My Darling Clementine

Amazon.com essential video

The most famous and sublime treatment of the gunfight at the O.K. Corral, John Ford's My Darling Clementine is by any measure one of the most classically perfect Westerns ever made. Henry Fonda plays a hard, serious Wyatt Earp leading a cattle drive west with his brothers when a stopover in the wild town of Tombstone ends in the murder of his youngest brother. Wyatt takes up the badge he had turned down earlier and tames the wide-open town with his brothers (Ward Bond and Tim Holt), all the while waiting for the wild Clantons (led by Walter Brennan's ruthless Old Man Clanton) to make a mistake. Victor Mature delivers perhaps his finest performance as the tubercular gambler Doc Holliday, an alcoholic Eastern doctor escaping civilization in the Wild West. Ford takes great liberties with history, bending the story to fit his ideal of the West, a balance of social law and pioneer spirit. Though the film reaches its climax in the legendary gunfight between the Earps (with Doc Holliday) and the Clantons, the most powerful moment is the moving Sunday morning church social played out on the floor of the unfinished church. As Earp dances with Clementine (Cathy Downs)--Fonda's stiff, self-conscious movements showing a man unaccustomed to such social interaction--Ford's camera frames them against the open sky: the town and the wilderness merge into the new Eden of the West for a brief moment. --Sean Axmaker

Description

Henry Fonda, Victor Mature and Walter Brennan star in John Ford's acclaimed film that climaxes with the famous gunfight at O.K. Corral. As Wyatt Earp (Fonda) and his brothers head for a peaceful life of ranching in 1880's California, tragedy moves Wyatt to pin on a badge once more. But when he becomes the law in Tombstone, home to Doc Holliday (Mature) and the Clanton boys, it's only a matter of time until the Earps and Doc face the Clantons in one of the most remembered battles of the Wild West. Featuring Linda Darnell and Ward Bond, My Darling Clementine is considered to be one of Ford's finest films.

Customer Reviews:

Great old classic.......2007-09-05

This is a great old classic movie. While it does lack some continuity in places, it has a lot of great scenes. The included documentary about the making of the movies was also very interesting. Well worth buying!

Beautiful cinematography, partly fictionalized history.......2007-08-01

Of all the actors playing Wyatt Earp, Henry Fonda has impressed me the most. He's strong, law abiding and the kind of 'sheepdog' the wild folks flocking to Western towns needed.

"Clementine" is beautifully filmed in black and white. Many of the vignettes are haunting and several of the scenes have had 'homage' paid to them by later directors.

All in all, very worthwhile to watch as long as you take most of this film as a work of fiction.

Studio classic that lives up to it's name.......2007-06-26

This is an excellent double sided disc with the studio cut and a pre release cut plus a documentary and a trailer. The quality of the film and transfer are excellent.

My Darling Clementine.......2007-06-25

The definitive version of the fabled gunfight at the OK Corral, "Clementine" is another near-perfect pairing of Fonda and Ford, following their collaboration on "The Grapes of Wrath." Shot in Monument Valley, the black and white photography is magnificent, fully worthy of the picture's engrossing and suspenseful story. The climactic scene where Earp and Holliday finally confront the Clantons (led by Walter Brennan) at the OK Corral is the stuff of movie legend.

Total malarkey as history, but wonderful as cinema........2007-06-09

John Ford's "My Darling Clementine" plays so fast and loose with the facts about Wyatt Earp, Doc Holliday and the O.K. Corral that it can't even get the ages of Earp's brothers right. (Virgil and James were Earp's OLDER brothers, Morgan his YOUNGER brother, and there's another brother--Warren--who's never even mentioned in the movie.) But "My Darling Clementine" is a magnificent confirmation of Ford's dictum in a later movie, "The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance": "When facts get in the way of the legend, print the legend." "Wyatt Earp" and "Tombstone" may be better as history, but "My Darling Clementine" is far and away the most artistic and entertaining movie about Wyatt, Doc and their war with the Clantons. As Earp, Henry Fonda is the archetypal courageous, sweet-hearted Western hero, a totally persuasive pillar of decency and rectitude. In this movie and "Twelve Angry Men," he reached the zenith of his screen persona (a persona he tore down gleefully in "Fort Apache" and "Once Upon a Time in the West'). As Doc Holliday, Victor Mature far exceeds any performance I've ever seen him give, even "Kiss of Death" (and certainly "The Robe" or "Demetrius and the Gladiators"). "My Darling Clementine" represents a sweeter, gentler era at the movies, long before "Little Big Man" or even "Cheyenne Autumn," when every little boy in America wanted to grow up to be a cowboy. Personally, I STILL want to grow up to be John Ford or Henry Fonda!

Average customer rating:

good flick
My Beautiful Laundrette
my beautiful launderette
I don't get it
Politics Aside...

