The Lion King Disney Special Platinum Edition

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Not an ideal choice for younger kids, this hip and violent animated feature from Disney was nevertheless a huge smash in theaters and on video, and it continues to enjoy life in an acclaimed Broadway production. The story finds a lion cub, son of a king, sent into exile after his father is sabotaged by a rivalrous uncle. The little hero finds his way into the "circle of life" with some new friends and eventually comes back to reclaim his proper place. Characters are very strong, vocal performances by the likes of Jeremy Irons, Nathan Lane, and Whoopi Goldberg are terrific, the jokes are aimed as much (if not more) at adults than kids, the animation is sometimes breathtaking, and the music is more palatable than in many Disney features. But be cautious: this is too intense for the Rugrat crowd. --Tom Keogh

How good-looking is the DVD restoration of Disney's popular animated film? Take a look at the serviceable but dull film clips incorporated in the plethora of extras and compare them to the vivid gorgeousness of the film presentation. This "special edition" also adds a 90-second song ("Morning Report") that originated in the lavish stage musical. To Disney's credit, the original theatrical version is also included, both restored and featuring two 5.1 soundtracks: Dolby Digital and a new Disney Enhanced Home Theater Mix, which does sound brighter. As with the Disney Platinum line, everything is thrown into the discs, except an outsider's voice (the rah-rahs of Disney grow tiresome at times). The excellent commentary from the directors and producer, originally on the laser disc, is hidden under the audio set-up menu.

The second disc is organized by 20-minute-ish "journeys" tackling the elements of story, music, et cetera, including good background on the awkward Shakespearean origins at Disney where it was referred as "Bamlet." The most interesting journey follows the landmark stage production, and the kids should be transfixed by shots of the real African wildlife in the animal journey. Three deleted segments are real curios, including an opening lyric for "Hakuna Matata." Most set-top DVD games are usually pretty thin (DVD-ROM is where it's at), but the Safari game is an exception--the kids should love the roaring animals (in 5.1 Surround, no less). One serious demerit goes to the needless and complicated second navigation system that is listed by continent, but just shows the same features reordered. --Doug Thomas

Description

Disney's THE LION KING SPECIAL EDITION features an all-new song, "Morning Report," and never-before-seen animation, giving you even more of this award-winning masterpiece -- the greatest animated adventure of all time. An unforgettable story, breathtaking animation, beloved characters, and Academy Award(R)-winning music (Best Original Score, 1994; Best Song, "Can You Feel The Love Tonight") set the stage for the adventures of Simba, the feisty lion cub who "just can't wait to be king." But his envious Uncle Scar has plans for his own ascent to the throne, and he forces Simba's exile from the kingdom. Alone and adrift, Simba soon joins the escapades of a hilarious meerkat named Timon and his warmhearted warthog pal, Pumbaa. Adopting their carefree lifestyle of "Hakuna Matata," Simba ignores his real responsibilities until he realizes his destiny and returns to the Pride Lands to claim his place in the "Circle of Life." Now extensively restored and remastered -- experience THE LION KING like never before, from its magnificent musical opening over breathtaking African vistas to its emotional climax. The all-star vocal talents -- including Matthew Broderick, Jeremy Irons, Nathan Lane, and Ernie Sabella -- rip-roaring comedy, and uplifting messages of courage, loyalty, and hope make this timeless tale entertainment for all ages.

Customer Reviews:

Great Animation.......2007-08-28

The Lion King was a great movie. Well written, great animation and voice overs were done in a great manner. The whole concept of the story with the struggles and the good times should remind everyone that there are always hard times in life and that everyone can overcome them.

The "Lion" roars for Disney.......2007-08-23

A grand and majestic Disney creation, "The Lion King" broke box office records as the biggest grossing animated film at that time. And deservedly so. From its stirring opening of a sunrise seemingly "opening the curtain" to reveal the animal kingdom honoring a future king (set to an emotional African score, no less)--to a brilliant computer-generated wilderbeast stampede segment which sets the stage for murder, betrayal, banishment and redemption--to an even more stirring climactic confrontation as the future king (Simba) regains his throne as rightful ruler--"The Lion King" is a triumph for both Disney studios and animation itself.
The artists at Disney create some of the most gorgeous landscape here, as well as portray the animals in all their graceful splendor. Tim Rice & Elton John contribute one of the best musical scores for a Disney film as well, with the song "Can You Feel The Love Tonight?" becoming a Top 40 hit.
The deep, commanding voice of James Earl Jones embodies the character of Mufasa, a great king who is killed by his treacherous & resentful brother Scar (voiced with droll malevolence by Jeremy Iron) who has his eyes on the throne. Young Simba is handled by Jonathan Taylor Thomas, then a rising child star with the "Home Improvement" TV show; his adult counterpart is played with ease by Matthew Broderick. Every Disney film has a comedy relief; in this case, there are FIVE. Whoopi Goldberg and Cheech Marin play Scar's dim-bulb of hyena henchmen (including a mute, but cackling third named Ed), while Nathan Lane and Ernie Sabala lend their distinct comic voices to Timon & Phumba, a buddy-buddy meerkat and warthog, respectively, who befriend the exiled Simba. Robert Guillame does a fun turn as an odd but wise "guru" figure in the form of a baboon named Rafiki; and Rowan Atkinson gives a nasally comic performance as Mufasa's right-hand man (or is it bird?) who takes his job seriously.
As with any good Disney film, this one has it all: good story, good animation and good voice talent.
Definitely one of the best from Disney; I'm glad to own it on DVD!

A must have for any youngster's library.......2007-07-03

This classic story is filled with important life lessons presented with appropriate viewer language. My kids have been introduced to how all life is connected on this planet. It is a great resource for kids to associate how life works between species. The family story is also important. All of this packaged with great songs and enchanting performances from the actors.

the lion king.......2007-05-21

propably one of the best animated motion pictures ever. I hated the addition of the new song, but I believe that was directed towards the younger audiences. Many extras, most i liked to watch

A great Disney movie, for kids AND adults!.......2007-05-12

This is a great story and it's told with very good music intertwined with the dialogue. "The Lion King" and other Disney animated films are good entertainment keeping me occupied on my daily treadmill walks. I find that I enjoy them as much as I did when I was a child.

