Aberdeen

Amazon.com

An achingly beautiful film, Aberdeen has an outrageously sentimental premise: Kaisa (Lena Headey) is asked by her fatally ill mother (Charlotte Rampling) to bring her estranged father Tomas (Stellan Skarsgård,) to visit before her mother dies. Kaisa finds Tomas--a jobless drunk--at his home in Norway, and basically drags him on a road trip back to Scotland, over the course of which they're forced to grapple with their past. This could be a recipe for maudlin sap, but instead--thanks to sharp incisive writing, unexpected characters, and performances that encompass humor, brutally honest self-destructive behavior, and subtle gentleness--Aberdeen is bracing, constantly surprising, and deeply engaging. The entire cast (including the always solid Ian Hart, of Backbeat and Hollow Reed) is incredibly good. Highly recommended. --Bret Fetzer

Customer Reviews:

Excellent acting & writing.......2007-06-23

It started with infatuation of Diana Rigg, Olivia Newton-John, Sheena Easton and Nicole Kidman. Now, Lena Headey is the heir apparent to my list of fantasy women with British accents. Oh yeah, she is an excellent actress as well.

In many ways the movie was depressing. However, if the writers and directors were trying to portray a dysfunctional addicted family... they succeeded brilliantly. In an era of man bashing the interjection of Clive (Ian Hart) as the Good Samaritan truck driver was refreshing.

The ending leaves you pondering the final outcome ... ala "The Lady or the Tiger". All in all, the movie is worth the time and money.

Could have been a hidden treasure, but not nearly serious enough; a "C-".......2007-02-12

This is one of the more disappointing movies I've seen in recent years. I was expecting an intense and/or intimate study of the relationship between these two characters but there is just too much preposterous and unnecessary action in this movie. Lena Headley will certainly hold your attention (both for her acting and down-right attractiveness) and Stellan Skarsgard (a fine actor from what I can make of this and 'Good Will Hunting') fulfills the requirements of the script, but that's the problem: the script is more about moving the plot forward and never takes itself seriously enough. Having had a personal history with alcoholism in my own family and having actually grown up in the Aberdeen area until I was sixteen added to my disappointment regarding what this film could have been - it was nowhere close tonally to its potential. On top of all that, I came to find out that the filmmakers never even shot in Aberdeen and used other Scottish cities for substitute footage instead - so what was the point of calling it 'Aberdeen' other than a tie-in to Skarsgard's oil-industry background? Again, a "disappointment" on numerous levels.

Road Trip to an Unexpected Place.......2006-11-11

The premise is outrageously sentimental; however, Charlotte Rampling, with her trademark dry delivery, has never uttered a sentimental word onscreen in her life. In this movie, as "Helen,"she's supposedly in an Aberdeen hospital, near death with cancer. She calls her daughter "Kaisa," a successful, feisty(as they so often say), London lawyer with sidelines in snorting coke and one-night stands with strangers, and asks her to go find Helen's husband (common-law or otherwise, we never know), and Kaisa's father, Tomas Heller, as played by Stellan Skarsgard: he's previously worked the North Sea oil rigs, but is now back in his Norwegian homeland.

Aberdeen, a town on Scotland's Northwest coast is, in its modern incarnation, pretty much a wild west rootin' tootin' oil boom town, where you might go quite a distance hearing only Texas accents and passing only Tex-Mex eateries. Ian Rankin's Inspector Rebus, in his series of mystery novels, calls Aberdeen natives "Wooly Boots, " though I can't remember why for the life of me. The men who work the oil rigs generally work periods of some time; then have some time off, the better to allow them to drink an ocean or two of alcohol at their leisure. But, of course, Tomas is no longer working, he'd sure be dangerous if he were, and he's a nasty, stinky, unmanageable full-time drunk. Mind you, the Scots are hardly known as teetotalers, and the Scandianavians, with their six dark winter months, well...