My Beautiful Laundrette
Starring: Saeed Jaffrey , Roshan Seth , Daniel Day-Lewis , Gordon Warnecke , and Derrick Branche
Director: Stephen Frears
Manufacturer: MGM (Video & DVD)
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Comedy | Genres | DVD | Video

General | Drama | Genres | DVD | Video

Gay & Lesbian | Drama | Genres | DVD | Video

DVDs Under $7.49 | Today's Deals in DVD | Special Features | DVD | Video

( M ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video
Similar Items:

ASIN: B00008R9KF
Release Date: 2003-06-03

Amazon.com essential video

My Beautiful Laundrette, Stephen Frears's low-budget realization of Hanif Kureishi's subversively critical play, captures the contradictions of mid-'80s Thatcherism in a way that's as fresh today as when it was new. Wheeler-dealer Nasser (Saeed Jaffrey) sums it up when he says, "In this damn country, which we hate and love, you can get anything you want." He sets up his nephew Omar (Gordon Warnecke) with a rundown laundrette and the instruction to make it a success, which Omar temporarily does, with the help of his childhood friend Johnny (Daniel Day-Lewis). When the film was first released, it was the gay content that dominated the conversation, whereas now it seems a sensitive and multifaceted summation of its decade, exploring social, ethnic, and sexual issues and contradictions. Bringing together two such different characters as Omar--Asian, ambitious, for whom success is defined by wealth--and former childhood friend Johnny--white trash, ex-National Front--was inspired. Watching their friendship develop into love, and the ensuing bitterness and misunderstanding that they suffer from friends and family, is very poignant. All the lead roles are well taken, the contradictory character of Nasser in particular. By turns, funny, touching and anger-inducing, My Beautiful Laundrette wears its age lightly and its era proudly. --Harriet Smith

Description

With its "extraordinary cast" (Los Angeles Times)including OscarÂ(r) winner* Daniel Day Lewisand "riveting visual style" (Newsweek), this "warm, compassionate and feisty" film (The Hollywood Reporter) about a young Pakistani man coming of age in London is "a fascinating, eccentric [and] very personal movie" (The New York Times)! Living on the dole with his alcoholic father in a shabby South London flat, Omar is a bright-eyed Pakistani teenager who wants to make something of himself. And as his papa drowns deeper in vodka and self-pity, Omar turns to his unscrupulous wheeling-and-dealing Uncle Nasser to show him the key to success. But when Nasser hires Omar as manager of a seedy, dilapidated laundromat, Omar is forced to choose between running a squeaky-clean establishmentor conducting some very dirty business! *1989: Actor,My Left Foot

Customer Reviews:

good flick.......2007-07-26

The acting is great and Daniel Day was great; Omar is awesome. The movie is very sensual. The story is well told and interesting.

My Beautiful Laundrette.......2007-07-09

Originally made for the BBC, and scripted by half-Pakistani writer Hanif Kureishi, Frears's endearing, intelligent "Laundrette" is a dramatic and often humorous study of bigotry, sexuality, and social mobility in Thatcher-era Britain. Warnecke and Day-Lewis are convincing as distinct social types in eighties London--the striving immigrant under pressure to acculturate on one hand and marry a family acquaintance on the other; and the skinhead who turns on his mates to pursue a friendship with a loathsome "Paki." Coaxing fine support from his multiracial cast, Frears handles it all with tenderness, insight, and unpredictable tonal shifts.

my beautiful launderette.......2007-06-02

the sound was difficult especialy with the english axcent. good story.skiped around a bit but was well acted i thought. glad i saw it

I don't get it.......2007-05-28

I love Daniel Day Lewis and adore almost everything he does so I thought I would check it out. I can't believe people are giving this movie such high ratings. The acting is horrible, the plot is incomprehensible. I don't have any sympathy for Omar and despise almost every man in the movie for their cocky, arrogant, chauvenistic attitude. I tend to like independent, artistic movies but this movie is ridiculous. Please do not buy this movie. Rent it if you're curious.

Politics Aside..........2007-01-18

"MY BEAUTIFUL LAUNDERETTE"

Politics Aside...