Average customer rating:

amazing!
Finally
Very Good, but Could Have Been Great - Blame the Director
Pretty long and slow
Well Spent Time....

The Painted Veil
Starring: Naomi Watts , Edward Norton , Liev Schreiber , Toby Jones , and Diana Rigg
Director: John Curran (II)
Manufacturer: Warner Home Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B000NOIX48
Release Date: 2007-05-08

Amazon.com

Produced by Edward Norton and Naomi Watts, The Painted Veil works well as a movie--even better as an actor's showcase. The year is 1925. When her domineering mother pressures her to marry, Kitty (Watts) settles for shy bacteriologist Walter (Norton). Then Walter is transferred from London to Shanghai and the lonely and bored Kitty drifts into an affair with married diplomat Charlie (Liev Schreiber). When Walter finds out, he makes a startling proposition: either Kitty accompanies him to the cholera-infested countryside or he'll divorce her. With no other prospects, she comes along on what looks like a double-suicide mission. Based on the novel by W. Somerset Maugham, The Painted Veil was adapted by Philadelphia's Ron Nyswaner (who knows a little something about infectious diseases). As two previous versions made little impact--despite Garbo's presence in the 1934 melodrama--John Curran's film is sure to stand as definitive. Interestingly, Norton, who studied Chinese history at Yale, chose Watts as his co-star, while Watts chose Curran, for whom she appeared in 2004's underrated We Don't Live Here Anymore. Filmed on location, the handsome production is, in many respects, just as old-fashioned as its source material--sex is merely suggested and Kitty is shocked that their English neighbor (Toby Jones) has a Chinese lover--but the ending packs a feminist twist. Mostly though, The Painted Veil is about the acting, and Watts and Norton, along with Diana Rigg as a disillusioned Mother Superior, have rarely been better. --Kathleen C. Fennessy

Description

Based on the classic novel by W. Somerset Maugham, "The Painted Veil" is a love story set in the 1920s that tells the story of a young English couple, Walter, a middle class doctor and Kitty, an upper-class woman, who get married for the wrong reasons and relocate to Shanghai, where she falls in love with someone else. When he uncovers her infidelity, in an act of vengeance, he accepts a job in a remote village in China ravaged by a deadly epidemic, and takes her along. Their journey brings meaning to their relationship and gives them purpose in one of the most remote and beautiful places on earth.

Customer Reviews:

amazing! .......2007-09-11

I couldn't ask for more in a tragic, sweeping, romance. Beautiful cinematography, beautiful love story. I watched the movie first, loved it, then read W. Somerset Maugham's novel. It brought everything alive. I was so impressed with Watson and Norton, although I hadn't really known much about them prior to this movie. Definitely my favorite movie in a long time.

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

Hooray for a movie about love that lasts and the price that has to be paid to have it!!! I am tired of hook-up movies with their thousands of one-night relationships. In a world were it is too easy to change one's mind about relationships, there is finally a movie which shows that sticking together through thick and thin and getting lost in service to others, attains the greatest union.

Very Good, but Could Have Been Great - Blame the Director.......2007-09-09

2006' "The Painted Veil" has so much going for it, it should have been another "English Patient" -- a retro romance that sweeps awards and captures hearts.

Instead we have that most frustrating creature -- a very, very good movie that just misses the mark of greatness.

Even so - if you like period romances, you may love what is lovable in this movie enough to forgive it its flaws.

What "The Painted Veil" has going for it:

1.) The plot of the Somerset Maughm novel. A nerdy, scientific, cuckolded husband, who knows his beautiful, shallow, society wife married him because she was dangerously close to being an old maid and wanted to get away from her mother, punishes her for an affair by taking her to a remote Chinese cholera epidemic. Yawza! How operatic!

2.) Sky-high production values. "The Painted Veil" was filmed on location in China. Locations were mixed and matched. At one point they were along the Li River, among Guilin's famous karst scenery. Karst is the "lumpy" looking limestone topography. Towers rise abruptly, and weirdly, out of river valleys, fringed by lush rice paddies and bamboo. The village Huang Yao is a five-hundred years old, intact Ming Dynasty town.

3.) Edward Norton is perfection. He gives Walter everything he needs -- as the nerdy, scientist cuckold husband, Walter is, by turns, arrogant, insecure, vengeful, loving, sweet, icy cold, naive, calculating ... you see it all on his face, and fear him, feel for him, and forgive him.

4.) Alexandre Desplat's award-winning score. Minimalist, and yet it conveys the plot's sense of entrapped passions and spiritual dimensions. Very good use is made of Eric Satie's Gnossienne # 1 and "A La Claire Fontaine," a French folksong whose bittersweet lyrics, which can be found on the web, are so appropriate to the plot that they are heartbreaking.

5.) Diminutive blond Toby Jones' depiction of Waddington, a British provincial officer who is just barely keeping up appearances, in his day old stubble, shabby, sweat-stained suits, and live-in Chinese lover, young enough to be his daughter. Jones pumps this small role full of life. In another actor's hands Waddington would have been forgetable; with Jones, he's one of the most interesting features of the movie.

6.) The Love / Sex / Death / Religion / Self-Sacrifice nexus that modern pop culture doesn't even seem to realize exists; any work of art that reminds us that what we love is mortal and that God and Sex live next door to each other in our brains / souls / lives is way ahead of the pack.

7.) A scene from a Chinese opera. A vermilion and turquoise costume. Lin Zheng's brilliant performance.

8.) Anthony Wong as Colonel Yu. Again, a minor part, but Wong is riveting.

What I wish had been different:

1.) Liev Schreiber has an unmistakable earnestness that just doesn't work for him to be believable as a rake, cad, and bounder. He was much better as the earnest, befuddled cuckold in "Walk on the Moon."

