Ever After - A Cinderella Story

Amazon.com

Take away the Fairy Godmother, and what have you got left from the Cinderella fable? The story of a girl for whom a bad stroke of luck is no match for her internal strength and purity of heart. Drew Barrymore plays Cinderella's alleged inspiration, Danielle, in this romantic drama that purports to tell the "facts" behind the Grimm brothers' story. One of three daughters of a man (Jeroen Krabbé) who dies and leaves her fate in the hands of a conniving stepmother (Anjelica Huston), Danielle is cast into the lowly role of a servant. Meanwhile, her sisters are evaluated as possible mates for a French prince (Dougray Scott), but he's far more intrigued with Danielle's intelligence and beauty--not to mention her way with a sword and fist. Directed by Andy Tennant (who directed Barrymore in TV's The Amy Fisher Story), Ever After has that rare ability to win the heart and mind of a viewer simply by being committed to its own innocence, particularly where Barrymore's luminous performance is concerned. A contemporary take on an old, virtually forgotten Hollywood convention--the costume adventure with middling artistic ambition but real audience appeal--Ever After is a surprisingly delightful film. --Tom Keogh

Description

A "modern" young woman of the 16th century, Danielle (Barrymore) is as independent and wise as she is beautiful and kind. Against remarkable odds, she stands up to her scheming stepmother (Huston) and works miracles on the lives of everyone around her, including the crown prince of France (Dougray Scott)!Now you can relive this captivating, contemporary retelling of the classic fairytale.

Customer Reviews:

Drew at her best .......2007-09-01

If this one doesn't bring a tear to your eye, you're probably dead. I love this fairy tale. Very good casting.

Buy it if you have not .......2007-08-24

I love this movie I had it in VHS and Now I have it in DVD. Love this movie

One of my favorite movies of all time!!!.......2007-07-20

This movie truly represents an awesome version of the cinderella story...it's such a great chick flick for all the girls to have on a girls night with popcorn and goodies. I loved all of the choice of actors/actresses, they truly fit the charachters well. Good choice in costuming as well, very beautiful costumes and the countryside was absolutely awesome. Go buy it, and have a girls night in your pajamas with lots of goodies. You will be truly happy with this purchase.

I will love Ever After forever after.......2007-06-29

This is the kind of movie you will watch over and over again with your daughter or your grandchildren (or by yourself on a day you need some cheering up). A time-honored story, beautifully done, and updated just enough--but not contemporized (thank goodness).

First there was "Pride and Prejudice" then "Ever After".......2007-06-29

"Pride and Prejudice" was the original formula: 1. a smart whitty character with a sharp tongue offsetting a royal admirer 2. A champion, who extends mercy and deliverance 3. A fairtale marriage to Prince Charming 4. They live happily ever after

The Cinderella story is more intriquing because the central character brings moral issues too the big screen: 1. Recognition of the middle and lower class rights - power resides with the people, not the rulers 2. the vices of involuntary servitude - bondage is abominable 3. the attractiveness of free thought and opinion - the mind is beautiful 4. Intellectual class fits with the wealth class (wealth, values, and religion) difference must be dealt with 5. Beauty overshadows poverty (commitment, passion, and intimacy) 6. Liberty is more compelling than power. (inalienable rights of man - philosophy of law) 7. Love transcends tradition. (Faith, Hope, Mercy, Love, Glory, and Beauty)

Average customer rating:

A great feel good movie all round!
Great movie...weird format
PASS!PASS!PASS!
Costner is the real Robin Hood
Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves

Robin Hood - Prince of Thieves
Starring: Kevin Costner , Morgan Freeman , Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio , Christian Slater , and Alan Rickman
Director: Kevin Reynolds
Manufacturer: Warner Home Video
ProductGroup: DVD
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ASIN: 630460291X
Release Date: 1997-10-01

Amazon.com

Kevin Costner's lousy English accent is a small obstacle in this often exciting version of the Robin Hood fable. That aside, it's refreshing to have a preface to the old story in which we meet the robber hero of Sherwood Forest as a soldier in King Richard's Crusades, coming home to find his people under siege from the cruelties of the Sheriff of Nottingham (Alan Rickman). After Robin and his community of outcasts and fighters take to the trees, director Kevin Reynolds (Fandango, 187) is on more familiar narrative ground, and he goes for the gusto with lots of original action (Robin shoots two arrows simultaneously from his bow in two directions). Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio, as Marion, makes a convincing damsel in distress, and Morgan Freeman brings dignity to his role as Robin's Moor friend. Alan Rickman, however, gets the most attention for his scene-chewing role as the rotten sheriff, an almost campy performance that is highly entertaining but perhaps a little out of sorts with the rest of the film. --Tom Keogh

Customer Reviews:

A great feel good movie all round!.......2007-09-13

I love this film, always have... when I saw it was being released again I knew I had to buy it, as the first time it was released you had to flip the DVD in the middle of the film. This one not only gives you the entire film on one DVD, but also includes about 15 minutes of new footage, along with a 2nd Special Feature disc. To be honest the 'new' footage I can see why it was cut out, but the story is still one I love. Every time this is on you can't help to join in and root for Robin Hood. Stellar cast!

Great movie...weird format.......2007-09-05

The most notable thing about this product isn't the movie or special features, but the arrangement of items on the disk. It's a two -sided DVD, which is fine. But what's weird is, instead of putting the movie on one side and the special features on the other, they put the special features on side one with half of the movie. The movie actually stops half way through and instructs you to flip it over so you can finish watching it!! This is definitely a major downside. It's a great movie, so if you haven't seen it yet, I would strongly suggest watching it at some point. But if you're planning on buying it, you might want to wait until a different DVD version comes out, so that you can avoid having to get up in the middle of your movie to flip it over.