Amos Lassen and Cinema Pride

"My Beautiful Launderette" tells the story of Omar, a young guy who is taking care of his alcoholic father during that period in history when Margaret Thatcher was prime minister. People longed for financial success back then (the 80s), especially Asians (like Omar) who were living in England. Asians began their influx to England in the late 6os and 70s and they searched for their identity in a country that was their home but never really allowed them to feel at home.
Omar wanted both financial success and he wanted an identity and he worked at both. While he strove he runs into an old friend from school, Johnny, who had fallen under the influence of a group of Neo-Nazis. Omar brings him into the family business and the chemistry between the two soon accelerates. His gay relationship between the two is underplayed as if it were the most normal thing in the world (as it should be). Any tension in the film is not sexually related but political and socio-economic. The charm and the wit of the film mesmerize the viewer. Daniel Day-Lewis is just amazing as Johnny, he is an actor's actor.
The film undertakes the difficult task of presenting important social issues without sacrificing entertainment and embraces a new kind of movie realism. Watching the two friends trying to make a go of a rundown launderette (a metaphoric look at the economy of Britain) sheds light on the state of downtrodden immigrants. The joining together of two opposing cultures, a Pakistani and a white "punk" also says tons about the British treatment of Asians. Ethnic problems create havoc for the two young men and racial tension is one of the major themes of the film. Even though the issues that are presented are major problems, they are handled with humorous wit and the film is quite funny and very serious at the same time. As an unconventional love story, it succeeds and as a political and economic statement it soars. "Launderette" is also very sensual without showing any actual sex and never exploits the gay subplot.
As I said before, Daniel Day-Lewis is sensational but it is Gordon Warnecke that owns this movie completely. Just watching his character change shows his brilliance at dealing with the complexities of life.
The ending of the film is quite ambiguous allowing the viewer to contemplate all that he has seen and its power rests on showing a great deal without really trying to moralize.
From what I have read about what was going on in London both economically and socially, the movie brilliantly depicts the situation. As it shows the feudal divide between the rich and the poor, it somewhat reminded me of the way things were once were (remember Dickens). We would have thought that modernism would have helped cure societal ills but according to the film things actually became worse. What we have with "Launderette" is a work of magic realism, in a portrait of London of the 80s replete with all of its ills.
Because the gay aspect of the film is not emphasized, the movie left me with several questions to consider. What was the nature of the boys' relationship when they were younger? What happened to that relationship? What really brought the boys together and what factors contribute to Johnny's acceptance of Omar and their final love and devotion to each other?
Questions like these and others are what make this film so interesting and it deserves at least one viewing if not more. I love movies that leave you thinking and this is exactly what "My Beautiful Launderette" does.

A Wedding for Bella (aka The Bread, My Sweet)

Average customer rating:

A good family love story all around!
horrible movie
The movie was not so bella!
Major Disappointment
Ok, but wouldn't buy again

A Wedding for Bella (aka The Bread, My Sweet)
Starring: Scott Baio , Kristin Minter , Rosemary Prinz , John Amplas , and Zachary Mott
Director: Melissa Martin (II)
Manufacturer: Universal Studios
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Comedy | Genres | DVD | Video

General | Drama | Genres | DVD | Video

4-for-3 Comedy | 4-for-3 DVD | Stores | DVD | Video

4-for-3 Drama | 4-for-3 DVD | Stores | DVD | Video

4-for-3 All DVDs | 4-for-3 DVD | Stores | DVD | Video

DVDs Under $7.49 | Today's Deals in DVD | Special Features | DVD | Video

( W ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video
Similar Items:

ASIN: B00011V8HW
Release Date: 2004-02-03

Amazon.com

People use the word "sleeper" loosely, but A Wedding for Bella (released to theaters as The Bread, My Sweet) truly fits the bill. This tiny-budgeted charmer had modest distribution, but managed to win over the audiences that stumbled across it. In order to please his beloved elders, an Italian-American (Scott Baio) plots to marry a woman (Kristin Minter) he doesn't even know, with much of the action set around the homey ethnic bakery he owns in Pittsburgh. Yes, it's all very Moonstruck, but without the star power or the glossy finish; in fact, the production values (and some of the acting) in this film are variable to the point of clumsy. But there's a warm, intimate mood here that's inextricable from the homemade style. And, in an image-changing turn, former kid star Scott Baio delivers a terrific, assured performance. It's the biggest surprise in a sweet movie. --Robert Horton

Customer Reviews:

A good family love story all around!.......2007-08-17

I first caught this movie on cable a little after the beginning. I purchased the DVD after this. I only buy movies on DVD if I really like them. This movie is Wonderful! I even purchased a copy for the wife of a good friend. A good family love story all around!

horrible movie.......2007-07-14

I am not sure I watched the same movie as the other reviewers who wrote how much they loved it.
I found the storyline boring, the acting two-dimensional, the plot unbelievable.

I really cannot fathom what kind of people are writing the glorious comments.
The movie was banal at best, partially unbearable for the bad acting. ( The retarded brother made me scream, and if I had to look into Bella's eyes one more time, I would've rather gone blind )

The cuts were horrible, and the whole movie and script didn't make much sense anyway. What was the daughter doing in Mexico now? working as a prostitute maybe?

Yeah, and I still have to find a high powered VP executive who is casually dropping in on meetings, and having a bakery on the side. Haha, wish I had this guy's job with the paycheck and all the free time on my hand to run a second business.

The Italian couple was laughably pseudo-realistic, the daughter remained flat like cardboard, and the rest of the cast seemed more like cast-offs from a highschool drama lab. I watched it till the end just in the faint hope, it would get any better - NOT!

The movie was not so bella!.......2007-02-17

It was an alright movie. It was very sad. I was hoping for a better Scott Baio character.

Major Disappointment.......2007-02-10

I bought this movie because it got such great reviews. What were they thinking?! This movie is terrible. I was expecting a nice heart-warming "chick-flick." I was very disappointed. This movie is extremely BORING. It moves so slowly! The whole thing just feels like it's dragging. Boring, boring. I kept hoping it would get better. It never did. Even the ending was lousy. You can tell this was a LOW-BUDGET film. Apparently they couldn't afford to film a wedding scene, or even Bella's funeral! How pathetic. Don't bother watching or buying this. It's a waste of time.

