Sense & Sensibility (Special Edition)

Amazon.com essential video

Emma Thompson scores a double bull's-eye with this marvelous adaptation of Jane Austen's novel. Not only does Thompson turn in a strong (and gently humorous) performance as one of the Dashwood sisters--the one with "sense"--she also wrote the witty, wise screenplay. Austen's tale of 19th-century manners and morals provides a large cast with a feast of possibilities, notably Kate Winslet, in her pre-Titanic flowering, as Thompson's deeply romantic sister. Winslet attracts the wooing of shy Alan Rickman (a nice change of pace from his bad-guy roles) and dashing Greg Wise, while Thompson must endure an incredibly roundabout courtship with Hugh Grant, here in fine and funny form. All of this is doled out with the usual eye-filling English countryside and handsome costumes, yet the film always seems to be about the careful interior lives of its characters. The director, an inspired choice, is Taiwan-born Ang Lee, who brings the same exquisite taste and discreet touch he displayed in his previous Asian films (such as Eat Drink Man Woman). Thompson's script won an Oscar, and 1995 was a fine year for Jane Austen all around: Persuasion was made into an excellent picture, and Emma became the spritzy high school comedy Clueless. --Robert Horton

Customer Reviews:

Sense and Sensability.......2007-09-11

An amazing film at an amazing price. Product came in perfect shape except the plastic on the cover had been sliced (probably while opening the box).

Sense And Sensibility.......2007-09-09

If you are a fan of Jane Austin or like me, new admirer of her works, this is a great movie. It captures the romance and the atmosphere of this time and place. I really enjoyed the characters and the story.

IF YOU LIKE JANE AUSTEN MOVIES.......2007-09-06

I love Jane Austen, I love well-done 19th Century Brit Lit classic productions. The actors are fun...Emma Thompson, as always, is superb and Hugh Grant, of course, is the bad boy one just loves to hate. This movie is really multi-purpose: a great way to spend some time if you are home with the sniffles, a great escape on what might be the end of an all too modern day, or just cozy to watch curled up by the fire.

Definitely worth owning...sort of a "little black dress" DVD. ENJOY!

A Social Commentary.......2007-09-06

The worst thing a person can do is underestimate Jane Austen. Though it is true that her stories center on young women and their romantic struggles, her works are not mere romance novels. This film does a wonderful job of demonstrating that.

Emma Thompson is a wonderful actress and she really brings Elinor to life. At times she seems almost cold and unfeeling but she is actually a woman who keeps her own counsel and who is very aware of how society views young women. Better to be thought a cold woman than to make a mockery of herself in the eyes of others. Thompson is at her best in those brief moments when Elinor is alone, when she is gazing sadly at her sister while she plays pianoforte, when she is alone in her room and running her fingers over the monogram embroidered on a handkerchief. Elinor is actually quite a complex character, a woman who loves deeply and wholly but who is also very self and socially aware.

Her polar opposite is her sister Marianne and Kate Winslet is simply perfect in the role. She captures Marianne's youthful exuberance and the blissful lack of awareness that she has for what others think of her. In this day and age, such individuality would be encouraged but in Marianne's time it is seen as a fatal flaw, one that risks making her the target of ridicule of others. She follows her heart over her head, unlike Elinor. As the title indicate, Marianne is all sensibility while her sister is all sense.

Hugh Grant does a nice job of portraying the somewhat socially awkward and very shy Edward. He always looks uncomfortable in his skin and only seems to relax when he is with Elinor or when he is brushing up on his sword wielding skills with Margaret. Edward exemplifies the plight of the younger sons of the era, the need to please the family in order to maintain his position. This was not a time when going it alone was encouraged or even feasible. It is Edward's sense of honor and duty that are almost his undoing and, in some ways, his situation is no better than that of the women. Though he is ostensibly free to choose his profession, he is actually quite subject to the whims of his mother and his vicious social-climbing sister.

The most surprising and rewarding bits of casting lie with Alan Rickman as Colonel Brandon. His world weariness and deep sadness are visible in every line of Rickman's face. He has seen what society can do to a young woman determined to follow her passions as Marianne is and it has left a deep impression upon him. Though Elinor has a good grasp of the world, Brandon understands it even better and one of the finest scenes of the movie is the one in which he chides Elinor not to wish for her sister to become acquainted with the ways of the world.

Emma Thompson did a fine job of writing the screenplay for this movie, cutting out some of the less essential bits and lifting quite a bit of the dialogue directly from the text. Ang Lee's direction is lovely and his shots are framed with such care. Often his cast doesn't even need to speak, they simply need to observe and Lee does a wonderful job of capturing the characters' emotions in their quieter moments.

Sense and Sensibility.......2007-08-24

We love this movie. The acting in it is great and you'll come to love each character like an old friend. It is a movie we watch over an over again, enjoying it everytime.

Average customer rating:

What? Blah Blah Blah. What? Blah Blah Blah.
Forgettable and Far Too Self-Important
A brilliant movie
Worst from Iñarritu
Six degrees

Babel
Starring: Brad Pitt , Cate Blanchett , Mohamed Akhzam , Peter Wight , and Harriet Walter
Director: Alejandro González Iñárritu
Manufacturer: Paramount
ProductGroup: DVD
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ASIN: B000MCH5P4
Release Date: 2007-02-20