2.) Naomi Watts. She's very pretty and very sweet and I just never, ever believed her as a shallow, devastatingly beautiful socialite who could drive two men to irresponsible action.

I kept thinking of Greta Garbo in the original "Painted Veil," or Vivien Leigh as that insufferable monster, Scarlett -- as much as you hate her, you are fascinated. Not so with Watts.

3.) John Curran's direction. This is a MELODRAMA, John. Walter says, "I despise myself for loving you." Kitty says, "If a man doesn't have what it takes to make a woman love him, that's his fault." I mean, how can you direct that so anemically? As if they are asking for change to buy cheez crackers from the vending machine? In melodrama, you have to turn up the heat, send a few lightening bolts across the screen.

4.) The ending. I didn't need a happy or a sad ending. I just needed an ending that would serve the plot, and feel less like a dead end, a flat tire, that drained, rather than contributed, meaning to what has come before.

Pretty long and slow.......2007-09-08

The Painted Veil has it all going for itself. Naomi Watts and Edward Norton leading, two great actors. An interesting theme and issue, Cholera in China in 1920 and a great location to tease beauty from, but none of this is taken to its advantage. The movie was such a disappointment. I honestly thought that since I read so many good reviews of this film, it's going to pick up soon. But it never did. Honestly, the only good thing about this movie was the scenery and acting. That's it. The storyline seemed good, but, was this movie a bore! It lasted roughly two hours, but it seemed like a good five. I was wondering when the heck this movie was going to end. It was so long and drawn out. The entire movie was dialogue. That's it. There was no action whatsoever. I am not a lover of melodramas but if you want to see a good recent one, see The Lives of Others.

Well Spent Time...........2007-09-08

This adaptation of W. Somerset Maugham's novel with the same title is stunning visually, and emotionally wrenching. It ends with brilliant simplicity, leaving your mind and heart still entrapped in the story -- it's the kind of film you'll still be thinking about 2 days later while sipping a cup of tea. Curran creates magic with his sweeping scenery, efortlessly emphasizing the isolation and loneliness Walter and Kitty are facing - both physically and emotionally. Edward Norton truly becomes Walter, somehow managing to make clear Walter's growth through the film without losing the simple, quiet character he is. Norton deserves every one of the awards he won for this movie and many more. Naomi Watts is given the somewhat easier task of presenting Kitty, whose transformation is more active. She too brings her screen persona to life beautifully -- moving from selfish young woman to shattered soul to simple strength without emotional manipulation or losing the essence of the story. The two together bring a chemistry that touches the audience at the core of our being - and does so with a degree of subtlety that is rare today.

If you are a fan of the big budget, overproduced, special effects laden films that are so prevalent today, this will not impress you. The film simply flows -- no forced action or rush. If you are willing to ride along with the current, however, it is unforgettable. This movie is a flashback to a day when films managed to convey in few words much meaning. Curran's cinematography is a blend of a strong, simple script, poignant use of color and camera placement, and powerful actors. With that recipe it is no surprise that for those of us looking for a true experience film, Painted Veil is a hit.

PS-- the title itself refers to a sonnet by Percy Byshe Shelley called "Lift not the Painted Veil," which is well worth googling if you want a glimpse at the movie's depth.

Average customer rating:

The Odd Couple
Different
Simmering Deep South Style
Lazarus comes forth
Black Snake Moan

Black Snake Moan
Starring: Samuel L. Jackson , Christina Ricci , Justin Timberlake , S. Epatha Merkerson , and John Cothran Jr.
Director: Craig Brewer
Manufacturer: Paramount
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B000PY52EU
Release Date: 2007-06-26

Amazon.com

The lurid scenario--a nymphomaniacal white trash nymphet (Christina Ricci) is held prisoner by a bitter bluesman (Samuel L. Jackson)--gives way to an affecting tale of redemption in Black Snake Moan, writer/director Craig Brewer's follow-up to the acclaimed Hustle & Flow. Lazarus (Jackson, Jungle Fever, Pulp Fiction) finds Rae (Ricci, Monster, The Ice Storm) beaten unconscious on the road in front of his backwoods house. After bringing her inside, he learns of her wanton ways and decides to exorcise his own demons by curing Rae of her sexual compulsion. Black Snake Moan could have been terrible, but Brewer takes his story seriously enough to dig into the genuine emotions of such a situation (though along the way he certainly flirts with sexploitation overtones--several scenes look like they were plucked straight out of a hitherto unknown 1970s trash classic). Ricci, Jackson, and the supporting cast (including pop star Justin Timberlake, giving a surprisingly good performance as Rae's boyfriend) treat the characters with respect, honesty, and humor. The result is off-kilter and maybe a little too fond of its sleazy cinematic forbears to truly hit the emotional notes it's after, but Black Snake Moan has considerably more substance than its marketing would suggest. --Bret Fetzer

Beyond Black Snake Moan

The Soundtrack
More Music Stars on DVD
More DVDs with Samuel L. Jackson

Stills from Black Snake Moan (click for larger image)

Customer Reviews:

The Odd Couple.......2007-09-13

Samuel L. Jackson and Christina Ricci are two of my favorite screen actors. They're both quirky iconoclasts who occasionally make studio films, but always seem to really shine in offbeat, smaller pictures. The relationship between their two characters, Lazarus and Rae, is the heart and focus of this film. Both characters have been wounded by sex in ways that strangely complement one another: Lazarus has been betrayed by his cold, promiscuous wife, and Rae's history of sexual abuse has brought about her character's uncontrollable sexual compulsion.

Lazarus and Rae meet when Rae is beaten and left unconscious by the side of the road after humiliating one of the many suitors who take advantage of her compulsive promiscuity. Lazarus nurses her back to health, and then feels a self-righteous desire to "cure" her of her "illness", however, it is clear that he is trying to save himself somehow as much as he is trying to save her.

As much as Ricci and Jackson carry the film, a lot of credit is also owed to the soundtrack. The blues music wonderfully complements the emotions and circumstances of the two tormented characters. The songs speaks of sex, betrayal, sadness and redemption; the perfect musical complement to the themes of the film.