PASS!PASS!PASS!.......2007-07-27

I wont bore you with the details...suffice it to say that it was a let down in every sense of the word. View at your own risk....of falling asleep. Its better than Ambien.

Costner is the real Robin Hood.......2007-07-15

I have watched this movie a hundred times - used to use it to fall asleep by every night while going through a rough time - wanted to swing thru the trees in Sherwood Forest with Robin Hood & forget about the rest of the world - Kevin Costner is absolutely fabulous as the Prince of Thieves - would love to be his Marion

Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves.......2007-05-14

Charming love story with a good bit of humor built in. Kevin Costner is perfect for the part of Robin Hood. Not only is he gorgeous, but you truly believe that he's capable of being that hero that Robin Hood was.

Average customer rating:

Wings n Things The Secret Garden
The Secret is Out!
Miraculous Musicians
Top Quality in Children Entertainment
Great Movie

The Secret Garden
Starring: Kate Maberly , Heydon Prowse , Andrew Knott , Maggie Smith , and Laura Crossley
Director: Agnieszka Holland
Manufacturer: Warner Home Video
ProductGroup: DVD
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ASIN: 6304698690
Release Date: 1997-11-19

Amazon.com

Filmed before (and quite nicely) in 1949, Frances Hodgson Burnett's classic children's story was remade for this admirable 1993 release, executive produced by Francis Ford Coppola and directed by acclaimed Polish filmmaker Agnieszka Holland. Splendidly adapted by Edward Scissorhands screenwriter Caroline Thompson, the film opens in India during the early 1900s, when young Mary Lennox (Kate Maberly) is orphaned and sent to England to live in Misselthwaite Manor, the gloomy estate of her brooding and melancholy uncle, Lord Craven (John Lynch). Because the uncle is almost always away on travels, struggling to forget the death of his beloved wife, Mary is left mostly alone to explore the estate. Eventually she befriends the young brother of a staff maid and Lord Craven's apparently crippled son, who has been needlessly bedridden for years. Together the three children restore a neglected garden on the estate grounds, and in doing so they set the stage for a moving reaffirmation of life and love. Filmed with graceful style and careful attention to the intelligence and cleverness of young children, The Secret Garden is that rarest breed of family film that transcends its own generic category, encouraging a sense of wonder and optimism to become a rewarding experience for viewers of any age. --Jeff Shannon

Description

The enchanting classic about a young girl who brings an English country house's garden - and the people it touches - magically back to life. Maggie Smith and John Lynch star. Year: 1993

DVD Features:
Interactive Menus
Production Notes
Scene Access
Theatrical Trailer:Three theatrical trailers

Customer Reviews:

Wings n Things The Secret Garden.......2007-08-16

This master piece addresses many levels of our mind and heart at once. It carries a basic moral lesson that unconditional love heals.It is however much more powerful than that. It engages a (perhaps more mature ) reader into archetypal realms of the mind at large, where we all seek 'our own key', that will open the door to our personal and collective 'hidden' inner sanctuary, haven and place of profound inner healing.
I highly recommend this book for children ( of all ages) with a chronic or physically debilitating illness, when they are feeling most isolated and alone. It offers hope, the potential to 'really believe' in their own possibility of healing..on many levels. Plus the more simple joy, of a magical tale one just might get delightufully lost in for while ...emerging with new sparks of imagination.

The Secret is Out!.......2007-08-04

This is an outstanding version of the classic story. The cinematography, acting and directing are superb.

Miraculous Musicians.......2007-07-30

These musicians are miraculous! Don't miss this talent! Can't wait until their new CD is put on the market!

Top Quality in Children Entertainment.......2007-07-08

I have watched this movie several times in the company of small children who seemed to enjoy the storyline so well.

Mary is young girl from British parents who is born in India and when an earthquake kills them, she is orphaned and sent to live with an uncle in a very sinister looking manor in England. She experiments to find secret passageways (all Gothics are full of secret passageways) but end up finding a secret garden instead. The housekeeper (Maggie Smith does everything she can to limit the child's actions but to no avail, as the girl has a mind of her own.)

The sad tale behind the garden is that the mistress of the manor died giving birth to an invalid child after falling out of the garden swing. The garden is then shut up and forgotten along with the memory of the dead wife.

Mary, Kate Moberly plays a dynamic little girl who continues to explore until she discovers a groaning, crying sound in the night which turns out to be a bedridden cousin. This cousin has been kept bedridden in error by the housekeeper who has misdiagnosed his condition to be something far more serios than it truly is.

Heyden Prowse could plays the crippled male cousin. Mary takes Colin(Heyden) out of doors and eventually he walks. The story is very predictable but nevertheless, done is such a way that it appear new.

This author knows how to tell a tale to children even if you can predict the outcome. it is all in the storytelling and the film maker flattered the book. This is a very endearing story...would bw greart subject matter for children's classrooms.

Great Movie.......2007-05-13

A good adaptation of a wonderful children's story. More importance is placed on the "magic" of the story than on the faith in the story. Faith, Prayer, Hope and Love of God are what created the magic and this is not emphasized as it is in the book. This was disappointing, but other than that the setting was beautiful and allowed our imaginations to fill in the gaps that were emitted from the movie that F. H. Burnett had written. A wonderful family movie.

Average customer rating:

All for one and one for all.
My life on film!
Now and Then
movie
The Worst Film in the History of Cinema!!!!

