Four Minutes

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Sir Roger Bannister's historic running of the sub-four-minute mile is celebrated in Four Minutes, an inspiring and respectably authentic TV movie about breaking the most famous barrier in the history of sports. Although it was primarily filmed on locations near Toronto, Canada, this classy ESPN production effectively captures the melancholy mood of post-World War II England, which desperately needed a hero to lift the country out of its post-war depression. Stubbornly resistant to training, Bannister was a devoted Oxford medical student with only passing interest in athletics, but his surprising speed set the stage for his record-setting one-mile run (officially recorded as 3:59.4) at Oxford's modest Iffley Road track on the rainy and windy afternoon of May 6, 1954. As written by renowned sportswriter Frank Deford (based on his article "Hillary and Bannister") and directed by British TV veteran Charles Beeson, this handsome-looking film makes the most of its limited budget, and newcomer Jamie Maclachlan (a dead ringer for the real Bannister circa 1954) is perfectly cast, physically convincing as a world-class runner while effortlessly conveying Bannister's intelligent, congenial charm. Deford's teleplay is dryly conventional, with perfunctory parallels to Sir Edmund Hillary's 1953 conquest of Mount Everest (another inspirational British milestone), a fictional composite role for Christopher Plummer (doing fine work as Bannister's disabled coach) and a standard love interest (nicely played by Amy Rutherford, as the future Mrs. Bannister) for a touch of trackside romance. Comparisons to Chariots of Fire are unavoidable, but Four Minutes can stand on its own, ensuring that Bannister's remarkable achievement will never be forgotten.

On the DVD
Four Minutes is accompanied by a variety of bonus features that provide a comprehensive record of Roger Bannister's historic running of the sub-four-minute mile. In addition to the standard extras (deleted scenes, outtakes, and a behind-the-scenes featurette), there's also the original 1954 newsreel footage of Bannister's record-setting run; a documentary short titled "Barrier Breakers," about the runners who challenged the four-minute barrier prior to Bannister's breakthrough; original 2005 interviews with Bannister and fellow Oxford runner Chris Chataway; an enhanced on-screen trivia option full of informative information regarding Bannister's achievement and the film's historical context; and audio commentary by Four Minutes director Charles Beeson, producer Len Raynor, and executive producer Jerry Abrams. --Jeff Shannon

Description

Starring legendary actor Christopher Plummer (THE INSIDER, A BEAUTIFUL MIND) and Jamie Maclachlan as Sir Roger Bannister -- you and your family will cheer on this amazing account of a gifted runner's triumph! After Mount Everest was conquered in 1953, the last great individual challenge remained the four-minute mile. While many sought to break through the most famous barrier in sporting history, it was medical student and driven amateur Roger Bannister who did it -- astounding the world. Written by renowned sportswriter Frank Deford -- don't miss one second of this remarkable achievement, both on and off the track.~~ ~

Customer Reviews:

Original footage !!.......2006-10-04

I first saw the movie "Four Minutes" on ESPN. I quickly realized that I MUST have this movie. I purchased the DVD, and discovered that in the bonus features was the original footage of Sir Roger Bannister breaking 4 minutes for the mile. WOW !! Being a runner of 24 years, seeing the original footage of this historic event was incredible. As far as the actual movie, I think I may have to buy another copy, since it appears I have worn it out !!!!! Real runners will want this in their collection right next to chariots of fire !! Thanks for your time !!

Nicely produced Bio Pic.......2006-03-13

Very nicely, thoughtfully produced movie bio of Sir Roger Bannister, the first person to break the elusive four-minute mile. The script is esoteric but it is the race sequences that captivate you and capture the significance of Bannister's place in the running world. (Excellent casting of the newcomer in the leading role...ably conveying Bannister's athletic prowess as well as his integrity. The larger supporting players, too, are first rate, especially love interest Amy Rutherford) Of course there are the requisite goose bumps and teary eyes at the finale.

The production design is also quite excellent (in spite of some lame CGI), especially impressive when you see the actual newsreel footage in the special features.