Different.......2007-09-07

Jackson was very good, as usual, but the plot was pretty contrived. I found I was paying more attention to the sound track (which is outstanding) than the story line.

Simmering Deep South Style.......2007-09-04

Once you get over the initial seemingly ridiculous plotline of this film there is a lot of enjoyment to be had. Christina Ricci plays an incredibly brave role as a nymphomaniac who is left for dead on the side of the road after one two many sexual trists. Samuel L Jackson plays the damaged but moral rescuer who chains her to the radiator in his house and attempts to cure her wicked ways. There is some great tunes in this film with ol Samuel belting out some of his own along the way which i must admit is pretty darn good. Justin Timberlake again impresses as the anxiety ridden and troubled boyfriend of Ricci's character whose actions will have consequences for everybody. As silly as it sounds this film is well written and terrifically performed and has a very moral and decent undercurrent flowing throughout and has a lot to say about the healing power of love and care and redemption. Recommended for those who are after something a bit different and not just an excuse to watch Christina Ricci wonder around half naked for most of the film.

Lazarus comes forth.......2007-09-03

For a movie packed with graphic imagery, infused with heart-thumping blues music, and then generously splattered with raw emotion, the plot of Black Snake Moan is remarkably simple.

Samuel L. Jackson plays Lazarus, a Tennessee farmer and former blues guitarist whose wife takes off with his brother for some good times. Naturally he doesn't take the news very well, but before he can even come to grips with his loss, he finds a badly beaten young girl (Christina Ricci, who seems to thrive on challenging roles) dumped on the roadway near his house. Strange as it may seem, being beaten and left for dead are just two of Rae's problems, as her boyfriend Ronnie (Justin Timberlake) has just left to join the National Guard, leaving her out of sync and all alone with her regular attacks of nymphomania.

Lazarus knows that calling the sheriff could result in some unpleasant interrogation based purely on skin color, so being a religious man, he does the Good Samaritan thing and does his best to help Rae, both physically and mentally. The thing is, when Rae gets her attacks, she's inclined to go running wildly away from the house, and so Lazarus decides to restrain her with chains, which actually sounds a lot kinkier than it actually is. Obviously this is not an ideal situation, and it gets worse when Ronnie returns home unexpectedly.

Extremely well acted by both leads, with more than acceptable Blues renditions by Jackson, and even the deer-in-the-headlights performance by Timberlake wasn't that bad, given the character he plays. Not recommended for below 17 yrs, due to violence, profanity, graphic scenes and the fact that Timberlake leaves the singing to Jackson.

Amanda Richards, September 3, 2007

Black Snake Moan.......2007-09-02

I'm a big fan of Christina Ricci and Samuel L Jackson, so despite or because of the soft porn material I found this movie very entertaining. Both stars do not disappoint in their roles and Justin Timberlake gives a believable performance as a wacky boyfriend. Since the "Blues" and hard luck love, sex in this case, seem to go hand in hand the mixture in this film seems like a good fit. Samuel L's guitar playing is a big suprise and overall the music is great.

The Shawshank Redemption (Two-Disc Special Edition)

Average customer rating:

Perfect in every way
user
Outstanding script and performances
A man for all seasons.
BEST MOVIE OF ALL TIME - PERIOD.

The Shawshank Redemption (Two-Disc Special Edition)
Starring: Tim Robbins , Morgan Freeman , Bob Gunton , William Sadler , and Clancy Brown
Director: Frank Darabont , and Andrew Abbott
Manufacturer: Castle Rock
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B0002J4ZWS
Release Date: 2004-10-05

Amazon.com essential video

When this popular prison drama was released in 1994, some critics complained that the movie was too long (142 minutes) to sustain its story. Those complaints miss the point, because the passage of time is crucial to this story about patience, the squeaky wheels of justice, and the growth of a life-long friendship. Only when the film reaches its final, emotionally satisfying scene do you fully understand why writer-director Frank Darabont (adapting a novella by Stephen King) allows the story to unfold at its necessary pace, and the effect is dramatically rewarding. Tim Robbins plays a banker named Andy who's sent to Shawshank Prison on a murder charge, but as he gets to know a life-term prisoner named Red (Morgan Freeman), we realize there's reason to believe the banker's crime was justifiable. We also realize that Andy's calm, quiet exterior hides a great reserve of patience and fortitude, and Red comes to admire this mild-mannered man who first struck him as weak and unfit for prison life. So it is that The Shawshank Redemption builds considerable impact as a prison drama that defies the conventions of the genre (violence, brutality, riots) to illustrate its theme of faith, friendship, and survival. Nominated for seven Academy Awards including Best Picture, Actor, and Screenplay, it's a remarkable film that signaled the arrival of a promising new filmmaker--a film that many movie lovers count among their all-time favorites. --Jeff Shannon

Customer Reviews:

Perfect in every way.......2007-09-13

Every so often comes a movie that just works on all levels. The Shawshank redemption is one of these movies - deservedly ranking right up there with The Godfather, Gone with the Wind, Casablanca, The Purple Rose of Cairo, Citizen Kane, etc.

The story, as everyone knows, is based on a Stephen King novella (the same collection of stories that brought "Stand By Me" to the world). While Steven King is known mostly for his gore and horror stories, these are his two best works ever.

Although Andy Dufresne (played by Tim Robbins) is the hero and main character in the story, Red (Morgan Freeman) really steals the show. What an incredible performance! The rest of the cast is excellent of course.

One of the true measures of a movie is how it looks ten years after it's released. The Shawshank Redemption has not dated one second - it's as fresh and enjoyable to watch as the day it came out of the edit suite!

user.......2007-09-04

excellent movie! It is a great movie and should be an Oscar winner in any year except the one with Forest Gump. It includes no woman---the story between only men. It's not only about escape from the prison, but about human life in all kinds of conditions.

Outstanding script and performances.......2007-09-03

this is one of those films where, unless you know the story, you have no idea where it is going. the redemption of these two men (robbins and freeman)is basically the redemption of innocent mankind. and their performances are a true testament to their art. i have watched this film many times over and continue to be impressed by the amazing nuances and performances. i would recommend this film to anyone who loves film.