Ok, but wouldn't buy again.......2006-11-10

Your cable should be out for you to have to sit through this movie. Sorry Chachi (Scott Baio).

Average customer rating:

Beaten, but Never Broken
touching tale, if a bit rough around the edges
GREAT STORY - POOR PLOTTING
Excellent movie
2 Brothers, 1 Soul......

My Brother
Starring: Tatum O'Neal , Vanessa L. Williams , Fredro Starr , Nashawn Kearse , and Rodney Henry Jr.
Director: Anthony Lover
Manufacturer: Code Black Ent
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Drama | Genres | DVD | Video

DVDs Under $7.49 | Today's Deals in DVD | Special Features | DVD | Video

( M ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video
Similar Items:

ASIN: B000NIVP8A
Release Date: 2007-05-29

Description

"My Brother" is an inner city story of two impoverished boys, of which one is developmentally disabled. Dying of tuberculosis, their mother tries to get her two boys adopted together. Finding that only one can be adopted, the mother creates an unbreakable bond of love between the boys, hoping that bond will get them through life. Her prayers are answered as the boys overcome impossible odds on their way to adulthood.

Customer Reviews:

Beaten, but Never Broken .......2007-07-27

Aside from being a book junkie, I usually binge out on movies. Blockbusters' has a permanent place on my `things to do on Tuesdays' list.' While browsing the selections I came across MY BROTHER and figured why not.

Isaiah is trying to be a stand up comedian. The only problem is his material is not funny. His younger brother, James is slower than most, yet the only one really holding them down financially. James is tapped for cash and sharing the info with his friends. Pharaoh offers him a quick solution to his money woes. Isaiah learns that quick and easy escalates into a slew of problems. While trying to run away from danger, Isaiah jogs down memory lane and revisits the life that he and James shared with their mother. While they may not have material things in abundance, the love was overflowing. Will big brother Isaiah be able to keep his promise?

While I loved it, I also kept wondering what happened. Great cast, interesting plot, yet it just dove off of the cliff. While it's an engaging tale of brotherly love, MY BROTHER leaves audiences wanting so much more.

MY BROTHER is a great portrayal of African Americans. It's also a tear jerker that keeps you smiling and all the while hoping for the best.

touching tale, if a bit rough around the edges.......2007-07-21

***1/2

Isaiah Morton is a not-very-promising, aspiring standup comic who lives in Brooklyn with his developmentally disabled brother, James, whom he has been taking care of ever since the death of their mother a number of years back. Even though he is totally devoted to his younger sibling, Isaiah has recently come to resent the burden James places on his life. Desperate for money, Isaiah foolishly agrees to pull a job for a local gangster, an act that sets into motion a series of events that may well spell the end for both Isaiah and his brother.

With its somewhat meandering narrative structure, "My Brother," written and directed by Anthony Lover, may not always feel as fully formed or thought-out as we would like our movies to be, but its heart is definitely in the right place and it does an effective job exploring the complications and complexities inherent in human relationships. In fact, it may well be this LACK of sophistication and slickness that makes the movie feel less contrived and more convincing in the long run. For instance, Isaiah's brief flirtation with a white woman he meets at a party is intriguing precisely because it doesn't in any way enhance the story or advance the plot. It simply feels like a scene ripped from his life, a nice piece of reality tossed into the mix to make the movie more authentic.

Moreover, there are earnest, heartfelt performances by Nashawn Kearse ("Desperate Housewives"), Vanessa Williams, Christopher Scott, Rodney Henry, Donovan Jennings and even Oscar-winner Tatum O'Neal in key roles.

The best scenes are those set in the past, in which a terminally ill single mother (the lovely Williams) struggles against tremendous odds to instill character and values into her two young boys, values they will desperately need if they are to survive and thrive in a world marked by poverty, racism and prejudice. The movie does veer towards the sentimental at times, but it earns its emotions honestly and forthrightly. And even though the crime drama scenes may not always be entirely convincing, it is as a family drama and a tale of total unconditional love that "My Brother" ultimately touches the heart.

Incidentally, as a companion piece to this film, check out "Two Brothers," a documentary that focuses on Scott and Jennings, both young actors with Down Syndrome, and their very powerful work in "My Brother."

GREAT STORY - POOR PLOTTING.......2007-07-01

I tend to rent movies that aren't real mainstream. Such was the case with My Brother. The storyline was good but the plotting was very poor to me. There were alot of things left out in this movie and it took forever to get to the "meat" of who Vanessa Williams' was. Tatum O'Neals character could have been left out of the film completely as it served no real purpose. Some of it was unbelievable, but the message was there that they were two brothers and one soul. So when one looks at this film for the message, it delivers - but I wouldn't be in rush to watch it again or run out and purchase it. With just a little more "storyline" it would have been an amazing film.