Those features are great additions to this wonderful telefilm, although I admit to being disappointed in the "filmmaker's audio track" because there were long pauses where they did NOT comment and the soundtrack to the film is removed so it is just complete silence. Low audio or subtitles would have been better for the long moments when the commentators seemed to drift off to watching their own movie in silent appreciation.

Wow.......2006-02-25

When I first saw this movie pop up on my recommended list, I wasn't so sure about it. I read the reviews and decided to get it for my husband who is big into running and inspirtational movies. I must say, I am very impressed. The acting is great and the story is wonderful. You don't have to be a runner to enjoy it. It is now on our top movie list.

Legendary sporting event.......2006-01-28

Roger Bannister was an Oxford medical student who also happened to be a runner. Without a coach or proper time to train, Bannister moved up the ranks of milers until he was one of three men who were thought to have a chance to break the 4-minute mile. Under trememdous pressure, he went to the 1952 Olympics, where he came in fourth, just missing a medal. From then on, he devoted himself to breaking the 4-minute barrier. This movie is beautifully made and reflects well the independent spirit and tremendous work ethic of the amateur British runner who astounded the sporting world with his accomplishments. His record-setting race is shown with artistic juxtaposition of the crowd, the runners, the stopwatch, and the beating of Bannister's heart. It is a real tribute to a unique individual in the sports world.

Roger Bannister Breaks the "Unbreakable" Record.......2005-12-30

As late as the 1950s, many believed that a person would die attempting to run a mile in less than four minutes. Many men tried, but the first one to succeed at shattering this mythical barrier was Roger Bannister, an Oxford University medical student. On May 6, 1954 at a wet and dreary Iffley Road track, Roger did what no man before him had done.

This terrific movie describes Roger's admission to Oxford in September, 1946 right through his world record run in 1954. As a young Freshman medical student, Roger decided to run the mile race at the Freshman games, and managed to run a sub-5:00 mile despite terrible conditions. Thus began Roger's assult on the mile and his quest to become one of the greatest milers of his generation. His times continued to fall for the next few years while he was still studying to become a doctor. But his time spent on the track was taking away from his studies.

Roger's next goal was the 1952 Summer Olympics, which were held in Helsinki, Finland. Shouldering the expectations of an entire country, Roger was entered in the 1500 meters, a distance just short of the mile. Considered the favorite to win the race, Roger struggled to a disappointing fourth place finish and no medal at all. After this humiliating defeat, Roger became obsessed with becoming the first person to break the four minute barrier.

Having never used a coach before, Roger enlisted the help of Archie Mason (Christopher Plummer). Mason was a champion half-miler before an injury ended his career. But he still had his track and field mentality, and he was regarded as one of the best in the business. Crafting a strategy involving two other runners, Chris Brasher (Drew Carnwath) and Chris Chataway (Grahame Wood), Mason perfected a formula which would allow the other two runners to pace Roger through the first three laps of the race, and Roger would rely on himself for the last lap.

This strategy was put to the test on a rainy and cold day in May, 1954. Brasher and Chataway wanted to run, but Roger wanted to cancel the race. After some coaching and inspiration from Mason, Roger changed his mind and went ahead with the race. Mason's plan worked flawlessly. The trio ran a 57 second first lap, and continued the pace for lap two. However, a slower lap three put the record in doubt, but Roger, relying on sheer strength and guts, ran a superb final lap to finish in 3:59.4; the first sub-four mile in history.

A few weeks later, Roger's record was broken by almost two seconds by a runner named Lundy, but Bannister and Lundy raced head-to-head a short time later, with Roger winning. Both runners ran sub fours. Roger retired from competition shortly after that race. Today, Roger Bannister lives not far from the very track where he ran his "miracle mile".

This is a tremendous movie. Jamie Maclachlan, Christopher Plummer, Drew Carnwath, and Grahame Wood are magnificent in their roles, and the story is very uplifting. Roger's run was called the last barrier that needed to be broken, since Hillary had conquered Mt. Everest that same year. Roger smashed his barrier as well. I give this movie my highest recommendation. Sports fans will love seeing Roger's assult on four minutes, while others will enjoy learning about a simple medical student with a gift of running. Watch this great uplifting film and see how one of the great barriers in track and field was shattered.

