie. There are so many human frailties exposed and subjective topics examined. It is an obvious message film with high aspirations.

What king of response it triggers depends on you.

Wow... Just Wow.......2007-06-22

A good friend of mine suggested this film, and I really didnt know what to expect going in, but after this film was over, I sat in stunned silence. I knew that racism was horrible, but I found through this film that it does not come without a terrible price..the loss of love, friends, family...and the realization that everything that you believed to be true isnt always the way things are. Edward Norton's performance takes the viewer through this journey, and its not a pretty one. He goes from an bright young man, to a vengeful bigot, to a remorseful excon with a brothers life in jeopardy, and you feel as though you are looking in on someones life in the course of 2 hrs. All of the acting in this film is first rate, and the ending wasnt quite as predictable as others might have you believe...it is quite shocking, as is much of the film. It causes quite a debate on the way people view others whos skin color is not the same. As Dr. King said, judge me not on the color of my skin, but on the content of my character. I live with racism, because I am a black man living in America...it exists, but if we educate ourselves like the main character in AHX, it wont stay around for much longer.

Makes you think!.......2007-06-10

I was skeptical when I first heard about this movie, as I was originally mis-informed as to what it was really about! I am definetly glad I finally sat down and watched this film.

After seeing this film, it has quickly become one of my favorite films that I have ever seen. As others have said, Edward Norton plays his role so well, you may actually find yourself partly agreeing with what he says. The message of the film is very well done, and the ending is one of the most shocking I have seen.

Excellent acting, directing, and story-telling. This is a film to own, and a film that has become a classic within the world of movie-making!

It's a Wonderful Life (60th Anniversary Edition)

Average customer rating:

It is really wonderful.
Nothing less than 5 stars!
Things to consider
Merry Christmas
It's a Wonderful Life

It's a Wonderful Life (60th Anniversary Edition)
Starring: James Stewart , Donna Reed , Lionel Barrymore , Thomas Mitchell , and Henry Travers
Director: Frank Capra
Manufacturer: Paramount
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B000HEWEJO
Release Date: 2006-10-31

Amazon.com essential video

Now perhaps the most beloved American film, It's a Wonderful Life was largely forgotten for years, due to a copyright quirk. Only in the late 1970s did it find its audience through repeated TV showings. Frank Capra's masterwork deserves its status as a feel-good communal event, but it is also one of the most fascinating films in the American cinema, a multilayered work of Dickensian density. George Bailey (played superbly by James Stewart) grows up in the small town of Bedford Falls, dreaming dreams of adventure and travel, but circumstances conspire to keep him enslaved to his home turf. Frustrated by his life, and haunted by an impending scandal, George prepares to commit suicide on Christmas Eve. A heavenly messenger (Henry Travers) arrives to show him a vision: what the world would have been like if George had never been born. The sequence is a vivid depiction of the American Dream gone bad, and probably the wildest thing Capra ever shot (the director's optimistic vision may have darkened during his experiences making military films in World War II). Capra's triumph is to acknowledge the difficulties and disappointments of life, while affirming--in the teary-eyed final reel--his cherished values of friendship and individual achievement. It's a Wonderful Life was not a big hit on its initial release, and it won no Oscars (Capra and Stewart were nominated); but it continues to weave a special magic. --Robert Horton

Description

George Bailey has so many problems he is thinking about ending it all - and it's Christmas! As the angels discuss George, we see his life in flashback. As George is about to jump from a bridge, he ends up rescuing his guardian angel, Clarence. Clarence then shows George what his town would have looked like if it hadn't been for all of his good deeds over the years. Will Clarence be able to convince George to return to his family and forget suicide?

Customer Reviews:

It is really wonderful........2007-09-06

I have tried to buy this DVD twice before from non-Amazon Internet vendors and failed. Finally I bought it from Amazon. It is really wonderful to watch "It's a wonderful life". I especially enjoyed the special features of the DVD with Capra Sr. and Jr. and Jimmy Stewart recapturing the making and the history of this movie. Can you imagine it wasn't a hit when it was first released? It is a very interesting story, almost as good as the movie itself.