So Lena sets out for Norway to find Tomas; that she does. But between his drunkenness and her temper, they are unable to board a plane, and must drive back: road trip, anyone? This particular road trip follows the conventions of the genre. Kaisa and Tomas discover more about themselves, and each other, than they may have wanted to. They get themselves in a lot of trouble; they'd never have gotten through it without the help of Ian Hart, as the kindly truck driver Clive; and there are some scenes that are almost unbearable to watch.

It does seem to take them quite a long time to get from London to Scotland, though to be sure they have a lot of business to get through on that drive. Also, oddly enough, the movie seems to be filmed entirely, or almost entirely, in Glasgow, no matter where it claims to be. At one point, they are in the magnificent, paneled interior of Glasgow's main train station-- it must have been designed by Charles Rennie Mackintosh, that city's famous favorite son architect-interior designer, or at the very least, by a student of his-- while they claim to be in Edinburgh. Now, why anyone would drive through east coast Edinburgh, on the way to west coast Aberdeen, where someone is dying in hospital, is a mystery to me. You couldn't even call it a travelogue, as they are not in that beautiful east coast city, however.

The acting, with the cast this movie boasts, is superb. Charlotte Rampling makes the most of her few minutes of screen time and her death scene. Lena Headley is beautiful, and makes "Kaisa" so real you worry about her. Ian Hart is excellent as "Clive." But Stellan Skarsgard, a Swedish actor speaking English in a Norwegian movie set in Scotland: he's uncanny. An almost unbearably good drunk.

Road picture it may be, but this movie does end up in an unexpected, touching place, as Kaisa and her father do at last seem to break through to each other. If you can stand the ride, the arrival's a great reward.

Well Acted And Superior Character Development. A Must See........2006-09-10

This is an exceptionally well acted movie. Lena Headey has a pure break out performance that shows she will have a long career in film, as breathtakingly beautiful as Headey is her acting takes center stage...Stellan Skarsgard brillance and his chemistry with Headey in the father/daughter relationship is worth the price of this film...(Charlotte Rampling has a minor yet important role, she is on screen for 10 minutes total) This film is about the journey Headey and Skarsgard must take...disguised as a roadtrip with a destination but truly is a journey to see themselves and each other...Quality filmaking, it will linger...

Observant and Convincing.......2005-07-30

"Aberdeen" puts a new twist on the "Rainman" road trip story, but instead of a young man and his autistic-savant brother, we have a young woman and her drunken father. The purpose of this journey is to see the cancer-stricken mother/spouse of the pair before she dies. As in "Rainman", the travelers are thwarted from boarding a plane and must make other arrangements. The father's drunkenness, along with car trouble and other unexpected obstacles force Kaisa (the daughter) to use her ingenuity, as the pair must improvise along the way. Fortunately they get an assist from a kind stranger, Clive (Ian Hart), without whom they may have been stymied. Clive must eventually leave the two to their own devices, however, and it is then that Kaisa'a father (Stellan Skarsgard) begins to pull himself together to prevent Kaisa (Lena Headey) from completely unraveling.

The journey is fully engaging throughout, as the viewer tries to understand the nature and history of this family, as well as the suspense of what will happen if and when they arrive at the hospital in Aberdeen. The acting is top-notch, especially Skarsgard who is a very convincing drunk. Though some of the story may be upsetting, "Aberdeen" is a movie with heart. Recommended for thoughtful adults.