A man for all seasons........2007-08-17

Our world is a parable, a metaphorical prison. All men suffer and many feel this is unjust. Our better selves remain mostly jailed within. The best of us uplift ourselves, our companions, and our surroundings. It's a Jewish principle -- Wherever you are, be a kodosh (a holy person).
Tim Robbins's character in "The Shawshank Redemption" pulls it off -- in more ways than one. The viewer is slow to warm to this soft-spoken prisoner (unsure if he killed his wife and her lover). But that how it is with truly great people. A person ahead of his time or standing outside of time is sentenced to be misunderstood and abused.
Marvel at Andy Dufrense's (Robbins) triumph in this first-rate movie. It's a tad condescending toward the Bible through the character of Warden Norton but remains an excellent movie (based on a Stephen King short story). The truth that one has to slog through much feces to find redemption vividly comes to life.

BEST MOVIE OF ALL TIME - PERIOD........2007-08-11

This movie is THE BEST - and I am not some screwball that says that about just anything. A profoundly moving epic in the tradition of Frank Capra's masterwork "It's A Wonderful Life". The story is tight and believable; the acting - top notch. Even if you aren't compelled to buy this movie you HAVE to see it at least once. Citizen Kane is OVER-RATED; it is ALL ABOUT Shawshank - see it today!

Average customer rating:

Lee Marvin Masterpiece!
A classic
Nostalgic film
SAME AS IN THE MOVIE JUST ON DVD GET IT !
Cat Ballou

Cat Ballou
Starring: Jane Fonda , Lee Marvin , Michael Callan , Dwayne Hickman , and Nat 'King' Cole
Director: Elliot Silverstein
Manufacturer: Sony Pictures
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B00004TJQK
Release Date: 2000-08-08

Amazon.com

Long before Unforgiven deconstructed the Western, or Blazing Saddles lampooned it, Cat Ballou poked the genre in the eye. An altogether enjoyable comedy, the film is full of small surprises, big laughs, and wonderful character turns. Catherine Ballou (Jane Fonda) is a schoolteacher until a hired thug kills her daddy. To protect what she loves, she collects two petty criminals, a wisecracking hired hand, and a hired killer, Kid Shelleen (Lee Marvin). Unfortunately, Shelleen is a raging drunk who is so inebriated and unsteady with a gun he literally misses the broad side of a barn. However, Cat, has, as they used to say in those days, a mind of her own, and she masterminds a spectacular train heist that puts them all on the lam. Marvin won an Academy Award for his role as the derelict Shelleen, and his performances (he actually has two) are still topnotch and on target. The framing device, two wandering minstrels, played by Stubby Kaye and Nat "King" Cole, are the maraschino cherries on the top of this Wild West confection. --Keith Simanton

Customer Reviews:

Lee Marvin Masterpiece!.......2007-07-23

One of the most original westerns...films even...I have ever seen. The musical narration provided by Mister Nat King Cole adds to this wonderfully funny tale of a band of ill equipped outlaws aiming at revenge. Lee Marvin plays two pivotal roles which garnered the great action star and one of cinema's coolest cats awards aplenty. This is not the Lee Marvin we all grew to love and idolize, this is a Lee that will keep you smiling and chuckling throughout the film. What an amazing turn for such a fine actor. Jane Fonda also stars and pulls off the dangerous headstrong damsel that so fit the era and her own personality. I recommend this film highly. This is no Sergio Leone western, but I think you will appreciate its originality nontheless. Terrific!

A classic.......2007-03-26

Always been in love with this film! Now that I have it on DVD, I can watch it and watch it and watch it! The price was really good too.

Nostalgic film.......2007-03-14

I understand why this film is so high-starred, but it simply does not deserve the five stars, nor the four. I'll try to explain. The director, as he admits in the little extra piece, intended to make a comedy in the West. He put together the basic ingredients for it: a beautiful Fonda, two young simpletons that aren't Western material -more fit for Broadway-, and a funny drunkard. Silverstein didn't have a clear idea of what kind of film was going to come out of this (as happens to all bad directors) but when he saw Lee Marvin act his role, he had one moment of lucidness, even brilliance, he told Marvin to try to make us cry instead of laugh. Boy, did that make a difference! Lee Marvin steals the show totally.

Lee Marvin was a great, a fantastic actor. But he belonged to a past era, when real Westerns were shot, when classic directors still hung around the movie studios. That day had gone, not for him, obviously, but for the industry. It makes me sad to see this film, and to see bufoons like Silverstein mockering and degrading the great American West. If it wasn't for Lee Marvin nobody would remember this film. What happens around him in this film I just don't care, he is the show. The rest belong in Park Avenue.

SAME AS IN THE MOVIE JUST ON DVD GET IT !.......2007-01-25

CATBALLOU............................. ! WE STILL LOVE YOU ?

Cat Ballou.......2007-01-22

It is a great movie, I love the singing. We realy enjoyed watching it again after so many year.

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"It's a hell of a thing, killin' a man. Take away all he's got, and all he's ever gonna have."
The attractive murderer
Eat it!
grim reality without humor.
The best western

Unforgiven
Starring: Beverley Elliott , Frances Fisher , Tara Dawn Frederick , Greg Goossen , and Gene Hackman
Director: Clint Eastwood
Manufacturer: Warner Home Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: 0790729644
Release Date: 1997-03-26

Amazon.com

Winner of four Academy Awards, including best picture, director, supporting actor, and best editing, Clint Eastwood's 1992 masterpiece stands as one of the greatest and most thematically compelling Westerns ever made. "The movie summarized everything I feel about the Western," said Eastwood at the time of the film's release. "The moral is the concern with gunplay." To illustrate that theme, Eastwood stars as a retired, once-ruthless killer-turned-gentle-widower and hog farmer. He accepts one last bounty-hunter mission--to find the men who brutalized a prostitute--to help support his two motherless children. Joined by his former partner (Morgan Freeman) and a cocky greenhorn (Jaimz Woolvett), he takes on a corrupt sheriff (Oscar winner Gene Hackman) in a showdown that makes the viewer feel the full impact of violence and its corruption of the soul. Dedicated to Eastwood's mentors Sergio Leone and Don Siegel and featuring a colorful role for Richard Harris, it's arguably Eastwood's crowning directorial achievement. The digital video disc offers standard and widescreen formats and a remastered soundtrack. --Jeff Shannon