Excellent movie.......2007-06-25

Aside from being an excellent tale of resilience and compassion, this movie's depiction of the state mental institution was graphically realistic. When I was an undergrad in a psychology class, we were shown an expose of the horrors of mental institutions in the 60's. What I saw has continued to haunt me and been the stimulating factor that keeps me in my social services profession 20 yrs later. "My Brother" literally lifted those images and portrayed them with such sensitivity and realism. My only hope is that more people see this incredible film and join in stopping such atrocities worldwide.

2 Brothers, 1 Soul.............2007-06-21

Brotherly love prevails in this moving yet sometimes disturbing tale, about 2 brothers- 1 who is mentally disabled, who are eventually left to fend for themselves in the concrete jungle also known as New York. Shot well, and top - notch performances from the actors, I don't understand why Tatum'o Neal is in this movie and the only other thing I did not like , is that the story is told in multiple flashbacks, other than that, it was enjoyable.

Average customer rating:

Garland has got "IT"!!!
The Bells Are Ringing...
A Slam Dunk
very good
A great musical

For Me And My Gal (Snap case)
Starring: Judy Garland , George Murphy , Gene Kelly , Mártha Eggerth , and Ben Blue
Director: Busby Berkeley
Manufacturer: Warner Home Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Drama | Genres | DVD | Video

General | Musicals & Performing Arts | Genres | DVD | Video

World War I | Military & War | Genres | DVD | Video

World War II | Military & War | Genres | DVD | Video

DVDs Under $7.49 | Today's Deals in DVD | Special Features | DVD | Video

( F ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video
Similar Items:

ASIN: B00005JLU7
Release Date: 2004-04-06

Amazon.com essential video

"Say, he looks like an actor," says the platform conductor. And with that introduction, Gene Kelly steps off the train and into his film career. After starring on Broadway in Pal Joey, Kelly made his film debut in For Me and My Gal opposite Judy Garland, with the pair playing vaudeville performers who team up to find success and, of course, romance. But just when things are looking up, World War I intervenes, and Kelly has to take drastic measures to keep a promise and avoid the war, at least temporarily.

Bad move, Gene. Filmed in 1942, For Me and My Gal vigorously supports the war effort, including teaching Kelly the error of his ways. The old-time setting also allows for a basketful of nostalgic charmers, including "After You've Gone," "Oh You Beautiful Doll," and "Ballin' the Jack," and Kelly and Garland's crooning and tapping of the title tune is pure joy. --David Horiuchi

Description

Gene Kelly makes his film debut in this WW I musical playing a man who deliberately injures his hand to avoid being drafted into the army. He starts a vaudeville act with a young woman and they become determined to play The Palace.

Customer Reviews:

Garland has got "IT"!!!.......2007-06-16

Judy Garland is the complete package singer, dancer, actress & all around entertainer. Me & My Gal in a fine DVD transfer showcases the excitement that was Garland The plot is set during the World War I period, but the film has 1940's feel to it. Who cares its great. Gene Kelly shows definite future star potential in his debut film. When it comes to the "IT" factor Judy Garland has it in spades!

The Bells Are Ringing..........2007-05-22

Vaudeville! It's like a talent show with true variety and plenty of enthusiasm. That is what this film commemorates, a forgotten piece of Americana. Jo Hayden (Judy Garland) is a singer in a performing group with plenty of talent. She meets Harry Palmer (Gene Kelly), a selfish and egotistical performer. He tricks her into auditioning with him and the two decide to form a duo. Jo slowly falls in love with Harry, although he hardly notices. Suddenly, World War I breaks out and Jo's brother (Richard Quine) enlists. Harry is drafted, but he doesn't want to go because service will interfere with his chances at the big time. However, it turns out that although the military can break friends apart, it can also bring them together again.

This film utilizes newsreel footage flawlessly and the songs rejuvinate an era long gone. Garland's vocal power and Kelly's charisma make for a truly wonderful film. Aside from the title song, tunes like the By the Sea medley and After You've Gone are standout. With those songs and Busby Berkeley directing, it is no wonder the film was nominated for an Oscar for best scoring.

The movie poster cover reveals that Kelly was billed under George Murphy who plays Jo's former performing partner. His smile is catching, but his role is less important than Kelly's. Originally, however, Murphey was to play Harry Palmer.

Also included in this DVD are a few treats. Two short subjects including Every Sunday, the film Garland made as a test with Deanna Durbin, is here. The radio version can be heard as an audio-only with Garland and Kelly reprising their roles and Dick Powell in Murphy's.

A Slam Dunk.......2007-05-12

The "Ballin the Jack" number by itself is worth the price of purchase. Some reviewer here stated that Garland would not turn in a truly Oscar worthy performance until A Star is Born. That person did not see this film. Garland in For Me and My Gal turns in a performance that is better than the combined performances of every actress who has won best actress in the past ten years. As for the reviewers who decry the over the top patriotism in this film, I say get a life. When this movie came out, people didn't know how things were going to end. And a lot of them didn't survive to see it turn out so well. Thank goodness Judy and company were there to make life a little cherrier for them.

very good.......2007-01-10

One of the best musicals of Judy Garland and Jene Kelly,wonderful music,plus the performance of Martha Eggerth.