Amazon.com

Brilliantly conceived, superbly directed, and beautifully acted, Babel is inarguably one of the best films of 2006. Director Alejandro González Iñárritu and his co-writer, Guillermo Arriaga (the two also collaborated on Amores Perros and 21 Grams) weave together the disparate strands of their story into a finely hewn fabric by focusing on what appear to be several equally incongruent characters: an American (Brad Pitt) touring Morocco with his wife (Cate Blanchett) become the focus of an international incident also involving a hardscrabble Moroccan farmer (Mustapha Rachidi) struggling to keep his two young sons in line and his family together. A San Diego nanny (Adriana Barraza), her employers absent, makes the disastrous decision to take their kids with her to a wedding in Mexico. And a deaf-mute Japanese teen (the extraordinary Rinko Kikuchi) deals with a relationship with her father (Koji Yakusho) and the world in general that's been upended by the death of her mother. It is perhaps not surprising, or particularly original, that a gun is the device that ties these people together. Yet Babel isn't merely about violence and its tragic consequences. It's about communication, and especially the lack of it--both intercultural, raising issues like terrorism and immigration, and intracultural, as basic as husbands talking to their wives and parents understanding their children. Iñárritu's command of his medium, sound and visual alike, is extraordinary; the camera work is by turns kinetic and restrained, the music always well matched to the scenes, the editing deft but not confusing, and the film (which clocks in at a lengthy 143 minutes) is filled with indelible moments. Many of those moments are also pretty stark and grim, and no will claim that all of this leads to a "happy" ending, but there is a sense of reconciliation, perhaps even resolution. "If You Want to be Understood... Listen," goes the tagline. And if you want a movie that will leave you thinking, Babel is it. --Sam Graham

Beyond Babel

Other Interweaving Storylines on DVD
Other DVDs by Director Alejandro González Iñárritu
Why We Love Cate Blanchett

Stills from Babel (click for larger image)

Product Description

In Babel, a tragic incident involving an American couple in Morocco sparks a chain of events for four families in different countries throughout the world. In the struggle to overcome isolation, fear, and displacement, each character discovers that it is family that ultimately provides solace.

In the remote sands of the Moroccan desert, a rifle shot rings out-- detonating a chain of events that will link an American tourist couple's frantic struggle to survive, two Moroccan boys involved in an accidental crime, a nanny illegally crossing into Mexico with two American children, and a Japanese teen rebel whose father is sought by the police in Tokyo. Separated by clashing cultures and sprawling distances, each of these four disparate groups of people are nevertheless hurtling towards a shared destiny of isolation and grief. In the course of just a few days, they will each face the dizzying sensation of becoming profoundly lost - lost in the desert, lost to the world, lost to themselves - as they are pushed to the farthest edges of confusion and fear as well as to the very depths of connection and love.

In this mesmerizing, emotional film that was shot in three continents and four languages - and traverses both the deeply personal and the explosively political -- acclaimed director Alejandro González Iñárritu (21 Grams, Amores Perros) explores with shattering realism the nature of the barriers that seem to separate humankind. In doing so, he evokes the ancient concept of Babel and questions its modern day implications: the mistaken identities, misunderstandings and missed chances for communication that-- though often unseen-- drive our contemporary lives. Brad Pitt, Cate Blanchett, Gael García Bernal, Kôji Yakusho, Adriana Barraza and Rinko Kikuchi lead an international ensemble of actors and non-professional actors from Morocco, Tijuana and Tokyo, who enrich Babel's take on cultural diversity and enhance its powerful examination of the links and frontiers between and within us.

Customer Reviews:

What? Blah Blah Blah. What? Blah Blah Blah. .......2007-09-09

The tower for which this movie was named embodied hubris and grandiosity which culminated in chaos and inability to communicate. Quel coincidence! The good news about Babel is that Brad Pitt is finally starting to look like an adult, and even more surprisingly, a male adult. The bad news is, this voracious turkey vulture of a film consumes 2 hours and 23 minutes of your life that would have been better spent hammering nails into your hand.

Admires of oh-so-trendy crosscut scripting, folks who enjoyed Crash, Short Cuts, and Magnolia, should know better than to fall for this. Those three, though poor, all had worthy moments. Memento and Mulholland Drive used the technique very successfully. But director Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu - who is also guilty of writing the screenplay - seems to believe that as long as characters are unified by something - anything - a coherent and meaningful story will emerge. For example, if they all breathe air, or scratch when they itch, or if they have all consumed food in the past month. Indeed, what we have are four incidents - one could never call them stories - connected by a thread so thin no self-respecting spider would cast it. Since there is no meaningful connection, we are left with the events themselves.

As is often the case today - lack of story and purpose is glossed over with splashy cinematography. While the score is at times good enough to hold your interest, there is no character anywhere in this movie who is remotely credible or intriguing. No one interacts in any meaningful way, no relationships develop. Our young Japanese friend is the closest we come, at least we care about her, but to observe this is merely say that - in the land of the blind the one-eyed man is king.

Of course when we see the name Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu we should know we're in for pompous, ponderous art house musk ox oil. He is, after all, the auteur of 21 Grams, which paraded its string of intersecting lives and aha "coincidences" before us ad nauseum - instead of plot or character. One can almost imagine the conversations at Starbucks where men in tweed jackets with leather patches, stroking goatees prattle on and on about the symbolism of communication contained in this film - the deaf girl, the telephone calls to foreign operators, a nervous world where a careless goatherd can spark suspicions of international terrorism. This, of course, is what Mr. Inarritu wants. But he's lost sight of Film School 101 - tell a story, make it a good one, give me characters I can care about, and make sure something happens. Babel never achieves the heights it hoped to reach, and takes a very long time failing.

Forgettable and Far Too Self-Important.......2007-09-08

The sweeping shots of mountains are at first awe-inspiring, then soon start to resemble something from a National Geographic special.

There's a lot of "The Ugly American" message in the story (as if there aren't any poor people in America), and the message is delivered in a very heavy-handed, bludgeoning way.

Brad Pitt phones this one in. There's nothing really memorable here; there's no humor to lighten the heavy plot.

"The Constant Gardener" is a much better film. Rent that instead.

A brilliant movie.......2007-09-05

This is definitely not a Hollywoodian movie. How about seeing it as a story about karma, negative karma, action and reaction. If you think of it (provided you have seen this movie), you will realize that the Japanese portion of the story is actually central to all the events, which originate in the Japanese executive. Karma continues to play its devastating role throughout the movie, across all the countries and cultures portrayed.

Having lived for over 10 years in Morocco, I can say that the Moroccan actors did a fabulous job, that the settings were extremely well chosen and looked authentic (I didn't live in the southern Moroccan mountains where this movie was partly shot, so I can't witness to the 100% authenticity of setting).