Description

Clint Eastwood and Morgan Freeman play retired, down-on-their-luck outlaws who pick up their guns one last time to collect a bounty offered by the vengeful prostitutes of the remote Wyoming town of Big Whiskey. Richard Harris is an ill-fated interloper, a colorful killer-for-hire called English Bob. And Best Supporting Actor Oscar winner Gene Hackman is the sly and brutal local sheriff whose brand of law enforcement ranges from unconventional to ruthless.

DVD Features:
Production Notes
Theatrical Trailer

Customer Reviews:

"It's a hell of a thing, killin' a man. Take away all he's got, and all he's ever gonna have.".......2007-08-07

Unforgiven combines two major elements to make it the best Western ever made. First is its brutally realistic depiction of violence and killing in the Old West. Second is the situation of causing a reformed man to revisit the behavior of his past in order to survive.

There are no glorious killings in Unforgiven. This movie lays to rest the notion of high-noon showdowns or fighting for honor. Executions, ambushes, and agonizing gut-wounds are the staple methods of attack. Alcohol, pride, and gold fuel most of the violence in the town of Big Whisky. Most of the scenes with violence are very one-sided, further lending credence to this film.

The main character is almost certainly a wolf in sheep's clothing. Through the efforts of his late wife, he has been able to eliminate his psychopathic tendencies, fueled for the most part by alcohol. His sober days are blanched by regret and remorse over the people he has killed. He is for all intents and purposes an unsuccessful farmer out trying to collect a bounty. But when things go horribly wrong, he is forced to return to the behavior and actions of his past to survive. A simple man with an extraordinary past and consequently extraordinary abilities.

The attractive murderer.......2007-07-21

"Unforgiven" certainly looks beautiful, especially in HD. And I admit it is a very good film with a lot of good points, perfect timing, excellent acting, good characters, the works. And it has a lot more nuance than westerns normally have.

But I will contend that ultimately it still boils down to the same old thing: admiration for a killer.

When William Munny, in the charismatic and handsome frame of Clint Eastwood, rides out of Big Whiskey in the end, saying that if anybody hurt the prostitutes for putting up the blood money, he will come back and kill everybody, there is pretty much not anybody watching who does not feel deep in his/her gut: "my god, there is a MAN!" You just can't help it, it's in our dark nature.

And you can even see this excemplified in the admiring and longing looks given him by the writer fellow and by the prostitute with the scars, as they watch him leave.

There is no way around it: it is gut-level admiration for a man who by his own admission has killed many innocent men, and women, and children, and who killed several more just minutes ago. And the film aims for it, it is where it gets its marketing power.

I am shocked that I've been unable to find any other reviewers (professional or amateur) who really question this. It is not a "great wrong", but there's certainly nothing beautiful about it, and it needs to be recognized.

In a documentary about Eastwood, the narrator says about Unforgiven: "the sherif has tortured and killed Will's best friend. He has no choice but vengeance." And that's the exact untruth to be uncovered. There is always a choice. Violence begets violence, and he who breaks the chain, wins.

Don't get me wrong, I am not villainizing "the Clint" here. His hyper-violent movie characters are merely reflecting an important aspect of human nature. I'm just saying it's an aspect we'd do well to look at some more.

Another way to express my problem with it: if you listen to the movie, it is clearly against violence. The characters say it many times. But if you look at the movie, it is clearly for it. The violence is presented in a way so it is enjoyable. A friend of mine said that the final big gun battle was "like an orgasm".

By the way, I'm just watching the documentary about the film, and DW Peoples (the writer) does say that the reason people think it's an anti-violence movie is that most other movies are "pro-violence" in the sense that if it is the good guy doing it to the bad guy, it's OK. But that reality is more complex, and that it's often difficult to pinpoint who's the "good guy" and who's the "bad guy". Which I think is wise. You'll notice that each participant in a fight always thinks of himself as the good guy.

I will concede that within the framework of a big, popular, Hollywood movie, this film is probably as far as we can currently go towards an anti-violence movie. If you'd made a movie like this and not made the violence seductive and aesthetic, it would instantly have lost 90% of its audience. At least.

Eat it!.......2007-07-03

This is a great western. With Clint and Gene at the helm on this one, nobody can deny the quality film that this movie became. I am an avid fan of Clint's and many other amazing western films and this is up there in the top ten. People who gave this film less than 5 stars do not know what a good film is...and can go on complaining about quality films because their bad taste blinds their senses and minds to the truth that is the greatness "Unforgiven". And truly you will not be forgiven for your bad taste.

The vengeance is epic...true to old spaghetti westerns...this is a very good film.

grim reality without humor........2007-06-18

Not a fun western. Much brutishness and grimness. No wisecracking colorful sidekick to provide comic relief. No promising union of hero and maiden at the end. No pat on the back for riding the community of desperados or crooked big wheels. No indian conflicts, dramatic train or bank robberies, nor exciting gold strikes. No wagon train hoedowns nor other pleasant social events. No Mr. nice guy whose tough when he has to be. The women are all mindless abused plain-looking whores, not glamorous dance hall queens, and are ultimately responsible for all the violence in the film. This is a message film. The main point seems to be to present a more realistic picture of life and violence in the wild west than the typical western and to deglamorize shootouts and gunslingers. Another message is that alcohol(and by extension, some other psychoactive drugs) makes certain men violent or abusive. Eastwood's character was such a man.