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A Product from Korea
lovely
one of the best
Sleek and stylish Korean Sci-Fi - A Feast for the Eyes

Natural City (Korean Blade Runner)

Manufacturer: HK Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B0009TMZ64

Product Description

In the year 2080, human clones with artificial intelligence replace manual labor in Natural City. Each clone has its own expiry, but few are willing to accept the fate of recycling. A "MP" force is therefore formed to dig out those expired clones. "R", a member of the "MP" force who falls for an expired female clone Ria, does not want to be left helpless to see Ria being terminated. "R" finds out that Dr. Croy knows the trick to continue the life of Ria. Could "R" save the life of his beloved? "Natural city" is a blockbuster sci-fi Korean flick costing over 7 billion Korean won in production. Starring Yoo Ji-tae from "Into The Mirror", the film revolves around a love tale and is filled with stunning visual effects and cyber scenes which make the film stand out from the rest of the Korean pictures.

Customer Reviews:

A Product from Korea.......2005-12-28

The disc and production is of fine quality. But the movie wasn't. Technically excellent, yet thoroughly derivative of [insert any sci-fi film name here.] Quite the opposite of the original Blade Runner DVD, a lousy disc and great movie... (Criterion where are you?!)

If you love Blade Runner, you will likely be disappointed. Not a soul or story of interest can be found here. If any old sci-fi flick is your bag, by all means enjoy!

lovely.......2005-12-27

beautiful movie with hot asian chicks,plenty of action.a must own for sci-fi fans.movie is so good that it will release a us version dvd in feb.28 2006.

one of the best.......2005-12-16

bought this on a whim and did not regret it. lots of action and special effects to back it up. great plot, great acting, great sound track. if you like blade runner, you'll love this film.

Sleek and stylish Korean Sci-Fi - A Feast for the Eyes.......2005-06-03

Korean cinema is truly coming of age right now, with the likes of 'Shiri,' '2009: Lost Memory,' 'Tae Guk Gi' and 'A Tale of Two Sisters.' 'Natural City: A Korean Blade Runner' is yet another example of Korean moviemaking excellence. While the premise owes much to Ridley Scott's 'Blade Runner' and Philip K. Dick's short story on which it is based (hence the notation in parentheses after the name), 'Natural City' nonetheless is an excellent sci-fi movie on its own.

The futuristic neon-setting of 'Natural City' is reminiscent of 'Blade Runner,' 'The Fifth Element' and the animated 'Ghost In The Shell' and is truly beautifully done. The story follows a member of a futuristic SWAT team whose job it is to take down deviant clones that refuse to be 'retired' after the requisite three-year lifespan (the limiting factor is the chip implanted in the head). He fell in love with his clone near the end of her days and planned to run away with her, but a greater crisis soon cast its shadow over 'Natural City' and things spun beyond his control....

Stylish and with a riveting storyline, 'Natural City' is a must see for fans of Korean cinema in particular and sci-fi aficionados in general.

Average customer rating:

kumi-what?
Really disappointing film
jma's rambles- The Kumite
Kumite: Less Martial Arts More Soap Opera
This movie is terrible!!!

Star Runner
Starring: Vanness Wu , Andy On , Hyun-joo Kim (II) , Roy Chow , and You-Nam Wong
Director: Daniel Lee (II)
Manufacturer: Tai Seng
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B0001OGV3K
Release Date: 2004-05-25

Description

From Daniel Lee, director of Jet Li's Black Mask and The Master Swordsman, comes this visceral boxing action drama starring Vanness Wu from the super hit Taiwanese pop group F4 and Korean superstar Kim Hyun-joo. After a heartbreaking romance, Kim travels to Hong Kong to become a language teacher. One of her students, Bond (Wu), is a boxer whose dream is to compete against his idol, Tank, an untouchable fighter in the world of freestyle boxing. Filled with Lee's trademark visual exuberance, bravura editing, and exciting action sequences.