Now and Then
Starring: Christina Ricci , Rosie O'Donnell , Thora Birch , Melanie Griffith , and Gaby Hoffmann
Director: Lesli Linka Glatter
Manufacturer: New Line Home Video
ProductGroup: DVD
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ASIN: B00002SSKI
Release Date: 1999-12-21

Amazon.com essential video

This obligatory girls' version of Stand by Me begins with actors Melanie Griffith, Rita Wilson, Demi Moore, and Rosie O'Donnell doing a lousy job of playing adult versions of the film's youthful protagonists. The idea is that this quartet of characters is having a reunion, which serves as a preface to the main story about school chums who make a pact to stay close and supportive through thick and thin. The trouble is that Griffith, Moore, Wilson, and O'Donnell look like they've rehearsed their scenes for no more than a few minutes, and after boring us silly there's little reason to get excited about anything else. Still, it's nice to have a supporting cast that includes Janeane Garofalo and Bonnie Hunt, while among the girls are three young actresses who have been burning up the road in recent years: Christina Ricci (The Opposite of Sex), Thora Birch (A Clear and Present Danger), and Gaby Hoffmann (Strike). --Tom Keogh

Customer Reviews:

All for one and one for all........2007-09-14

I hadn't seen this film for so long, but having remembered how much I enjoyed it years ago I thought it a necessary purchase. I wasn't disappointed.
This is a film to satisfy every mood. Like all the greats it has highs and lows. Focusing on a group of four young girls this is an emotional film touching on the importance of losing innocence, dealing with disappointments and, inevitably, hormones.
Roberta's discovery about her mother's death and Sam's realisation about her parent's marriage are just two of the genuinely moving moments. These are nicely balanced out by the more humorous events, such as the girls stealing boys clothes after watching them bath nude in the river and talks about sex. Chrissy's reactions to this subject are hilarious on their own. Each girl brings something unique to the friendship group and is appreciated for it. Their relationship is, as they say, 'all for one and one for all.'
It's great to see Christina Ricci and Thora Birch portraying their characters so effectively, perhaps because they are so different from their recent roles in Sleepy Hollow and The Hole. It's unfortunate that there are no special features here, although you could argue the film is special enough without them. It really is a treat.

My life on film!.......2007-06-23

The setting of this film is in Indiana in the early 70's. I was the same age as the characters at that time and was also growing up in a small Indiana town. The movie is like my youth on film..... I love it!!

Now and Then.......2007-05-17

Although it is something of a chic flick, "Now and Then" is a great movie. I would watch having a youngster see it as there are some adult topics discussed. Each child character and her adult counter part, look so similar that it is amazing! It is a very well told narrative of young ladies coming to terms with growing up and all that it involves and holding onto friendship in spite of it all.

movie.......2007-05-14

This was in wonderful condition it was almost brand new. Very quick delivery thank you.

The Worst Film in the History of Cinema!!!!.......2007-04-09

I dont care how bad a movie can be. Even films that suck beyond belief can at least have a few moments that are not so painful to watch. This film actually amazes me, I cannot think of a single second of this charade that I can actually call quality. It's actually insulting to watch. After viewing this garbage, I have come to discover that I HATE Rosie Odonell! I Hate Demi Moore!! I Hate Melanie Griffith!!
It Stinks! It Sucks! The DVD should include a hand-gun so you can blow your brains out as punishment for watching it!

Robin Hood - Prince of Thieves (Two-Disc Special Extended Edition)

Average customer rating:

A great feel good movie all round!
Great movie...weird format
PASS!PASS!PASS!
Costner is the real Robin Hood
Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves

Robin Hood - Prince of Thieves (Two-Disc Special Extended Edition)
Starring: Kevin Costner , Morgan Freeman , Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio , Christian Slater , and Alan Rickman
Director: Kevin Reynolds
Manufacturer: Warner Home Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B000092T6M
Release Date: 2003-06-10

Amazon.com

Description

For the good of all men, and the love of one woman, he fought to uphold justice by breaking the law. In this richly-detailed, action-packed retelling of the legendary story, Robin Hood must battle the evil Sheriff of Nottingham not only to save King Richard the Lionhearted and England but also to save his love, the noble beauty Maid Marian.

Customer Reviews:

A great feel good movie all round!.......2007-09-13

Great movie...weird format.......2007-09-05

PASS!PASS!PASS!.......2007-07-27

I wont bore you with the details...suffice it to say that it was a let down in every sense of the word. View at your own risk....of falling asleep. Its better than Ambien.

Costner is the real Robin Hood.......2007-07-15

Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves.......2007-05-14

Average customer rating:

Action, adventure, suspense -- not a kid's movie.
Young Sherlock Holmes
Flawed Directing Ruins Drama
Far fetched story line
Wish there were sequels.

Young Sherlock Holmes
Starring: Nicholas Rowe , Alan Cox , Sophie Ward , Anthony Higgins , and Susan Fleetwood
Director: Barry Levinson
Manufacturer: Paramount
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B0000AUHPC
Release Date: 2003-12-02

Amazon.com

This 1985 adventure directed by Barry Levinson (Rain Man) and written by Chris Columbus (Gremlins) may not have much to do with the Sherlock Holmes of Arthur Conan Doyle's invention. But it is a delightful and somewhat unexpected combination of exciting elements: Victorian-era, foggy-London mystique, Gothic horror, and Indiana Jones-like exotica. Nicholas Rowe plays Holmes as a schoolboy at a boarding academy for young men. Paired with the owlish, reticent young Watson (Alan Cox), Holmes embarks on the solution of a mystery that involves a hallucinatory and lethal drug, and a religious cult celebrating ancient Egyptian rites of mummification. Levinson makes handsome and crisp work of this Steven Spielberg production, without a trace of the treacle that often found its way into other Spielbergian projects at the time (The Goonies). Rowe is wonderfully convincing as a teen incarnation of the Great Detective, and while Cox mostly maintains Hollywood's traditionally unflattering idea of Watson, he does bring warmth and comedy to the role. The cast includes Freddie Jones as an eccentric inventor, Anthony Higgins as the villain, and Sophie Ward as Holmes's love interest. --Tom Keogh

Customer Reviews:

Action, adventure, suspense -- not a kid's movie........2007-08-16

I remember seeing this movie a looong time ago when it first came out. I think I actually appreciate and enjoy it more now than I did back when.