Nothing less than 5 stars!.......2007-08-27

It's a classic movie with a thought provoking message that we all can make a positive impact on the people's lives around us.

Things to consider.......2007-08-26

This is a classic, not just for Christmas. Everyone should reflect on their lives as Jimmy Stewart's character does.

Merry Christmas.......2007-08-12

If you want a great Christmas movie, this is one of the best X-mas movies I have ever seen. The old Miracle on 34th Street and this movie (It's a Wonderful Life) are the two best Christmas movies ever made. I remember watching it as a kind (I'm 28) and loving it even then, watching it over and over again!

It's a Wonderful Life.......2007-07-30

A brilliant movie with excellent values. Very moving and encouraging. Makes a wonderful gift for Christmas or any other time. Continuously voted one of the best movies of all time. Highly recommended.

Average customer rating:

Slow Starter - great ending!
Why so negative?
Move along, folks, nothing to see here
Uncrash!
Crash Course

Crash (Widescreen Edition)
Starring: Karina Arroyave , Dato Bakhtadze , Sandra Bullock , Don Cheadle , and Art Chudabala
Director: Paul Haggis
Manufacturer: Lions Gate
ProductGroup: DVD
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ASIN: B000A3XY5A
Release Date: 2005-09-06

Amazon.com

Movie studios, by and large, avoid controversial subjects like race the way you might avoid a hive of angry bees. So it's remarkable that Crash even got made; that it's a rich, intelligent, and moving exploration of the interlocking lives of a dozen Los Angeles residents--black, white, latino, Asian, and Persian--is downright amazing. A politically nervous district attorney (Brendan Fraser) and his high-strung wife (Sandra Bullock, biting into a welcome change of pace from Miss Congeniality) get car-jacked by an oddly sociological pair of young black men (Larenz Tate and Chris "Ludacris" Bridges); a rich black T.V. director (Terrence Howard) and his wife (Thandie Newton) get pulled over by a white racist cop (Matt Dillon) and his reluctant partner (Ryan Phillipe); a detective (Don Cheadle) and his Latina partner and lover (Jennifer Esposito) investigate a white cop who shot a black cop--these are only three of the interlocking stories that reach up and down class lines. Writer/director Paul Haggis (who wrote the screenplay for Million Dollar Baby) spins every character in unpredictable directions, refusing to let anyone sink into a stereotype. The cast--ranging from the famous names above to lesser-known but just as capable actors like Michael Pena (Buffalo Soldiers) and Loretta Devine (Woman Thou Art Loosed)--meets the strong script head-on, delivering galvanizing performances in short vignettes, brief glimpses that build with gut-wrenching force. This sort of multi-character mosaic is hard to pull off; Crash rivals such classics as Nashville and Short Cuts. A knockout. --Bret Fetzer

Stills from Crash (click for larger image)

Description

They all live in Los Angeles. And in the next 36 hours, they will collide.

Customer Reviews:

Slow Starter - great ending!.......2007-09-16

I kind of bailed on this movie about half way through - my wife kept watching it. I came back and sat down about 3/4 of the way through and it was just getting interesting.

Really points out how our stereotypes and preconceptions can get in the way of us living our life as we should.

Why so negative?.......2007-09-15

Crash is not a terrible film, I think people were just mad this film won best picture at the Academy Awards over Brokeback Mountain (which is the better movie but oh well) I like Crash, it is accurate portrayal of how nasty we treat each other. This movie features in all-star cast including: Matt Dillion, Thandie Newton, Don Cheadle, Brendan Fraiser, Sandra Bullock, Jennifer Espisto, and Ryan Phillipe. But there is one actor who ruins the film for me a bit, Ludarcis! Jeez talk about being a ham! Crash opened my eyes and hopefully it will do the same for others. This is a good film, give it a chance!