A great musical.......2006-11-05

For me and my Gal with Judy Garland as the leading lady is a fantastic movie and Gene Kelly's first movie was just a great start for his career. Judy shines with her amazing voice, grace and acting skills. Kelly is a marvelous dancer. We can appreciate Judy Garland's talent for dancing with Kelly but nobody can compare or even equal her talent as a gifted singer. This was Judy's first mature role as an adult an she did an excellent job. Judy Garland will carry the title of one of the greatest stars of all times for generations to come. Sensational movie. I give it two big thumbs up!

Average customer rating:

undisputable gratitude
Superbly produced documentary about the Shia insurgency in Iraq.
Interesting, but flawed documentary
Raw and Real.

The Blood of My Brother
Director: Andrew Berends
Manufacturer: Lifesize Entertainment
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Art House & International | Genres | DVD | Video

General | Documentary | Genres | DVD | Video

General | Special Interests | Genres | DVD | Video

Art House & International | Independently Distributed | Stores | DVD | Video

Documentary | Independently Distributed | Stores | DVD | Video

Special Interests | Independently Distributed | Stores | DVD | Video

General | Foreign & International | Stores | DVD | Video

Independently Distributed | Indie & Art House | Stores | DVD | Video

( B ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video
Similar Items:

ASIN: B000FVHGWY
Release Date: 2006-11-07

Description

The Blood of My Brother shows the war in Iraq from the perspective of an Iraqi family grieving the loss of a son who was killed by an American patrol as he stood guard at a mosque. The subtle dynamic between grief and rage is eloquently explored by director Andrew Berends, while he extends the scope of the doc to encompass the burgeoning culture of militancy found among young Iraqi men. From the family weeping at the gravesite to the Battle of Najaf, The Blood of My Brother gets closer to the troubles in Iraq than the embedded media ever could.

Customer Reviews:

undisputable gratitude.......2007-07-07

Not to judge -and you not to be judged upon.

A lose of the closest relative is a tragedy to any family, in Iraq, the USA or any other place worldwide.

From the very beginning of a doco by de facto blaming the US army for the fatal shooting down of illegally armed-guarding the musk, inextricably linking this death with known political changes in Iraq and, as a result from family tragedy, a growing insurgency hardly meets objectivity.

Naked Iraqi home truth of lawless sustaining very grounds of this country since artificial establishing of her about a century ago is factually the most steadily destabilizing factor of Iraqi society, not surprisingly bringing about a recorded during a film repeatedly openly manifested intention to kill any "American and Jew".

The producers should be priced for their personal bravery while recording the happenings, of which explicit depiction triggers viewer's undisputable gratitude to those preventing the reality of such manifestation on the streets in their own countries.

Superbly produced documentary about the Shia insurgency in Iraq........2007-01-31

This is flat-out one of the best documentaries I've seen thus far concerning the Iraq War. Andrew Berends captures the torment/anguish/ennui felt by a family of Shiite Iraqis living in Kadhamiya after one of their own is cut down by an American soldier as he was guarding a sacred mosque located within the district. It's difficult to discern whether or not the death of this young man was unprovoked. However the circumstances surrounding his death are moot and secondary to the primary motif running through the film: the reality of violence so pervasive that it is simply impossible to escape it. The cinematography is top-notch and combined with the superb editing gives the movie a narrative component that I've never quite seen in other documentaries. Highly highly recommended.

Interesting, but flawed documentary.......2007-01-16

THE BLOOD OF MY BROTHER documentary follows Ibrahim, a young Shiite man in his early twenties during a period of some weeks in spring/summer 2004. Ibrahim`s older brother Ra'ad was killed by American soldiers while on duty guarding the Kadhimiya mosque in Bagdad. The viewer is witness to Ibrahim`s and his family`s efforts to come to term with the loss of their loved one. Extended scenes show visits to Ra'ad`s grave or Ibrahim, his mother and sister recollecting. Ibrahim dreams of revenge and joining the resistance movement, but feels compelled to support his family by running his late brother's photography shop.
Interspersed is - often quite gruesome - footage of the insurgency and the turmoil in Iraq, ranging from streetfighting in the Sadr City slum in Bagdad (where a crowd of Shiites cheer at the wreck of a downed American Apache helicopter) to grim scenes of wounded civilians. The viewer accompanies American soldiers searching the homes of suspects and interrogating them or stands right behind an insurgent sniper. These particular scenes are really outstanding and scary, as you are right in the middle of it. A particular frightening episode has Iraqi policemen opening fire on apparently unarmed Shiite demonstrators in Najaf.
This is quite powerful and harrowing footage.
It should be pointed out however that the documentary has its lighter sides as well. Even in the carnage of today`s Iraq there is sometimes some semblence of normalcy, like when we witness Ibrahim with friends at a carp barbecue on the Tigris riverbank, or Ibrahim in attendance at a horse race in a deleted scene in the DVD's extra features section.

