The Film Crew: Wild Women of Wongo

Product Description

Mike Nelson, Kevin Murphy, and Bill Corbett, three of the brilliantly insane minds behind the cult classic TV show Mystery Science Theater 3000 (MST3K) finally reunite to unleash their warped sense of humor on the cinema of yesteryear as The Film Crew. Charged with the task of giving all movies their own commentary tracks, the Film Crew valiantly steps forward to tackle the best of the worst, continuing with Wild Women of Wongo.The beautiful women of the lush, tropical island of Wongo think that the only men who exist are the ape like creatures that live on the other side of the island. Then they set eyes on a handsome prince from a neighboring island, where all of the men are equally gorgeous! Meanwhile, the beastly men of Wongo, on their way to select their mates, are unhappy about their new competition.

Customer Reviews:

A bad movie even for Mike and the boys to spoof.........2007-09-16

This latest addition of the Film Crew's re-entry into the "post MST3K" world is good. Just that. Not great though. Sorry guys but the Wild Women movie was sooo bad that it didnt really leave a lot of material on the table for the boys to shoot at. I found myself spending more time trying to figure out which of the women was Adrienne Barbaue. Still, lots of funny stuff and generally a decent showing by the film crew. The previous releases had a bit more spontaneity and yucks than Wild Women. It was such a bad movie that I think towards the end even Mike and crew were getting bored and drained of material themselves. BUT, remember, not every MST3K was a slam dunk either. Most were though and The Film Crew is clearly off and running. Cant wait for the next one...

The Sgt. Pepper of The Film Crew DVDs (so far).......2007-09-15

The Beatles had 'Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band' and the Beach Boys had 'Pet Sounds'. And so it is with The Film Crew and 'Wild Women of Wongo.' Of their output so far, this one is the most satisfying through and through. As one reviewer said, the movie is just bad and fun enough to be watchable and Mike, Kevin and Bill are highly amusing as they riff on a film that looks like it was shot with a Super 8 mm camera on a public-access beach. Even the bumper segments are funny (Mike and Bill take lunch appreciation to new heights). I think, too, for me, the appeal is the fact that Mike and Kevin and Bill have some age on them. In a decade when comedy is represented by hair gel and those slim, black faux horn-rimmed glasses, these three still 'keep it real'. It's jeans and t-shirts and not the merest hint of hair coloring in the 'world headquarters of Bob Honcho.' Like MST3K, we never forget that this venture is home-grown and put together by talented people who are also friends. You can imagine them calling it a wrap and then going out together with their wives and sharing an appetizer at Applebees (though Bill did go to Yale and may not actually be familiar with chain restaurants). Film Crew and 'Wild Women of Wongo' is, to date, the best mix of bad movie and comedy talent. I am optimistic that things will continue to get better. After all, the Beatles managed to get in a White Album. And p.s. -- The Wongo good-bye as demonstrated by Mike and Kevin and Bill is hilarious.

DANCE!!!DANCE!!!!DANCE!!!!.......2007-09-15

SO far my favorite by The Film Crew. This is the perfect film that was just bad enough to be watchable with the crew's humor. The guys from MST3K bring you their next project The Wild Women of Wongo where mother nature has separated the beautiful women on one island to be with brute and and the pretty men with the "non" beautiful women. One of the women reminds us of Chris Farley. The skits are a little dry as usual but most of us get it for the commentary anyway. The group also has Rifftrax. Downloadable commentaries for mainstream movies if you like the idea but find it too difficult to sit through. The DVD is exactly what it is, a bad movie with funny commentary to make it watchable. And remember Dance....Dance.....Dance. You will have to see to understand.... then again I still don't understand, and I am OK with that.

Average customer rating:

Great Maternity Workout!
It's only OK for a regular exerciser
GREAT PURCHASE
Definately recomend for pregnancy.
It's great!

Denise Austin: Fit & Firm Pregnancy
Starring: Denise Austin
Manufacturer: Lions Gate
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B000GB5M0Q
Release Date: 2006-09-05

Description

Congratulations! You are beginning the most exciting and challenging chapter of your life: having a baby! But that doesn't mean you can't stay in shape. With Fit & Firm: Pregnancy, fitness icon (and the mother of two) Denise Austin delivers an energy-boosting program that focuses on everyday strength, "perfect pregnancy posture" and reshaping your after-baby body! Breathing and Core Awareness: Stimulate your core muscles and elevate your spirit during this 5-minute preparatory segment. Cardio Workout: Give your energy a boost with this low-impact, fun, 20-minute, heart-healthy workout adapted for all three trimesters. 1st - 2nd Trimester Toning: Rejuvenate and sculpt your body from head to toe with 20 minutes of prenatal-fitness fun! 3rd Trimester Toning: Soothe sore muscles and maintain core strength with this 20-minute, refreshing workout that helps prepare you for delivery! "Bonus" Post Bounce-Back Workout: Bounce back fast with this 10-minute, invigorating routine that re-educates the abs for a waist-slimming workout.

Customer Reviews:

Great Maternity Workout!.......2007-09-17

I love this video. I had the Pregnancy Plus video and I liked it, but there were too many interruptions for proper technique and taking pulse. This one is perfect. The sets are easy to follow. I have a bad back, and this video is just right for me. I was a bit out of shape this time around, and hadn't been doing aerobics for about a year. I am overweight. This video makes me feel good about myself. It is perfect in length, easy to follow and would be great for a person who has never worked out, and someone who works out daily. There are several different workouts for strength training and aerobics for different trimesters in the pregnancy. Really great.

It's only OK for a regular exerciser.......2007-09-05

For me, since I was very active and the workout I did before I got pregnant was pretty intensive, this DVD didn't do much for me. I didn't think I got enough workout, and the cardio part is too repetitive---I get bored easily.

But again, I am pregnant, and maybe I should take it easy.

I do recommend this DVD especially for the pregnant exercisers who used to do light workout and who are not in a very good condition while pregnant.

Can I add that if you don't mind how Austin doesn't blink and is annoying, sure~ get it!

GREAT PURCHASE.......2007-09-02

I LIKED THE WORKOUTS ALOT. USED IT UP UNTIL MY 30TH WEEK AND THEN IT GOT TO HARD FOR ME TO DO ANYTHING. I AM ALSO EXCITED TO DO THE WORKOUTS AFTER PREGNANCY OFFERED ON THE DVD.

Definately recomend for pregnancy........2007-09-01

It was so easy and clear to follow.Excellent instructions, simple as it should be, but effective exercises.