Move along, folks, nothing to see here.......2007-09-05

Overrated, underwhelming, hackneyed, workmanlike, insipid dialogue, Cheadle is weak along with most of the cast. What's all the hubbub, bub? Just because Hollywood makes a movie about racial issues doesn't make it good. You'd think the opposite would be true, and you'd be right.
Pass.

Uncrash!.......2007-08-31

The human element, the touch of our lives everyday. The director of Crash did a superb job to bring all of the pain, love, race animosity, ignorance toward indifference and the human attachment and approval what all of us so much desire all into one unforgettable movie.

Crash Course.......2007-08-30

I remember being at an Oscars party here in San Francisco the year this movie won the Academy Award, and the shout of dismay that went through the room when "we" were cheated out of an Oscar for Brokeback Mountain. One fellow explained to me that the Oscars were voted on by a bunch of wealthy white people in Beverly Hills who were scared out of their minds by the prospect of being carjacked by blacks with guns. And that's why CRASH won, out of a superstitious dread reckoning. Then why didn't BONFIRE OF THE VANITIES win, fool--asked I--instead it's been universally reviled as one of the worst movies of all time.

They had plenty of answers to that one, but on the whole I was satisfied with the explanation fed me. But finally I got to see CRASH on DVD and I was pleasantly shocked to find myself enjoying every moment! OK, so it was pretty preposterous, and OK, maybe white people like William Fichtner don't unleash their racial prejudices on black men like Don Cheadle every day of their working lives. I found CRASH an interesting meta-movie, not so much about race as about the whole idea of "interlock" especially as it has become the common language to movies today.

Seems like every other picture you see is all about, picking up the loose ends from act one and resolving them in some unexpected way--and that's all they're about. If a girl gets up in the morning, and the camera shows her choosing between a red dress and a white dress at her closet, and she picks the red dress, by the end of the movie there will be a scene that is supposed to make you cry out, "She should have picked the white dress!" Indeed no image in cinema is photographed without a planned payoff, and that's why US movies are so by the book, even the cleverly juggled ones like PULP FICTION, and now CRASH. When the Persian liquor store owners ask their beautiful, professional daughter what time she has to go to work, and she replies, "Not until ten," there isn't a movie goer alive who doesn't know that-- much later on in the movie--her occupation will be a crucial reveal in the movie. When Don Cheadle's bleary-eyed, Ethel Waters of a mother moans about "Don Cheadle, when are you going to bring home your little brother?" we just know there's going to be more about the brother, and smart moviegoers are taking bets on which character is was going to turn out to be. At first I was sure it was Sandra Bullock, perhaps passing for white to pose as the "wife" of slick DA Brendan Fraser, constantly snappish maybe to conceal the fact that "she" was really a light-skinned black man. I still think that would have been a better ending than the one we got.

But nevertheless did I like this, or Cronenberg's CRASH better, I say this. Both pictures may play equally to the racial fears of white North Americans, but at least this one didn't have James Spader, who must have been busy when they were casting for Brendan Fraser's part, which I consider a break for everyone involved.

Average customer rating:

A Masterpiece of cultural and earthly landscapes
Intense & stunning
Mind Expanding...
Strange Movie
A visual delight

Baraka
Director: Ron Fricke
Manufacturer: Mpi Home Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B00005M91K
Release Date: 2001-09-25