The plot surrounds conflicting ideas of the just punishment for the face slashing of a prostitute by a cowboy customer whose manhood she insulted. The saloon owner nearly decides to shoot the cowboy, but then decides to defer to the authority of the sheriff, "Little" Bill. Bill initially suggests a whipping as being appropriate for the cowboy and his friend, who helped hold down the prostitute. But this doesn't satisfy the Madam, who demands a public hanging. The saloon keeper now demands a fine, payable to him, for damage to his "property". Bill finally decides on a fine alone. The prostitutes are incredulous at this sentence. To them this says the legal system regards them as mere property, equivalent to slaves or horses. Most viewers would probably regard a death sentence as too harsh, but a fine as too light. Perhaps Little Bill's original suggestion of a whipping would have satisfied the prostitutes after they witnessed it and there would not have been any more violence connected with the incident. This "mistake" left the prostitutes as well as most of the other town's people unsatisfied, and would ultimately cost Bill his life. The prostitutes offered a bounty for the heads of the 2 cowboys so as to achieve their idea of justice, and this initiates the rest of the action of this film. In a broader application, the complications surrounding this incident serves as a warning that even domestic insults and assaults can sometimes result in a cascade of revenge and legalistic injuries, jailings and murders, sometimes involving people quite unrelated to the original incident.

This film showcases the injustices and ambiguities of vigilante justice and its perpetrators. The reformed ex-gunslinger drunk(Eastwood), who initially took up his weapons again only to make some money to help support his children and to satisfy the revenge wishes of others, eventually tranforms himself temporarily into a drunk vigilante who murdered those not involved as well as those involved in the death of his long time partner. This is but one of several incidents of unjust killings(including at least one of the cowboys involved in the slashing).

However, we have to balance this against the frequent shortcomings of legalistic justice, including the expenses involved, frequent mistakes, the influence of money, status, race and corruption, the frequent inability to identify, capture or convict perpetrators, the endless appeals and frequent dissatisfaction with sentences as too lenient or too harsh and being carried out far too long after the crime is comitted. Both have their pluses and minuses. The popularity of films where the hero eliminates the villain in a vigilante fashion suggests that vigilante justice, when done appropriately, is acceptable to many people and often preferable to legalized justice. However, the legal establishment is reluctant to legitimize it, except perhaps in self-defense cases, which are often subject to interpretation. It recognizes the gave dangers of too frequent use of vigilante justice, besides the fact that this seriously undermines its authority.

The best western.......2007-05-15

Unforgiven is definitely my favorite western of all time. Clint directs and stars in this film. This is a must watch for any western film fan.

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The Original and Re-Make on a one DVD set!!!!
New 4-Disc DVD is a treasure of sight and sound...brilliant achievement...
This is no young man's action movie, but . . .
Ben-Hur
Ben Hur

Ben-Hur
Starring: Charlton Heston , Jack Hawkins , Haya Harareet , Stephen Boyd , and Hugh Griffith
Director: William Wyler
Manufacturer: Warner Home Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B000056BP4
Release Date: 2004-06-01

Amazon.com essential video

Ben-Hur scooped an unprecedented 11 Academy Awards® in 1959 and, unlike some later rivals, richly deserved every single one. This is epic filmmaking on a scale that had not been seen before and is unlikely ever to be seen again. But it's not just running time or a cast of thousands that makes an epic, it's the subject matter, and here the subject--Prince Judah Ben-Hur (Charlton Heston) and his estrangement from old Roman pal Messala (Stephen Boyd)--is rich, detailed, and sensitively handled. Director William Wyler, who had been a junior assistant on MGM's original silent version back in 1925, never sacrifices the human focus of the story in favor of spectacle, and is aided immeasurably by Miklos Rozsa's majestic musical score, arguably the greatest ever written for a Hollywood picture. At four hours it's a long haul (especially given some of the portentous dialogue), but all in all, Ben-Hur is a great movie, best seen on the biggest screen possible. --Mark Walker

Description

After his boyhood friend Messala's fanatic loyalty to Rome makes him a powerful enemy, Judah Ben-Hur is found guilty of an attempted murder he did not commit. His family is banished and he is enslaved on a warship. Through his ferocity in a raging sea battle, he is able to escape and become a horse trainer. To exact his revenge, Ben-Hur decides to compete against Messala in the Roman chariot races. They race, locked in a battle to the death. Barely surviving, Ben-Hur forsakes the sword for Christ and finally finds redemption. Winner of a record 11 Academy Award, including Best Picture and Actor (Charlton Heston).

Customer Reviews:

The Original and Re-Make on a one DVD set!!!!.......2007-09-06

BEN-HUR The Four-Disc Collector's Edition

It is an ignominious fate that the Original Ben-Hur by which I mean the 1925 silent version has appeared as a bonus feature on the William Wyler's Ben-Hur Four-Disc Collector's Edition.

The 1925 Ben-Hur was a huge success. To this day it is still the most successful silent picture ever made. The sensational chariot race as with the William Wyler re-make was at the heart of the movie. It was the first time a Cinema audience had seen such awe-inspiring images. Such as four stallions and a speeding chariot racing directly over the top of a Camera sunk in the Arena track. The first the time a Camera followed a team of horses in close-up and at full gallop. So many film techniques that we take for granted in Action Cinema today were first born in this silent epic and they would be remembered.

William Wyler remembered them 34 years later.

William Wyler had been an assistant director on the 1925 Original. He had witnessed its staggering success and when the time came for a re-make he was just the man for the job. Maybe you balk at my use of the word re-make? But that is exactly what the William Wyler version was. The studio knew they had a product that worked and did not want to divert from that winning formula. If it ain't broke....!

The Arena built in Italy was a virtual replica of the one built in the silent version. They utilized the original construction drawings. They used some of the same moulds for various statues. They even had a complete chariot from the 1925 Original that had already proved itself on film. They had the original designs and drawings of virtually everything that had been constructed 34 years previously and they all worked.

On the Extras Disc there is a rather lame documentary called "The Epic that Changed Cinema" where filmmakers repetitively praise the 1959 re-make. A Production Designer expresses his amazement at the imagination it took to design the Arena specifically those gigantic statues at each end of it. Had he seen the Original 1925 Film he would have seen that the Arena and particularly the gigantic statues are all but the same.