It's great!.......2007-09-01

This video is great. I do the cardio section the most and it's just enough to get me going. It's pretty fun and and when I can , I do it twice. Overall great video

Average customer rating:

Classic.
Watching This Yields 'Rich' Results - A Wonderful Re-Make
a wonderful version of an American classic.....
A Spoilery Rant!
good stuff

Little Women (Collector's Edition)
Starring: Winona Ryder , Gabriel Byrne , Trini Alvarado , Samantha Mathis , and Kirsten Dunst
Director: Gillian Armstrong
Manufacturer: Sony Pictures
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: 0767851013
Release Date: 2000-04-25

Amazon.com essential video

The flaws are easily forgiven in this beautiful version of Louisa May Alcott's novel. A stirring look at life in New England during the Civil War, Little Women is a triumph for all involved. We follow one family as they split into the world, ending up with the most independent, the outspoken Jo (Winona Ryder). This time around, the dramatics and conclusions fall into place a little too well, instead of finding life's little accidents along the way. Everyone now looks a bit too cute and oh, so nice. As the matron, Marmee, Susan Sarandon kicks the film into a modern tone, creating a movie alive with a great feminine sprit. Kirsten Dunst (Interview with the Vampire) has another showy role. The young ensemble cast cannot be faulted, with Ryder beginning the movie in a role akin to light comedy and crescendoing to a triumphant end worthy of an Oscar. --Doug Thomas

Customer Reviews:

Classic. .......2007-09-12

This movie is one classic movie. It is good to watch it with family, friends.. ;)

Watching This Yields 'Rich' Results - A Wonderful Re-Make.......2007-09-09

"Rich" is the word I would best use to describe this movie. It's rich in cinematography with gorgeous scenery and interiors; rich in characters with all good-hearted men and women of character; rich in love for each whether its for family or for suitors and rich in storytelling.

Yes, it's definitely more of a woman's movie than a man's, and not the sort of thing I would normally enjoy, but this movie was so well-done that I cannot say anything negative about it. In the modern-era of film-making (late '60s to today), it is always a pleasure to see a totally clean and nice movie.

The cast is excellent. It's nice to see Winona Ryder and Susan Sarandon play "wholesome" roles, something they don't always do, but they do it well here. Ryder is the star of this story although everyone gets decent screen time.

If this film appears slow in the first 20-30 minutes, hang in there because it gets better and better as it goes along. This is just a beautiful film with fantastic visuals and memorable story that should bring a tear or two to your eyes by the end. Great storytelling usually wins out, and that's the case with this movie.

a wonderful version of an American classic............2007-08-30

I remember first hearing Louisa May Alcott's LITTLE WOMEN read by Jacqueline Bissett on record, and immediately fell in love with it. Afterwards, I immediately polished off the novel, and saw the subsequent film adaptations. This 1994 production, directed by Gillian Armstrong (MY BRILLIANT CAREER), is a beautifully acted, lusciously filmed and engaging film triumph. We watch the trials and triumphs of the March family, through the eyes of the four March sisters. Meg (Trini Alvarado), Jo (Winonah Ryder), Beth (Claire Danes) and Amy (Kirsten Dunst) live with their mother in a little town in Pennsylvania and are awaiting the return of their father's return from war, where is he is serving as a chaplain in the Union Army. All four girls have very distinctive personalities that vary greatly from one another, and their mother (Susan Sarandon) is nothing short of their rock, in the face of many, many hardships the family must face together.

For all of you Louisa May Alcott fans, I would say that this film stayed very true to the novel and the actresses truly embody the beautiful characters from the story. Winonah Ryder earned a well-deserved Academy Award for her portrayal of Jo March, the headstrong tomboy with a hot temper and a passion for writing. This character was actually based on Louisa May Alcott, during her formative years. What's more, the plot is based largely on vignettes from Alcott's life as a young girl, growing up in Germantown, Pennsylvania. I reccomend that you watch this film and read the book, not necessarily in that order. This beautiful piece will make you laugh, cry and is perfect for the whole family.

A Spoilery Rant! .......2007-08-30

Gillian Anderson's LITTLE WOMEN attempts not so much to capture the essense of Louisa May Alcott's original story as to use it as a springboard. It might have been better if she had transferred the story to a different time, or otherwise re-framed it so as to give herself more liberty to change things around. I myself would not have minded a version of LITTLE WOMEN where Laurie and Jo DO run away, Beth sneakily brings in much needed cash as dance hall pianist, and Professor Bhaer finally learns to mind his own business. But instead, screenwriter Robin Swicord drains the drama and momentum from the original by pointless alteration, but is still required to hit major plot points, and so cannot create anything new and satisfactory.

What made Alcott's LITTLE WOMEN, despite the moralizing, something children have wanted to read for one and a half centures now was its vivid portrait of passionate adolescence: Jo's famous temper, Laurie's rebelliousness, Amy's spite, Meg's longings - even what lurked beneath Beth's shyness. Anderson jettisons this anger and passion for a genteel and straight-laced Art-House flick about ladylike little feminists. Alcott famously disparaged her books for children as "moral pap for the young", but LITTLE WOMEN had honesty and substance. Anderson ignores the substance in favor of "moral pap" - albeit politically correct and feminist pap - washed down with tony sentimentality. The only notes of truth are struck by the performances.

The girls are just not the same girls, with mixed results. Kirsten Dunst - fresh from INTERVIEW WITH A VAMPIRE - is a superb child-Amy, but is written as a sly vixen with designs on Laurie, which ruins the honest connection between them that was so important later. Adult Samantha Mathis plays Amy as a dense zombie. Trini Alvarado brings tremendous grace and womanliness to Meg, which is really nice actually, except that Meg is supposed to be an unsure adolescent. Winona Ryder's Jo is interestingly different, which is to say she isn't a rebellious tomboy with a wild temper and a burning literary passion, but a thoughtful-if-pouty wannabe Liberal Arts Major. Beth is supposed to be a frail girl struggling mightily with her timidity: Claire Daines gives us a sturdy lass placidly devoid of inner conflict. Thus we must lurch through the plot of LITTLE WOMEN, without getting the Little Women themselves as compensation.

Christian Bale, as boy-next-door Laurie, does a good job of suggesting caged wildness, and makes the most of the few poignant lines which are all that is left of Laurie's tempestuous relationship with his grandfather. But he is just a little too old, too smug, and too smarmy. Alcott's lonely, emotionally-deprived teenager is barely hinted at. Rather, he has become a representative of "Men", which you know is just not good. In the book, Laurie's reaction to seeing Meg dolled up like a sexpot was sudden bashfulness and defensive rudeness. Here he is a suave sexist oaf who sees Meg's new finery as the opportunity for a spot of sexual harassment. Ew! Why? The point of Laurie and Jo's dance, in the book, was to convey the pleasure of meeting a soulmate one could show one's real self to without worrying about being "presentable" or "proper". Here, their dance is rendered somewhat awkward by the fact that Jo only knows how to lead. This alters the whole meaning of the scene, implying Anderson sees it as a power struggle rather than a moment of connection. And it's so dismally cliché. "Oh, they are both too strong-willed so . . .." You know something? Being weak-willed and knowing how to dance backwards have NOTHING WHATSOEVER to do with one another.

In the directors's commentary, Anderson describes Alcott's Marmee as the "perfect" mother. She was not! Anderson obviously doesn't think the March parents were perfect either, as her version replaced Marmee with Susan B. Anthony, and shuts Father up completely. But instead of admitting it and portraying Marmee as a flawed human being, she simply replaces her own PC notion of perfection for that supposedly offered by Alcott. Susan Sarandon does as amazing a job as one could possibly wish, considering that she's being asked to play a marble statue instead of a woman. Some have suggested that Saradon's portrayal would have been more convincing in another era, but I disagree. Her Marmee says nothing feminists didn't say at the time - in essays and speeches. Alcott's trashy adventure-potboiler A LONG FATAL LOVE CHASE has quite a few feminist speeches, and as ALFLC is scarcely attempting naturalistic realism, they fit in just fine. No, it is Marmee's cardboard-cutout supermom-hood which rings false - in any era.

There is inherent feminism to be found in Alcott's work, to those interested in Alcott's work. But those people do not include Anderson and Swicord. Scene after scene is rewritten to ignore and replace the actual story rather than intepret or illuminate it. John Brooke takes Meg to the theatre, only to spout stock rubbish about how sinful, immodest and unladylike actresses are. Writer Jo faces sexist discrimination from New York publishers, and discusses female sufferage with Herr Professor. Meg and Sally Moffat argue over child silk laborers. The doctor throws in a line about bleeding, and throws in the towel on a patient who is promptly saved by Super-Marmee. Amy's doting schoolmaster who very reluctantly struck her for disobedience is now The Sexist Educational Establishment, and is given that line comparing female students to female cats which is scarcely what a poor man who earned his living educating young ladies would say. Thus generic Victorian clichés gleaned from speed-reading a few history books replace the situations created by a woman who was actually THERE, and incidents borrowed from Alcott's life are thrown in without context or point. I'm surprised nobody found a runaway slave in the oven. Or did I blink?

The script is so ham-handed that on the occasion we do get something of Alcott's, it no longer makes sense. Take the skating accident. In the book, Jo is so furious with Amy that she refuses to speak to her, even to warn her of thin ice. Then she freezes in shock when Amy falls through, leaving the rescue to Laurie. The line "How could I be so horrible? Thank God for Laurie!" would therefore make perfect sense. In the FILM, Jo knows nothing about rotten ice, is blameless for Amy's accident, and is as quick to the rescue as Laurie. But Swicord includes the now-senseless line anyway. This book chapter ended with Jo's realization that "perfect" Marmee had as fiery a temper as Jo herself. This liberated Jo from her self-loathing and despair, permited her to forgive both herself and Amy, and the chapter ended on a kiss. The subtextual message is that we manage our darker feelings better when we acknowledge them, that we strangle our ability for love when we don't acknowledge our anger, and that there is no such thing as the perfect woman or mother who lacks the full range of human feelings. That is more feminist and timeless than whining about corsets, and even has something to do with the plot and characters. So of course it's not included.

Another chapter that would have rewarded feminist interest was when unfashionable Meg allows herself to get nicely dolled up at Moffat's, only to find she has ruined herself in the eyes of conservative acquaintances. But in the film, Meg looks EXACTLY like all the other girls present, and never hears any censure for crossing an invisible line of modesty. She merely seems dressed for the occasion. Yet she allows herself to be thoroughly shamed by Laurie, and (in an even creepier scene) cries repentantly while taking off her makeup. What could easily have been a commentary on the eternal feminine double-bind instead comes across as a Puritanical slam against femininity itself. Marmee's advice on modesty, in the BOOK, addressed Meg's need to protect her self-respect and the integrity of her relationships with men in the face of the "marriage market" mentality, but she specifically defended Meg's desire for prettiness and admiration as right and harmless. Anderson's message amounts to "Men are Beasts, girls! So COVER UP!" which doesn't seem terribly progressive somehow. Still, the scene where Meg, Jo, and Marmee discuss the incident is among those where the actresses transcend their material.

This movie is not BAD, mind. It is at it's best showing the girl's at play, doing the Pickwick Club, or putting on amateur theatricals written by Jo. But some scenes are too stupid for words. Bale and Mathis deserve awards for professionalism for enacting the lamest screen courtship ever allowed to succeed. I don't expect Mr. March to get any LINES, but an award winning director should make the actor look line a man in his own home, rather than an Alzheimer's patient who wandered onto the set. A character in England reads a letter from America, throws it aside UNFINISHED when he gets to the dramatic part, and rushes out the door to catch a boat to Vienna. Meg doesn't tell her own sister she's pregnant in private letter because "One doesn't speak of such things". Amy doesn't burn Jo's novel in the heat of anger, then grow fearful and repentant by the time Jo comes home. She burns the novel AND acts fearful and repentant all in the same 60 second period. Then there is the skating scene, wherein the "rotten ice" is clearly ROCK SOLID as though the hole were sawed out by a cartoon character, and which bears the weight of two fully grown rescuers who suicidally throw themselves down side-by-side next to the edge. They then wave a oar around just because there was an oar in the book, and not because they are using it to any purpose. If Anderson ever directs an action film, I'm not seeing it.

Last but not least, "strong-minded" Jo doesn't come up with the idea for Plumfield on her own. She does it because Super-Marmee TOLD her to. We are dealing with the sort of twisted minds who read LITTLE WOMEN and thought: "Gee, that wasn't bad, but Marmee should have put HER oar in a bit more often."

good stuff.......2007-08-07

Great story for the whole family. Christian Bale is one of my favorites. As much as I detest her political views, Susan Sarandon is an undeniably great actress.

Average customer rating:

pleasant diversion from everyday life
Sheer Magic
Beyond expectation
First Concert
Galic era

Celtic Woman

Manufacturer: EMI Distribution
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B0007M22TI
Release Date: 2005-03-01

Amazon.com

Gorgeous to listen to and gorgeous to look at, Celtic Woman is perfect PBS fare, sort of a Riverdance without the dancing. Drawing on the same New Age-y sound and propulsive energy as that show's solo-voice and choral numbers, the live concert features four attractive young women in strapless evening gowns with soaring voices backed by an orchestra, an Anuna-like chorus, and a large percussion section. The more traditional fare includes Méav Ni Mhaolchatha's "Danny Boy" and "She Moved Through the Fair," and Chloë Agnew's "Ave Maria" (the Bach-Gounod version). Movie and TV selections range from Agnew's "Walking in the Air" (The Snowman) and "Someday" (Disney's Hunchback of Notre Dame) to Lisa Kelly's "May It Be" (the Enya song from The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the King) and Órla Fallon's voice and harp rendition of "Harry's Game." A fifth woman, Máiréad Nesbitt, adds some variety by fiddling "The Butterfly" and "Ashokan Farewell" (best known as the theme from Ken Burns's The Civil War). Occasionally the singers join together, as in Enya's "Orinoco Flow," an a cappella rendition of West Side Story's "Somewhere," music director David Downes's composition "One World," and a stately version of "Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring." Celtic Woman was created by Downes (like many of the other performers, a Riverdance veteran) along with Sharon Browne and Dave Kavanagh of the Celtic Collections record label. --David Horiuchi

Customer Reviews:

pleasant diversion from everyday life.......2007-09-16

This production of "Celtic Woman" is easily the better of the two Celtic Woman concert DVDs. It is elegantly performed and produced, with no pretentions. Such a nice thing to play, even if one is just listening to the music.

Sheer Magic.......2007-09-10

From the opening measures, this concert transports the viewer to a lost world where dreams are possible and the great mysteries reveal themselves through music.

Beyond expectation.......2007-08-31

I won't buy the idea that the performances were lip-synced. And the violin bow of Mairead was tilted occasionally for a well-known bowing technique for thinner sound, not so that it wouldn't touch the string.

It's refreshing to see that "uniqueness" doesn't always mean something radically and purposefully different (the concept mostly assumed in the modern art work). As long as the performers individually communicates through their performance, their work will automatically be unique, without the need to convey radically "new idea".

Not that easy to make these simple, known, and similar style pieces keep catching audience's attention continuously. Orchestration of both voices and instruments is great. And I personnally like the percussion performances. Overall, someone may be able to do differently, but will never be better.

First Concert.......2007-07-23

This is a Dvd of Celtic Woman's first concert. It is terrific. They give a great show with top quality music.

Galic era.......2007-07-08

If you like to listen to a fantasy kind of music then you will like this one. The girls have beautiful voices they merge in harmony smooth as silk. The Galic songs take you to a different land. It is just wonderful to listen to and dream of a far away place and time.

I highly recommend it i have one other of theirs too. Would like to get more

Viva Pedro - The Almodovar Collection (Talk to Her/ Bad Education/ All about My Mother/ Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown/ Live Flesh/ Flower of My Secret / Matador / Law of Desire)

Average customer rating:

Todo sobre Pedro
Pedro! Viva!
Great collection to have
VIVA PEDRO
You have to appreciate the improbable and ridiculous

Viva Pedro - The Almodovar Collection (Talk to Her/ Bad Education/ All about My Mother/ Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown/ Live Flesh/ Flower of My Secret / Matador / Law of Desire)
Starring: Pedro Almodovar Classics Collection
Manufacturer: Sony Pictures
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ASIN: B000EAT24G
Release Date: 2007-01-30

Amazon.com

Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown Pedro Almodovar broke into the art-house mainstream with this wild, manic comedy about a gaggle of women and their various problems with men, be they married lovers, cheating husbands, fiancés, or terrorists. Almodovar's long-time leading lady, Carmen Maura, stars as an actress (famed for her laundry detergent commercial as the mother of a sloppy serial killer) who's just been dumped by her married lover. In the midst of trying to track him down for a face-to-face confrontation, she crosses paths with her lover's son (Antonio Banderas), his unbalanced wife (Julieta Serrano), and his new girlfriend (Kiti Manver). Adding more fuel to the fire is the hapless friend (Maria Barranco) who got involved with a Shiite terrorist and is now being hunted by the police. Almodovar, a master of farcical screwball comedy, manages to keep all these balls in the air in dizzy, hilarious style without once losing his momentum. Chock full of the director's over-the-top stylization, in terms of both story and sets, the film is a hilarious yet heartfelt marriage of kitsch and drama, verging on parody but never going entirely over the top. Maura is absolutely breathtaking as the unhinged lover, dispensing wise advice to others while trying to keep a semblance of sanity, and the supporting cast is quintessential Almodovar, including a brief but memorable turn by Banderas in what could have been a bland, go-nowhere role. Nominated for the Best Foreign Language Film Oscar in 1989. --Mark Englehart

All About My Mother After her son is killed in an accident, Manuela (Cecilia Roth) leaves Madrid for her old haunts in Barcelona. She reconnects with an old friend, a pre-op transsexual prostitute named La Agrado (Antonia San Juan), who introduces her to Rosa (Penélope Cruz), a young nun who turns out to be pregnant. Meanwhile, Manuela becomes a personal assistant for Huma Rojo (Marisa Paredes), an actress currently playing Blanche DuBois in a production of A Streetcar Named Desire. All About My Mother traces the delicate web of friendship and loss that binds these women together. The movie is dedicated to the actresses of the world, so it's not surprising that all the performances are superb. Roth in particular anchors All About My Mother with compassion and generosity. But fans of writer-director Pedro Almodóvar needn't fret--as always, Almodóvar's work undermines conventional notions of sexual identity and embraces all human possibilities with bright colors and melodramatic plotting. However, All About My Mother approaches its twists and turns with a broader emotional scope than most of Almodóvar's work; even the more extravagant aspects of the story are presented quietly, to allow the sadness of life to be as present as the irrepressible vitality of the characters. Almodóvar embraces pettiness, jealousy, and grief as much as kindness, courage, and outrageousness, and the movie is the richer for it. ----Bret Fetzer

Talk to Her
Writer-director Pedro Almodóvar makes another masterpiece with Talk to Her, his first film since the wonderful All About My Mother. Marco (Dario Grandinetti) is in love with Lydia (Rosario Flores), a female bullfighter who is gored by a bull and sent into a coma. In the hospital, Marco crosses paths with Benigno (Javier Camara), a male nurse who looks after another coma patient, a young dancer named Alicia (Leonor Watling). From Benigno's gentle attentiveness to Alicia, Marco learns to take care of Lydia... but from there, the story goes in directions that deftly manage to be sad, hopeful, funny, and creepy, sometimes at the same time. The rich human empathy of Almodóvar's recent films is passionate, heartbreaking, intoxicating--there aren't enough adjectives to praise this remarkable filmmaker, who is at the height of his powers. Talk to Her is superb, with outstanding performances from all involved. --Bret Fetzer

The Flower of My Secret
Pedro Alomodóvar made this misfired, rambling comedy about a romance novelist (Marisa Paredes) whose crumbling marriage has left her depressed and unable to work. At a low point, she writes a scathing indictment of her own books (which are penned under another name), with no one realizing critic and author are one and the same. Almodóvar ( Law of Desire) has the start of a great idea here, and for once, he's direct about his sympathy for a character. But nothing else about The Flower of My Secret is so clear. Despite its unusual allegiance to the straightforward "women's films" of the 1950s, this movie blows it by becoming needlessly complicated over extraneous junk, forcing one to grope in the dark for Almodóvar's point. -- Tom Keogh

Bad Education
Writer/director Pedro Almodóvar's dark, sexy Hitchcock homage is his best work since his Oscar-winning All About My Mother, and deepened by a sun-dappled sadness. Handsome, enigmatic Ángel (Gael García Bernal) arrives at the Spanish movie offices of director Enrique Goded (Fele Martinez) and happily proclaims that he's actually Enrique's long-lost school chum Ignacio--an announcement that is both less than convincing and more than it seems. A novice actor, Ángel pitches a semi-autobiographical screenplay in which he's determined to star, a revenge-laden reflection of the doomed love he and Enrique shared as boys before a pedophile priest cruelly intervened. The script, and the lost days it recalls, carefully unfurls into a series of brooding movies-within-movies and memories-inside-memories, which allow the sensual, multiple-role-playing Bernal to give the performance of his young career--among other things, he makes a stunningly convincing drag queen--and Almodóvar the opportunity to movingly suggest that people will pay any price to ensure that their stories are told. -- Steve Wiecking

More Stills from Pedro Almodovar Classics Collection(click for larger image)

More Pedro Almodovar at Amazon.com

Songs of Almodóvar CD
Volver
The Films of Pedro Almodóvar

Customer Reviews:

Todo sobre Pedro.......2007-08-27

Easily one of the best collections offered of one of the best contemporary directors. I was happy to see 'Matador' and 'Carne Tremula' (Live Flesh) included. They are two of my favorite movies and were a long time coming to DVD. I would have loved Tie Me Up Tie Me Down included, but I suppose you can't have it all. If you have never seen any of Almodovar's films, it might be wise to make a trip to the rental store before purchasing a comprehensive set like this. Although, I suppose that's a non-issue. 'Talk to Her' and 'All About My Mother' are two excellent additions as well. Almodovar showcases the strong and vulnerable female protagonist with a warmth and humanity difficult to find in other films. Es para verlas una y otra vez, que disfruten.

Pedro! Viva!.......2007-05-14

I was familiar with the movies. They were part of a Retrospective about 6 yrs. ago at the Museum of the Moving Image. The box set is great!! The layout is fabulous. I had all the other movies except Matador. This is a must have for any Pedro fan. It is only missing High Heels, one of Pedro's best.

Great collection to have.......2007-05-13

I am a big fan of director Pedro Almodovar's films and this collection of 8 of his best movies is a must-have. These timeless movies are presented in a nice, space-saving box. I recommend it wholeheartedly to any fan of Almodovar.

VIVA PEDRO.......2007-05-12

Brilliant fimmaking, enormous vairety, lovely transfers. The material is difficult ot see. If you didn't catch these things when they were first released, you are up the creek. The theatrical reissue that was meant to promote the video release didn't last long enough for me to see but one of them. The dvds of most are out print, but I had LIVE FLESH, TALK TO HER and BAD EDUCATION on dvd and WOMEN ON THE VERGE on laser disc. But still, I had to have the set. Really terrific. got a good price at amazon Marketplace and i'm totlaly satisfied.

You have to appreciate the improbable and ridiculous.......2007-05-01

A pretty good collection, if strangely inclusive of BAD EDUCATION, a recent film, with the older batch of films, mainly of 1980s. This could be because LAW OF DESIRE's film director character is a forerunner of the film director in the later film. The problem is in reviewing the collection or the individual films. For instance, there are 3 documentaries on the filmmaker included on an extra disk. Otherwise the movies are presented w/English subtitle options but no extras, except for one of them.

Almodovar's style as a whole is for wildly improbable plots involving situations and characters that run of the mill people would never experience. American film reviewers love this, as they love French farce, and so give these films a free pass, awarding a blue ribbon. The true question is whether the same films would be as highly reviewed if the identical screenplay were presented as a solely American product.

Almodovar's film staples include (on the 8 films represented in this package): (1) Penelope Cruz going into labor (ALL ABOUT MY MOTHER; LIVE FLESH). (2) The homely guy is always slick, a real winner, at least professionally, and sometimes a film director (BAD EDUCATION; LAW OF DESIRE). (3) There's always strained theatrical moments, such as presentations of A STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE, that take up much screen time, and often are comical without being meant to be. Ditto a usage of older films that his characters seem to be greatly influenced by. (4) The cute guy, who in real life would probably be greatly sought after as a romantic partner, is always a loser who becomes obsessed with another person or thing to the detriment of everything else (LIVE FLESH; LAW OF DESIRE; BAD EDUCATION). (5) Usage of FF nudity is primarily male. (6) Everyone in the world (or at least Spain) is personally acquainted with a transexual or transvestite.

Briefly, on the films themselves, ALL ABOUT MY MOTHER is a tear-jerker that goes to extremes and unfortunately goes on way too long. Good acting, but improbable characters and their life histories make this film an experience to endure.

BAD EDUCATION has the superlative Gael Garcia Bernal in it, and is also a blatant indictment of the Catholic Church's methods. The twists and turns in the plot make it worthwhile as well as uniformly good performances. Unusual film from this director, who usually focusses more on the women. For those squeamish of homosexual content, this film is not nearly as explicit as LAW OF DESIRE.

LAW OF DESIRE has the young Antonio Banderas seducing/seduced by a film director whom he is obsessed with. There is FF nudity from Banderas and others. Rather interesting, not quite a thriller, but an ending that brings the story-line full circle in a way. Rather a moral on how what you're looking for may be staring you in the face but you have to be prepared to take it. I found the plot weak whenever it got into the ancillary characters, as they were unnecessary to the main plot but presumably there to soften the main character of the film director.

LIVE FLESH is an unbelievable situation of a young man from prison subsequently having affairs with two police officers' (one of whom he'd shot and crippled) wives. Unfortunately this plot was wholly predictable though improbable. Too many cliches of drunken criminal cop abusing wife, etc. At times seems it was meant to be a music video, and should have been, with pop songs used as narrative.

TALK TO HER, generally considered one of the more popular Almodovar films, and a quiet, sincere character piece. I could easily have lived without the scene of the shrunken man interacting with a woman's nude body; that was outrageous for the fun of it, I guess. But from what appeared to be a would-be homosexual union between two men veered in another direction that also made the ending quite believable. It set up cliches only to knock them down.

WOMEN ON THE VERGE OF A NERVOUS BREAKDOWN has provided me an obsession with gazpacho that has haunted me to this day. I didn't watch it again via this collection, but realized I have no memories of the film from first seeing it, except that it was fun; so that tells me nothing of the plot is essential, and I probably didn't identify with the characters.

THE FLOWER OF MY SECRET is weird, as it takes off from the scenario of ALL ABOUT MY MOTHER, which isn't a good thing. It's about a writer's crisis, this time her own self-conceit being played out on a public stage, as she is both a well known author but also writes under a pseudonyn attacking her own work. Meanwhile, her marriage is falling apart. So she's really a woman having an identity crisis, as an artist, and as a woman. Maybe it takes a person who's undergone an identity crisis to understand this one.

MATADOR can be summed as "Can two serial killers find happiness in death with each other?" Add Banderas as a sexually confused young man who appears to have occasional perfect-radar psychic abilities and a young woman who's been sexually assaulted three times and is quite casual about it, and a closeted gay detective, and a psychiatrist who wants to seduce basically anybody, and you pretty much have a would-be psychology thriller very confused about what's going on. The film has the confusion one would expect from a wholly improvisational piece, like the director was making it up as they went along in the filming. I am blinded by the idea any of these characters would even exist in real life, except for the detective, so find it amazing they'd actually be stumbling into each other's orbit. A fun movie to spend some time on, as it is an entertaining mix of psychological motivations and I guess you can breathe easy nobody like this lives on your block.

Average customer rating:

A Great Screen Play!
Shallow and Frivolous
Chicago IS jazz hot!
Loved it -- Fantastic Music and Great Cinematography
Great Musical!

Chicago (Widescreen Edition)
Starring: Christine Baranski , Colm Feore , Richard Gere , Catherine Zeta-Jones , and Queen Latifah
Director: Rob Marshall
Manufacturer: Miramax Home Entertainment
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B00005JLSE
Release Date: 2003-08-19

Amazon.com

Bob Fosse's sexy cynicism still shines in Chicago, a faithful movie adaptation of the choreographer-director's 1975 Broadway musical. Of course the story, all about merry murderesses and tabloid fame, is set in the Roaring '20s, but Chicago reeks of '70s disenchantment--this isn't just Fosse's material, it's his attitude, too. That's probably why the movie's breathless observations on fleeting fame and fickle public taste already seem dated. However, Renée Zellweger and Catherine Zeta-Jones are beautifully matched as Jazz Age vixens, and Richard Gere gleefully sheds his customary cool to belt out a showstopper. (Yes, they all do their own singing and dancing.) Whatever qualms musical purists may have about director Rob Marshall's cut-cut-cut style, the film's sheer exuberance is intoxicating. Given the scarcity of big-screen musicals in the last 25 years, that's a cause for singing, dancing, cheering. And all that jazz. --Robert Horton

Description

Winner of six Academy Awards(R) (2003) including Best Picture, and starring Academy Award nominee (Best Actress, CHICAGO) and Golden Globe winner (Best Actress in a Musical or Comedy, CHICAGO) Renée Zellweger (BRIDGET JONES'S DIARY), Academy Award winner (Best Supporting Actress, CHICAGO) Catherine Zeta-Jones (TRAFFIC), Academy Award nominee (Best Supporting Actress, CHICAGO) Queen Latifah (BRINGING DOWN THE HOUSE), Golden Globe winner (Best Actor in a Musical or Comedy, CHICAGO) Richard Gere (UNFAITHFUL), and Academy Award nominee (Best Supporting Actor, CHICAGO) John C. Reilly (GANGS OF NEW YORK) -- CHICAGO is a dazzling spectacle cheered by audiences and critics alike! At a time when crimes of passion result in celebrity headlines, nightclub sensation Velma Kelly (Zeta-Jones) and spotlight-seeking Roxie Hart (Zellweger) both find themselves sharing space on Chicago's famed Murderess Row! They also share Billy Flynn (Gere), the town's slickest lawyer with a talent for turning notorious defendants into local legends. But in Chicago, there's only room for one legend! Also starring Lucy Liu (CHARLIE'S ANGELS).

Customer Reviews:

A Great Screen Play!.......2007-09-02

Chicago, the movie, was done so well, it makes a fellow want to see the play - as on Broadway!

Shallow and Frivolous .......2007-06-28

After many years of wanting to see this film, I finally got a chance to view it. I like musicals and loved Moulin Rouge, so I thought I'd give this one a try. However, after viewing, I was a bit puzzled at all the fuss and acclaim this movie received and continues to receive.

Chicago, while visually stunning and artistically impressive (in that the actors did their own singing), is a shallow, cynical, superficial, and unsympathetic story. Most movies rely upon story and plot for their strength; not so Chicago, whose only redeeming quality is the song and dance they put on.

The main problem with the story is that there are virtually no sympathetic main characters. To take that a step further, the main characters are all frauds, and the story's message is shallow. The two somewhat redeeming characters, Roxie's husband and the woman who is hanged, are both pretty much invisible and discarded in the film. Roxie Hart and Velma Kelly are both in jail for murder, and both have hopes and dreams of making it, being a big star, and having people adore them, so they call upon a slimebag attorney, Billy Flynn, to help them out. Roxie and Velma take turns lying and deceiving each other so they can get the fame in Chicago. Roxie openly admits she cheated on her husband, is oblivious to the fact that he's spent his life savings to get her a lawyer, and uses every trick in the book (including pretending that she has an illegitimate child) to ensure that she is the center of the newspaper headlines. Velma is a conceited fame-hungry snob who bribes the prison ward and only sucks up to Roxie when she realizing she is losing the fame war. From here we have a battle over popularity, as the two think of shenanigans to steal the headlines from each other. Who will win out? Who cares.

The message basically projected in this film is that its legitimate to whatever it takes to get ahead in this world--lie, cheat, steal, commit adultery--and, in fact, it might make you a star!

Are we are suppose to root for two back-stabbing, deceitful, murderesses who walk over people just to get their claim to fame all because they can sing and dance? Or how about a double-crossing, pompous, lying, money-hungry lawyer looking for the next damsel charged with murder? No thanks. I say throw them all in jail.

Watching this film, I found it mystifying how so many people and critics could love this movie so much. Granted the story's plot has probably changed from the musical version on stage, but the movie version falls quite short of its glowing reviews. Moreover, how could this film have received six Oscars in 2002? I liken the Oscar committee of 2002 to the gullible Chicago citizens in the film, falling over and swooning at something that puts on a little song and dance. Maybe Chicago was the Academy Award's apology for Moulin Rouge not getting any Oscars the previous year.

If you want to see a musical that is vastly superior, has heart, style and substance, and better acting, see Moulin Rouge.

Chicago IS jazz hot!.......2007-06-08

One of the best musicals of all time. Rapid paced, great story line, great actors, fantastic scenery... I can't say enough about everything this musical has going for it!!! A definite for your collection.

Loved it -- Fantastic Music and Great Cinematography.......2007-05-17

This is one of my very favorite movie musicals. The songs are so great and so much fun!

My favorite part about this movie though, is the way in which it constantly cuts back and forth between simultaneous shots of what the characters are doing in the "movie" version and what they are doing in the "stage" version of the story. It is this symmetrical blending of the two arts that really appeals to me, and the cinematography is very well done.

Catherine Zeta-Jones, Renee Zellweger, Richard Gere, John C. Reilly, and Queen Latifah all put on award-winning performances. I was especially impressed with Gere's and Reilly's performances. (Lucy Liu's small part was nice simply because she is so gorgeous, LOL, but she really is only a brief side character.)

This is the best and most enjoyable stage-musical-to-movie adaptation that I have yet seen, and I highly recommend it. Is it the best movie-musical ever? Probably not, I'd have to vote for The Sound Of Music, but even so, I find myself watching Chicago more often than TSOM. And Moulin Rouge is even funnier than Chicago, but I still love Chicago's songs the best.

Great Musical!.......2007-04-10

This is the musical for people who hate musicals! My kids and I all belt out the words when the songs come--each song is so unique and original. This really is an incredible film--the acting is perfect--I love the casting. Catherine Zeta Jones is so powerful, as is Renee Z. Ruchard Gere is at his best, as well, which was a cool surprise!

Average customer rating:

designing women
I love this show!
Great show, but lousy edition
Time to release the rest, too!
I'll wait patiently...

The Best of Designing Women
Starring: Delta Burke , Jean Smart , Julia Duffy , Douglas Barr (II) , and Richard Gilliland
Manufacturer: Sony Pictures
ProductGroup: DVD
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ASIN: B0000A7W13
Release Date: 2003-09-02

Amazon.com

For a while, Designing Women captured some of the spirit of Hollywood's silkiest and smartest, Golden Age sophistication. Debuting in the fall of 1986, this half-hour sitcom--about four Atlanta belles who either owned or worked for an upscale interior design firm--seamlessly blended an understated glamour with razor-sharp dialogue, polished Southern grace, and a ripened female perspective--a sort of perfumed but unequivocal feminism for college-educated women over 30. The core cast of stage and film veterans--Delta Burke, Dixie Carter, Annie Potts, and Jean Smart--was unusually strong, and their characters' problems and conflicts were unique to adulthood rather than the protracted adolescence common among today's comedies. The five episodes on this disc represent some of the show's strongest material, including season two's "Killing All the Right People," which--for its time--was bold in introducing a character dying of AIDS complications. Also quite witty is "Reservations for Eight," in which the Georgia quartet and their lovers bicker over gender stereotypes. --Tom Keogh

Description

Join Julia and Suzanne Sugarbaker along with Mary Jo and Charlene in five of the most popular episodes! Fans have requested these episodes the most: the pilot episode that began it all, "Killing All the Right People" and "Reservations for Eight" from the second season, "Big Hass and Little Falsie" from the third season, and "They Shoot Fat Women Don't They?" from the fourth season. Starring Delta Burke, Dixie Carter, Annie Potts, Jean Smart and Meshach Taylor.

Customer Reviews:

designing women.......2007-09-14

I want to have the whole sereis on dvd, not just 5 episodes. How does one go about voting for it? I love this show.

I love this show! .......2007-09-11

This is one of my favorite shows and this product is a good sample of the diversity.

Great show, but lousy edition.......2007-08-23

I was really excited about giving this DVD to my Mom for Christmas and she was very happy when she opened it, but when she tried to watch it, it stopped working half way through!!! She couldn't get it to play again! Also, when are the powers that be going to release the whole show?? Some of us having been waiting a long time!

Time to release the rest, too!.......2007-06-26

This show was one of the wittiest, most original sitcoms. It dragged on way too long, but the first 4-5 years were very, very good. The syndicated re-runs on TV are heavily edited for time, and unfortunately, most of the funniest moments have not been seen on TV in years.

While we're waiting for the complete DVD collection to be released, this will certainly do! These are some of the most memorable episodes. Watch them again, complete for the first time in almost 20 years, and remember what it was you loved about this show.

I'll wait patiently..........2007-05-09

Thank you, IowaHawkeye "Warren" for your explanation. Yeah, it makes sense that it would be too costly for now. Of all the shows out there, this is one of the few for which I would pay a pretty penny. I taped oodles of episodes with the original cast when I was in grad school. I ended up tossing most of the tapes but kept a few. I've watched the reruns on Lifetime so many times that I know the dialogue in some parts of each episode by heart. The one TiVo'd episode I have is the one where Julia helps Bill reconsider his dilemma about Charlene and his Nancy. I tear up every time. This was such a charming show, well written, progressive, poignant yet downright funny. Just like some others have mentioned, my sister is a big fan of Golden Girls while I love, love, love DW. Yes, the mention of Noel, Consuela and T Tommy Reed does bring a smile to my face. I'll continue to wait for the DVD release...

Average customer rating:

This one is a catch
a delightfully funny comedy,
Will Smith at his Best
Hitch just got hitched...
Hitch Cinema Psychotherapy

Hitch (Widescreen Edition)
Starring: Will Smith , Eva Mendes , Kevin James (III) , Amber Valletta , and Julie Ann Emery
Director: Andy Tennant
Manufacturer: Sony Pictures
ProductGroup: DVD
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ASIN: B000957O82
Release Date: 2005-06-14

Amazon.com

Will Smith's easygoing charm makes Hitch the kind of pleasant, uplifting romantic comedy that you could recommend to almost anyone--especially if there's romance in the air. As suave Manhattan dating consultant Alex "Hitch" Hitchens, Smith plays up the smoother, sophisticated side of his established screen persona as he mentors a pudgy accountant (Kevin James) on the lessons of love. The joke, of course, is that Hitch's own love life is a mess, and as he coaches James toward romance with a rich, powerful, and seemingly inaccessible beauty named Allegra (Amber Valetta), he's trying too hard to impress a savvy gossip columnist (Eva Mendes) with whom he's fallen in love. Through mistaken identities and mismatched couples, director Andy Tennant brings the same light touch that made Drew Barrymore's Ever After so effortlessly engaging. As romantic comedies go, Hitch doesn't offer any big surprises, but as a date movie it gets the job done with amiable ease and style. --Jeff Shannon