Amazon.com

The word Baraka means "blessing" in several languages; watching this film, the viewer is blessed with a dazzling barrage of images that transcend language. Filmed in 24 countries and set to an ever-changing global soundtrack, the movie draws some surprising connections between various peoples and the spaces they inhabit, whether that space is a lonely mountaintop or a crowded cigarette factory. Some of these attempts at connection are more successful than others: for instance, an early sequence segues between the daily devotions of Tibetan monks, Orthodox Jews, and whirling dervishes, finding more similarity among these rituals than one might expect. And there are other amazing moments, as when sped-up footage of a busy Hong Kong intersection reveals a beautiful symmetry to urban life that could only be appreciated from the perspective of film. The lack of context is occasionally frustrating--not knowing where a section was filmed, or the meaning of the ritual taking place--and some of the transitions are puzzling. However, the DVD includes a short behind-the-scenes featurette in which cinematographer Ron Fricke (Koyaanisqatsi) explains that the effect was intentional: "It's not where you are that's important, it's what's there." And what's here, in Baraka, is a whole world summed up in 104 minutes. --Larisa Lomacky Moore

Customer Reviews:

A Masterpiece of cultural and earthly landscapes.......2007-09-06

I first watched this movie a few years ago and recently rediscovered it. It has no words; it is entirely pictures, sounds, and music. And it is DEFINITELY not boring. It is the most extraordinary and unique film I have ever seen. It takes you on a journey around the world to all sorts of different cultures and shows you the beauty of the land, the people, the customs, and the religious rituals of those cultures. I noticed quite a social commentary on society woven throughout the film, from environmental and industrial threats to the tragedy of war. It is so hard to explain that you have to watch it.

Intense & stunning.......2007-08-31

This isn't a film for the casual viewer, especially one who expects something relaxing or serene -- it's not some New Age "moods of Nature" Valium! In truth, it's not meant to be watched passively at all, or used as mere soothing background. It's meant to be experienced, the way you'd experience a passionate symphony, or the immensity of the ocean or night sky. Above all, it's meant to engage the viewer, to evoke memories, emotions, dreams, fears -- often quite powerfully, even disturbingly at times. It can be as upsetting as it is exhilarating.

And that's all to the good.

The goal of art isn't simply to entertain (although that's certainly worthwhile in itself). It's to arouse & awaken the individual who encounters it, to stir the soul out of its dull, repetitive patterns, to make both the world & the individual come alive again. If it's successful, it changes you. And this film does all of that -- highly recommended!

Mind Expanding..........2007-08-18

...

The film is mind expanding; making one see how interconnected we all are and how our communal, global greed erodes away our human dignity! Time has truly become of the essence if we want to save our planet and maybe even mankind .

Strange Movie.......2007-07-31

I am not sure what all the hype was about. This is a strange movie that is very disjointed and has a very odd flow to it. The music is also odd. I realize that it is suppose to be art, but I was expecting something that would be relaxing and this is not.

A visual delight.......2007-07-16

This is the kind of DVD you put on to Pink Floyd. Other earthly substances certainly enhance the experience.

Average customer rating:

WONDERFUL story !!
AND WHAT A WONDERFUL DRIVE IT IS!
warm, meaningful movie
Nice family drama
Freeman, Tandy & Ackroyd

Driving Miss Daisy (Special Edition)
Starring: Morgan Freeman , Jessica Tandy , Dan Aykroyd , Patti LuPone , and Esther Rolle
Director: Bruce Beresford
Manufacturer: Warner Home Video
ProductGroup: DVD
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ASIN: B000087F7D
Release Date: 2003-02-04

Amazon.com essential video

Winner of the Academy Award for best picture of 1989, this gracefully moving drama, adapted from the hit play by Alfred Uhry, chronicles the 25-year friendship between a stubborn, aging Southern widow (Jessica Tandy) and her loyal chauffeur (Morgan Freeman). At first, the self-sufficient Miss Daisy is reluctant to accept the services of a chauffeur, but Hoke is quiet, wise, and tolerant, and as the years pass the unlikely friends develop a deep mutual respect and admiration. Tandy deservedly won the Oscar for her sassy and sensitive performance, and Freeman earned an Oscar nomination for bringing quiet depth and integrity to his memorable role. Ironically, director Bruce Beresford (Tender Mercies) was not nominated, but the film won Oscars for makeup and for Uhry's screenplay, in addition to a supporting actor nomination for Dan Aykroyd as Daisy's supportive son. Delicate, funny, and bittersweet, Driving Miss Daisy was a surprise hit when released, and marked the crowning achievement of Tandy's great career. --Jeff Shannon

Description

Four Academy Awards(R) including Best Picture! The funny, tender story of a feisty Southern lady and her chauffeur, fueled by the starpower of Jessica Tandy, Morgan Freeman and Dan Aykroyd.