Average customer rating:

Conflicting Thoughts
View the movie with an open mind
Terrible..........................
A View From A Time Gone By

Saturday Night at the Baths
Starring: Ellen Sheppard , Robert Aberdeen , Don Scotti (II) , Steve Ostrow , and Caleb Stone
Director: David Buckley (IV)
Manufacturer: Water Bearer Films
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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

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Gay & Lesbian | Comedy | Genres | DVD | Video

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ASIN: B000ECX0R4
Release Date: 2006-03-21

Customer Reviews:

Conflicting Thoughts.......2007-07-20

"Saturday Night at the Baths"

Conflicting Thoughts

Amos Lassen and Cinema Pride

"Saturday Night at the Baths" (WaterBearer Films) is entertaining, sincere and uplifting in the spirit of the late 60's and early 70's when bathhouses were the vogue. It is not, by any means, a great movie, but it was, when it was made (1975) a step forward for American movies. I remember the Continental Baths of the 70's and it was an amazing establishment. It was a pleasure palace with great lighting juice bar and coffee shop. An elevator, an indoor pool and sex, sex, sex. Bette Midler got her start there as did many young gay men. It was liberating and a place where sexuality could be expressed openly. The movie, however, does not capture the spirit of the bathhouse but it does catch the spirit of the time.
The plot of the film is thin but who needs a plot in a bathhouse? The ending, for the time it was made, is shocking. Two men, completely naked get into bed and kiss and this is something not seen in American cinema.
I have read several serious criticisms of this movie--that the editing is poor, that the acting and the script is bad. This is an independent film made at a time when Indies were few and far between. No major American studio would have made a movie on the subject of gay bathhouses back then so we should be glad we have this. It is an accurate look at gay life of the period and it is both gentle and hard. It shows the sordidness of the times and does so with wit and honesty. The realism of the characters shows a certain dignity. They were all looking for love wherever they could find it.
"Saturday Night" lets the audience know how we lived before AIDS decimated our numbers and this makes it important.
Now that bathhouses are barely existent, it is good that we have a record f them. They were once an integral part of gay life and cannot be ignored.

View the movie with an open mind.......2006-09-22

First off, let me say that the people who criticize the movie's shoddy editing, acting and writing are being bad sports. It's very much an independent movie but that's part of its charm. Did they really expect a Hollywood studio to sink a ton of money into the production of a New York City bathhouse movie?!? Circa 1975?!?

I have often said (after a few too many drinks at a piano bar) that the 1970s were self-destructive and completely out of control -- and I desperately wish I had been a part of it!

From what I can tell, the movie is an extremely accurate depiction of the 1970s gay bathhouse scene. What it also has is a liberating sort of gentleness, a "delicate hardness", as someone once described Vergil's bucolic poetry. The movie doesn't shy away from the screaming queens and the overall sordid quality of that world. Rather, its brutal realism enlarges the dignity of its characters, all of whom are looking for love in whatever way they can find it, heterosexual or homosexual.

As I said, view the movie with an open mind. It may make you a better person!

Terrible.................................2006-04-05

The acting was horrible,the men were ugly the plot thers is none .There is not really much more to say about this movie other than it sucks.........Avoid by all means.

A View From A Time Gone By.......2006-03-30

I guess the best thing you can say about this film is that it gives the audience a sense of what gay life must have been like prior to the aids epedemic.
The acting is not very good, the editing is terrible, the film quality is poor and the sound is bad.
The best aspect of the film is the feature debut of Jane Olivor who sings a great rendition of "Pretty Girl" It is great to see her in performance from her early days in the business. Sometimes, however, the movement of her mouth and the sound of the film do not match.
I also enjoyed the drag show with Diana Ross and Judy Garland.

All in all, not a great movie, but its less than 90 minutes long so its worth a viewing....

The Plays of William Shakespeare - Macbeth

Average customer rating:

short 2 hour version is missing one or two key scenes.
Does the job well enough
Too much 'Method' in this madness
APPALLING DVD despite great actors
It was ok.

The Plays of William Shakespeare - Macbeth
Starring: Jeremy Brett , Piper Laurie , Simon MacCorkindale , Richard Alfieri , and Barry Primus
Director: Arthur Allan Seidelman
Manufacturer: Kultur Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B000059XTS
Release Date: 2001-01-30

Description

The clearest and most understandable Shakespeare productions ever made. Staged as seen in the 16th Century, featuring award-winning performers. A tale of murder, greed and untimely death. Starring Jeremy Brett, Piper Laurie, Simon MacCorkingdale and Barry Primus. 150 minutes.