As for the actors, one of the best roles for Brad Pitt, which he performed perfectly. All of the actors did a superb job. Coming to this movie without any notion of its plot or setting (sorry I was so ignorant!), I was swept off my feet. Highly recommended.

Worst from Iñarritu.......2007-09-04

Boring, senseless, bad paced, predictable. Can't find a positive aspect for this movie, not even the photography or soundtrack was worth the admission fee. One star alone for the cast, yet acting is nothing memorable either.

Six degrees.......2007-09-04

Babel is a `six degrees of separation' film in which a single, small event in Morocco touches lives not only in Morocco but as far away as Japan, Mexico and America. The traumatic stories unfolding at each location are otherwise unrelated to each other and are depicted in the very different styles of film-makers in those locations. The result is like seeing three different, interleaved foreign movies based on the same theme--that horrendous events anywhere have the effect of stripping back the layers of falseness and irrelevance we build into our lives, leaving us with what is true and real. I loved the multi-national backgrounds and thought the acting and direction were superb. However, it's not a film for those looking for an uncomplicated story told in a familiar idiom. It's demanding on several levels--a sophisticated, contemporary movie.

Average customer rating:

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

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

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ASIN: B00004TJQK
Release Date: 2000-08-08

Amazon.com

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

Customer Reviews:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Average customer rating:

Jeremiah will keep you weeping...
Back in the day. . .
One tough naturalist.
Good stuff
Very Good Movie

Jeremiah Johnson
Starring: Robert Redford , Will Geer , Delle Bolton , Josh Albee , and Joaquín Martínez
Director: Sydney Pollack
Manufacturer: Warner Home Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: 6304696531
Release Date: 1997-10-29

Amazon.com

After they first worked together on the 1966 film This Property Is Condemned, director Sydney Pollack and Robert Redford continued their long-lasting collaboration with this 1972 drama set during the mid-1800s, about one man's rugged effort to shed the burden of civilization and learn to survive in the wilderness of the Rocky Mountains. Will Geer is perfectly cast as the seasoned trapper who teaches Jeremiah Johnson (Redford) how to survive against harsh winters, close encounters with grizzly bears, and hostile Crow Indians. In the course of his adventure, Johnson marries the daughter of a Flathead Indian chief, forms a makeshift family, and ultimately assumes a mythic place in Rocky Mountain folklore. Shot entirely on location in Utah, the film boasts an abundance of breathtaking widescreen scenery, and the story (despite a PG rating) doesn't flinch from the brutality of the wilderness. In addition to the original theatrical trailer, remastered Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtrack, and informative production notes, the DVD also includes The Saga of Jeremiah Johnson, a promotional documentary on the making of the film. --Jeff Shannon

Description

Robert Redford has one of his best-ever roles as a 19th century mountain man in a wilderness of harsh elements and hostile Indians. Directed by The Firm's Sydney Pollack. Year: 1972 Director: Sydney Pollack Starring: Robert Redford, Will Geer, Stefan Gierasch

DVD Features:
Featurette
Production Notes

Customer Reviews:

Jeremiah will keep you weeping..........2007-09-03

Spectacular scenery and Redford never looked better, but SAD....
Chronicles the challenges and losses of a man who turns to the wilderness to find himself.
Did I mention it was sad?
Still vey worth watching.

Back in the day. . ........2007-08-26

I'm an English teacher, trying to introduce American Literature in a friendly way to a media-sabotaged generation who think movies must say and tell all, leaving nothing to the imagination. Here is a movie made when movies were movies, made with care and accuracy, multi-thematically rich: man vs. nature, inter-racial marriage, and outcasts combining perfectly into a believable family. Redford is incredible, his 'squaw' is every bit his equal in portraying innocence and youth forced into a marriage she didn't choose, and 'Caleb' says everything without saying a single word. How did they do this? Done in a day when movies were magic and sheer talent filled the screen. Where has all the magic gone, long time passing. . .

One tough naturalist........2007-08-07

Robert Redford plays Jeremiah Johnson,in the 1880's ?, a man not content to live among the people in the lowlands. To the mountains he went to live.
He meets an old mountain man and learns tips for survival .Never staying to long in one place he meets another man left for dead by a group of Crow Indians. The man is obnoxius and a louse. Liking to travel light and happiest alone, he ends up married with an Indian wife and saddled with an orphaned boy. The boy won't talk and the Indian wife cant speak english. He is a patient man and begins to draw the traumatized boy out of his shell. The Indian wife is patient as well and begins to gain Jeremiahs love. Jeremiah learns to love his strange family. A band of savage Indians, Crows again, ambushes the cabin when he is not there and murders his family.
Jeremiah becomes consumed with rage and thirsty for revenge he hunts down the Crows and kills them. Finally when his revenge is satiated he becomes again what he was before a loner in the mountains.
This is a beautiful film and a complex story you may need to watch it 2 or 6 times, because its just so enjoyable.

Good stuff.......2007-08-02

Redford is awesome. The mountains are captured beautifully. A simple, yet intelligent, man at peace enough with himself to be all alone and depend solely on his own judgement.