Customer Reviews:

WONDERFUL story !!.......2007-09-12

I didn't see this movie when it came out years ago. I wanted to, but just never did....Now, I wish I had seen it in theater !

Jessica Tandy fully deserves the Oscar she won that year (and I think she's the oldest actor to win one?? No wonder with that performance!). Her portrayal of a 90 something elderly southern Jewish matron beginning to lose her cognitive mental skills was brilliant. And the film does her character justice by keeping that part minimal at the end, so the viewer doesn't lose remembrance of her feisty intelligence in the first three-quarters of the movie.

Morgan Freeman was absolutely terrific, and so was Dan Akroyd in his serious supporting performance. What a change in Akroyd from his comedies and SNL (10-15 yrs earlier).
Accurate settings, good period accents, etc etc...

I can't believe anyone would give this less than 5 stars.
If you haven't seen it - by all means, by it !!

AND WHAT A WONDERFUL DRIVE IT IS!.......2007-09-08

I enjoy all types of film....Horror, Dramas, Thrillers, Comedies, Mysteries,......etc., but I think the movies I enjoy most are ones that have such great characters and well written dialogue that it doesn't matter what they are doing on screen. Driving Miss Daisy is just such a movie! This movie spans 30 years of a relationship between an old Jewish woman and a old black man. I'm not going to go into the story,but it is a fantastic film and wonderful performances abound by Freeman,Tandy and Ackroyd. This is a must see film and should not be missed by any serious movie lover! The DVD transfer is very good and there are some OK extras.

warm, meaningful movie.......2007-09-06

This is a perfect example of a classic wonderful great movie. The actors and the acting was terrific. The meaning was great. They should make more movies like this instead of violent movies.

Nice family drama.......2007-08-21

A calm and subtle review of race relations over about 40 years. Never in your face, it still makes you think about the changes in our country and the work that remains to be done.

Freeman, Tandy & Ackroyd.......2007-08-10

A smart, wonderful, touching movie that slowly, carefully wins the viewer over with beautiful acting, smart dialogue, and a pitch perfect sense of time & place.

Morgan Freeman had been acting on broadway, film and tv for nearly two decades before he finally came into his own at the age of 52 as an A-list lead actor in Driving Miss Daisy for which he was oscar nominated. Coupled with his excellent supporting turn in Glory, Freeman became one the most beloved and bankable stars in Hollywood practically overnight.

Primarily a stage actress, Jessica Tandy didn't achieve notice by casual filmgoers until well into her 70's. She celebrated her 80th birthday before she won the Best Actress award in this movie.

Dan Ackroyd is famous for being hysterically funny. It is kind of a shame he hasn't done more dramatic acting. He was rewarded for his efforts in Driving Miss Daisy with an academy award nomination.

interesting that a movie featuring a warmhearted friendship between a black man and a Jewish woman in 1950's and 60's Georgia won the Best Picture award and Do the Right Thing and Glory weren't even nominated. I guess a relaxed nonthreatening race relations movie was more palatable to the academy voters.

For those looking for a break from crude comedies and blow 'em up blockbusters, DMD delivers as a fine dramatic period piece starring three fine actors at the top of their forms.

Average customer rating:

The Gospel of John
Not Faithful
The Gospel of John - Two thumbs up
excellent and accurate
VERY GOOD DVD

The Gospel of John
Starring: Christopher Plummer , Henry Ian Cusick , Stuart Bunce ,