Customer Reviews:

short 2 hour version is missing one or two key scenes........2007-02-07

you know i've seen many renditions of Macbeth and in some plays he comes off almost as a Hamletlike Macbeth,(conflicted to abstraction)In this version he comes off just plain MEAN!! His wife mean and cold. Actually the worse the acting job in portraying this hellish couple,the more real to life. They just aren't likable people,brutal and agressive.However this version did cut out the critical scene when MacDuff tries to sway the English power against Macbeth. This is important because no matter how bad Macbeth is,the English worry that Macduff could be worse,so they put Macduff through a test of character.To the English,Macbeth is "the Devil we know",as opposed to the one we don,t. This is a major scene in the play and to omit it is a mistake. But the good note is that the Hell porter man is there in all fullness complete with drunken accents.

Does the job well enough.......2007-01-09

I picked up this DVD to help my son to supplement his reading of the play for his high school Lit class. The play is staged quite simply, and is shot basically the way one would see it on stage, with few tracking shots or camera tricks. The set is quite spare -- a few columns here and there for the actors to walk around. The costuming is simple and mostly traditional.

The back of the DVD claims that the actors avoid speaking in English accents, which is supposedly an aid to American listeners. Frankly, this did not help me much, as some of the actors still spoke in "stagey" English and not in contemporary accents. The production stayed very close to the written play, which was suitable to the purpose I had in mind -- give me a sense of the play without lots of adaptations and scene cutting.

I thought Jeremy Brett did a fine and muscular job as Macbeth. However, I often found Piper Laurie (as Lady Macbeth) hard to understand. The witches and their familiars get more stage time than a reading of the play might suggest. This does not detract from the action, but suggests the continuing presence of their malign influence on Macbeth and others. The rest of the cast was quite competent and intelligible.

I don't agree completely with the very low ratings given by many reviewers. This Macbeth is a workmanlike and straightforward rendering of "The Scottish Tragedy." Taken for what it is, it is quite acceptable, if not exemplary.

Too much 'Method' in this madness.......2006-06-22

Method actress Piper Laurie made me laugh out loud when she began the "Come you spirits" speech as if she were trying to summon Blanche DuBois and Medea in one go. Can't imagine Mr. Brett's excuse for as abysmally poor acting. For even worse Shakespearean acting (and yes, it's not the same as playing any other texts) see two Star Trekkers (Ohura and the Russian guy) and a General Hospital star (Luke) in this series' "Antony and Cleopatra". Not a larfing matter in the end.

APPALLING DVD despite great actors.......2003-04-23

I love Jeremy Brett and Piper Laurie. Their combined talents offer what few enjoyable moments there are to be found in this Macbeth, but they unfortunately can't salvage this atrocious production. Seeing it is enough to turn someone off Shakespeare. (Should that happen, Al Pacino's delightful LOOKING FOR RICHARD is the perfect antidote to restore passion for the Bard). But I digress. I want to issue a warning to all who might assume the DVD version of this Macbeth would be superior to the VHS. In this instance, tape was simply transferred unto disk with no remastering or enhancements, and there are no extra features. The visual and audio quality is appalling. I regret buying this DVD when I already owned the VHS (..like I said, I love Jeremy Brett...) The only advantage is being able to skip the boring parts to get to the monologues. But that isn't saying much.

It was ok........2002-11-10

I'm not going to say that this is the best version of Macbeth that I have ever seen. I'm just saying that it was ok. In my opinion, whoever made this production should have cast someone who actually did Shakespeare. I don't even know if Jeremy Brett and Piper Laurie have ever done Shakespeare. The set is gorgeous. Something tells me that you had to be brave to stand on the ramp above the stage. Macduff Jr. is so adorable. I was saddened when the Murderers killed him offstage. I was so sad when I heard him crying offstage at the end of the scene. The biggest highlight of the video (I rented it from the library) was the Witches. I liked the Witches even more when I found out that one of the actresses playing the Witches also played Bianca in this series' production of Othello. She's better at being evil than good. What especially charmed me about the witches was their costumes. I was expecting old chambermaid costumes or rags. I was also expecting old women, not sexy women. Then, there were the three demons, or apparitios as they are credited. They were freaky. I was especially charmed because the witches and the apparations appear more than once. Watch for them. They're pretty prominent. Other than that, just rent the DVD for the Witches, Macduff Jr. and the set. There is too much overacting from the leading players. They almost killed this DVD. Everyone else is good except for Malcolm. They obviously hired this guy because his chest is sexy.

Average customer rating:

WWII Tank Destroyers

ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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

Product Description

"3'' GUN MOTOR CARRIAGE See the M10 Tank Destroyer in this high quality 1943 U.S. Army Film Bulletin. TANK DESTROYERS The Santa Fe Railroad presents this rare color film of M-10 Tank Destroyer crew training at Camp Hood, TX. in WWII. SEEK, STRIKE, DESTROY This 1942 Film Bulletin shows the early Halftrack Tank Destroyer with 75mm gun at Camp Hood, TX. ADDITIONAL FILM CLIPS INCLUDE: Newsreels, M10 in combat, Aberdeen Proving Ground test films and a restored M10. 56 minutes, Color/bw."

Average customer rating:

short 2 hour version is missing one or two key scenes.
Does the job well enough
Too much 'Method' in this madness
APPALLING DVD despite great actors
It was ok.

Macbeth [Region 2]
Starring: Jeremy Brett , Piper Laurie , Simon MacCorkindale , Richard Alfieri , and Barry Primus
Director: Arthur Allan Seidelman
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Drama | Genres | DVD | Video

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ASIN: B00004D35C

Customer Reviews:

short 2 hour version is missing one or two key scenes........2007-02-07

Does the job well enough.......2007-01-09

Too much 'Method' in this madness.......2006-06-22

APPALLING DVD despite great actors.......2003-04-23

It was ok........2002-11-10

Average customer rating:

Aberdeen City

Manufacturer: Baeble Music
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Music Video & Concerts | Genres | DVD | Video
ASIN: B000V78PG8
Release Date: 2007-08-16

amazon.com

Newcomers Aberdeen City open for Electric Six with swirling, guitar-driven rock.

Average customer rating:

short 2 hour version is missing one or two key scenes.
Does the job well enough
Too much 'Method' in this madness
APPALLING DVD despite great actors
It was ok.

The Tragedy of Macbeth
Starring: Jeremy Brett , Piper Laurie , Simon MacCorkindale , Richard Alfieri , and Barry Primus
Director: Arthur Allan Seidelman
Manufacturer: Image Entertainment
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B00001O2G5
Release Date: 2000-01-01

Description

The tragedy of a king so blinded by ambition and paranoia that he senselessly murders those in his path--eventually leading to his own demise. Macbeth encounters three prophesying witches on his journey home from battle. Macbeth's ambitions are kindled by the witches' prediction that he will someday be king. In an effort to hasten the prophecy, he and Lady Macbeth plot the murders of those in the way. Under the strain of the heinous crimes, Lady Macbeth dies, and Macbeth edges toward insanity. Macduff organizes a force to overthrow Macbeth. In the tragic climax, the two duel, Macbeth is killed, and King Duncan's eldest son, Malcolm, becomes king. Featuring Jeremy Brett as Macbeth and Piper Laurie as Lady Macbeth.

Customer Reviews:

short 2 hour version is missing one or two key scenes........2007-02-07

Does the job well enough.......2007-01-09

Too much 'Method' in this madness.......2006-06-22

APPALLING DVD despite great actors.......2003-04-23

It was ok........2002-11-10

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