Very Good Movie.......2007-06-17

A man had a family, Swan,Calab. He crosses a bural gound, His family is gone.
Will Geer, Robert Redford

Average customer rating:

Great Halloween movie!
AND THE WINNER IS?????....................
GOOD
The Witches
Entertaining adaptation but far from perfect DVD

The Witches
Starring: Anjelica Huston , Mai Zetterling , Jasen Fisher , Jane Horrocks , and Anne Lambton
Director: Nicolas Roeg
Manufacturer: Warner Home Video
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ASIN: 0790740885
Release Date: 1999-06-22

Amazon.com essential video

This splendid adventure-fantasy from 1990 was adapted from Roald Dahl's book and directed by maverick British filmmaker Nicolas Roeg, who turned out to be a perfect (if seemingly unlikely) interpreter of Dahl's fiendishly clever tale of witchcraft in contemporary England. Scary, funny, and wildly entertaining, it's all about a young boy named Luke (Jasen Fisher) whose parents have died in a tragic accident, and whose grandmother (Mai Zetterling) takes him to a posh hotel in England, where a secret coven of witches is holding its annual convention. The Grand High Witch (Anjelica Huston, in a scene-stealing performance) has decreed that all children in England be turned into mice, and Luke and his pal Bruno (Charles Potter) are the first victims on the list. That's when the movie magicians from Jim Henson's creature shop have their work cut out for them, turning Luke and Bruno into clever little rodents and The Witches into a dazzling display of imaginative special effects, using a seamless combination of real mice and superb animatronic puppets. Director Roeg doesn't compromise the sinister edge of Dahl's story, but comedy gets equal time from the brilliant cast including Brenda Blethyn (from Secrets and Lies and Little Voice), Rowan Atkinson (of Black Adder and Mr. Bean fame), and Jane Horrocks (Little Voice) as the Grand High Witch's beleaguered assistant. Although it was largely neglected during its brief theatrical release, this wonderful movie has since enjoyed a thriving appreciation on video--see it and you'll understand why. --Jeff Shannon

Description

From the great Muppet creator Jim Henson comes this classic bursting with enchantment and adventure. Academy Award winner Anjelica Huston stars as the Grand High Witch in this exhilarating tale.Year: 1990

Customer Reviews:

Great Halloween movie!.......2007-09-01

When October rolls around and the excitement of Halloween is in the air, my mind immediately goes to my younger years, spending hours watching scary movies in anticipation of the holiday. One of the many movies that comes to my mind is The Witches.

So what's this movie about? Basically, a boy named Luke and his grandma move to England after a tragic accident. Once they arrive at the hotel that they are staying at, Luke finds out that a rather large group of witches is staying at the hotel and they're plotting to turn every child on earth into mice.

Let's talk about what I like about this movie. First, the characters are all interesting in their own way. The main characters are easy to like (which is important in "scary" movies), the witches are gross, we even get an appearance by "Mr. Bean"! Second, the storyline is rather interesting. It keeps you wondering what is going to happen next and, when the main characters are in trouble, it keeps you on the edge of your seat in anticipation. Also, it moves at a steady pace. Lastly, apparently some people don't like the ending but I personally liked it because it wasn't something that I expected.

And now for the negatives. This movie is rated PG. Parents, before letting your kids watch this, be sure to watch it yourself. Even older kids may find some scenes a little too "scary". Other than that, there really isn't anything wrong with this movie.

If you're looking for a good movie to get you into the Halloween spirit, The Witches is definitely it.

AND THE WINNER IS?????...........................2007-08-19

I HAVE WATCHED THE WITCHES CONVENTION SCENE OVER AND OVER AND OVER AND OVER AGAIN! THIS IS ONE OF !!THE!! GREAT PERFORMANCES IN ANY FILM BY AN ACTRESS. IN THIS CASE THE BRILLIANTLY TALENTED ANJELICA HOUSTON!!!
SHE HAS IMMORTALIZED AND EMBLAZONED THE "GRAND HIGH WITCH" UPON MY MIND, AND DOUBTLESS...COUNTLESS OTHERS!

GOOD.......2007-08-04

THANK YOU YOU GET GOOD MOVIES AND I AM HAPPY THAT ALL GET BY MAIL SMILE ;-)I LOVE THIS MOVIES

The Witches.......2007-07-18

Roald Dahl, best-known for his "Charlie and The Chocolate Factory", also penned this dark little tale, which is brought to vivid cinematic life by gifted director Nicolas Roeg ("Walkabout", "Don't Look Now"). The late Jim Henson's distinctive talents are on display in some of the rodent and witch representations, and the film also boasts broadly amusing turns by Anjelica Huston (as The Grand High Witch) and Brits Brenda Blethyn and Rowan Atkinson in supporting roles.

Entertaining adaptation but far from perfect DVD.......2007-06-21

I enjoy Roald Dahl's books and was eager to see the film adaptation of THE WITCHES. The movie is well crafted with awesome special effects for the year it was made and Jim Henson's mouse puppetry is convincing. However I was disappointed by the DVD in several ways. First of all the sound was just awful especially with the Norwegian, British, and er High Grand Witch accents. To compound matters there is no close captioning of any kind on the disc so the viewer needs to be in a quiet room and listen very carefully. Needless to say the the DVD is also devoid of any special features.

As to the story I actually found the first part quite disturbing for a "family film". Luke's loving Norwegian grandmother tells him an awful story of a childhood friend who was imprisoned in a painting by a witch until her eventual "disappearance" in old age and the story is so realistically enacted it is really quite sad and chilling. Grandma also shows him the scar where her little finger was before an encounter with a witch and gives him some warning advice as to how to recognize the creatures. The next morning Luke and his grandmother learn Luke's parents have both been killed in an accident. Shortly after Grandma Helga comes down with a serious case of diabetes and she and Luke leave for a vacation at an English seaside village.

At their vacation hotel they run into a convention of witches and this more surreal part of the story is actually more light hearted and comical despite some intense scenes. The filmmakers give a happy contrived ending to the story unlike what Roald Dahl wrote in the novel. I usually strongly object to filmmakers altering such major plot points but Helga and Luke had suffered so much earlier in the film I was glad to see them experience some joy. Really young or really sensitive viewers will probably find this story too disturbing to be enjoyable.