My problem with THE BLOOD OF MY BROTHER is the lack of context. There should be explanatory narration or title cards regarding several incidents or persons involved (like the Shiite cleric Moqtada es-Sadr). So unless you are knowledgeable about the Iraqi situation, you will likely feel a bit lost.
An asset of the documentary is the great ethnic score, which deserves special mention. The music fits perfectly to the images!
The subtitles are easy on the eyes. There are also nothing to complain about regarding extra features. There is the film's trailer, which sells the documentary well and about a dozen deleted scenes, running about 30 minutes in total (some interviews with American soldiers about their experiences, a lengthy sequence detailing the raid on an Iraqi suspect's home, several scenes about Ibrahim, a trip to a filthy open-air slaughterhouse and a scene detailing the sale of black market gasolene).

Raw and Real........2006-12-23

This well-produced documentary styled 'movie' will sober you up if you're still punch drunk from the State of Denial political press. Thematically focuses on a homeland's natural reflex to invasion and occupation. Throws you headlong straight into the mix - into Iraqi cities, streets, alleys, vendor shops, mosques, graveyards and homes of its citizens to make an uncensored point of the whole hellish mess. If you are clueless as to Middle Eastern culture (i.e. religious, economical and sociological mores) and wish to increase your understanding or deepen your perspective, this little movie will pry your eyes wide. After the movie, go to Main Movie setup screen and watch all the deleted scenes as it is all very foundational footage. Warning: This movie is stark. Recommended preliminary reading materials: The Iraq Study Group Report (can be downloaded in Adobe format on the Internet - about 100 pages long on regular typing paper).

Average customer rating:

Reality Bites
ZZZzzzzzzzz.............
Scrupulous but unrewarding
Intelligent and Wonderfully Brillant Cinema
Reality Never Tasted So Good

My Favorite Season
Starring: Catherine Deneuve , Daniel Auteuil , Marthe Villalonga , Jean-Pierre Bouvier , and Chiara Mastroianni
Director: André Téchiné
Manufacturer: Fox Lorber
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Art House & International | Genres | DVD | Video

General | Drama | Genres | DVD | Video

General | Documentary | Genres | DVD | Video

General | Foreign & International | Stores | DVD | Video

DVDs Under $7.49 | Today's Deals in DVD | Special Features | DVD | Video

( M ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video
Similar Items:

ASIN: 1572522135
Release Date: 1998-01-14

Amazon.com

A troubled family, living in genteel, suburban comfort in the south of France is jolted by the deteriorating health of their elderly grandmother and the reappearance of an absented sibling. Catherine Deneuve plays Emilie, a disillusioned parent and frustrated wife, who finds herself drawn away from her unimaginative husband toward her brother, a jealous and charismatic neurosurgeon. Structured like a novella with four chapters, Téchiné's film is riddled with long stretches of ponderous, often humorless, philosophical dialogue. Deneuve's Emilie remains inexpressive and remote; she occupies the moral center of the film, but her characterization isn't generous enough to grant us access to her motivations. Daniel Auteuil fares better as brother Antoine--his odd features and intelligent eyes communicate fathomless restlessness and longing. Spectacular, jaw-dropping footage of Southern France provides a gorgeous backdrop for many scenes, lending a depth and resonance that might otherwise be lacking. Bonus: Marcello Mastroianni's daughter Chiara portrays Emilie's daughter; she's a delight to watch and she acquits herself marvelously. --Miles Bethany

Customer Reviews:

Reality Bites.......2006-03-02

And so does this piece of pretentious trash! Half-hearted plodding thru a directionless plot by has-beens and wannabe's. The music (what music?) was just as mindless. This movie had so much unleased potential that it was almost torture to watch. I gave it one star for the nice scenery.

ZZZzzzzzzzz....................2005-07-05

I can't resist a movie with Catherine Deneuve - now I may be able to. A boring little tale of the spiraling sickness of an aged parent, unfeeling self-absorbed family, doomed, passionless marriage and a hint of incest. I gave it an extra star because, well it is Catherine after all. Rent it if you're desperate, but do not buy unless you're a masochist.

Scrupulous but unrewarding.......2004-03-22

"My son is a surgeon, my daughter a lawyer. I have children who achieved something. I took much care of them when they were young". (The mother, afer her children sent her off to a home for the aged).

"I saw to it that she has a tv-set in her room".(The daughter, trying to soothe her conscience).

Emilie (Catherine Deneuve) and her brother Antoine (Daniel Auteuil) have not seen each other in three years, but their mother's (Marthe Villalonga) stroke brings them together again. Emilie decides to assume her responsibility and lodge her mother at her house, a solution that makes no one happy. Emilie's marriage exists on paper only and she has difficulties in establishing personal contacts with her grown-up children. Her mother is not very sociable either, and feels like an alien element in her daughter's family. Christmas arrives and when Antoine's quarrel with Emilie's husband turns into a brawl Emilie decides to give up her marriage and her mother packs and moves in with her son. But their living together fails equally. She has the feeling the her son is angry with her: "Have I kept him from living? Little pleasures?". She decides to go home.