Customer Reviews:

kumi-what?.......2007-06-22

Don't get this confused with Bloodsport folks. Instead of being a movie about a martial arts tournament feauturing a love story, this is a love story featuring a martial arts tournament. There is no indication of this from either the cover art of this dvd or the trailer itself. While the tournament is enjoyable and there is decent fight action, the love story is not strong enough to support the rest of the film.

The main charcacter is a yougn man named Bond, a student of both summer classes and martial arts in his community gym. He quickly shows a love interest for his school teacher, who looks young enough to be a student too, who in turn quickly shows an interest towrds him, though a bit weird. Not only is she his teacher, but comes off as someone who doesn'e even act one bit like a teacher, but more like a helpless-innocent schoolgirl. How ironic. The English dubbing only allows the love story to suffer even more, as if the cheesiness and slow-pacing involved weren't bad enough.

If you can wait 50 minutes of the film, the Kumite finally begins. Kumite is actually designated as the English title for this movie. The actual tournament is known as Star Runner. While it is a brutal contest of fighters from around the globe, the bruatilty is far less than the Bloodsport series and the fights themselves are in an actual ring rather than a platform. The flashy lights and screaming audience sets the stage well to get you pumped for the fights, and so does the introduction to all the fighters appearing in the tournament. Most of the fights are short, but there are a few better and longer ones as the tournament progresses. The villainous fighter of the tournament - called Tank - is convincing and does a great job looking and being the bad guy. He's nothing like Chong Li from Bloodsport, but I could like him as easily as Demon and Beast from Bloodsport's 2 & 3.

The final fight scene of the movie is 15 minutes in length. Before you get too excited, I stress the word scene. While Bond and Tank go at it round after round and we get to see obviously the best fight in the movie, there are lots of flashback scenes (cheesy as always) and some extended time in between rounds. I would guess there is still a good 7 minutes of straight solid action though. The ending gets a little unpredictable, for a change, but is questionable. It leaves you with the feeling of "I'm not sure if it feels right".

Ok, so if you are expecting an all-out Kumite, you have to wait for 2/3 of the film to pass. Even then, its far less fighting than the first 3 Bloodsport movies, but I'd say more than #4 (which stank by the way). If you don't mind a huge love story too, then you might enjoy this. Expect much cheesiness and gosh-awful dubbing - the 2 may just ruin the romance, even if it is an unusual one. 4 stars for the fights, 2 for the rest - 3 overall.

Really disappointing film.......2007-06-20

I am a huge Vanness Wu fan. I watch everything he does no matter how bad because I see him as a star with a ton of potential. However, I cannot make any allowances for this steamer. Everything is horrible from the poor script, bad acting, poorly choreographed fight scenes and the terrible dubbing of the voice overs. The only strong point and the only thing that allowed me to watch the entire thing was the fact that Vanness is the hottest guy on the planet. So, unless you just want to watch V-Dub with the sound down I really do not recommend this movie at all.

jma's rambles- The Kumite.......2007-04-12

I must say I do agree with most of the reviews given to this film already. The film felt a little scrambled and maybe a little to 'rushed' in certain areas. The romance in this was annoying. It just seemed cheesy and - as mentioned before - rushed. Only to drop and become the typical "I want but I don't want but I can't do this without seeing you' sort of film. Yea, all that. Very predictable.

It was interesting to see Bond come into his own with his skills, but nothing out of the ordinary. However, I still don't think that he had a chance against the champion Tank and I suppose in the end it showed that - which was surprising. In modern cinema, it matters very little how big or good you are at what you're doing. As long as you're the good guy, you're set. Only I didn't really feel like there was a bad guy in this film. In fact, I found my curiosity turning more towards the mysterious Tank who so obviously had some demons of his own.

Tank was a great fighter in this and wasn't really a bad guy at all, in my opinion. I don't know what the writers and director were trying to portray him as, but a villian he was not. He was too noble, too fair and too damn good looking to be bad. Besides, he seemed to have issues with his brother. He was the one I wanted to know more about, the only one that really caught my interest.