Do not be confused -- this isn't a kid's movie per-se. There are some rather scary parts to this movie, and there is a good deal of violence, though none of it is what I would call overly graphic.

The acting is well done, the settings are quaint and fit the storyline well, and when you combine that with a great musical score and a rather intriguing plot, you have what I consider to be a FANTASTIC movie.

Young Sherlock Holmes.......2007-08-09

I've always wanted a copy of this movie after seeing it in a theatre in the 80s. Although it strays from the canon by Sir A. Conan Doyle, it is done so with respect. The story is engaging, and the special effects are wonderfully done. This is one that a person with even the slightest interest in Sherlock Holmes will enjoy.

Flawed Directing Ruins Drama.......2007-06-30

Since Sherlock Holmes and Doctor Watson meet each other for the first time as adults in Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's "The Sign of the Four", the story in this movie is distinctly extra-canonical. And yet, aside from that one minor continuity glitch, everything else in this movie lines up very well with Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's stories. If the first few chapters of "The Sign of the Four" can be temporarily forgotten (or ret-conned, as us comic book fans say) the story in the movie not only works well with the rest of Sherlock Holmes continuity, but helps to explain a lot of things Conan Doyle never got around to explaining, such as the origin of Holmes's distinctive deer-stalker cap, coat, and pipe, the beginnings of Holmes's relationship with Inspector Lestrade, the origins of Moriarity and his rivalry with Holmes, and finally the reason Holmes has maintained a distance from women all his adult life.
This last reason, the death of a true love, turns out to be remarkably similar to the reason Ian Fleming gives for James Bond inability to stay monogamous, but since Ian Fleming was inspired by the Fu-Manchu series, which in turn was inspired by Sherlock Holmes, I suppose its not altogether inappropriate that the characters share this link.

The story in this movie, about an Egyptian cult of the dead in an underground temple, is at points very similar to "Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom", particularly a scene with a human sacrifice, lots of chanting, and the young heroes looking on horrified from their hiding place. I'm going to have to double check the dates, but I suspect this movie came out after "Temple of Doom" and was trying to cash in on the Indiana Jones adventure craze.

Again, this is not entirely inappropriate, since Indiana Jones was based partly on the adventure movies of the 30s, which in turn were based off of stories like "Sherlock Holmes" and "Fu-Manchu". In fact the real sin is not that they attempted to rip Indiana Jones off, but that they failed so horribly in doing so.

Which brings me to the flaws of this film...
I'm told this film has been criticized because the story involves Holmes and Watson more or less stumbling onto the bad guys, instead of using Holmes characteristic deductive reasoning. However some of Conan Doyle's original stories also follow this pattern, so I don't hold that against the film. Also in the movie, like Conan Doyle's stories, Holmes does not share all of his information with Watson at the time, but only once the case is all over does he reveal how he solved it.

Unfortunately in the movie the viewer gets to see some of the assassinations in the film, and thus has more information than Holmes does, which is unfortunate and takes away from the suspense a little bit. Also the victims are shot with a poison dart which causes them to hallucinate, and (again unfortunately) we the viewer have to sit through these hallucinations, which I suspect were just an excuse to cram some Hollywood special effects into this movie and make it more marketable.

Really, sometimes you have to wonder what in the world Hollywood is thinking. I don't know a single person who likes those weird dream/ Hallucination sequences (unless watching them while high), and yet Hollywood films are often full of them.

Also the directing in this film is terrible. None of the action sequences are choreographed with any sort of suspense, and most of the physical action in this movie doesn't make any sense at all. Examples:
- --the heroine is abducted by the bad guy, and she appears to run off with him without making any effort to resist whatsoever.
- --The bad guys with swords are the clumsiest bad guys ever, and can't seem to hit Holmes or Watson, even though the latter two are making what look like only lazy efforts to get away.
- --A character gets knocked into the ice water, and sinks way too quickly.
---A crash landing, which should have been a dramatic sequence, is almost boring. I could go on and on.

Verdict: Worth watching for Sherlock Holmes fans or 80s nostalgia, but there are good reasons why this film never became a classic.

Far fetched story line.......2007-05-16

I have realized that every spin off of Sherlock Holmes disappoints me greatly (I am an ardent fan of the BBC series with Jeremy Brett as Holmes).
I do not intend to spoil the plot and hence I shall write no more about the mystery.
On the bright side, they have tried hard to do justice to Sherlock Holmes whimpsies, e.g, fencing, the hat, existence of Mycroft et al.
This one simply adds to my big fat collection of Sherlock Holmes DVDs. I wont dispose of it, but I wont be watching it for the second time either.

Wish there were sequels........2007-05-14

I enjoyed this movie so much I wish there were sequels. It's Harry Potter without magic.

Average customer rating:

ROMANCE
Very good romantic comedy
Dreamcast for a dreamy movie
I just love it
Great Movie

Shall We Dance? (Widescreen Edition)
Starring: Richard Gere , Jennifer Lopez , Susan Sarandon , Lisa Ann Walter , and Stanley Tucci
Director: Peter Chelsom
Manufacturer: Miramax
ProductGroup: DVD
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ASIN: B0006GAI6Y
Release Date: 2005-02-01

Amazon.com

Something got lost in translation from 1996's critically acclaimed Japanese comedy, but the American remake of Shall We Dance? is not without charms of its own. In being transplanted from Tokyo to Chicago, the original version's subtle humor is shaken out of its cultural context, but this is an otherwise faithful adaptation in which a weary lawyer (Richard Gere) battles his mid-life crisis with ballroom dancing lessons, while his wife (Susan Sarandon) hires a private detective to see if he's cheating. Those expecting a Jennifer Lopez showcase will be disappointed; her role as the melancholy dance instructor keeps the beautifully lovelorn J-Lo on the sidelines, while a cast of standard-issue supporting characters (especially Stanley Tucci's clandestine faux-Latin dance lover) provide a generous dose of Hollywood-ized comic relief. All of this gives Shall We Dance? a polished sheen of mainstream entertainment that many viewers---and especially ballroom dancers--will find delightfully irresistible. --Jeff Shannon

Description

Golden Globe winner Richard Gere (Best Actor In A Musical Or Comedy, CHICAGO, 2002; UNFAITHFUL) and Jennifer Lopez (JERSEY GIRL, MAID IN MANHATTAN) step out in a delightfully sexy comedy with a sizzling all-star cast! John Clark (Gere) is a meek workaholic who feels trapped in a dull, mind-numbing existence. But one night, his whole life changes when the sight of a beautiful dance instructor (Lopez) inspires him to break out of his mold and sign up for ballroom dancing lessons! Now, he'll have to step lightly -- and do some fancy footwork -- if he expects to keep his exciting new passion a secret from his family and friends. Also starring Academy Award(R) winner Susan Sarandon (Best Actress, DEAD MAN WALKING, 1995) and Stanley Tucci (THE TERMINAL), SHALL WE DANCE? is another acclaimed crowd-pleaser from the studio that brought you CHICAGO!

Customer Reviews:

ROMANCE.......2007-08-31

OH I JUST LOVE THIS!! WHENEVER J-LO DOES ANY SORT OF ROMANTIC COMEDY/DRAMA IT'S A HIT!! THE CHEMISTRY BETWEEN HER & RICHARD GERE....SO SWEET....THE MOVE WAS VERY ROMANTIC. MAKE ME WANT TO TAKE DANCE LESSONS!! KUDOS!!!

Very good romantic comedy.......2007-08-29

This is a good movie. The cast is varied and each fits his or her character. Very enjoyable with good music and ballroom dancing. It's a "light" romantic comedy/drama but worth owning.

Dreamcast for a dreamy movie.......2007-08-20

Richard Gere at (what he must be like) 85 or so, gorgeous as ever playing the loyal and faithful husband to Susan S. I like the way there was no romance between the two most beautiful characters, as predictable as that usually is - but the two are attracted to each other for deeper reasons - Gere saw in Lopez's face what he was feeling inside, and that's what attracts the two. I've been just recently a fan of Susan S., and she doesn't dissappoint -- most of the movie has her in the scenes. Another treat had been the gorgeous costumes worn by Lopez - reasonable camera time was given to them from different angles. Some of the characters are silly, specifically the fat lady and the sensual gay man--just silly and unrealistic. I think it could have been better, I have a gripe when inferior characters take away from a potentially good movie. Or is that just the way people act in CHICAGO?, because where I live, it's just unrealistic. Back to the good: Gere, Susan S., and Lopez--dream cast. I like the dance teacher too, cute character.

I just love it.......2007-08-12

I was lucky to be able to obtain the DVD a few years back, just a few months after it was available to the public. I never thought the movie would be that good. I thought it would only be a good piece merely to pass the time. To my surprise, I must have watched it a hundred times or more. I just love the actors, the accompanying music, the songs, the story, the acting. I just love everything about this movie. My sincere salute to the "Director" of the movie! He's just great. I would not hasitate to look for his other movies (if any). BTW, this is my second DVD for this movie.

Great Movie.......2007-08-06

I'm not a JLo fan and she does ok in this one (not the best but it's passable) but this movie is great! Loved the storyline, loved the characters (Stanley Tucci is a hoot!) etc.

A wonderful, warm movie. I'm not a crier but I actually cried when Richard Gere met Susan Sarandon at her workplace w/ a rose and the Peter Gabriel song was playing in the background!

Check it out. It's a good family film.

DWTS addicts, you can see Tony Dovolani and Karina Smirnoff (Mario Lopez's girlfriend) in the movie. Tony was the obnoxious dancer in the competition and Karina was the girl that danced w/ Stanley T. at the studio.

Average customer rating:

Eloise at the Plaza
Great story for children that parents won't mind watching a thousand times.
Why did they bother?
We love Eloise!
a very fun kid's movie.

Eloise at the Plaza
Starring: Julie Andrews , Sofia Vassilieva , Jeffrey Tambor , Christine Baranski , and Brittany Gray
Director: Kevin Lima
Manufacturer: Walt Disney Home Entertainment
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B0000BWVMO
Release Date: 2003-11-11

Amazon.com

Kay Thompson's literary classic comes to life in this TV movie starring a free-spirited 6-year-old living in New York's Plaza Hotel. Sofia Vassilieva lights up the screen as Eloise, bearing an uncanny resemblance to Hilary Knight's illustrated namesake, from her bright red ribbon to her dainty designer shoes. Equal parts irrepressible imp and cherubic charmer, Eloise has the run of the hotel under the (mostly) attentive eye of beloved Nanny, played "rawther" marvelously by the timeless Julie Andrews. As the Plaza prepares for its debutante ball, a young prince arrives incognito, who Eloise befriends in her usual dervish style. The cast's comic timing transforms otherwise seeming clichés into a masterful romp through several stories-within-a-story, whether it's Eloise matchmaking a romantic liaison for Nanny, or orchestrating reconciliation between the prince and his estranged father. A making-of featurette and art lesson by Hilary Knight round out this heartwarming package, a fitting tribute to Eloise's creator. (Ages 5 and older) --Lynn Gibson

Description

Based on the best-selling children's classic, ELOISE AT THE PLAZA brings one of literature's most beloved characters to life in a new heartwarming and hilarious movie that "is reason for celebration" (Orlando Sentinel). Eloise (Sofia Vassilieva) is a fun-loving little girl with a knack for finding adventure every place she looks. While under the care of her "rawther" wonderful nanny (Julie Andrews), Eloise tries to play matchmaker to a lonely prince and wrangle an invitation to the society event of the season. Join New York City's most adventurous six-year-old in this charming new family film. It's "as bright and quick-witted as its high-spirited heroine" (Newsday).

Customer Reviews:

Eloise at the Plaza.......2007-05-09

I'm an 8th grade Social Studies teacher. I use the Eloise book Eloise in Moscow as a symbol for the Cold War era. Since my students had no background in Eloise, they struggled with understanding the book. This video gives the students the needed backdrop into which to fit the required reading. The movie is delightfully funny and gives the students a peek into the culture of the times.

Great story for children that parents won't mind watching a thousand times........2007-02-06

This movie is incredibly well done. Excellent casting and a charming story lead to a very engrossing tale of a mischievous six year old girl with a heart of gold who causes a lot of trouble in a way that real children love to watch, but at bottom, is a sweet kid who is just trying to fill her days living at the Plaza with fun. The movie is styled in a way that is asynchronous. The dresses are very fifties-ish, yet the cars are from the nineties. The music is very American Songbook, yet the props and cultural references are all over the map. The result is a timeless story that is appealing to adults and children alike. Any girl from age three up to 103 will like this story. Boys aged four or five through probably ten or eleven will love Eloise. Parents will love it because if their children get into one of those video ruts in which all they want to watch is Eloise, it is an enjoyable ninety minutes to which to listen. There is no violence, no inappropriate content of any kind, and no "scary bit", yet the movie still has a lot of texture and intrigue. In addition, Eloise, although not well-behaved, is, in certain ways, a decent role model for girls, expressing herself articulately, and solving her own problems (in the context of her own simultaneously privileged yet neglected little microcosm). I've seen this movie probably two dozen times now with my four year old daughter and her friends (which regularly include a six year old girl and a nine year old boy), and I (and they) never tire of it. I recommend it highly.

Why did they bother?.......2006-08-21

The books are witty and charming. This, in stark contrast, is formulaic schlock. Americans -- and much of the world's consumers -- prefer their entertainment predigested so it doesn't require chewing, so they consume the same nutritionless movieland cliches endlessly.

In the land of limitless equality, everything is reduced to equal tastelessness. If you want impart the capacity for discernment to your child, you could start by avoiding this twaddle. The Eloise books are special, while this movie is mere product.

Update: I've since discovered that Anchor Bay has two Eloise animated DVDs, "Me, Eloise," and "Little Miss Christmas," which are far more tolerable than this Disney garbage. They are at least a bit more faithful to the spirit of the books.

We love Eloise!.......2006-02-28

Get all the Eloise you can! The writing is so much fun. Eloise is hysterical! You can't go wrong with this book. Unless you'd rawther take a bawth!

a very fun kid's movie........2005-11-29

i got this movie last christmas and when i watched it.It was
hilarious.it's about this six year old girl named eloise who live's at the plaza hotel.And nanny "julie andrew's" has to
take care of her while her mother is in paris for a while.
eloise is always running all over the hotel she knows all
the waitor's,butler's,and the hotel manager mr.pbody.

Average customer rating:

Solid Mystery, if not Great Nior
Ferrer as Satanic Svengali
Tierney's best acting. A noir treat!
This is an excuciatingly dull, BAD movie
Love eventually conquers all

Whirlpool (Fox Film Noir)
Starring: Gene Tierney , Richard Conte , José Ferrer , Charles Bickford , and Barbara O'Neil
Director: Otto Preminger
Manufacturer: 20th Century Fox
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B0009X7682
Release Date: 2005-09-06

Amazon.com

Laura will always be director Otto Preminger's most beloved movie, but he gets closer to the essence of film noir in this fascinatingly slippery item about a psychiatrist's wife whose weakness for kleptomania makes her prey to an oily hypnotist, con artist, and manipulator par excellence. The fashion-plate wife (dresses, robes, and peignoirs by Oleg Cassini) is played by Laura herself, Gene Tierney. The mellifluous conniver is Jose Ferrer, coming off like the illegitimate son of Waldo Lydecker ("I'm so glad you're here--you make Tina's party seem an almost human event"). Among other things, Ferrer would probably like to get Tierney into bed, and a good many people--including Richard Conte as the caring husband--come to believe he has. But that's not the extent of his ambitions, and before long Tierney has been framed for a murder of convenience to clear up another bit of messiness in the cad's career. Whirlpool's mise-en-scène has a sinuous fluidity and subtle play of light and shadow (it was among the last films shot by that master of black-and-white, Arthur C. Miller), and the complexly structured screenplay--by Ben Hecht and Andrew Solt--takes us by surprise in reel after reel. There's nothing redeeming about Ferrer's character (except how much pleasure his villainy affords), but Preminger doesn't really side with any of the characters or permit our facile identification with anyone. Different parts of the movie are dominated by each of the key figures, including police detective Charles Bickford, and we keep learning there's more to each of them than we initially assumed. Whirlpool's a good title for it. Dive in. --Richard T. Jameson

Description

The wife of a psycho-analyst falls prey to a devious quack hypnotist when he discovers she is an habitual shoplifter. Then one of his previous patients now being treated by the real doctor is found murdered, with her still at the scene, and suspicion points only one way.