Summer arrives and the second stroke. The mother is outwardly composed when she takes place in the car that drives her to her new home. She is so resigned that she killed all her chicken before leaving her house for the last time. She shows no interest for the landscape or her children's incessant talking.

Antoine tries to convince his sister to go to live with him: "We have two brains from one womb" but she hesitates: "I'm afraid of you, Antoine!". The siblings buckle under the nervous strain while their mother is nearly frantic: Her physical condition is serious enough, but the company of senile and mentally disturbed patients finishes her off...

Ah! Why can't director Andre Techine be a little bit more like Claude Chabrol? Chabrol, in Techine's place would have built up an ominous atmosphere and let the audience suspect that something alarming and unspeakable is going on...But Techine has the bad habit of waving a bait (incest) in front of the audience and then leading them up the garden path. The film is well constructed (the four seasons) and the shots look like a perfect dream. The subject - two siblings don't know how to handle their mother and their own fear of old age - can't fail to touch and the performances of the elder generation are marvelous. Villalonga is resolute but ultimately embittered and her dogged attempts to retain her mental faculties are heartbreaking. Deneuve gives one of her greatest performances: warm and noble, trying to give proof of moral strength, outraged to be forced in the defensive and feel guilty about things she cannot change. Sometimes we catch Auteuil at an "arriere pensee" when he unmasks his feelings in his cryptic monologues. He becomes more and more erratic and suddenly he cracks up. But this is just one side of the film. The scenes with the younger generation seem not directed at all, as if the director told them: Folks, you're free. Do your own thing. The scene when Deneuve's son invites his girlfriend to strip in front of his sister (Deneuve's own daughter Chiara) is especially repellent, and Deneuve's "bed-scene" on a park-bench is sickening and unmotivated (The motive was of course to pep a static film up). MA SAISON PREFEREE is a very unrewarding film. High production values but big disappointment. I wish this film were trash, so that I can trample on it. Since it isn't I feel blackmailed...

Intelligent and Wonderfully Brillant Cinema.......2004-02-18

This review refers to the Fox Lorber DVD edition of "My Favorite Season"....

"My Favorite Season" is a wonderful piece of French filmmaking.The intelligent and subtle screenplay, the brillant cast, the beautiful setting of the French countryside,marvelous music, all under the expert direction of Andre Techine, had me hanging on every word,left me wanting more of this exquiste film, and thinking about it for quite some time afterwards.

Catherine Deneuve and Daniel Auteuil, work beautifully together as Emilie and Antoine, brother and sister trying to cope with a very dysfunctional family life, their own troubled relationship and the declining health of their aging mother.This is a family that tries very hard to just like one another, and with the passsing of each season,the changes in their lives run a gamut of emotions. Deneuve, Auteuil, and the rest of this outstanding cast will draw you in with their intuitive performances.It is a film that will involve you from the first frame to the last.

Fox Lorber has a knack for selecting and bringing to DVD some of the best international works out there. "My Favorite Season" is among the best of those. Overall, the DVD presents a nice clear picture in widescreen. The film is in French with subtitles in English. I did not see any way to delete the subtitles though. A trailer, and biographies are also included.

A wonderful emotional drama, and fine piece of filmmaking...enjoy...Laurie

Reality Never Tasted So Good.......2002-12-27

My Favorite Season is a film by Andre Techine. It depicts a dysfunctional French family as they come to grips with life in post-Vichy southern France. I'm kidding of course, the film has nothing to do with French Fascism, except in the sense that that period in history led up to the events depicted in the film, and if there had been no German occupation and Vichy government, this film would have been greatly different.

As to the film, it is lyrical and hypnotic. If this is what the French think of as dysfunction, then I am moving to France, because dysfunction never tasted so sweet. This is one of the greatest movies ever made, and here's why:

The performance of Catherine Deneuve. This was the first time I'd seen her in a movie, but I'd heard alot, well not alot, but some things about her, and, no actually I saw her in a stupid movie with John Malkovich, but in this movie I saw the raw hypnotic power of her stage presence. She doesn't have to do anything, and thank God, because the naturalness of her performance comes through. The thing that sets this movie apart is that it doesn't try to hard. This movie subtracted much of what goes into a modern American film, such as half-hearted attempts at plot, drama, action, good acting, etc... and created a story based on substance and momentum. The actors are effortless in their perfect portrayals of this so-called dysfunctional family. Que vive Le Maisson Preferee.

Average customer rating:

Looking for my brother

looking for my brother

Looking For My Brother
Starring: Tom Kenney , Laurel Sweet , Alan Rickman , George Bush , and Dan Rather
Director: John Kenney , and Rick Knief
Manufacturer: Rocket Science Productions
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Art House & International | Genres | DVD | Video
Rickman, Alan | ( R ) | Actors & Actresses | Stores | DVD | Video
Art House & International | Independently Distributed | Stores | DVD | Video
Documentary | Independen