Average customer rating:

It's About Familial Love
Heart Wrenching!
Ordinary People
"An Amazing Disturbing Movie"
Ordinary People

Ordinary People
Starring: Donald Sutherland , Mary Tyler Moore , Judd Hirsch , Timothy Hutton , and M. Emmet Walsh
Director: Robert Redford
Manufacturer: Paramount
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B000055ZFA
Release Date: 2001-08-14

Amazon.com essential video

Robert Redford made his Oscar-winning directorial debut with this highly acclaimed, poignantly observant drama (based on the novel by Judith Guest) about a well-to-do family's painful adjustment to tragedy. Mary Tyler Moore and Donald Sutherland play a seemingly happy couple who lose the older of their two sons to a boating accident; Timothy Hutton plays the surviving teenage son, who blames himself for his brother's death and has attempted suicide to end his pain. They live in a meticulously kept home in an affluent Chicago suburb, never allowing themselves to speak openly of the grief that threatens to tear them apart. Only when the son begins to see a psychiatrist (Judd Hirsch) does the veneer of denial begin to crack, and Ordinary People thenceforth directly examines the broken family ties and the complexity of repressed emotions that have festered under the pretense of coping. Superior performances and an Oscar-winning script by Alvin Sargent make this one of the most uncompromising dramas ever made about the psychology of dysfunctional families. There are moments--particularly related to Mary Tyler Moore's anguished performance as a woman incapable of expressing her deepest emotions--when this film is both intensely involving and heartbreakingly real. No matter how happy and healthy your upbringing was, there's something in this excellent film that everyone can relate to. --Jeff Shannon

Customer Reviews:

It's About Familial Love.......2007-09-14

Other customers have said that people would disagree on what this movie is about. That may be true, but before reading those reviews, I wouldn't have thought so. To me, the movie is quite clearly about the importance of familial love. This is almost the only movie that has ever made me cry, as opposed to getting a little teary-eyed, which often happens. The first two times I saw it at the theater and had to wipe away the tears as I left; but the third time, on HBO, I started crying at the very beginning and never stopped 'til it was over. No doubt I had personal issues at the time that account for that, but my point is that it is a very emotionally powerful movie.
Given what I consider the movie to be about, I think you will love it if you like the following movies, which I consider to have the same theme: Bicycle Thieves; Breaking the Waves; Tempting Heart; The Last Picture Show; The Unbearable Lightness of Being; Running on Empty; and Before and After.

Heart Wrenching!.......2007-07-27

This movie is a must see for anyone dealing with (or not dealing with) pain. I won't rehash the plot of the film as many reviewers prior to me have done. I will say that I think Mary Tyler Moore's portrayal of the fragile ice queen Beth is excellent. Donald Sutherland gives an excellent performance as the sensitive and emotionally generous Calvin. Many have speculated that Beth doesn't love her son Conrad. I think she does love Conrad in her own way. After Buck's death (as Calvin so eloquently states at one point in the film) Beth has built an emotional wall which is the only way she can cope with her profound sense of loss after her eldest son's death. Another telling moment in the film is when Calvin tells Beth "We would have been ok if there hadn't been any mess." "You can't handle mess." This is the crux of the movie. How we all, in our own ways cope with mess. Some of us tackle it head on. Some of us choose to exit life at our own hands, and others choose to close themselves off emotionally because the pain is just to great.

Ordinary People.......2007-07-16

Very good movie. Good for people training in therapy. Robert Redford is an awsome director!

"An Amazing Disturbing Movie".......2007-04-14

I rarely make reviews for movies, but I had to for "Ordinary People". I haven't been this bothered by a film since seeing "Mommie Dearest" 10 years ago. Mary Tyler Moore steals the film as the cold hearted mother who blames her son for her other son's death. What makes the film so excellent is how Mary Tyler Moore pulls off the acting job of a lifetime. I never knew she could play a bitch and she makes it look so believable. The scene when she comes homes and confronts her son after learning he quit the swim team is provocative, and you can see the look of anger in her eyes. The best scene in the film. Timothy Hutton is excellent as the son and he desevedly won the Oscar. Without a doubt an excellent film and one that had "Best Picture" written all over it. It even beat "Raging Bull" that year. Sit back and enjoy one of the most dramatic films ever made even if it is 27 years old. Wonderful art never goes out of style. I will also never look at Mary Tyler Moore the same way again. What a wonderful dramatic actress. The film is in widescreen and comes with the theartrical trailer.

Ordinary People.......2007-04-13

In 1980, Robert Redford made his directorial debut with "Ordinary People." The movie ended up winning Oscars for Best Picture, Best Supporting Actor (Timothy Hutton), and Best Original Screenplay...Today, "Ordinary People" is still regarded as a good film, but the movie it beat for Best Picture ("Raging Bull") is regarded as a classic. "Ordinary People" has explosive acting, realistic family situations, and good direction...But it's not a very entertaining film and wouldn't have a chance against a movie like "Raging Bull" today. Donald Sutherland and Mary Tyler Moore play Calvin and Beth, a married couple with a young son named Conrad (Hutton). Their oldest son Buck has recently died and Conrad has recently tried to kill himself. The film follows Conrad as he attempts to adjust back to a normal life, while his parents realize how little they actually care for each other. The film is one of those movies that is very short on plot, but makes up for it with it's powerful performances and they ARE very good. Hutton, who plays more of a lead role in the film, is absolutely fantastic and truly deserved his Oscar. Also Oscar worthy are Sutherland and Moore...Anyway, I don't have much more to say about the film except...It's worth seeing for it's performances, but it's not very entertaining. Keep that in mind.