Customer Reviews:

This one is a catch.......2007-09-14

My wife picked this movie and I reluctantly watched it. I couldn't decide whether or not to write a review for this DVD. I was on the fence, but in the end I decided that it did merit a couple of comments. I wouldn't consider myself a Will Smith fan by any means, so truth be told my expectations were pretty low to begin with. Will Smith won me over. I was pleasantly surprised. Set in New York, I would discribe the movie as fun, sweet, cute and innocent. - polished but not glossy. Although the movie is very "safe" and doesn't tackle any hard truths, it will remind you of how awkward dating was or is for everyone. The movie floats along and contains nothing heavy, nothing to learn, and no special message - it's pure fluff and yes - with a very predictable conclusion. Watch it with someone you love for the feelings it will invoke in you. The movie will leave you with a smile on your face and joy in your heart.
I can't quiet put my finger on exactly why I liked it - but I liked it enough to buy it and didn't feel like I wasted my time or money after it was over.

a delightfully funny comedy,.......2007-09-03

Hitch (DVD)

Hitch starring Will Smith as a " relationship consultant" and Eva Mendez as his paramour is a delightfully funny comedy, one that will leave you smiling interspersed with a few good old belly-laughs.

Recommended for the entire family.

Gunner September, 2007

Will Smith at his Best.......2007-08-29

This is a fantastic story about a love doctor and his client with a lot of heart and comedy!

Hitch just got hitched... .......2007-08-23

Will Smith is an awesome actor. He does a very nice job of portrayin the kind of guy that is needed for that role. Fabulous job... umm.. yea.. its just a kickass movie

Hitch Cinema Psychotherapy.......2007-07-22

The premise of Hitch (Will Smith) as cinema psychotherapy is if you see enough films (and avoid alcohol, nicotine and caffeine) you don't need a therapist. Groundhog Day has the next lesson: you need to see a movie daily for 10 years in order to really "get" the lesson. Third, anyone loved and appreciated by family and friends knows love without sex, and more love with or without sex will eventually find them.

In the movie, Hitch loved and was deeply hurt early in life, so he decides never to love again, but to help other dorks like himself avoid his prior mistakes and find true love. Hitch is a paid consultant in love: new teeth, work outs (or liposuction), new hair, new clothes, new glasses, new dance steps, confidence, power tie, power suit, power car, power hand shake. The insecure like Albert (Kevin James) pay handsomely for his assistance in realizing romance. But underneath all his self assurance, Hitch believes in the power of love to transform lives and refuses to work with verbally physically emotionally spiritually abusive men. Charmingly, Hitch alludes to the tendency of men's eyes to wander even when in deeply committed relationships, as when Hitch's former roommate now brother-in-law tries to advise Hitch on love; which is another way of saying how you look can attract attention but not necessarily love.

In the movie Hitch advises a series of men in their approach to the women of their dreams. However Hitch falls for and is outed by gossip columnist who feels manipulated by his well practiced techniques when she discovers his profession. Subsequently his prior successes dissolve. The resolution of this hilarious movie is heart warming psychobabble: anyone who loves you as yourself probably loves the authentic you; if they walk away, they will always regret having lost you.

The movie 84 Charing Cross Road (Anthony Hopkins, Anne Bancroft) illustrates the possibility of love entirely through letters; that you can love having NEVER seen one another which explains centuries of Chinese reproduction via arranged marriage.

Hitch posits external characteristics are first attractants only: love is a matter of luck (orchestrated by Hitch or your local plastic surgeon), keeping a relationship intact relies on the old standards: mental health, honor, fidelity, probity, commitment to doing what is right and true to the best of one's ability, being yourself. The happiest people are rarely those with the biggest toys, teeth, body parts, and the happiest couples are often mixes of extraordinary kindness, generosity, mutual caring, sacrifice and devotion, shared fiscal, parenting and sexual values. If you follow books on cinema or epsychotherapy and watch the movies recommended in each chapter according to problem you can save yourself a bundle on therapy. Laughingly recommended with 5 stars. Also see The Holiday, Sense and Sensibility with Kate Winslet (she plays the same role twice), Persuasion with Amanda Root and Cieran Hinds, Pride and Prejudice the two DVD BBC serialized version with Colin Firth. All these movies recommend being yourself: honorable, true to your word, honest, impeccable in your ethics and morals, and willing to make humble changes in your preconceived notions of what is desirable. And if love finds you, it is karma, if not, you are still the most remarkable unique human being the earth has ever known, there will never be another you (hear Rosemary Clooney sing it in Lake House). You are perfect just the way you are, be well.

Viva Pedro - The Almodovar Collection / Volver

Average customer rating:

Viva Pedro - The Almodovar Collection / Volver

ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

ASIN: B000TV84NU
Release Date: 2007-08-07

Amazon.com

Volver

Spanish for "Coming Back," Volver is a return to the all-female format of All About My Mother. Unlike Pedro Almodóvar's previous two pictures, the story revolves around a group of women in Madrid and his native La Mancha. (The cast received a collective best actress award at Cannes.) Raimunda (a zaftig Penélope Cruz) is the engine powering this heartfelt, yet humorous vehicle. When husband Paco (Antonio de la Torre) is murdered, Raimunda makes like Mildred Pierce to deflect attention away from daughter Paula (Yohana Cobo). After telling everyone the lout has left, she struggles to conceal his body. The other women in her life all have secrets of their own. Her sister, Sole (Lola Dueñas), for instance, has taken in their mother, Irene (a sprightly Carmen Maura). Since Irene perished in a fire, is this person a ghost or simply a woman who looks like her? Then there's their childhood friend, Agustina (Blanca Portillo), who is desperate to find out why her mother disappeared after the blaze. Was she responsible? Almodóvar deftly blends the ghost story with the murder mystery in his tribute to the Italian neo-realist films of the 1950s. The resilient Raimunda is a throwback to the earthy heroines of Sophia Loren and Anna Magnani. The latter appears in Luchino Visconti's Bellissima, which shows up on Sole's television one night (thus confirming the link). If Almodóvar's 16th feature lacks the emotional punch of the more audacious Talk to Her, it's less heavy-handed than Bad Education and Cruz is a revelation. --Kathleen C. Fennessy

More Stills from Pedro Almodovar Classics Collection(click for larger image)

Average customer rating:

The Women 1939
Ultimate chick flick
The Women
What Every Bride Should Watch
I love this movie

The Women (Keepcase)
Starring: Norma Shearer , Joan Crawford , Rosalind Russell , Mary Boland , and Paulette Goddard
Director: George Cukor
Manufacturer: Warner Home Video
ProductGroup: DVD
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