High School Musical (Encore Edition)

Amazon.com

The Disney Channel Original Movie High School Musical is a combination of backstage action and Grease without the unwholesome habits. Scoring record ratings at the time of its January 2006 broadcast, it's a smash hit with tween audiences (ages 6 to 10), but appealing for all ages. At a New Year's Eve party, Troy (Zac Efron of the WB's Summerland) has a chance meeting with Gabriella (Vanessa Anne Hudgens) when they share a karaoke song. Lo and behold, when school resumes, they discover that Gabriella has just transferred to Troy's East High School, a campus divided into tight cliques of jocks, cheerleaders, brainiacs, and skater dudes. Eager to recapture the magic they'd discovered during karaoke, Troy and Gabriella consider auditioning for the school's upcoming musical, much to the dismay of the school's frost queen/theater goddess, Sharpay (Ashley Tisdale of The Suite Life of Zack and Cody). Problem is, Troy is also the star of the basketball team and Gabrielle is being recruited to compete in the Scholastic Decathlon. Will they give up their cliques to start something new, or will they do as the show's first big anthem urges and "Stick to the Status Quo"? Well, this is a Disney movie, so maybe the sacrifices won't be that hard, and even the hints of romance are mild.

The bestselling soundtrack is catchy in that Disney-pop kind of way, mixing in a dash of hip-hop ("Getcha Head in the Game," punctuated by squeaky basketball shoes and other sound effects), salsa ("Bop to the Top"), and the endearingly hammy ("What I've Been Looking For" performed by Sharpay and her brother, Ryan, played by Lucas Gabreel). It's not hard to imagine High School Musical becoming a semi-staple for high school groups to perform themselves. DVD bonus features include sing-along subtitles; a 9-minute featurette discussing casting, recording sessions, and rehearsals; a multi-angle look at a rehearsal of "Bop to the Top"; and music videos for "We're All in This Together" and a song that didn't make it into the final film, "I Can't Take My Eyes Off of You," performed by Efron, Hudgens, Tisdale, and Gabreel. --David Horiuchi

Description

The all-new, smash hit Disney Channel Original Movie everyone is talking about is now available for the first time ever on DVD -- with never-before-seen bonus features that will rock your house! Troy (Zac Efron), the popular captain of the basketball team, and Gabriella (Vanessa Anne Hudgens), the brainy and beautiful member of the academic club, break all the rules of East High society when they secretly audition for the leads in the school's musical. As they reach for the stars and follow their dreams, everyone learns about acceptance, teamwork, and being yourself. And it's all set to fun tunes and very cool dance moves! Featuring the hottest talent, HIGH SCHOOL MUSICAL celebrates the power of music in this hip, entertaining, gotta-get-up-and-dance movie. Own all the excitement and the exclusive extras available only on this Encore Edition DVD.

Customer Reviews:

Great Musical.......2007-09-15

This was a great movie. I had heard Kelly talk about it on Regis and Kelly many times and kept ignoring it. I figured that at my age it was a little young, but i rented it and thought it was great and immediately became addicted! I had seen Zac Efron on Summerland and never saw what was so great about him, but he is really great in this role and he can sing really well! As far as people stating that he is too short to be a basketball star, he is in high school and the average height and weight varies. I went to school with a very short person on our varsity team as a freshman because he was just really good, so it isnt impossible. i didnt find it too hard to believe except that he wasnt very built. In the second one though he looks more the basketball star. The rest of the cast does and great job and Vanessa has an amazing job. Look past what happened recently in her personal life leaking to the public, and think of it as just that something in a teenagers life that wasnt suppose to be said to everyone in the world. She is still a role model and a great singer.

A Must Have.......2007-09-08

All in All the very best musical Ever!Im 48 and think these Actors/Singers Out did Grease 110 percent!My fav being Vanessa Anne Hudgens,Ashley Tisdale and the Talented Lucas Grabeel who plays Ryan.For you Grease Fans you should update your musical because this is a must have and really trully better.

A Whiff of Fascism.......2007-09-06

I know, this is a very popular movie and the music is OK. But the story is stridently insipid: winners win because that's what winners do, and losers lose because there's something wrong with anyone who's not a winner...and don't talk to me about underdogs. Despite the best efforts of its heroically perky cast, the film is nearly humorless. It was suggested that we stage this at our high school, but I've black-balled it.

Bring Back Grease!.......2007-09-01

I finally saw this movie after months of hearing about how unexpectedly brilliant it was, and I have to say I disagree completely. Nothing about this movie was unexpected; everything from the cheesy dialogue to the cliched plot to the corny songs to the caricatures, I mean characters, were predictable to the point of being campy and over-the-top. And not in a good way. Why exactly is a scrawny, short kid the star of the basketball team? What reasonable people are that frenetically obsessed with maintaining the status quo? And what's up with Sharpay and her brother starring in every school show *together*? Incest, that's a new one for Disney. I'd also like to point out that no one would name their two children "Ryan" and "Sharpay." As a disclaimer, I do love bad karaoke, Disney Channel Original Movies, Grease, but I can't see what the fuss is all about with this one. This movie's only redeeming qualities were Gabriella, Kelsi, and that kid who bakes stuff, all of whom I thought were adorable. The only reason this is even getting 2 stars is because for whatever reason, I set my TiVo to record the second one.

Well, the story line was good..........2007-09-01

alright I know this is going to effect my reviewer rank but i can't leave this unsaid, I CAN'T STAND DISNEY ANYMORE!!!! I used to love disney before they got all the teenager relationships!!! It did have a good story line so I'll give some credit to disney for that. if you like teenager sappy romance I guess you"ll love this. I mean no offence to anyone who likes this movie so please don't say this was an unhelpful review. I am just saying what I think.

Average customer rating:

I liked American Psyco better
Batman Is Worth the extra cash for this HD-DVD
Deffects Absent
One of the best to show off your HD system!
Chris Nolan's Superhero Film Noir Restarts The Franchise

Batman Begins [HD DVD]
Starring: Christian Bale , Katie Holmes , Michael Caine , Liam Neeson , and Morgan Freeman
Manufacturer: Warner Home Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: HD DVD

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ASIN: B000E1MTY0
Release Date: 2006-10-10

Amazon.com

Batman Begins discards the previous four films in the series and recasts the Caped Crusader as a fearsome avenging angel. That's good news, because the series, which had gotten off to a rousing start under Tim Burton, had gradually dissolved into self-parody by 1997's Batman & Robin. As the title implies, Batman Begins tells the story anew, when Bruce Wayne (Christian Bale) flees Western civilization following the murder of his parents. He is taken in by a mysterious instructor named Ducard (Liam Neeson in another mentor role) and urged to become a ninja in the League of Shadows, but he instead returns to his native Gotham City resolved to end the mob rule that is strangling it. But are there forces even more sinister at hand?

Co-written by the team of David S. Goyer (a veteran comic book writer) and director Christopher Nolan (Memento), Batman Begins is a welcome return to the grim and gritty version of the Dark Knight, owing a great debt to the graphic novels that preceded it. It doesn't have the razzle dazzle, or the mass appeal, of Spider-Man 2 (though the Batmobile is cool), and retelling the origin means it starts slowly, like most "first" superhero movies. But it's certainly the best Bat-film since Burton's original, and one of the best superhero movies of its time. Bale cuts a good figure as Batman, intense and dangerous but with some of the lightheartedness Michael Keaton brought to the character. Michael Caine provides much of the film's humor as the family butler, Alfred, and as the love interest, Katie Holmes (Dawson's Creek) is surprisingly believable in her first adult role. Also featuring Gary Oldman as the young police officer Jim Gordon, Morgan Freeman as a Q-like gadgets expert, and Cillian Murphy as the vile Jonathan Crane. --David Horiuchi

Batman at Amazon.com

All Batman DVDs
Batman Begins 101: A Comic Book Primer
Where Have I Seen Christian Bale?

All Batman Comics and Graphic Novels
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Batman Begins Soundtrack

Stills from Batman Begins (click for larger images)

DVD Features

The first disc is filled out by the theatrical trailer and a Jimmy Fallon-starring Batman Begins spoof from the MTV Movie Awards. The second disc consists of eight featurettes (about 105 minutes total) on a variety of topics. "The Journey Begins" covers the early stages of the movie, including the casting and how director/co-writer Christopher Nolan brought in co-writer David S. Goyer for his comic-book expertise. "Shaping Mind and Body" covers Christian Bale's fight training, and other featurettes discuss the sets (the Batcave is shown being constructed out of wood and sheets), the Batman costume, the Batmobile, the monorail sequence, and the hazards of filming in Iceland. All the behind-the-scenes featurettes are solid but somewhat routine, and while "The Journey Begins" is the widest overview, there's not really any centerpiece documentary (all are 8 to 15 minutes, and there's no Play All option). Interviewees tend to be the same throughout: Nolan, Goyer, Bale (the only cast member to get much face time), and other crew members (it's nice to hear from the stunt people).

Potentially more interesting to fans is "Genesis of the Bat," which covers the comic books that influenced the film, including The Long Halloween, Neal Adams's Ra's Al Ghul from the '70s, Dennis O'Neill and Dick Giordano's The Man Who Falls, and Frank Miller's Batman: Year One and The Dark Knight Returns. Interviewees include DC Comics editor Paul Levitz and artist Jim Lee, but the latter's involvement eventually degrades the featurette into a pitch for DC's All-Star Batman line. A nice bonus to the Deluxe Edition is a mini comic book (DVD case-sized) that has Batman's first appearance (Detective Comics #27), The Man Who Falls, and a 48-page excerpt from The Long Halloween. (Once you get a taste of Halloween, you'll want to pick up the full-length, full-size version.) Filling out the disc are overviews of four gadgets and eight characters, DVD-ROM features, and a variety of poster-art concepts. To get to the features menu, you have to scroll through a multi-page Goyer-scribed comic book, which is a good read, but you can't skip it the next time you want to watch the second disc. Note that the comic book is also viewable in French, and the second disc offers a French menu and French (but not English) subtitles for the featurettes. --David Horiuchi

Description

Batman Begins explores the origins of the Batman legend and the Dark Knight's emergence as a force for good in Gotham. In the wake of his parents' murder, disillusioned industrial heir Bruce Wayne (Christian Bale) travels the world seeking the means to fight injustice and turn fear against those who prey on the fearful. He returns to Gotham and unveils his alter-ego: Batman, a masked crusader who uses his strength, intellect and an array of high tech deceptions to fight the sinister forces that threaten the city.

Customer Reviews:

I liked American Psyco better.......2007-09-12

I got that batmobile for my son thats probably the best part of the movie. They need to make that next movie they hinted at in the end with the joker. Bottom line- roof top batmobile chase, more please, Christian Bale batman eeeygh I don't think so.Batman Begins Deluxe Batmobile Vehicle

Batman Is Worth the extra cash for this HD-DVD.......2007-09-11

Batman Begins as a movie is great. The plot and settings of the movie really makes it feel like a real batman movie. Not colorful and very dark. The HD DVD transfer is amazing, with black levels beyond belief. If you have the standard def version and compare it to the HD version, you will notice a huge difference on any size high def t.v thats over 27 inches. I recommend this to any HD DVD owner, even if you have the standard dvd. a must.

Deffects Absent.......2007-09-06

Tim Burton's original Batman was truly groundbreaking and did deserve the huge amounts of praise it recieved (I never really cared for any of the sequels. While the Joker was surreal, at least he was accetable. Batman Returns carried the unreality a little far). However, it was flawed. Mainly, it was small things that caught my attention, such as the fact that Batman's suit was so stiff that he could hardly fight in it (did it bother anybody else that he couldn't even turn his neck?) and the movie made me wonder how organized crime could realisticly be so obvious in a city and no one do anything about it. Batman Begins makes the corruption of Gotham's judicial system and police department very real and makes you realize that an independent like Batman, as unlikely a hero as he is, is badly needed. And instead of skirting around the issues with the batsuit we finally see every part of it explained from the horns on his head to the reason for the design of his cape and(GASP!) it actually seems plausable, even almost likely. Other pluses include: Unlike in so many other movies, the special effects are not just there for themselves, but really add to the story. Other portrayals of Batman make him seem unstable and even dangerous to those he is supposedly protecting, while here he is an immovable, if dark, force for good with solid, sain reasons for doing what he does. (This movie just goes to show how adaptable Batman really is. There are so many good ways to portray him!) The villains, too, are unbelievably lifelike considering their origins (like Batman, the comics), good acting and a well devised plot draw you in and keep you wide-eyed, and, though some may say the movie was just too long, I loved every minute of it!

One of the best to show off your HD system!.......2007-09-01

I've noticed that everyone wants to review the film but nobody talks about its HD muscle. After buying many HD-DVDs I will say that Batman Begins is the overal best combination of amazing picture and fire setting audio! The Dolby TruHD audio track is stunning and somehow manages to make your house sound more like a movie theater than anything else out there. 100% recommended

Chris Nolan's Superhero Film Noir Restarts The Franchise.......2007-08-23

When I was a kid, I'll admit that I kind of hated Batman, thanks to reruns of the 1960s television series. On TV, Batman was sanctimonious, shallow and corny. In 1989, however, the advent of Tim Burton's Batman movie exposed me to a whole new side of Batman: a flawed, moody outsider who lived in a corrupt, gothic metropolis, and who was more than willing to act lethally if he felt it was needed. Batman became a huge success, and was one of the first "summer megahype movies" to benefit from the new Hollywood press machine. While the movie may have emphasized style over substance, seeing Michael Keaton's Batman (using an arsenal of high-tech vehicles and gadgets) take on Jack Nicholson's deformed Joker was pure entertainment. Batman fever reigned high at the time, but Burton's sequel, "Batman Returns", couldn't match the freshness of its predecessor, despite being a quite solid effort. Keaton and Burton left the franchise, leaving Val Kilmer in the unenviable position of tackling the role of Bruce Wayne in Joel Schumacher's inordinately campy "Batman Forever". Val Kilmer's almost psychadelic take on Batman wasn't enough to overcome the gaudy neons and cartoonish portrayals which plagued the movie; nonetheless, the movie was financially successful. With George Clooney as Batman, 1997's "Batman and Robin" was the inevitable straw that broke the camel's back, and was so terrible that it stalled the careers of Chris O'Donnell and Alicia Silverstone, and led Clooney to admit that he "was the guy who screwed Batman up". It looked like the franchise was dead, and the Batman movie license languished for years in development hell. After some false starts, "Memento" director Chris Nolan was the guy who was to revive the Batman franchise with this movie, which chronicles the very beginning of Batman's career.

While it has become fashionable to subscribe to the revisionist position that Tim Burton's "Batman" was a bad movie, the truth is that Nolan was clearly inspired to some degree by Burton. The look of Batman's armored outfit, the militaristic motif of the Tumbler (aka the Batmobile), the gritty take on city corruption- these are all clearly derived from Burton's work. However, Nolan's Gotham, while still dark and menacing, is not steeped in gothic fantasticism, but rather in a slightly more modern take on the classic noir urban setting of the mid 20th century. The characters are all portrayed and explored much deeper than the 1989 movie, and both the hero and villains behave more realistically.

The storyline hews closer to the various Batman comic books as well. The movie begins with Bruce Wayne (played by "American Psycho" star Christian Bale) locked in an Asian prison, being recruited by the enigmatic Ducard for the League of Shadows, a mysterious organization of vigilantes run by the even more mysterious R'az Al Ghul. Wayne trains to become a crime fighter, and through flashbacks, we see Bruce Wayne's childhood shattered when his wealthy and well-intentioned parents are killed by a desperate mugger. After college, he returns to Gotham City to kill the mugger, who is about to be released in return for testimony, but is beaten to the punch by Carmine Falcone's mob organization. Realizing that mere revenge is a doomed path, Wayne disappears to live life as a criminal, and gain insight. Back in the present day, Wayne is about to be inducted into the League, but things turn sour when he learns their true plans. Barely escaping with his life, Bruce Wayne returns to Gotham with an idea in his head- to create an alter ego which will strike fear into the hearts of criminals. Back in Gotham, he finds his father's company is in danger of losing its way, and is about to go public, thanks to the machinations of Earle, who was trusted with the company. Wayne finds allies in family butler Alfred, Lucius Fox, a former Wayne Enterprise executive who was demoted to a dead-end job in research, Rachel Dawes, his childhood friend turned idealistic assistant D.A., and Sergeant Jim Gordon, an honest cop in a district overrun by corruption. However, things are about to get "complicated", with both Carmine Falcone and corrupt Dr. Jonathan Crane (whose alter ego is the Scarecrow) acting as pawns for an even more sinister force preparing to unleash hell on Gotham.

First off, with the exception of Katie Holmes' flat portrayal of Dawes, the acting is top notch. The cast is a treasure trove of outstanding actors, including Michael Caine, Gary Oldman, Liam Neeson, Morgan Freeman, Rutger Hauer, Tom Wilkinson, Cillian Murphy, and Linus Roache, to mention a few. While some may object to the slower pacing of the movie, it works well, and creates tension. The movie is saturated with browns, yellows and oranges, creating a warm glow to contrast with the sinister atmosphere brought by the story, while the minimalist soundtrack is appropriately gothic when needed. The movie seems busy at times, with not one but three main villains, and the requisite goons. The action sequences are presented at a frantic pace, and some may take issue with Nolan's filming of fight scenes in such an "indirect", chaotic manner. But in the end, this is a superhero movie of the highest order, which tries to balance the fantastic with the realistic, and usually succeeds. The movie viewer has been pretty fortunate with comic book movies as of late, with Superman Returns, the X-Men movies, and the Spiderman movies. By returning to the noir roots explored by Tim Burton, yet filming things his own way, Chris Nolan managed to restart the franchise without disrespecting what was done well in past iterations.

The single disc DVD version has literally no extras, whatsoever. However, the movie was so good I'll overlook it....this time. Whichever version you get, the movie is outstanding.

High School Musical (Two-Disc Remix Edition)

Average customer rating:

Great Musical
A Must Have
A Whiff of Fascism
Bring Back Grease!
Well, the story line was good...

High School Musical (Two-Disc Remix Edition)
Starring: Zac Efron , Vanessa Anne Hudgens , Ashley Tisdale , Lucas Grabeel , and Monique Coleman
Director: Kenny Ortega
Manufacturer: Walt Disney Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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Disney Channel's High School Musical DVD Board Game

ASIN: B000I2J6SM
Release Date: 2006-12-05

Amazon.com

On the DVD
The two-disc Remix Edition of High School Musical retains all the bonus features of the original DVD and adds a Spanish audio track and 34 minutes of new features. Following a couple minutes of red-carpet interviews from the DVD release party, "High School Reunion" (6 min.) gathers the cast for some more interviews, glimpses of their other Disney Channel credits, and appearances on the Teen Choice Awards and in London and Sydney. The longest feature is the dance-along, in which the cast teaches the choreography for "Get'cha Head in the Game" and "We're All in This Together." At 16 minutes, it allows for move-by-move instruction followed by half- and full-speed runthroughs, though they're facing the camera, so home participants will have to figure out the mirror image or simply ignore the left-right directions and do it backward. And because this is the Remix Edition, there are videos of the remixed versions of "Breaking Free" and "We're All in This Together" as well as a video of "Eres Tu," a Spanish version of "What I've Been Looking For" (the Ryan and Sharpay version) by Mexican band Belanova. Retained from the original DVD are the sing-along subtitles, the making-of featurette, the "Bop to the Top" rehearsal, and the music videos for "We're All in This Together" and "I Can't Take My Eyes Off of You." Not included in this version: the trivia-packed "pop-up edition" that debuted on the Disney Channel on Thanksgiving weekend 2006. So even if the Remix Edition is a little thin for two discs, fans will enjoy the new stuff while they wait for High School Musical 2. --David Horiuchi

Description

The power of music explodes in this spectacular, show-stopping, two-disc REMIX EDITION of the Emmy(R) Award-winning HIGH SCHOOL MUSCIAL! The smash-hit Disney Channel Original Movie everyone is talking about now features hours of awesome new bonus features that will rock your world. Take a front-row seat on the red carpet for the star-studded Hollywood premiere, and join the High School Reunion, where the cast reunites in an exclusive interview where they talk about how their lives have changed dramatically since being a part of this movie phenomenon. Plus, stand up and experience the Dance Along (as seen on Disney Channel), where Troy, Gabriella, Sharpay, and Ryan give step-by-step instructions to popular dance sequences "Get'cha Head In The Game" and "We're All In This Together." Hear two exclusive remix versions of your favorite songs and watch three new music videos. HIGH SCHOOL MUSICAL REMIX EDITION is everything you've been looking for -- and more!

Customer Reviews:

Great Musical.......2007-09-15

A Must Have.......2007-09-08

A Whiff of Fascism.......2007-09-06

Bring Back Grease!.......2007-09-01

Well, the story line was good..........2007-09-01

Average customer rating:

Touching and Uplifting
I stand in awe
A very well-acted, well written, and well directed movie
Outstanding Movie
Movie in Tolerance and Inspiration

Freedom Writers (Full Screen Edition)
Starring: Hilary Swank , Patrick Dempsey , Scott Glenn , Imelda Staunton , and April L. Hernandez
Director: Richard LaGravenese
Manufacturer: Paramount
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B000NOK1KM
Release Date: 2007-04-17

Amazon.com

Though the "inspirational teacher" theme may feel done to death, Freedom Writers succeeds because it emphasizes the students as much as the teacher. Erin Gruwell (Hilary Swank, Million Dollar Baby, Boys Don't Cry) comes to a southern California high school bubbling over with naive optimism, but quickly discovers that her unruly classroom isn't easily won over by her good intentions. After a few floundering attempts to connect with her students, Gruwell gives them the assignment of keeping journals about their own lives--an assignment that the class bites into with relish, which eventually bonds them together and pushes racial rivalries aside. This plotline has been made before, sometimes well, sometimes poorly; Freedom Writers, by drawing heavily from the published journals of the students--and thanks to a (mostly) unheroic script, direction that emphasizes individual characters over stereotypes, and rigorous performances from the whole cast--makes the story seem fresh and genuine. Swank does solid work, but the standouts are April L. Hernandez as a girl whose gang wants her to lie and send an innocent boy to jail and Imelda Staunton (Vera Drake) as a teacher who resents Gruwell's offbeat success. Also featuring Patrick Dempsey (Grey's Anatomy), Scott Glenn (The Right Stuff), and a plethora of strong young actors. --Bret Fetzer

Beyond Freedom Writers

More Inspirational Teacher Films on DVD
The Freedom Writers Diary
by Erin Gruwell
More DVDs Starring Hilary Swank

Stills from Freedom Writers (click for larger image)

Customer Reviews:

Touching and Uplifting.......2007-09-16

Hilary Swank has done us all a big favor in producing and then starring in this wonderful movie about a group of students given up as ineducable by everyone else in her new school and district. She is a brand new teacher with all the hopes and dreams of making a difference, and most of the adults in her vicinity spend their time smirking behind her back and telling her to her face that she is being a typically ridiculous new teacher. They know it all, having been there themselves, and have given up on themselves as change-makers, and on their students as potentially the fertile ground upon which a rich harvest might be cultivated.

What they don't know is that they either didn't have the magic that Swank portrays (this is based on the story of a real teacher), or they gave up much too quickly. Swank's character gets few breaks from almost anyone, except perhaps, her very successful father, who would rather she had chosen a career as a lawyer, but respects what she is trying to do. Attempts to pass on long-term teacherly/administrative cynicism to Swank fail miserably, as do the attempts of her new husband to make her be more reasonable in her demands on herself, her time, and her energy. He just wishes to have her remain a more devoted wife.

This movie is ultimately the story of far too many of the students in our country, who live their lives expecting the failure they are promised by their own educational system. The actors who portray them are finely honed characterizations with little in the way of relief from some of the most painful of real life accounts.

If you are a new teacher, a student, a parent, a citizen of this country which seems to be slipping rapidly in its promises to its students and its own future, this movie is a must. If you are simply someone who wants to watch a well-made, honest piece of film, this is a must. See it and believe it.

I stand in awe.......2007-09-11

The power of this movie lies in its truth-telling. Based on a true story, and the talent and dedication of both Hillary Swank (the star) and Erin Gruwell (the teacher the movie is based on), this movie tells the story of a pebble dropped in a pond that is creating a tsunami of crucial change. This is more than "To Sir with Love," or "Dangerous Minds," because it is a true story that is ongoing.

This movie says that one person, doing the right thing and staying true to their vision, can make a difference one day at a time. The story of Room 203 became the book, then the movie, then the Foundation. Even if the only people changed were the original students in Room 203, that would be more than many teachers have been able to accomplish. Even if only the people touched by the book had been changed, that would be a miracle. Even if only the people who saw the movie "got it," that would be amazing.

And yet, there's layers upon layers of miracles in this story, a story about confronting racism, classism, poverty and violence with true education.

I stand in awe.

To Sir, With Love

Dangerous Minds

Lean on Me

Stand and Deliver

A very well-acted, well written, and well directed movie.......2007-09-08

The subject matter is all over the place in other reviews and in the description of the movie, so no sense in rehashing all that in this review, other than to say that the story is utterly compelling - and when I watched the movie, I had no idea it was based on a true story. When the end credits rolled and it made mention of the real people, I was blown away! I can't believe someone exists as amazing as that teacher.

But, plotline aside, you the review reader are more interested in whether the people who put this together pur it together in a way that is actually good.

Yes, they did!

Acting is topnotch all around. Some very brilliant directing, with great emotional use of lighting, shadows, hand-held cam, and so forth.

It feels very real, and dips into the pathos of the characters without getting saccharine or sentimental about it, or portraying a naive sort of neanderthalism.

My only complaint is that the other teacher - I can't remember her name, but she was played by the woman who played the bad lady in The Order of the Phoenix - is one-dimensionally nasty. We never see another side of her. While I don't doubt that she was based on a real person, I can't believe that anyone is that one dimensional. It seemed a rather cheap trick on the part of the writers and director to make her entire being the "bad person", without any humanity. This is one of the reasons I have to give this a four star instead of five.

The other reasons are minor, involving a few slipshod acting moments, the occasional uninspired camera shot, and so forth.

But overall, this is definitely a 4 star, probably a 4.5 star, movie that should go on any movie collector's shelves just for being a well made movie, and should be on other people's shelves for the inspiring, beautiful story that it tells.

Would that all Americans were as amazing as Erin Gruwell.