GRADE: B-

James and the Giant Peach (Special Edition)

Average customer rating:

Childhood memory
GREAT SONGS AND VISUALS MAKE THIS TIM BURTONS BEST ANIMATED FILM
YOU'RE NOT EVEN A REAL RHINO!
My all time favorite
James entertains all ages

James and the Giant Peach (Special Edition)
Starring: Simon Callow , Richard Dreyfuss , Jane Leeves , Joanna Lumley , and Miriam Margolyes
Director: Henry Selick
Manufacturer: Walt Disney Video
ProductGroup: DVD
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ASIN: 630595027X
Release Date: 2000-10-03

Amazon.com essential video

Roald Dahl's modern classic for children becomes a delightful combination of live action and stop-motion animation by the team that made The Nightmare Before Christmas: director Henry Selick and producers Tim Burton (Batman) and Denise Di Novi. The story concerns young James (played for real and through voice-overs by Paul Terry), who is orphaned and left in the charge of two cruel aunts (Miriam Margolyes, Joanna Lumley). Rescued by a mysterious fellow (Pete Postlethwaite), James ends up inside a giant peach, drifting over the Atlantic Ocean in the company of a gentleman grasshopper (voiced by Simon Callow), a fast-talking centipede (Richard Dreyfuss), an anxious earthworm (David Thewlis), a matronly ladybug (Jane Leeves), and a sexy spider (Susan Sarandon). The collection of actors and their creepy-crawly alter egos are a delight, especially when some of the song-and-dance numbers (tunes are written by Randy Newman) get everyone going. --Tom Keogh

Description

Take a bite out of Disney's delicious Special Edition of JAMES AND THE GIANT PEACH and celebrate the 40th anniversary of the popular children's book by Roald Dahl that inspired this imaginative film. This amazing mix of live-action, stop-motion animation and computer-generated special effects includes bonus materials never before available. When young James spills some magic crocodile tongues, a giant peach grows as huge as a house. Climbing inside, he embarks on a thrilling and magical odyssey that only the creative team from TIM BURTON'S THE NIGHTMARE BEFORE CHRISTMAS could bring you. Along the way you'll discover the famous star voices of Richard Dreyfuss and Susan Sarandon, Jane Leeves (FRASIER), and Simon Callow (SHAKESPEARE IN LOVE), plus the inspired music of Randy Newman. Enjoy -- it's a peach of a journey!

Customer Reviews:

Childhood memory.......2007-07-28

I remembered this movie from when I was a kid and deciced to hunt it down. I'm glad I did. It's not the same as when I was a kid but still a pretty good movie. I work in a learning center and the afterschool kids love it too. Good stuff.

GREAT SONGS AND VISUALS MAKE THIS TIM BURTONS BEST ANIMATED FILM.......2007-03-31

I love this movie! The visual may not be a macabre as Nightmare Before Christmas or Corpse's Bride, but the joyful songs by Randy Newman and the story pacing make this a big winner! This is a great film for the family,but there are some scary moments for the younger kids so beware! The DVD transfer is very good.

YOU'RE NOT EVEN A REAL RHINO!.......2007-03-16

James and the Giant Peach...one of the most beloved stories out there. I remember when I first read it back in fifth grade, all the way back in 1995. Our class had been introduced to Roald Dahl's stories, and we couldn't get enough. Going through nearly everything he wrote for kids and young adults, James and the Giant Peach always stood out. Not too long after reading a few dozen Dahl books, word got out that James and the Giant Peach was getting a movie. Talk about ironic, eh? The fact that it was done in the same puppet format as The Nightmare Before Christmas caught my attention (yes, I saw NBC in theaters before the current mall goth trend), and I couldn't wait to see it. Seeing it back then, I loved it. Seeing it again 5 years ago, it still ruled. Just the other night? Yeah, it still manages to hold up. And like the other two main puppet stop motion movies from the past decade, NBC and Corpse Bride, James went under appreciated. I don't remember it doing too hot in box office receipts, and there wasn't much merchandise for it. Heck, all I have is my 15" Grasshopper. And James' release on dvd is anything but "special", as the box would lead you to believe claiming this as the special edition. That's a shame too, because I'm sure if it were released today, it'd do a bit better. James and the Giant Peach is one of the best family movies I've seen, and the fact that I can still enjoy it at almost 22 years old (especially given how harsh I can be on things like this) really says something. And hey, the differences between the book and movie aren't much, so no book-purists are going to be knocking this one much!

If you read the book, you can skip this paragraph, but if not, here's how the story goes: James lived as a normal young boy with a great mom and dad. Unfortunately, they were eaten by a mad rhino one day. This caused James to live with his horrid aunts, Spiker and Sponge. They abuse him, underfeed him (his dinner is usually fish heads, uncooked), make him do all the chores, and yell at him if he questions them. Granted, James is a pretty annoying kid, but at his age, he shouldn't be treated like that. One day, an old man encounters him outside the house, and offers James a bag of neon green crocodile tongues. They're actually just little bugs that glow and hop around, and are full of magic. He gives them to James, but the kid trips and they go flying everywhere, going into the ground. Soon enough, Spiker and Sponge notice a peach growing on a dead tree. It continues to grow until it's probably a good 20 feet around. They charge people all across England to see it, and make some good money. But one night, James goes out to check the peach, and ends up going inside. After unknowingly ingesting one of the crocodile tongues, James completely changes in appearance, and comes across a group of huge talking bugs within the peach. He befriends them, they get outta Spiker and Sponge's grasp, and head towards New York, a place where James' parents were going to take him before their untimely demise. James and crew embark on quite a journey while making way to America, including fighting a huge mechanical shark, skeleton pirates, and fighting things like hunger and distrust.

Ok, I gotta get the so-called "plot holes" out of the way first. Yes, there's a mechanical shark that is never once explained. It appears out of the ocean, and goes to attack the peach. That's its purpose- peril for the gang. But when you see that the fish it consumes end up being the fish heads that James gets for dinner, I guess it makes a little sense. There are a few others that are around later in the movie, but none of them should bother you too much. If anything, the movie's more of a visual treat, seeing how amazing the puppet work was back in that era. The movie took 3 years to make, which is longer than most would care to put into movie, especially a stop motion one where you have to work hard just for one second of film. The grasshopper, centipede, spider, earthworm and ladybug puppets all look fantastic, and are full of character. The glow worm puppet looks like a robot fused with an old lady, but is barely seen. Some have complained that the crew of bugs is too stereotypical in that the grasshopper represents an English gentleman, the spider a French cafe dweller, the centipede a New York cabbie, and the ladybug a motherly figure. Given that none of them go too far into the stereotypes (the grasshopper breaks this several times just before the pirate scene), it's not a big concern, and if you're complaining about bug stereotypes, you take movies too seriously. The whole thing was a blast to watch, and I look forward to watching it with my daughter when she grows up. Sure, there are some potentially scary images, mostly of the rhino storm cloud, and one whole "bad" word (they even say "god" here! GASP!), but this is a straight up family movie, and if you have to shield your child's eyes and ears for things like that, you have my prayers. Besides, if anything, you should be shielding their eyes from Sponge in the bikini top when her and Spiker are tanning.