None of this is touched upon in the two documentaries that are presented on the special features disc. Nothing is mentioned about the suppression of the Original Version by MGM in the run-up to the release of the William Wyler's Ben-Hur or it's eventual burial.

The 1925 Ben-Hur is a rather melodramatic and histrionic affair. Most of the performances are over the top and it has the feeling of recorded theatre rather than a movie but what lifts this film into the realms of a classic is simply the chariot race. It is as good as the William Wyler version if not better. It has more chariots!

It is a shame that the Silent Original does not have any bonus features. A documentary by Kevin Brownlow could have solved this shameful emission, as the man is responsible for it's restoration and survival. He is also one of the best documentary filmmakers out there. Just watch his Thames Television series called "Hollywood" about America's early film pioneers or "Unknown Chaplin" and you will see what I mean.

As for the William Wyler's re-make the same seems to apply. The chariot race is the highlight of the film. The race is remarkably similar in structure, blocking and interpretation as that of the Original. Most of the shots and camera positions are an exactly the same.

The rest of William Wyler's epic never really elevates above pure melodrama. The exceptional performance by Hugh Griffith lends the film a much-needed sense of intrigue but generally the film plays by the numbers. The weak latter half of the film almost feels as if you are watching Monty Python's "Life of Brian". The film uses all of the technologies available at the time to best effect. It is beautifully shot in Camera 65 by Robert L. Surtees. It has incredible matt paintings. The production design is romantic yet faultless. The Hollywoodised costumes are beautiful.

Gore Vidal is acknowledged to have written the first half of the film up until the chariot race. He is disgracefully not even credited. These early scenes are far superior to the latter plodding religious pontificating. In the first scenes between Ben-Hur and Messala, he has cleverly interwoven a homosexual love affair gone terribly wrong. It explains clearly Messala's brutal reaction. He also has a poke at the waning Un-American Committee by having Messala demand that Ben-Hur name names.

The problem with the films as a whole is the source material that they are based on. The Novel is melodramatic, shallow and episodic. Even the title is incorrect "A Story of the Christ". It might be the most read book other than the bible but it does not mean that it is any good. It is simply a compelling adventure yarn with Christ thrown in and as with the films the best part is the chariot race.

New 4-Disc DVD is a treasure of sight and sound...brilliant achievement..........2007-07-29

'Ben-Hur' is such a great film, it's a pleasure to report that the newly restored Wide Screen 4-Disc DVD version (which includes the 1925 silent screen film with Ramon Novarro) is right on the mark. The color has been restored to its original brilliance with every scene clearly in focus and the soundtrack gives full range to Miklos Rozsa's impressive score. More than ever, Rozsa's score seems to have an energy and force of its own, underlining all the drama inherent in a story of this kind. And Charlton Heston's work in the title role is sheer perfection. He captures the character so completely that he IS Ben-Hur.

Not often does such an epic have human characters that are not dwarfed by all the spectacle. The characters are all fully-dimensional human beings--particularly the two antagonists (Judah Ben-Hur and Messala), once great friends but now divided by political loyalties. Charlton Heston and Stephen Boyd are outstanding in the leads (Boyd should definitely have won an Oscar as Messala for his chilling death scene alone!).

All the other important roles are flawlessly cast. The chariot race is the most explosive and breathtaking seventeen minutes ever given to such a spectacular event--and all of the stunts look perfectly real. It's hard to believe that none of the stunts ended with more than minor injuries.

The final scene, which follows soon after the chariot race, with Ben-Hur returning home and slowly climbing the steps to find that his mother and sister have been cured, still gives me goose bumps when I see it. As does the poignant scene in the leper colony where he insists on seeing their cave dwelling. Both scenes are strongly bolstered by Miklos Rozsa's brilliant score.

Fully deserved all the awards it won. Should be released theatrically to show folks that even in 1959, Hollywood had all the technical skill to bring something like this off--with spectacular results! But in the meantime, this newly restored DVD is a keeper.

This is no young man's action movie, but . . ........2007-07-25

It is obvious from the acting, camera work, and overall epic quality of this film, why it won 11 Oscars. This movie is a true classic.

That said my wife thinks it is slow and boring and so do most of my friends, however I think it is one of the greatest films ever made.

From the life of a prince to a galley slave our star Judah Ben-Hur (Charlton Heston) is taken from his home in Israel and travels across the known world. He is despised and beaten by some and praised and honored by others along this forced journey. He meets everyone from Caesar to Jesus Christ along his path back to home where he must defeat his arch enemy and once best friend. He loses everything he has at one point, but at the end he receives a gift beyond any tangible possession that exists.

I wish I had the words to give this movie justice.

Ben-Hur.......2007-07-23

For those who enjoy the grandeur of a cast of thousands and the drama of movies when movies were movies set back in time in history, Ben Hur will fill the bill, A truly magnifient movie and as you watch the movie you begin to realize all the preparation it took to make it happen. Like othe movies such as Doctor Zhivago, Ben Hur had a main character and has an historical theme about that period of time.The music is exquisite to say the least. I recommend Ben Hur because movies like this are not produced anymore. In 1959 there were no computers to enhance the scenes and to help make many of the scenes easier to pull off. Charlton Heston was the right person for the part, a strong character in the making who portrayed Ben Hur as a lie-like character.

Ben Hur .......2007-07-13

I think it was a fantastic Movie that brings back memorable times when I was a youth. It opens my understanding to recollect the Lord's awesome nature.

Jesus Christ Superstar (Special Edition)

Average customer rating:

Still awesome!
A "Must own"!!
I don't believe in God...
A Still Fresh Look at Jesus
Son of God? Heal lepers? Save souls? Phooey! It turns out Jesus' best trait was rock singer.

Jesus Christ Superstar (Special Edition)
Starring: Ted Neeley , Carl Anderson (II) , Yvonne Elliman , Barry Dennen , and Bob Bingham
Director: Norman Jewison
Manufacturer: Universal Studios
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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