Customer Reviews:

Solid Mystery, if not Great Nior.......2007-02-14

"Whirlpool" is a first rate murder mystery but it's debatable if it qualifies as a noir release. Silver and Ward's encyclopedic "Film Noir" does not list it, though it does mention other releases by the lading cast members. No matter, W can stand on its' own merits. As the story opens, Gene Tierney is pinched for shoplifting by the house dick at a fancy department store in LA. Quickly, perhaps a bit conveniently, GT is sprung by a smooth talking Jose Ferrer. It develops that GT is a very vulnerable young woman. Among her problems is kleptomania and JF is quick to exploit. He hypnotizes GT under the guise of "helping her sleep at night" but he has far darker motives. It seems he has bilked Barbara O'Neill out of $60Gs and O'N wants her $$ back. Soon she is found murdered-with GT at the crime scene! As many of previous reviews have revealed the resolution, this one will try to maintain an air of mystery. Will justice be done? Is GT on her way to the electric chair? Her lawyer is planning an insanity defense! What happens? My amazon friends will have to watch for themselves, but what develops is a very solid murder mystery with many more angles than mentioned here. This reviewer believes that the males carry W. Richard Conte is GT's supportive husband, capably shedding his customary tough guy role. (He is a shrink with a penchant for taping his sessions!) Charles Bickford is perfect as the gruff but patient veteran homicide detective. And Ferrer is over the top as an effete oily, smug villain with an airtight alibi. (Wasn't he flat on his back in a hospital bed the night O'N met her demise?) One wonders why he didn't play the black hat more often. With all the references to hypnosis and kleptomania W is an easy movie to over analyze. Amazoners are urged to resist this temptation and simply enjoy W on its' own terms. Watch attentively. This is a good one, noir or not.

Ferrer as Satanic Svengali.......2007-02-09

Jose Ferrer proved he had a strong acting presence and reached his peak in his virtuoso role in "Cyrano de Bergerac." In "Whirlpool" he is cast in a role that stretches his talents.

Ferrer can display a modicum of style mixed with a strong measure of authority when he is so disposed. Ultimately he emerges as a satanic Svengali hell bent on destroying beautiful Gene Tierney.

Tierney, for her part, is cast as a vulnerable woman who is seen as ripe pickings by the opportunistic Ferrer. After all, she is the wife of a prominent psychiatrist, played by Richard Conte in a shift from more traditionally machismo roles, and has plenty of money.

Otto Preminger, the director who specialized in films dealing with the "moral ambiguity" of America in the mid-century period, was just the person to develop such a conflict on screen in this 1949 release.

It was only natural for veteran scenarist Ben Hecht to write the screenplay, working with Andrew Solt. After all, it was Hecht who gave us such psychological thrillers working with Alfred Hitchcock as "Spellbound" and "Notorious."

The film begins with Ferrer helping Tierney out of a jam. Even though she lives an affluent life with her highly successful husband, Tierney is a kleptomaniac. When she attempts to steal a brooch from a department store the store's detective is there to apprehend her before she has a chance to drive away.

Ferrer comes to the rescue of Tierney. The store manager knows him well and immediately seeks to bring an unfortunate matter to a close. His conduct tips off viewers early that Ferrer is the type of individual who can and will cause trouble if and when he feels so disposed and has a formidable reputation.

It takes Ferrer little time to adopt his Svengali manner and seek to dominate Tierney, who in turn resists. Before long circumstances develop under Ferrer's unscrupulous planning that she is charged with a murder.

To give away more would interfere with the suspense plotting, but it can be said without giving away critical facts that Ferrer is a man who plays by the "take no prisoners" rules. Opportunism and domination are his twin hallmarks.

Just as we have an ongoing conflict in the relationship between Ferrer and Tierney, we have a corresponding cooperative alliance that emerges between Tierney's husband Conte and police-investigating detective Charles Bickford.

When Bickford sees that Conte is a loyal husband convinced that the woman he loves is innocent, Bickford confides that his wife died recently, generating empathy between the two men as he begins to increasingly believe that Tierney is an innocent victim.

Bickford, as a shrewd and veteran police officer, realizes that he can benefit from Conte's professional expertise from his background as a world famous psychiatrist. Conte's knowledge of the effects of hypnosis proves highly beneficial in helping solve the case.

Bickford at a critical juncture treats Conte more like an investigative partner rather than the husband of the official prime suspect of the moment and his strategy ploy brings results when a Conte strategy ploy results with Ferrer figuratively "hanging himself on his own petard."

Tierney's best acting. A noir treat!.......2006-07-25

This is a marvelous film noir story set in every day upper-middle-class America. It presents the popular ambivalence felt at the time about psychoanalysis, with one "good" Doctor and one charlatan.