The picture transfer got an ok treatment. I saw a bit of grain, but nothing too serious. The movie was presented in full screen as well, and I know for a fact that some stuff is missing. It's obvious when you get group shots of the bugs and half of one is missing from the shot. I forget if that's how it was in theaters, but I wouldn't imagine so. The audio gets better treatment, making good use of surround sound on several occasions. The action sequences amazingly use the 5.1 track. It could still use a bit of cleaning though.

I seem to be having bad luck with special features and family movies these days, as James and the Giant Peach only has one worth mentioning. In addition to the usual trailers, song/music video and promotional materials, there's only one featurette, and it is the standard "it was great working on this movie!" fare...for under 5 minutes. Yep, that's all. You see a few voice actors, the director, and some behind the scenes footage, and it's done. Some special edition huh? The movie came out 10 years ago, so there went any hope of a 10th anniversary edition with more features. I guess we're stuck with this as the only release unless an HD-DVD or Blu-Ray one gets more, but I don't see that happening.

I really do love this movie, even if the kid that plays James is just barely less annoying than the one who played Charlie in the remake of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. When he's in puppet-form, he's more tolerable, but not by much. This movie's all about puppets though, so animation fans will absolutely love this one. Most of the acting is solid, the songs are fairly good (not NBC standards, however), and it doesn't drag on in any places. I'd say that's all you need for a family movie. If Roald were alive at the time of its release, I'm sure he wouldn't have hated it like he did Willy Wonka. At least this thing has a lot of views from a child in it, and keeps things simple, the way it was intended. Besides, there are some great one-liners like the earthworm mentioning how his brother was cut in half, and how he now has two half-brothers. Here's hoping we get another stop motion movie sometime this decade. We need more people putting hard work into these things and less of the standard pampered animal ends up in the wild fare!

My all time favorite.......2007-01-17

This is one of my all time favorite movies. That is why I purchased it. Enjoyed watching it over and over again.

James entertains all ages.......2007-01-10

I love this movie, my kids love this movie, my grandkids love this movie. It is a movie for all ages. Very entertaining and provides a strong positive message.

Average customer rating:

An Unfinished Life
A VERY GOOD MOVIE! REDFORD AND FREEMAN!
Stoic Erosion
An Unfinished Life
No Classic, but Not Worthy of the Disregard the Studio Displayed

An Unfinished Life
Starring: Robert Redford , Jennifer Lopez , Morgan Freeman , Josh Lucas , and Damian Lewis
Director: Lasse Hallström
Manufacturer: Miramax
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B000E5KQOQ
Release Date: 2006-04-11

Amazon.com

Much like the late Rodney Dangerfield, some films just can't get any respect. Shelved by Miramax for two years, An Unfinished Life was released with little fanfare between Morgan Freeman's Oscar win and Lasse Hallström's higher-profile Casanova. Despite critical praise from some quarters, the heartland drama got lost amidst the shuffle. The title comes from the epitaph of Griffin, late son of Wyoming rancher Einar (a rumpled Robert Redford). Between chores, he looks after ranch hand Mitch (Freeman), who was mauled by a bear the year before. One day, daughter-in-law Jean (Jennifer Lopez) and granddaughter Griff (Becca Gardner) drop by the ranch unexpectedly. They're on the run from Jean's abusive boyfriend, Gary (Damian Lewis), back in Iowa. "I don't want you here," Einar states flatly--he blames her for Griffin's death 12 years ago--but the look on the kid's face convinces him to relent. While Jean works as a waitress in town and embarks on a tentative relationship with Sheriff Crane (Josh Lucas), his newfound granddaughter helps to take care of Mitch. Just as the four are starting to form a loose-knit family, Gary comes looking for Jean and upsets the delicate balance. It may pack fewer surprises than the superior What's Eating Gilbert Grape and the bear symbolism may be a mite heavy-handed, but the deeply unfashionable An Unfinished Life deserves a second chance to find an audience. --Kathleen C. Fennessy

Description

From the acclaimed director of CASANOVA, CHOCOLAT, and THE CIDER HOUSE RULES ... Academy Award(R) winners Robert Redford (Best Director, ORDINARY PEOPLE, 1980) and Morgan Freeman (Best Supporting Actor, MILLION DOLLAR BABY, 2004) star in this powerful story of risk and redemption. Stoic and heartbroken, Einar Gilkyson (Redford) quietly lives in the rugged Wyoming ranchlands alongside his only trusted friend, Mitch Bradley (Freeman). Then, suddenly, the woman he blames for the death of his only son arrives at his door broke, desperate, and with a granddaughter he's never known. But even as buried anger and accusations resurface, the way is opened for unexpected connection, adventure, and forgiveness. Also starring Jennifer Lopez (SHALL WE DANCE?) and Josh Lucas (SWEET HOME ALABAMA, GLORY ROAD).

Customer Reviews:

An Unfinished Life.......2007-08-09

I feel that this movie is one of the best all time movies that I have ever watched. I have seen this movie several times and decided to add it to my DVD collection. Since I Got it a couple of weeks ago I've watched it twice. ALL I CAN SAY IS GREAT MOVIE. We all need to learn to forgive.

A VERY GOOD MOVIE! REDFORD AND FREEMAN!.......2007-08-06

This is an excellent film. Good characters and story and a subtleness that comes with most Redford pictures. If your looking for explosion and the like,this is not the place to look! Freeman is gold as usual and Lopez,Lucas and the rest of the cast are very good too. A nice DVD transfer of this beautiful looking film.