Outstanding Movie.......2007-09-05

I am an educator and it truly showed the dedication of a true teacher. I loved this movie.......

Movie in Tolerance and Inspiration.......2007-08-30

This movie is based on the book "The Freedom Writers diary: how a teacher and 150 teens used writing to change themselves and the world around them" by the Freedom Writers and Erin Gruwell. It is an inspiring and uplifting movie, a true story about a teacher in a racially divided school who gives her students a chance to learn that they is a world beyond the one they can see in front of them. Erin Gruwell comes to a southern California high school and discovers that her unruly classroom is not easily won over by her good intentions. She eventually gives them the assignment of keeping journals about their own lives, This assignment is something that anyone can do, write anything they want daily without having to worry about being judged. This assignment and her willingness to listen is what bond the class together. The movie shows that regardless of where you are now in your life, what background, race or culture you come from; that anything is possible if you are willing to work and just try.

Average customer rating:

A movie you can watch 1000 times
A Teacher Is Born
Make a difference
"Just some kid I taught how to bang a drum...."
Magnum Opus

Mr. Holland's Opus
Starring: Richard Dreyfuss , Glenne Headly , Jay Thomas , Olympia Dukakis , and William H. Macy
Director: Stephen Herek
Manufacturer: Buena Vista Home Entertainment / Hollywood Pictures
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: 6305428352
Release Date: 1999-08-24

Amazon.com

An earnest and at times overblown story of a music teacher's impact on those around him, Mr. Holland's Opus is at times a genuinely touching drama in the vein of It's a Wonderful Life. Richard Dreyfuss (Jaws, Close Encounters of the Third Kind) plays an aspiring composer and musician who takes a job teaching music at a local high school to save money while he composes his music. But when his wife (Glenne Headley) becomes pregnant, Glenn Holland must put aside his dreams and address the everyday realities of his life, from the melancholy and sometimes tragic fates of his students to the discovery that the son he cherishes is deaf. Building to a highly emotional climax in which the teacher sees the impact he's had on the world around him, Mr. Holland's Opus is a showcase for a fine Oscar-nominated performance by Dreyfuss and an engaging, heartwarming story. --Robert Lane

Description

Acclaimed star Richard Dreyfuss gives the performance of a lifetime (1995 Academy Award(R)-nominee, Best Actor -- MR. HOLLAND'S OPUS) in this uplifting hit cheered by audiences everywhere! Glenn Holland (Dreyfuss) is a passionate musician who dreams of composing one truly memorable piece of music. But reality intrudes when he reluctantly accepts a "day job" as a high school music teacher to support his family. In time, however, Mr. Holland realizes that his real passion is teaching, and his legacy is the generations of young people he inspires. Also featuring Glenne Headly (BREAKFAST OF CHAMPIONS) and Olympia Dukakis (MAFIA!) -- you're sure to find this electrifying motion picture both entertaining ... and unforgettable!

Customer Reviews:

A movie you can watch 1000 times.......2007-09-09

I first saw this movie when I was about 10 and I still watch it all of the time! The reason I got this was for a new teacher to inspire him, but there are so many good things about this movie. The best part about it is that ten people can watch it and get ten different ideas of what the movie was about.

A Teacher Is Born.......2007-09-02

This totally believable student/teacher drama grabs the viewer's attention from the beginning. Set in the turbulence of the 1960's it sweeps you through 30 years of this man's life (the real-life events that are woven through it are well done). It is the story of a man with good intentions, a teacher who is still learning himself. Glenn Holland (played by Richard Dreyfuss) is an aspiring composer who turns to teaching music at a local high school as a way to help make ends meet and still have time for his composing. His dream in life is to compose an opus that would one day make him famous. His wife (played by Glenne Headley) is loving, devoted and supportive wife. Things begin to change when she becomes pregnant and gives birth to their deaf child. Initially, Glenn has a great difficulty dealing with the fact that his son is deaf and gradually we see him pulling away from his family. For him, it is incomprehensible to have a child who is unable share his love of music. As we all do, Glenn has his faults, but he has a very big heart which keeps you tuned in to caring about him.
This movie is about real people in realistic situations. We see a struggling teacher, the wife who supports the struggling teacher through everything, a caring well intentioned principal, a very strict, rigid vice principal, and the students who can all be found in any high school anywhere in the U.S.. The one thing that makes this movie magical is the simplicity of it.
He's not a bad man, on the contrary, he's just a man. This is an inspirational movie that will stay with you long after you see it for the first time. It is the story of how you can discover new dreams as you pursue the old ones. Tried, true and timeless it is probably Richard Dreyfuss' greatest role yet. There are nothing but remarkable performances by this cast which includes Olympia Dukakis, William H. Macy, Jay Thomas, Alicia Witt just to name a few.
One thing that cannot be omitted from a review of this spectacularly moving film is the fantastic soundtrack. This PG movie should be required viewing for all music students (who knows, they might learn alot from it).

Make a difference.......2007-07-12

This is my favorite movie. I have watched it over and over again. I find it to be a great source of inspiration for the average Joe. You can make a difference and not even know it as long as you do your best and help others.

Too bad the movie did not win Academy Awards. At least Richard Dreyfuss was nominated for his superior, inspiring acting in this movie.

"Just some kid I taught how to bang a drum....".......2007-07-10

This movie is Richard Dreyfuss' shining career moment. When we're looking back on his life, we're going to look at this film as the moment he truly became a star. He'd been in countless movies before and has starred in a number since, But this film... this film alone... cemented his name into the annuls of Hollywood History forever.

Mr. Holland (Dreyfuss) is an aspiring musician who decides to take on a job as a music teacher while he's waiting for his musician career to take off. Fast forward 30 some odd years. Teacher Mr. Holland is still working on what he feels is his greatest musical accomplishment. All along, he's helped others appreciate music and, in many ways, appreciate life through the appreciation of music.

Life struggles, including a deaf son, seem to always blind Mr. Holland to the symphony he's writing every day... in the hearts of the people around him.

"Mr. Holland might think himself a failure..." one former student laments near the end of the story... "and he would be wrong..."

I could write all day long and I couldn't sum up the moral to this story any better.

If you haven't seen this movie, you must see it. You're missing out on one of the best movies ever made!!!

Magnum Opus.......2007-06-12

Without becoming breezy or overly sentimental, 'Mr. Holland's Opus' shows us the dilemma of many teachers. How does one juggle all of the piles of responsibility one is given, and how does one rise above the fray to achieve greatness? With many hurdles to overcome, Glenn Holland (in an extraordinary performance by Richard Dreyfuss) comes to Portland's Kennedy High School with the aspiration of employment filler with enough free time to compose his own music. Naive about the demands for extra-curriculars and student tutoring, Glenn, nevertheless, must reinvent the wheel and learn to accomodate his students by taking risks to win their love for music. Locking heads with the vice principal (played with perfect starchy officiousness by William Macy), he nearly loses his job and composure. At home his loving, understanding wife will stand by him, but plausibly loses patience when their own beloved son (who was born deaf) gets the shaft on some quality mentor time. Feeling his pain, we also are absorbed in the lives of key students (in fine early performances by Terrence Howard and [Forrest] Whitaker to name a couple). He gets reprieves with the football coach (Jay Thomas) who offers friendship and a spirited rivalry. With a rising starlet at his school and the soundtrack of their lives evolving to John Lennon, the poignancy of a man who has painted himself into a corner comes to roost.

'Mr. Holland's Opus' is as realistic as it is an emotional dead ringer. Admittedly, I prejudged this movie on the notion that it would be facile, cloying, or overly sentimental. Nothing could be further from the truth.

Average customer rating:

The man behind the books
Inspirational Education Film
A story of inspiration.
Hollywood must've hokeyed it up!
A true story of an inspiring teacher!

The Ron Clark Story
Starring: Matthew Perry , Judith Buchan , Hannah Hodson , Jerry Callaghan , and Melissa De Sousa
Director: Randa Haines
Manufacturer: Echo Bridge Home Entertainment
ProductGroup: DVD
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ASIN: B000ION27Q
Release Date: 2006-12-05

Product Description

Seal of Approval - Parents Television Council. Golden Globe® Nominated - Best Actor in a TV Movie. Three-time Emmy® Award nominee Matthew Perry (TV's Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip, Friends) delivers a "...tour-de-force performance" (Boston Herald) as real-life inspiration Ron Clark, a passionate and innovative teacher who leaves his small hometown to teach in one of Harlem's toughest schools. But to break through to his students, Clark must use unconventional methods, including his ground-breaking classroom rules, to drive them toward their greatest potential. DVD Features include: "The Teacher Behind the Story:" Ron Clark, Matthew Perry, cast & crew interviews; "Making the Grade:" Ron wins the Disney American Teacher Award!; "Stepping Out of the Classroom:" Ron and students tour South Africa; "Breaking New Ground:" A ground-breaking new school

Customer Reviews:

The man behind the books.......2007-09-09

I watched this movie as a TV movie and thought it was perfect for my boyfriend who is a new teacher. The fact that the protagonist had such a strong desire to be a teacher made it more realistic that other teacher movies. My boyfriend had read The Essential 55 and actually uses some of the rules for his classroom and enjoyed seeing them as they were developing. Probably the best inspirational teacher movie out there! It shows more than one student-type in the classroom and its more real than every kid being brilliant but lazy.

Inspirational Education Film.......2007-09-09

My high school teacher wife and I thoroughly enjoyed this film. We accidentally tuned in to it on cable TV. It reminds me a little of the "Stand and Deliver" movie. My wife wanted a copy for our DVD collection.

A story of inspiration........2007-09-03

This is a story of a teacher who changes his students lives. He provides them with the love and discipline they need to excel. Ron Clark is not only an inspirational teacher but an inspirational human being. You will love this movie.

Hollywood must've hokeyed it up!.......2007-09-02

I've seen all the famous teacher movies, so I had a little trouble believing this was a true story. All the cliches were there: loses his temper like Thackery in To Sir With Love, ruins his health like in Stand and Deliver, colleagues are burnt out - like every teacher movie. As a teacher for 20 years in the inner city, I can tell you it was terribly simplified. I haven't read his book - it's got to be better than the movie.
Okay, I have to admit I don't like Matthew Perry, so that did color my view too.

A true story of an inspiring teacher!.......2007-07-29

The Ron Clark Story is stark, dramatic, true, and inspiring! As a volunteer with teenagers, I bought the DVD because I had seen the movie some years ago.
It is an excellent portrait of a teacher who was tested to the utmost extreme in order to help the teens in a truly poor school to achieve far beyond their own and their parents' dreams.

His success and theirs is dramatically shown, and is an inspiration for any who are lucky enough to see it.

You will not regret buying it.

Average customer rating:

Personal morals aside, a beautiful love story.
An Intelligent Film
LOVING ANNABELLE
Forbidden Love
Great Movie with a Poor Ending.

Loving Annabelle
Starring: Diane Gaidry , Erin Kelly (III) , Laura Breckenridge , Jennie Floyd , and Marla Maples
Director: Katherine Brooks
Manufacturer: Wolfe Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B000J4QWIG
Release Date: 2006-12-12

Amazon.com

A lot of taboos are broken in Loving Annabelle, even if the film itself remains remarkably tasteful--even demure. The central characters are two women, a teacher and her student, and the setting is an all-girls school (shades of Lost and Delirious). Annabelle (the smoldering Erin Kelly), a senior, is a rebellious rocker chick--the Beverly Hills version that is, i.e. highlighted hair, black eyeliner, and nose ring. Her senatorial mother ships her off to boarding school to shape up. Annabelle's hard-partying ways are starting to become an embarrassment. Miss Simone Bradley (the sympathetic Diane Gaidry) is a popular poetry teacher. She's a Catholic. Annabelle is not. Simone has a boyfriend, Annabelle is gay. Looks can be deceiving, however, and there's more to both than meets the eye. For one, Simone's relationship is not as secure as it appears. For another, Annabelle's ardor is so relentless it threatens to sway sympathy against her. She seems to have no regard for the damage an affair would inflict on her teacher's career. Nonetheless, Simone is not entirely resistant to her charms. Inspired by 1931's Mädchen in Uniform, writer/director Katherine Brooks preserves the forbidden relationship at the heart of the Weimar-era classic, but drops the political subtext. Consequently, she doesn't take on more than she can handle, but Loving Annabelle still feels a little slight. --Kathleen C. Fennessy

Description

Rising star Erin Kelly is Annabelle, a precocious Senator's daughter who falls for her Catholic school teacher, Simone (Diane Gaidry, The Dogwalker). After Simone is assigned to control the rebellious student, she instead finds herself drawn into Annabelle's world. As their attraction builds, the two women must cope with the reactions of those around them. Writer-Director Katherine Brooks unveils this smoldering tale of forbidden love with intelligence, wit and sensitivity.

Customer Reviews:

Personal morals aside, a beautiful love story........2007-08-29

Though I won't comment on the fact that this is really the story of a teacher/student affair, I will say that this is truly a love story, when honed down to the two main characters. Gaidry's performance is perfectly nuanced and you're with her all the way.

The ending leaves much to be desired, though. The 'alternate ending' on the extras really adds onto the actual ending rather than changing it and provides the viewer with the closure needed to move on and not become and emotional wreck over the affair. I'm puzzled as to why it was left off but highly recommend the movie either way.

An Intelligent Film.......2007-08-15

This film is built on Rilke's poetry. Simone first becomes aware of Annabelle when Annabelle uses Rilke to get inside Simone's head to seduce her--sex and love can be one, especially if the sex is really good sex. . . I was half expecting jabs at the patriarchal symbolism of the Catholic Church; however the "bad Catholic" in the film is a controlling woman, not a man. The true patriarch in the film is a priest who has given up control, instead imparting wisdom and compassion when he can. There are several conflicts here, the strongest is conveyed when the head mistress asks Simone hadn't she ever thought what she was doing was wrong, and Simone's reply was yes, she had thought about it at every instant. The most interesting character to me was Cat, aptly named because she pounces on anything, mauling it, without really meaning to--it's just her nature. Annabelle is a skilled seductress but she misjudges the lethality of Cat. Cat is the irritant, the grain of sand that makes pearls, and poetry.

LOVING ANNABELLE.......2007-07-30

Best indy film I've seen in a long time. The actors performances were very strong. Director Katherine Brooks succeeds in making the teacher-student relationship about more than sex. Both women fall deeply in love with each other and it comes across very sincere on screen.

Forbidden Love.......2007-07-29

Ok its about a teacher who falls for a student. Lets get that out of the way first. Yes, its bit squicky and wrong, but that's what forbidden love is isn't it?

This has one of the hotest moments I've seen in awhile, and its not the love scene. I'm talking about when the teacher is still resisting her feelings for Annabeele and has what turns out to be a very vivid dream about her and she has it in a church. I remember going "wow" when I saw it.

Forbidden love is always a difficult subject. Right or wrong, they loved each other. I liked the way the movie ended. I won't give it away but it left things open without being to angsty and "Chlidrens Houry" but it did show that there are repercussions to dangerous actions.

All in all one of my favorite lesbian films.

Great Movie with a Poor Ending........2007-07-22

Loving Ananabelle is well written, well directed, and both stars (Diane Gaidry and Erin Kelly) do excellent work here.

The story does a fine job of showing the venom faced by anyone who chooses to be different from the "norm", whatever that is. Although this movie touches on lesbianism, it is not simply a story about lesbians. And it is not porn, in my opinion. It's more a story about love, about prejudice, ostracism, harassment and about the courage and suffering required of those brave enough to openly leave the safety of the herd.

I would have rated this movie a strong five, had it not been for the ending. The writer/director is certainly a talented artist to have created such a fine and insightful story and to write and direct it so well. But she certainly could have done better on the ending; it was quite disappointing. The alternate ending available was better, but it was still less that adequate.

Overall, I recommend the movie, Loving Annabelle. Be ready for considerable disappointment during the final ten of fifteen minutes, however.

Average customer rating:

Good christian drama
A good read for young women - plus movie version
no show
not 19th century, but well worth watching
great movie

Love's Abiding Joy
Starring: Erin Cottrell , Logan Bartholomew , Frank McRae , William Morgan Sheppard , and Drew Tyler Bell
Director: Michael Landon Jr.
Manufacturer: 20th Century Fox
ProductGroup: DVD
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ASIN: B000ICLRJS
Release Date: 2007-01-02

Description

Directed by Michael Landon, Jr., this fourth installment in Janette Oke's beloved "Love Comes Softly" series is now a satisfying, heartwarming feature. Following a treacherous journey West, Missie and her husband have set up a homestead where they've begun to raise a family. And now that a railroad line connects the states, Missie's father is able to visit. But when the joyful reunion is interrupted by tragedy, the faith and love of this family is once again challenged in a story you and your family will never forget.

Customer Reviews:

Good christian drama.......2007-08-23

I loved the first movie of this series and I enjoyed this one. Missy is now grown up and has a family of her own. But one of her children dies and she has to cope with the tragedy. Her father and family help her do this. And one of her sons finds a romance with the mayor's daughter, Colette (Mae Whitman). Mae Whitman is such a good actress, and hasn't she become so grownup and a beautiful young women? She's come so far since her previous films as a child star. She really grew up. You would not remember her at all from her earlier work. She was really good in "Theif."

A good read for young women - plus movie version.......2007-08-14

This is the fourth book in the Love Comes Softly series. I ordered the first three in the series on a hunch that they would be good since they have been made into movies. I ordered these for my 15 year old daughter to read through the summer. I also ordered the DVDs. My daughter is not an avid reader so I had to twist her arm a bit to read these. I am glad they were interesting to her and had good life lessons in them. I would have her read aloud to me and we would discuss what was happening in the story. This was also her first time to see that the book and the movie is often very different. We are still readig the series.

no show .......2007-08-10

This was my disabled mother's dream to find this movie and has been searching for a couple of years. When the movies was put in DVD Player there was no movie it was blank. The Dvd was also put in many other Dvd players and was blank. Amazon also doesnt make it easy to return especially if you do not own a printer to print the return labels

not 19th century, but well worth watching.......2007-07-13

This movie was a good finish to the 4-part series. While it placed some 20th and 21st century values in a 19th century setting, it's a wholesome movie with a good message...do what's right, even though it may affect your friends because right is right. I think Dale Midkiff's character (Clark Davis)kept things on track for the family in this film.

great movie .......2007-05-15

This is a great movie you should get all of them> I really liked them. When i was done i shared them with my best friend and also my mother.

Average customer rating:

Invincible
An entertaining portrayal of a true football story
was not what I thought it would be
Wahlberg gives a great performance in this movie
Rocky in the NFL

Invincible
Starring: Mark Wahlberg , Greg Kinnear , Elizabeth Banks (II) , Kevin Conway , and Michael Rispoli
Director: Ericson Core
Manufacturer: Buena Vista Home Entertainment
ProductGroup: DVD
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Product Features:

Classic DVD
Exclusive interviews, highlights, and behind the scenes coverage
DVD's main menu allow you to jump directly to the action
Presented in full-screen digital video

ASIN: B000J3OTT6
Release Date: 2006-12-19

Product Description

When the coach of Vince Papale's beloved hometown football team hosted an unprecedented open tryout, the public consensus was that it was a waste of time--no one good enough to play professional football was going to be found this way. Certainly no one like Papale--a down-on-his-luck, 30 year-old, substitute teacher and part-time bartender who never even played college football. But against these odds, Papale made the team and soon found himself living every fan's fantasy--moving from his cheap seats in the upper deck to standing on the field as a professional football player.

Amazon.com

Walt Disney Pictures scored a surprise box-office hit with Invincible, and the movie deserved its good reviews as a fine example of how above-average writing, direction, and casting can turn formulaic material into something special. And make no mistake, this is a formulaic movie, with its real-life story embellished with Rocky-like enthusiasm, and lovingly crafted with the same quality of working-class humanism that made The Rookie a similarly popular Disney hit. This time, the inspirational true story is that of Vince Papale, a down-on-his-luck substitute teacher in Philadelphia (played by Mark Wahlberg in a nicely understated performance) who was 30 years old, out of work, abandoned by his wife, and biding time as a bartender when he answered an open call for tryouts on the Philadelphia Eagles NFL football team in 1976. Going with his gut instinct, new coach Dick Vermeil (Greg Kinnear) rewards Papale's diligent efforts with a place on the team, and Invincible combines gridiron guts, low-key romance (as Papale meets his future wife-to-be, played by Elizabeth Banks) and blue-collar friendship in an underdog story that moves, with casual charm and abundant appeal, toward a rousing feel-good finish. Making good use of digital visual effects to recreate Philly's now-demolished Veterans Stadium, director Erickson Core (also serving as his own cinematographer) tackles this heartwarming assignment with intelligence and flair, spinning gold from what could have been just another routine sports movie. --Jeff Shannon

Customer Reviews:

Invincible.......2007-08-26

A beautiful story about determination and success against all odds. I've shown this film to addicts and alcoholics seeking recovery and the reaction was totally positive.

An entertaining portrayal of a true football story.......2007-08-06

Mark Wahlberg does an excellent job of making the story seem true-to-life. I would recommend this move to anyone who likes an 'underdog' story; not just football fans. Of course there's a little bit of romance thrown in for the ladies as well.

was not what I thought it would be.......2007-08-05

We own alot of the great football movies. Friday Night Lights, Remember the Tiatans and I would even through Radio in there. This is why I purchased this movie. First of all some what slow movie didn't really keep my intrest. Second of all I would say really bad acting. Nothing was really belivable. I think I would just wait for this to come out on tv

Wahlberg gives a great performance in this movie.......2007-07-31

Very endearing movie that is about a man who is kind of "off the street" who makes the Eagles team in open tryouts. He goes from becoming a 30 year old bartender to Professional football player and it is a true story that has a lot of heart and emotion to it. Kinnear is also in the movie he plays coach Dick Vermeil. The movie is a great film for the family and is a story about triumph and chance and love of the game so to speak. It does not matter if you like football or the Eagles team it matters that you understand the message. Sometimes a movie like this fails but I think this one is a keeper and shows how dreams do come true even if they seem totally impossible. Mark is great as Vince and it shows the opportunity that is presented to him that he ultimately turns into a dream come true.

Rocky in the NFL.......2007-07-11

In 1975 the Philadelphia Eagles NFL football team was on a 14-year losing streak. They had no heart and they had disappointed a city that needed them. Then a down-on-his-luck 30 year old out of work substitute teacher in Philadelphia, played by Mark Wahlberg, is abandoned by his wife, and biding time as a part-time bartender when he answered an open call for tryouts on the Philadelphia Eagles NFL football team in 1976.

This open call was an act of desperation by a new coach and is what this film is about. This inspirational true story is that of Vince Papale who gave his heart and soul to the team and brought them back to life. He will never be forgotten in Philly, he may not be in the record books, but every Eagles football fan knows him. Vince Papale was making all this happen at the same time the fictional movie "Rocky" was released...so the fans of the Eagles saw that dreams do come true. A lesson we should all remember. I recommend this film for the whole family.

Average customer rating:

Divine Comedy
Wish I went to Rushmore
Get Them In Your Crosshairs And Take Them Down...
One of the most original and entertaining comedies of the '90s...
You either love it or hate it.

Rushmore
Starring: Jason Schwartzman , Bill Murray , Olivia Williams , Seymour Cassel , and Brian Cox
Director: Wes Anderson
Manufacturer: Walt Disney Video
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ASIN: 6305428239
Release Date: 1999-06-29

Amazon.com essential video

Wes Anderson's follow-up to the quirky Bottle Rocket is a wonderfully unorthodox coming-of-age story that ranks with Harold and Maude and The Graduate in the pantheon of timeless cult classics. Jason Schwartzman (son of Talia Shire and nephew of Francis Coppola) stars as Max Fischer, a 15-year-old attending the prestigious Rushmore Academy on scholarship, where he's failing all of his classes but is the superstar of the school's extracurricular activities (head of the drama club, the beekeeper club, the fencing club...). Possessing boundless confidence and chutzpah, as well as an aura of authority he seems to have been born with, Max finds two unlikely soulmates in his permutations at Rushmore: industrial magnate and Rushmore alumnus Herman Blume (Bill Murray) and first-grade teacher Rosemary Cross (Olivia Williams). His alliance with Blume and crush on Miss Cross, however, are thrown out of kilter by his expulsion from Rushmore, and a budding romance between the two adults that threatens Max's own designs on the lovely schoolteacher.

Never stooping to sentimentality or schmaltz, Anderson and cowriter Owen Wilson have fashioned a wickedly intelligent and wildly funny tale of young adulthood that hits all the right notes in its mix of melancholy and optimism. As played by Schwartzman, Max is both immediately endearing and ferociously irritating: smarter than all the adults around him, with little sense of his shortcomings, he's an unstoppable dynamo who commands grudging respect despite his outlandish projects (including a school play about Vietnam). Murray, as the tycoon who determinedly wages war with Max for the affections of Miss Cross, is a revelation of middle-aged resignation. Disgusted with his family, his life, and himself, he's turned around by both Max's antagonism and Miss Cross's love. Williams is equally affecting as the teacher who still carries a torch for her dead husband, and the superb supporting cast also includes Seymour Cassel as Max's barber father, Brian Cox as the frustrated headmaster of Rushmore, and a hilarious Mason Gamble as Max's young charge. Put this one on your shelf of modern masterpieces. --Mark Englehart

Description

RUSHMORE is the story of a gifted, rebellious teenager named Max Fischer (Jason Schwartzman), a 10th grader at elite Rushmore Academy. Editor of the school newspaper, captain or president of innumerable clubs and societies, Max is also one of the worst students in the school, and the threat of expulsion hangs permanently over his head. Max's world is rocked when he falls for elegant 1st grade teacher Miss Cross (Olivia Williams) and he plans to erect an aquarium in her honor -- then finds himself competing for her affections with his friend, steel tycoon Mr. Blume (Bill Murray), the wealthy father of two of his classmates.

Customer Reviews:

Divine Comedy.......2007-09-08

This is going to be a little hyperbolic, so stand back.

I think that at the heart of it, the thing that I love about this movie is that it does what real comedy is supposed to do: It allows us to be witnesses at the creation of a new society. Ultimately...this is an eschatological point. That's why the banner at the dance at the end: "The Heaven and Hell Cotillion" was such an uncommonly brilliant touch.

The unique genius of the character of Max Fischer is that, without being a solemn watery-eyed plonk about it, he brings people together. He is a failure i

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