The girl was annoying. So unsure, but so naiive. She was an adultress for god's sake! How 'innocent' can you be? I felt like she was leading Bond on only to pull her facade back up and push him away. Like I said... annoying. Not to mention she was not very pretty to play the role of 'hot teacher'.

The ending of the fight was both irritating and strangely satisfying. One part of me wanted to know more about the match between Tank and Bond. While the other thought it was a fitting ending after Tank was so noble. I didn't know which one I wanted to win and so I wasn't disappointed either way.

But then when we move from the last fight to the very ending, well, let's just say that it leaves much to be desired.

Kumite: Less Martial Arts More Soap Opera.......2007-02-05

THE KUMITE is very nearly unique is the martial arts genre. It bills itself as a kumite film, sort of like a Jean Claude Van Damme in KICKBOXER. However, from the very first reel to the last, martial arts takes a back seat to some very superficial soap opera melodrama. This is not necessarily a bad thing either; even well-done soaps have their charm. Since this film led the viewer to expect a genuine kumite plot, it takes a while for one even to determine whether one wishes to accept what is mostly the thin tale of a younger high school male student (Bond)carrying on with his twenty something pretty female teacher (Kim). After the first five minutes I decided that I would not be seeing any serious martial arts issues taking the forefront. The incipient love affair between Bond and Kim was the dramatic center of the film. The entire kumite sequences could have been eliminated and the result might have left the director with more time to flesh out the potentially interesting complications of thwarted romance. Yet, since this was billed as a kumite, it would have required more directorial skill than was apparent to meld the divergent plots into a seamless entity. The conflict between the lovers and the kumite was a bad fit, mostly because a kumite requires a menacing villain. Van Damme had his in Tong Po. Bond did not have his in Tank, a fighter who was not much different ethically speaking from Bond. Tank tries mightily to seem menacing, but he is too handsome and at the film's closing too noble to emerge as the Bad Guy. Bond as the film's center did not impress me as being much more than a good looking male model whose modest martial arts skills are only slightly surpassed by his acting ability. Then there is Kim, who spends most of the film trying to decide whether she wants Bond or a previous lover who has emerged from her past to claim her after a lapse of several years. The personal interactions among the lovers, the trainers, and even between Bond and Tank have their moments, but when I saw the fight sequences, they did not show anyone as possessing the needed skills to win a kumite. The ultimate judgment on THE KUMITE is that it suffers from not having a true sense of direction or identity. You may pass on this one.

This movie is terrible!!!.......2007-02-04

I had heard about this movie some time in 2006 and decided to pick it up. When I saw the cover, I said to myself "Oh man this movie is gonna kick some serious a**!" People don't let looks deceive you, this movie not only deserves a big fat "0" but it almost seems as if they made it bad on purpose. I thought I was watching a drama instead of a martial arts movie. No disrespect intended but this movie looks like it was made for women, the way how there is almost little to no Martial Arts being done, to the way that the fighters are basically covered in sweat the first few seconds of the fight made me really think about who the target audience is. Oh and don't get me started on that horrible acting. "BOND, BOND!!!" Lady shut the hell up!! I was actually rooting for the dudes that were going against
him, just too terrible for words. LAST WARNING, DO NOT BUY OR RENT THIS MOVIE. You will be sorry if you do.

Charlie Rose with Sydney Pollack & Harrison Ford (July 19, 2002)

Average customer rating:

Charlie Rose with Sydney Pollack & Harrison Ford (July 19, 2002)

Manufacturer: Charlie Rose, Inc.
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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Charlie Rose with Harrison Ford (January 2, 1996)

ASIN: B000HBL4LQ
Release Date: 2006-08-15

Description

Director Sydney Pollack guest hosts tonight and engages actor Harrison Ford in a discussion about his new movie, K-19: The Widowmaker. Ford talks about the film, which tells the story of the many disasters that befell the Soviet submarine K-19, and about his larger career in movies.

DVD:

DVD

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