I am a fan of Gene Tierney, without thinking she a great actress. She was exceptionally pretty, had a very polished manner, and very average in range. This made her a wonderful representative of both the middle class, and their hopes of being refined. To my mind, while this is not her best film (That being either THE GHOST AND MRS. MUIR or LEAVE HER TO HEAVEN), this IS her finest acting work. It uses her blankness to advantage, and this script also gives her the pathos and confusion to vent full emotional range which is rare for her films. (To the observant person, it also displays the flaws of her presentational acting style; as when she breaks down in a torrent of bitter tears, and looks up afterwards - dry eyed and serene. But for THIS film - playing a woman completely divorced from her own emotions - even that works to the benefit of the plot.)

An actor is always helped - made better, challenged more - by working with other great actors, and she is working here with one of the very best, Jose Ferrer. This was shortly before his academy award win in CYRANNO, and quite possibly, this incredibly complex performance contributed to that win, he is simply excellent. All screen villains should watch this, every second of his performance is filled with a gamut of emotions, and mundane details. It is clear that not only is his character the smartest person in the room, but Ferrer may be as well. Tierney carries the story and Ferrer moves it along. Charles Bickford also gives a marvelous performance in a smaller, yet layered role as the rumpled, grieving Detective.

Richard Conte, is the real oddball casting. His street-tough demeanor is what carried his career. (He is magnificent as the psycho mob boss in stylish expressionistic noir film, THE BIG COMBO.) So it was an interesting choice to cast him as the intellectual top-notch psychologist, and ideal husband, but it doesn't really work. We just can't really believe that people would turn to him for help, that level of sensitivity isn't there. Ultimately, this is an undercurrent of the movie, however, and Director Otto Preminger may have been making the point that even a good Psychiatrist may not be that good for people.

This film was probably shocking in its day - not very nice - like watching those lovely people next door have a drunken brawl. A larger theme which is being exposed here is that the "perfect post-war life" is an empty façade. Since this was made in 1949, this film presents a very early warning shot across the bow of the "Cleaver Family" façade. It would be almost 10 years before this was a much more common thread, in such movies as the Kim Novak/Kirk Douglas "STRANGERS WHEN WE MEET," and then films with James Dean, who became the poster boy of idyllic family life with a dysfunctional core.

The talented Ben Hecht wrote the screenplay with Andrew Solt, based on a novel by Guy Endore. Much more than mystery, much more than noir, this is a very fine story with good plot twists, emotional life (which is usually absent or ice-cold in noir), developed with subtlety and brains. It is still a joy to watch for itself, but made timeless by the despicable, love-to-hate-him performance of Jose Ferrer.

This is an excuciatingly dull, BAD movie.......2006-05-29

As a lover of film noir and proud owner of most that are on DVD or VHS, I can say without hesitation that this is one of the very worst ever. The only reason I gave it two stars, instead of one, was because of the fine performers who were saddled with this inane script.
Joe Ferrer's hypnosis of Gene Tierney to allow her to sleep is nothing compared to the yawns brought about by the agonizingly slow pace, lack of action, and interminable pauses between lines. At one point, Gene Tierney swears that she hasn't been lying, and you find yourself wanting to respond: "Of course, you haven't. You haven't said anything of import."
The storyline makes absolutely no sense. Jose Ferrer has set
up the perfect crime so what does he do? He returns to the scene for no apparent reason other than to be captured. He hypnotizes Gene Tierney to steal incriminating evidence and then has her place the items where they will inexorably be discovered.
A complete waste of wonderful performers. Cross this one off the list, and donate the $9.99 to your favorite charity.
Or pourchase "The Dark Corner," a truly memorable Fox noir with an outstanding performance by a breathtakingly gorgeous Lucille Ball.

Love eventually conquers all.......2006-05-28

Gene Tierney stars as the young and attractive Ann Sutton, wife of a wealthy and prominent Los Angeles psychoanalyst in the worthy Otto Preminger directed tale of deceit and intrigue, "Whirlpool". Unbeknown to her husband Dr. William Sutton played by Richard Conte, Tierney had been suffering from lifelong bouts of kleptomania. She was apprehended for the theft of a broach at a chic department store. This commenced a chain of events that would drastically alter her life.

Happening to be nearby and coming to Tierney's rescue was a persuasive Jose Ferrer who convinced the store manager to drop the charges. Ferrer the star of the film played David Korvo, a suave and smooth talking charlatan and hypnotist. Ferrer eventually gained Tierney's confidence by using hypnosis to cure her sleeplessness born out of guilt about her secret afflition. When Ferrer failed to use his charm and power to seduce Tierney during their sessions he proceeded to use her as a pawn in another fantastic scheme.

Ferrer had seductively bilked a previous "patient" Theresa Randolph played by Barbara O'Neil out of $60,000. She had threatened to expose him to the police. Ferrer strangled her and then hypnotized Tierney into certain actions and being present at the crime scene to implicate her as the murderer. Ferrer had set up a very clever alibi and convincing evidence that Tierney was his lover.

A devastated Conte and a skeptical and craggy police lieutenant Colton played grumpily by Charles Bickford collaborated together to prove Tierney's innocence.

Preminger did well in setting the tone of suspense in this effective film noir based on the novel by Guy Endore. Tierney was decent as the femme fatale but the villainous Ferrer was excellent in his role aided also by the very solid performance of Bickford.

Average customer rating:

ROMANCE
Very good romantic comedy
Dreamcast for a dreamy movie
I just love it
Great Movie

Shall We Dance? (Full Screen Edition)
Starring: Richard Gere , Jennifer Lopez , Susan Sarandon , Lisa Ann Walter , and Stanley Tucci
Director: Peter Chelsom
Manufacturer: Miramax
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B0006GAI6O
Release Date: 2005-02-01

Amazon.com

Description