Stoic Erosion.......2007-07-24

Lasse Hallstrom is definitely a director drawn to character-driven dramas. He came upon a screenplay by the writing team of Mark and Virginia Spragg and he loved it. Not only were the male characters realistic and memorable, but the female characters were well written as well; especially the part of a young girl. Unlike films where the young female character had the primary point of view (TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD), this story just had a young girl whose relationship to all the primary characters carried the most dramatic weight. Hallstrom, a transplanted Swede, gained an international reputation with MY LIFE AS A DOG (1985). AN UNFINISHED LIFE (2005) continues to add to his strong string of hits, including WHAT'S EATING GILBERT GRAPE (1993), THE CIDER HOUSE RULES (1999), CHOCOLAT (2000), and THE SHIPPING NEWS (2001). The lucky stiff is married to actress Lena Olin, and they live in America now.

The plotline for AN UNFINISHED LIFE opens in Ohio. A battered single mother, Jean (Jennifer Lopez), flees her abusive boyfriend, Gary (Damian Lewis). With her young daughter, Griff (Becca Gardner), in tow, Jean embarks on a desperate road trip. Her old beater car breaks down after 300 miles, and they are forced to abandon many of their possessions. Frightened, broke, and hungry, the pair makes their way to Wyoming. They return to Jean's home town, and drop in on her estranged father-in-law, Einer (Robert Redford). It seems that Einer did not know he had a grand daughter, and Griff had been told that her grandfather was dead. Remorse hung in the air regarding a decade old tragedy. Jean had fallen asleep at the wheel and crashed her car, killing her husband. Einer had never forgiven her. The ranch was ramshackle, and Einer was struggling to make ends meet. There was only one ranch hand left, Mitch (Morgan Freeman), and he was crippled up from a bear attack

After his son's death, Einer became a roaring drunk. When Mitch was attacked by a grizzly, we discover, Einer was too inebriated to assist, and it nearly cost the ranch hand his life. Partly out of guilt, and out of 40 years of friendship, Einer took on the role of caregiver for Mitch. So every character had their massive regrets and secrets. As an interesting plot thread the massive grizzly that had attacked Mitch returned to the area. Oddly Mitch refused to let Einer destroy it. After the bear wandered into town, scaring half the populous, the local sheriff, Crane (Josh Lucas), along with some Fish & Game wardens tranquilized the big bear, and donated it to a local zoo for display; an odd choice at best and not too realistic. Obviously though, it was necessary to keep the bear alive, and on exhibit as a necessary dramatic catalyst within the swirl of tangled and troubled lives -assisting in the emotional changes many of the characters had to achieve.

Robert Redford was excellent as Einer, refreshingly portraying a character his actual age. There was none of the matinee idol in this role. Redford's actor pals, Paul Newman and Clint Eastwood had already made their career transitions into older character parts -but here to fore Redford was still able to pull off those leading man roles. His Einer was irascible, but still likeable; obstinate, troubled, angry, capable of bursts of violence and yet always gentle and compassionate with Mitch. As Mitch, Morgan Freeman had less to do, but as one might expect, he did it very well. There is always such depth, such humanity in his acting that we never seem to catch him practicing his craft.

Jennifer Lopez was very convincing as the grief-stricken widow, fleeing pregnant to avoid ridicule a decade earlier, raising her daughter without in-laws. Her Jean was personally flawed and filled with self-doubt and brimming with guilt. Some critics trashed her performance, only seeing her celebrity and not her fine characterization. The fact is Lopez works hard at her craft and regardless of her personal life, one should strive to forgo being judgmental, and let the work speak for itself. We need to remember that her breakthrough role in SELENA (1997) was already her tenth film. She has been making movies since 1987. This is an actress who stunned us in U-TURN (1997), and THE CELL (2000), and who we fell in love with after seeing her in SHALL WE DANCE (2004). Becca Gardner as young Griff was bang on the mark, never missing a perfect silent response. She is a very talented young lady and if she continues to act, very undoubtedly will thrill us with her future performances. But she still has to grow up and make some choices. Not all fine young actresses persevere and become a Jodi Foster.

Hallstrom does a remarkable job with his actors. Josh Lucas and Camryn Manheim had wonderful moments of cameo in several scenes. Damien Lewis was much too convincing as the sleezeball boyfriend, taking a chance on being unlikable. Bart the Bear was an important character; very convincing in his debut role (he is actually Bart II). Perhaps the plot was a bit predictable and the tone mostly sentimental, but I found it also ruggedly realistic and a touch existential. They filmed the movie in British Columbia, on the high arid plateaus between the Cascades and the Rockies -but I bought it as Wyoming. I think the movie emerged as tasty mainstream entertainment -the heartwarming kind of film that Hollywood used to be famous for -a small story told large.

An Unfinished Life.......2007-07-23

Great movie. This is not an action picture. The dialog, acting and story line are excellent. Beautiful scenery. A well told story of an unfinished life, a broken life on hold.

No Classic, but Not Worthy of the Disregard the Studio Displayed.......2007-07-19

The scuttlebutt is that the studio let this film languish on the shelf for two years before a lukewarm release with practically no publicity. A close viewing does not reveal the reasons for the hesitation; while far from a classic, "An Unfinished Life" does provide solid entertainment, beautiful scenery, and the considerable charisma of stars Robert Redford and Morgan Freeman. Sure it's plot about a crotchety old farmer (Redford) reunited with his granddaughter (Becca Gardner) and daughter-in-law (Jennifer Lopez) reaches a predictable conclusion; sure it's full of obvious symbolism (Freeman isn't so much a character as an ongoing moral voice, and then there's the bear); and sure J-Lo gets acted off the screen in every one of her scenes (even with the child). Nonetheless, the director keeps the film visually engrossing, and if nothing else it is a monument to how Redford and Freeman can easily carry even weak material. Not necessarily worth a purchase, but worthy of a rental.

Average customer rating:

A means of losing yourself to daydreams
great
My daughter's favorite movie - one year & counting
A True Classic!
I love this movie I watch it all the time. Thank you Amazon!!!

A Little Princess
Starring: