Shortbus (Unrated Edition)

Amazon.com

In his aim to make an honest film about sex, John Cameron Mitchell (Hedwig and the Angry Inch) has taken a somewhat documentary approach to Shortbus, a film describing various New Yorkers' sexual pathos. Framed by shots roving a homemade diorama of the city, Shortbus is comprised of vignettes featuring actors who helped craft this story of people's disconnect in sexual endeavors. Jamie (PJ DeBoy) and James (Paul Dawson), a gay couple experiencing a lull in their relationship, visit Sophia (Sook-Yin Lee), a sex therapist whose inability to orgasm results in her clients inviting her to a sex club after which the film is titled. Sophia's husband, Rob (Raphael Barker), is also willing to experiment, so the two independently embark on adventures in self-pleasure. Dominatrix Severin (Lindsay Beamish) plays a crucial role in Sophia and Rob's lives, as her search for real humanity overlaps with their desire for passion. As each character's plot complicates, the viewer sees a similar melancholy bulldozing its way into these seemingly disparate lives. The depression is repeatedly used in comedic scenes, such as when James is asked on a date while still hospitalized for his attempted suicide. Yo La Tengo's score, which includes Animal Collective among others, lends this film a graceful ambience. Unlike porn, Shortbus has a resonance that encourages the viewer to consider one's own sex life as an important aspect of happiness. --Trinie Dalton

Description

From the director of `Hedwig and the Angry Inch' comes SHORTBUS, an exploration into the lives of several characters living in present-day New York as they navigate the comic and tragic intersections between love and sex. Male and female, straight and gay, the characters find one another - and eventually find themselves - when they all converge at a weekly underground salon called "Shortbus," a mad world of art, music, politics, and polysexual carnality. One of the true sensations of this year's Cannes Film Festival, presents sex and sexuality as never before seen in mainstream entertainment, and promises to be one of the most talked-about films for months - and years - to come.

Customer Reviews:

Points for trying, but a sad view of real intimacy........2007-09-13

I wish Amazon's rating system allowed half stars. I'd be tempted to give Shortbus 3 1/2 because I do appreciate Mitchell's attempt to treat sex matter-of-factly in an actual (and mostly engaging) movie. I also really liked his previous work, "Hedwig and the Angry Inch" and wanted to be able to throw my support behind an innovative independent artist. As it stands though, my disappointment in what came across as the larger message of *this* movie can't help but override my feelings of goodwill.

The thing that bugged me in this film (bugged me in a big way) was the divorcing of sexual fulfillment from connection with loved ones. Without giving away plot particulars, I found it actually kind of distressing that key characters wind up only being able to find real sexual gratification with strangers. In a movie that's supposed to be about finding acceptance, that seems like a curious message.

Is this really Mitchell's view of "utopia"? Of friendship? That it's, what, *preferable* to share your vulnerability with strangers while shutting out and not communicating with...the people who love you and care about you and actually deal with your crap on a day-to-day basis?

It's extra bothersome, because I thought this was an engaging film in other respects -- some uneven acting and writing aside. There was a lot of promise here, and I want there to be a place for films that treat sex as a legitimately important topic. I only wish the end result didn't feel like its conclusions were so self-centered and emotionally immature.

Heartfelt and engaging.......2007-09-12

I have shown this to a few of my friends and have recieved split opinion.
The ones who did not like it are the ones who zoned out at the first scene from its 'explicitness'.
Basically, if you like independant cinema and you are not over sensitive you should appreciate this film.
I thoroughly enjoyed this film. Here are some of the reasons.
- Coherent and fluid storyline
- An excellent and suitable soundtrack
- Great performance from sook yin lee
- The movie was not self conscious

Sexy.......2007-08-23

If you are looking for raw sex and some psychological motivation for getting, staying, and/or being involved, then this movie is right for you. There is a little something for everyone!

surpassed expectations.......2007-08-16

I'd heard of Shortbus through several gay media outlets, and the reviews were varied but generally positive. Having seen it now, I was captivated. There were a few moments that were a bit hard to swallow, but what really held me were the other moments-- looks between characters: James and Jamie during the blackout, Sophie and Severin in the lesbian room, Sophie and the tattood lady in the Sex-Not-Bombs room, Sophie and the viewer the moment she 'causes' (and the moment she 'ends') the blackout, they all pull you so deeply into the moment the characters are experiencing. And the entire musical part at the end caused such an upswell of happiness. Certainly not for the squeamish or the purit(yr)annical, but for everyone else I'd encourage seeing it.

Hmmmmm..............2007-08-13

Not sure how exactly to rate this. It is at once soft porn, homoerotica, social commentary, tragedy, and romantic comedy. From the first scene to the end, I found myself sitting stock still with my mouth open; unsure exactly what I should be feeling. The first time I watched it, not kidding, I immediately watched it again. It was almost as if I wanted to be sure I had really watched the movie and had not drifted into some paranormal fantasia. A bit strange. A bit "stimulating". And DEFINITELY NOT something to watch with family, children, or coworkers. In fact, I would not watch it with anyone except maybe your best friend or lover. And even then, only after you have watched it alone at least once.
An interesting experience - I was left with similar feelings as I was after watching Mysterious Skin, albeit for somewhat different reasons.

I purposefully do not attempt to explain what this movie is about. It is worth purchasing, you will be intrigued at a minimum, and may love the movie for any number of reasons. But, you will understand exactly why it is hard to describe the plot.

Average customer rating:

Utterly Unsatisfying
Recommended
A range of emotions on film
Clement Virgo's Lie With Me is self-indulgent porn masquerading as an 'art' film
a porn movie disguised as a 'b' movie

Lie With Me
Starring: Lauren Lee Smith , Eric Balfour , Polly Shannon , Mayko Nguyen , and Michael Facciolo
Director: Clément Virgo
Manufacturer: Velocity / Thinkfilm
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ASIN: B000DZ95MG
Release Date: 2006-02-14

Amazon.com

Shot in sunny Toronto and set to a dreamy score, Lie With Me looks and sounds like an art film, but the end result isn't quite so lofty. The plot is thin and the dialogue superfluous, but no matter--Canada's Clément Virgo (Love Come Down) just wants to turn you on and he has enlisted two attractive, uninhibited young performers to assist in his aims. Leila (Lauren Lee Smith, The L Word) and David (Eric Balfour, Six Feet Under) meet at a party. He's with his girlfriend, but finds himself drawn to her. The feeling is mutual. She's alone, but quickly finds an unattached hipster with whom to have a tryst. David catches her in the act. Instead of turning away, he watches. They start seeing each other immediately afterwards. "I'm not hooked on danger, [I'm] hooked on sex," Leila claims, but she isn't exactly the most trustworthy narrator. She wants a purely physical relationship, while David wants something more. They return to their old lives, but the obsession refuses to die. Based on the novella by Virgo's partner, Tamara Berger, Lie With Me plays like a low-budget cross between Adrian Lyne's overrated 9 1/2 Weeks and Wayne Wang's underrated The Center of the World. --Kathleen C. Fennessy

Customer Reviews:

Utterly Unsatisfying.......2007-07-30

What can I say? I'm sure I bought this for the same reason everyone else did, and boy what a let-down.

Not to be ignorant or apathetic, I will focus my review on the film as a whole, not just the much talked about "graphic scenes of real sex" *cough cough*.

Allow me first to point out all the good things, then all the bad:

GOOD: The female lead is gorgeous.

That's it.

I guess the score has its charm too, but only cos it's always set to shots of her attractive face, so I'm gonna lump that all in as one bullet point.

NOT SO GOOD: Where do I start? Although the girl is very attractive, the scenes of her having sex are not in the least bit exciting, so she might as well not be.

The male lead is UTTERLY miscast, as a romantic lead, as an erotic lead, this guy totally misses the mark on ALL counts. And did I say romantic? Come to think of it, did I even say erotic?? Sorry guys but this film is a big fat neither. The much hyped "real" sex scenes are nothing short of completely pathetic, with not a single sexual encounter between the two "stars" (of which there are only two or three in the whole film) lasting more than a minute - literally, a 60 second minute. And these aren't artfully composed edited highlights, these are beginning-to-end realtime scenes. Think I'm kidding?

I can understand the first time they're together and there's all this sexual tension and electricity and lust (although as a viewer I just had to assume this, I certainly didn't feel any of it coming from the two actors) and the guy just can't contain himself, but this and every subsequent time they're together he finishes in less than a minute.

Which leads to another thing; throughout the film the girl narrates a contrived monologue sprinkled liberally with new-age promiscuous pleasure-seeking slang, this girl obviously thinks highly of herself sexually, yet the whole point of the film is that she becomes consumed by physically being with a man who cannot last more than 60 seconds in the sack. Even within the shallow parameters set by the film itself, this film fails to convince; and on any real level beyond that, it completely falls flat on its face. At one point he tells her he thinks about her all day and all night etc. etc. and I was left thinking "Whu?". There's just no passion between these two whatsoever, not as people, and not as bodies in a bedroom either. The simple and usually obvious dialogue is left to convince us of something entirely lacking in any other place we might look for it.

At one point after being with the guy the girl tells us, "I always thought a man loved with his c_ck", as if she now knows real love and a man who can love her with something other than his c_ck, after what? A one night stand with a guy whose only interest was to have sex with you??? How does that work?

Well, quite simply, it doesn't. Neither does the rest of this film. Not for a second.

If you're only interested in the real sex scenes, I can open a raincloud on your parade and tell you that the films entire sex scenes tally less than a few minutes, and are utterly uninteresting anyway. If you're interested in this film in a more holistic way, I can tell you that you're barking up an even wronger tree.

If this review is all over the place it is only cos the film itself is an equal mess.

STAY AWAY!

Recommended.......2007-07-01

Lie With Me is more than just lust and sex. David for example doesn't know what he wants they show him with his dad, which we know is an invalid. He has trust issues just like Leila. When he first sees her, I think that he is infautated with her. He helps her at the party when she becomes dizzy, he watches her when she is walking through that wooded area. Basically he is in love with her. When Leila is having sex with that guy he can't help but feel lust for her at first. I mean the guy watches her and then they make a connection. Leila is dealing with the collaspe of her parents marriage and struggling with herself and what she wants. She meets David and she feels actual love i mean she can't be away from him for one second without wanting to feel him. She talks about how when she has sex that she can feel the pleasure inside of her but wants to feel something completely different with someone else. You guessed it that someone is David she wants to love him but she doesn't know how that is why she leaves him. Then she realizes how much she wants to be with him and he pushes her away. She is persistant and then she shows herself to him. In turn he rips out her heart and tells her he doesn't want to be with her, but that is all a lie cause the hurt in his eyes shows through. I think that Leila freaks out because she doesn't know how to comfort him when his dad dies, because you comfort the ones you love in their time of need. Plus i think Eric Balfour has a nice everything in that movie. Both are passionate towards each other even in those scenes when he gets jealous or is still grieving he hurts and the one person who he loves, leaves him. I don't think that he needs a mommy i thinks he needs a lover and someone to show him who he is. Also when they show Leila like having sex form behind i think that she is scared to let someone make actual love to her but David changes that i mean he asks her out on a date. You don't date someone you just want to have sex with. I love this movie i mean yeah theres graphic nudity but its hot and steamy and the actors make David and Leila come to life. Both Eric Balfour and Lauren Lee Smith are the perfect actors to play them.

A range of emotions on film.......2007-06-24

I bought this movie out of curiosity. I love this movie because of the range of emotions many of us experience when one desires and loves. Virgo uses long scenes with few cuts and dialogue to show what's felt when one falls for another. There's lust, attachment, uncertainty, and resolution. The movie shows how one may grow or regress because of these feelings. Rather than lots of dialogue, Virgo uses the nonverbal communication to show what's felt - the trembling of the lips with anticipation, the attachment to another when kissing their arm while asleep, or the misery and disconnect from being without the other. The plot is simple, but many of us have felt the contents of the movie at some point in time. This movie is the first that has delved into the depth of these feelings and put it brillantly on film.

If you're looking for erotic scenes, they're definitely there, and add to the content of the movie. However, if you're thinking this movie is about nothing but sex, you're misled.

Lie With Me will make you think and feel for these characters. Take the 90 minutes; it's worth the time.

Clement Virgo's Lie With Me is self-indulgent porn masquerading as an 'art' film.......2007-06-23

I've learnt to spot the danger signs of an impending bad movie. One of them is when the director is also the screenwriter and producer -- in short, there's no one there to put the brakes on when the film starts to get too self-absorbed. Such is the case with this Canadian indie film that seems to have gone straight to video.

Based on Tamara Berger's novel of the same name (published by the appropriately named Gutter Press), we meet Leila (Lauren Lee Smith), a young woman at a party. She's more than a little tipsy, and looks to be on the scrawny side, dressed clearly with the message that she's there to get laid -- oops, I mean have a good time. One man there is pretty bold about eyeing her, and the pair end up in the bathroom, where he helps her to sober up a little with a drink of water. It almost turns into sex, but his girlfriend calls for him outside and he leaves. He, we find out, is named David (Eric Balfour).

She leaves the party, taking with her Shy Guy (Michael Facciolo), and proceeds to have sex with him outside, up against a chain-link fence. Sitting in his car, watching the pair, is none other than David, along with his girlfriend. David and Leila watch each other getting laid, mimicing each others actions, as it were. At this point, I had a pretty good idea of what this film was going to be about, but as I have this thing about finishing the book or film I start, I didn't turn it off right away.

Eventually, Leila and David meet up again, this time in a public playground, and in a daring moment, she exposes herself to him, making her own interest pretty well known. They move onto his apartment for sex, and the sexual compulsion between the two of them gets going. And in fact that's what most of this film is about -- we're either watching Leila and David going at it like deranged rabbits, or she's letting us know her thoughts and experiences in a voice over that supposed to be titillating and erotic, but sounds more like a bad memoir.

The relationship is pretty predictable -- lust, jealousy phase, playing house together phase, she tries to get it past sex, he withdraws and treats her like trash, they break up, and so on and so forth. Yawn. We've seen this before. While I have to say that the sex at least looks real and honest, the rest of the film isn't that interesting. David, in particular, strikes me as the sort of young man that is fashionable these days -- unshaven, grungy and without any visible means of support. He does take care of an elderly, ailing father, so I guess that's something in his favour. But who in their right mind goes about in dirty jeans without underwear? I had a strong urge to go dip him in a vat of lye.

Leila's not much better. She's perpetually rumpled in skimpy clothing that looks to be ready to fall off at anytime. It's a cheap and sleazy look, and if she's looking for true love or respect from men, it's not a way to really inspire it either. Her personal life isn't that much better -- her parents are going through a divorce, her job is a dead-end job, she seems to spend her free time on the couch watching porn, or partying it up with weed and alcohol. She's not someone I would really care to know in reality either.

In short, this is a couple made for each other. Neither one of them are very responsible, and frankly, he treats her like a piece of meat. I suppose this is what makes this a modern, young adult relationship, sex without strings or emotion. And while the sex does get interesting, I've seen far far better in x-rated film, the only thing this lacks is what is known as the money shot in the trade.

Indeed, Virgo tries to make this as arty as possible, with lots of soft lighting, on location shots in Toronto, use of colour and texture, and I guess that works. But there isn't any sort of plot in this except for the so-called romance between the two leads, and their sexual shenanigans. Oh, there's an attempt or two with the illness of one parent, and the impeding divorce, but the central relationship is so tawdry, the viewer is left with the attitude of so what? by the end.

I don't demand syrupy romance, as long as there is some sort of passion there, but these two are so out of touch with themselves, how can they possibly make it work with each beyond the rubbing together of two body parts? That was the other big complaint with this one -- no one hits a climax that fast, and here it's the slam-bam-thankee-ma'am sort of sex. I kept thinking that she must have had insides of old leather to put up with that.

This is not for children of any age, and I would suspect that most adults would find it a bit on the disturbing side. There is quite a bit of sex in this, with male and female frontal nudity, sex in public, public exposure, sex in public, in cars, with lots of foul language and every form of straight sex that can be performed. There's plenty of drug and alcohol abuse as well. But they do try with a bit of condom use -- after all, this is the age of safe sex, I suppose.

No subtitles, some lackluster trailers for other films, and a voice-over commentary from the director. Nothing really special to watch either.

This is certainly a D-list film. Those who prefer their film to have sex and be honest about it might find a few minutes worth watching, but this 100-minute clunker has nothing else going for it. Those who are looking for a love story will be turned off by the callous brutality and attitudes. It's not a likeable film at all, and I urge you to spend your time with something, anything, else.

Not recommended.

a porn movie disguised as a 'b' movie.......2007-06-21

this movie was about a female sex maniac seeking free rides in the city of angels. there were lot of love making scenes in this hollow movie. the screenplay writer was the original author of that book titled in the same name. if this movie was shot in the '70s timeline, i'd accepted it unconditionally, but regretfully, this is a 2005 movie, aids, hiv and other diseases transmitted from random sex are real. so every time when this young woman involved in free sex, i was just sick to death.
a big question here: what's the point of making this movie?

Average customer rating:

"When Time Passing Becomes Time Remaining" ~ The Talents And Possessions That Define A Life
Fun
A Slice of Paris
Jessica does Paris

Avenue Montaigne
Starring: Cécile De France , Valérie Lemercier , Albert Dupontel , Laura Morante , and Claude Brasseur
Director: Danièle Thompson
Manufacturer: Velocity / Thinkfilm
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ASIN: B000O76TUO
Release Date: 2007-07-17

Amazon.com

French for "Orchestra Seats," Avenue Montaigne offers an outsider's perspective on an insular world (the original title is Fauteuils d'Orchestre). After bidding adieu to her grandmother (Suzanne Flon in her final performance), sunny Jessica (Cécile De France, L'Auberge Espagnole) moves from Mâcon to Paris. Upon securing a job as a waitress in a popular café, she meets high-strung soap star Catherine (Valérie Lemercier), burnt-out pianist Jean-François (Albert Dupontel), and secretive art collector Jacques (Claude Brasseur), who comes equipped with a pretty girlfriend and a handsome son (Christopher Thompson). Though the tousled Jessica has little in common with these posh Parisians, she affects each of their lives in ways both big and small. Directed by Danièle Thompson (La Bûche) and co-written with her son, Christopher, Avenue Montaigne serves as the flipside to French phenomenon When the Cat's Away, in which a young woman meets the people in her neighborhood while searching for an errant feline. In this case, the surroundings are more upscale, but the residents are just as susceptible to fear and insecurity. Though the idea of a sympathetic look at the upper class will surely strike some as off-putting, Thompson makes it work. The genuine affection she feels for her characters--privileged and underprivileged alike--and the grace with which she keeps several plot strands going at once proves that the spirit of Robert Altman lives on in the most unlikely of places. --Kathleen C. Fennessy

Customer Reviews:

"When Time Passing Becomes Time Remaining" ~ The Talents And Possessions That Define A Life.......2007-09-04

Note: French with English subtitles.

Synopsis: Jessica (Cecile de France) leaves her home in the provinces and moves to Paris in the hope of finding a better life. Fortune smiles on her when she lands a job as a waitress in a cafe located in a high rent district frequented by the rich and artistic. As she interacts with the café's patrons their hopes and dreams are revealed. Jessica and the audience eventually discover that the rewards that come with talent and possessions doesn't necessarily bring fulfillment in life.

Critique: Released in '06 the film `Avenue Montaigne' is an undiscovered gem that can be watched over and over again, each time revealing some new and beautiful facet of a profoundly simple but elegant tale. Moving subtly from comedy, to romance, to drama the film shines a light into the heart and soul of its characters revealing not only the persona on the outside but the longing within. The acting is superb, the storyline and dialogue illuminating and the Paris backdrop is absolutely beautiful. Add to that a nostalgic soundtrack that captures the Parisian spirit to perfection and you have a film that you'll never tire of viewing. One of my favorite French films!

My Rating: -5 Stars-.

Fun.......2007-07-19

If you're looking for serious drama then you're in the wrong place. I would describe AVENUE MONTAIGNE as a "fun" movie. In many ways it reminded me of THE SPANISH APARTMENT (or L'AUBERGE ESPAGNOLE): both consisted of a bunch of colorful characters, who are trying to find their way in this crazy world of ours. It should be no surprise that Cecile France was in both films. She has a way of connecting with other actors on screen. She was a delight. Other notable actors in AVENUE were the "soap" actress, the pianist and the auctioner's son. If you just want to see a movie for just strictly entertainment value, then I highly recommend AVENUE MONTAIGNE.

A Slice of Paris.......2007-04-30

(3 1/2 *'s) `Avenue Montaigne' operates on the premise that all Parisians seek the good life. Offering a cross-section of the French dream, the film digs deeper with a "can't buy me happiness" theme stretching through intersecting lives.

Jessica (Ce'cile De France) is a high-life wanna-be who takes care of her grandmother in a nursing home. The elder reminisces that she took menial labor to enjoy vicariously the high art, food, and fashion of Paris. Emulating her grandmother, Jessica seeks a job at a café where they deliver, but will only break tradition of hiring waiters when they're in a bind. As a vivacious courier and waitress she meets the people who allegedly have fulfilled their dreams. There's Catherine (Val'erie Lemercier), a prima donna actress who isn't satisfied with the lucrative contracts she's offered. In order to achieve a high level of art, she stumbles over tables and chairs for a chance to court Sydney Pollack (cameo, himself), looking for a lead in his film. (Some of her foot-in-mouth tendencies make for some of the funniest moments.) Jean-Francois Laforte (Albert Dupontel) is a celebrated pianist who has all the amenities and filled concert halls, but his real desire is to enrich the uninitiated. His wife is his manager who can see only the material benefits of her gifted husband. Jacques, an elder art dealer wishes to sell out his collection before interest is lost, but his teacher son, Frederic (Christopher Thompson), is too idealistic. He's divorced and must watch his widower father flaunt his attractive new mistress while discovering the siren is predictably only interested in his father's money. Then, there's an elder woman who, having no musical talent of her own, is a purveyor of others' talents. She relishes the music. The movie displays great irony, for Jessica and the music purveyor, although outside of the circle of the affluent talent, seem oddly more satisfied than the successful people they admire.

`Avenue Montaigne' may not be as substantive or profound as French movies like 'L'Enfant' or 'Ponette,' but it is easily likable with characters who are accessible and make empathetic connections with the audience. Warmly engaging, sometimes funny, but often wise, this movie is a heartwarming alternative to a boulevard of broken dreams. The effect of the movie is like creme brule,' sweet, light, but very satisfying.

Jessica does Paris.......2007-03-16

Jessica (gamin-like Cecile de France from "The Spanish Apartment) arrives in Paris without a sou in her pocket but within minutes nabs a prime waitress job in a smart, stylish, up to this point type of café that only hires men as waiters, Restaurant on the Avenue Montaigne, close to the Champs Elysee' with the Eiffel Tower looming nearby.
Though "Avenue Montaigne" ("Fauteuils D'orchestre" in France or "Orchestra Seats") is very fairy tale-like, there is actually a very good reason for Jessica's hiring: the restaurant is short of help and the very next night three major events are taking place nearby: a big auction selling off the contents of an entire apartment filled with names like Braque, Brancusi and Modigliani belonging to an art collector played by the legendary Claude Brasseur, a major piano recital featuring virtuoso pianist Jean-François Lefort (Albert Dupontel) and the opening of a Feydeau farce starring TV Soap star, (actress Catherine Versen played by Valérie Lemercier) looking to land a prime Motion Picture about Simone de Beauvoir. Jessica swirls in and out of every one of these stories having a positive effect on all with her sunny sweetness and disarming honesty. There are definitely shades of "Amelie" and "Emma" at work here. "Avenue Montaigne" is as slight and light as a Crepe and de France, Brasseur and Lemercier hit all the right notes, acting-wise which sounds a lot easier than it is as the genre of light comedy is pretty much dead today and these actors are remarkably spot on here.
No one in the world makes this kind of film as well as the French and director Daniele Thompson is definitely up to the task: her film exudes warmth and a charismatic charm that is damn near impossible to resist.

Average customer rating:

Great dvd, great extras
Laugh out Loud funny!
A Killer of a Movie
British comedy at its best
Can't Keep Mum on Mediocrity

Keeping Mum
Starring: Rowan Atkinson , Kristin Scott Thomas , Maggie Smith , Patrick Swayze , and Tamsin Egerton
Director: Niall Johnson
Manufacturer: Velocity / Thinkfilm
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ASIN: B000K7VHQY
Release Date: 2007-02-20

Description

KEEPING MUM stars Rowan Atkinson as an absent-minded vicar of a rural parish who is so distracted by the pressures of his job that he fails to notice his wife's (Kristin Scott Thomas) dalliance with her brash golf instructor (Patrick Swayze), his daughter's parade of new boyfriends, and his young son's regular trouncing by the school's bullies. Enter their charming new housekeeper, Grace (Maggie Smith), the answer to the family's prayers: a sweet old lady with her own distinctive definition of cleaning house - and a very unusual way of solving problems.

Customer Reviews:

Great dvd, great extras.......2007-09-16

The movie is considered to be one of the best british comedy. I recommend this movie for anyone who loves British comedy or those who love the actors in the great movie. I especially love the extra features. The extras alone are a great buy, if you can't decide whether to buy this, just consider the great plot of this movie and the great extras this dvd has, I'm sure you will decide to get it. You'll love it.

Laugh out Loud funny!.......2007-09-11

I saw this in the theatre and the snickers grew into laugh out loud appreciation of this tongue-in-cheek story. The acting is fun, and somewhat a surprise - don't expect Mr. Bean. This must have been great fun to make.

A Killer of a Movie.......2007-06-27

Anyone reared or married into a minister's family will enjoy a vicarious revenge in Maggie Smith's uninhibited, unrepentant determination to level the playing field for her family. It was strange to see Rowan Atkinson in a mostly serious role but he did a good job, mixing sincerity with "serious" humor that only the English can do. I thought the ending was over-the-top and wasn't true to the family's character but the rest of the movie was good enough to make the flaws tolerable.

British comedy at its best.......2007-06-04

Keeping Mum is one of those eccentric British gems. The title itself is a pun and the witticisms keep coming. Great performances by Maggie Smith and Kristin Scott Thomas. The male roles were weak and the ladies were clearly the stronger characters. Grand-daughter Holly (Tamsin Egerton) is a great addition.

I've seen better by Rowan Atkinson, but overall a charming little movie. Maggie Smith as the sweet old-lady killer is classic.

Can't Keep Mum on Mediocrity.......2007-06-02

With its stellar cast, I expected "Keeping Mum" to be full of sophisticated dry wit. NOT! I mean, it isn't a terrible movie, but three stars is actually a generous rating. I'm tempted to demote it a bit for its corniness and hokey sex humor. With the possible exception of Rowan Atkinson's character, the viewer is not inspired to care much about the main players of the story. I was more concerned about the unwitting neighbor and his dog. Animal lovers such as myself will not be pleased with the outcome. I can take a joke but this one is pretty lame. Sorry to rain on the parade of happy campers who seem to like this movie, and I don't know why Amazon has paired "Keeping Mum" with "Mrs. Palfrey at the Claremont"; the latter being a MUCH better British film.

Average customer rating:

Always over the top
Humanity is truly disgusting! (but in a good way)
What's the beef, y'all?
this was ok.....
Its not a funny movie but I saw a reason for the movie

The Aristocrats
Starring: Jason Alexander , Hank Azaria , Shelley Berman , Lewis Black , and George Carlin
Manufacturer: Velocity / Thinkfilm
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ASIN: B000C3L2NE
Release Date: 2006-01-24

Amazon.com

Released without a rating and billed as "the most vile, disgusting, and vulgar" film of all time, The Aristocrats is also funny enough to qualify as a minor comedy classic. We say "minor" only because hearing the same foul joke told by 100 celebrated comedians is inevitably exhausting, even though the shaggy-dog gag (a vintage in-joke among comedians, allowing outrageously obscene improvisation, and always ending with the same titular punchline) is also a fascinating litmus test for each comedian's irreverent style. As codirectors and show-biz insiders, veteran comedians Paul Provenza and Penn Jillette (from the comedy duo Penn & Teller) corralled an unprecedented parade of stand-up celebrities (George Carlin, Robin Williams, Drew Carey, Whoopi Goldberg, Sarah Silverman, the South Park kids and many, many more), each telling "the dirtiest joke of all time" in their own inimitable fashion. The sheer volume of vaudevillian vulgarity takes on a life of its own, more fascinating than funny, until Gilbert Gottfried (at a celebrity roast for Hugh Hefner, shortly after the terrorist attacks of 9/11/01) tells what is unanimously hailed as the definitive version of the joke. It's a matter of context, style, and bawdy bravado, and for better or worse, The Aristocrats will endure as a testament to a joke so bad--so uproariously bad--that no comedian worthy of the profession can resist the temptation to tell it. --Jeff Shannon

Description

Comedy veterans and co-creators Penn Jillette (one half of the hit duo Penn & Teller) and Paul Provenza capitalize on their insider status and invite over 100 of their closest friends (who happen to be some of the biggest names in entertainment, from George Carlin, Whoopi Goldberg, Drew Carey to Gilbert Gottfried, Bob Saget, Paul Reiser and Sarah Silverman) to reminisce, analyze and deliver their own versions of the world's dirtiest joke, an old burlesque routine too extreme to be performed in public, called The Aristocrats. One of the smash hits of the 2005 Sundance film festival, this critically acclaimed, star-studded comedy extravaganza, which celebrates the art of improvisation and the finest (and most foul mouthed) traditions of stand up, is sure to stretch the limits of its audience, particularly for how loud and how long they can laugh.

Customer Reviews:

Always over the top.......2007-09-10

This movie gives you a hard-hitting, amazingly-real look into the minds of comics. Entertaining the public is a skill, but this movie makes it apparent that entertaining other comics is an art. Hilarious and side-splitting.

Humanity is truly disgusting! (but in a good way).......2007-08-05

I saw this film when it was in theatres, and up until that time, it was the only movie that's ever made me feel guilty for laughing. I mean, some of the jokes are so horrific, I felt so utterly disgusting for even allowing myself to laugh. There just isn't enough forgiveness in heaven for what I've heard. Literally, people were squirming in their seats at the hundreds of awkward moments. If there's any topic or sexual act considered taboo, prepare to have it raunchily discussed in agonizing details because well, that's the objective of the joke. I've heard some pretty nasty things in my time, and don't get shocked too often, but this is comedic naughtiness taken to serious extremes. If you can find it in you to watch this, there are, believe it or not, really good reasons to watch this film.
First, seeing movies nowadays, at least for me, is kind of a bore. The same ole' stock characters-love triangles-talking dogs-Jerry Bruckheimer go boom-saving the world-USA rules-type films are getting so hatefully boring. This movie is a welcome relief. After seeing it, I think you'll agree, it's exciting because it's premise is incredibly original.
Secondly, there's over 100 of todays' BEST comedians participating in this dirty improv marathon. What's great is that you get to see each comic take a spin on this underground joke, but still keep their comedic essence. Some of the best to watch out for are Sarah Silverman, Bob Saget, Gilbert Gottfried, and one of my favorites, Kevin Pollak.
Lastly, not only will certain visuals have you rolling, but it's very interesting to see comics use some of our most terrible recent tragedies and dare to include them in their jokes. I mean, have you ever thought 9/11 could be funny? Superficially, it's mostly for pure shock value, it's supposed to be, but there are certain points in the film where it's also therapeutic.
This film is amazing to not only track down over 100 comics and expertly pick the choiciest parts of their rendition of this heinous joke, but just the editing alone must've been a monumental feat. It could've been a comic itself, it had impeccable timing.
My mind is beyond repair, but it was worth it.

What's the beef, y'all?.......2007-05-03

See it if you haven't already, ideally with a group of people. I don't know what's buggin' all these one star review people, but I saw it in a packed movie house and everybody laughed until it hurt the whole time. Is the joke itself all that funny? No. But hear this, friends-THE MOVIE WAS NOT ABOUT THE JOKE. Similar to a jazz performance, throughout history great and memorable solos and improvisations have been rendered from some fairly ordinary material. But oh, if you happened to be in the club that one night...

this was ok............2007-04-16

....but I think it would have been funnier had I been drunk and with a large group of people. I think it would be a great "social" experience. Although, hearing Bob Saget tell his version of the joke made me want to scrub my brain with bleach - it's Bob Saget!! He shouldn't say those things! And I wish they'd given Robin Williams more time to cut loose and ad lib the way he normally does.

Its not a funny movie but I saw a reason for the movie.......2007-04-13

After reading a few of the reviews submitted here, I agreed with some reviewers who said: No the movie wasnt funny. It wasnt, I almost never laughed.
But I also agreed with the reviewers who felt it was more then just about the joke The Joke gave the comic Freedom This joke had a beginning and a punchline and the freedom came from how you filled in the middle.
I can see why the dirtier the better cause in some eyes Its the opposite from the punchline.
If I could show you one scene it would be of Gilbert Gottfried telling the joke live on stage at a Banquet. If I understand things he was bombing The joke wasnt any funnier then the 30 other times it was told in the movie, But what made it work to me was that so many others on stage knew what was coming and they were squirming.
That moment was very good and worth the movie
If you dont have a Liberal sense of humor (I thought I did) You wont think this is funny
But if you want to Listen to some Comics Talk about the love they feel for this Joke. You get the real impression this Joke was part of their Comic Puberty I guess

Tideland: Jeremy Thomas Presents A Film By Terry Gilliam

Average customer rating:

Jeliza-Rose In Wonderland
Alice in Wonderland for the criminally insane
An underrated gem!
The Tide is High
A challenging, phantasmagorical clash between child id and Gilliam ego

Tideland: Jeremy Thomas Presents A Film By Terry Gilliam
Director: Terry Gilliam
Manufacturer: Velocity / Thinkfilm
ProductGroup: DVD
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ASIN: B000KB4898
Release Date: 2007-02-27

Description

A young girl (Jodelle Ferland) lives in a terrifying and gruesome world. When her father (Jeff Bridges) takes her away to a rural farmhouse, she finds herself in a bizarre fantasy world where only her dolls' heads keep her company. When she meets a mentally damaged man and a tall ghost-like woman, the line between her imagination and reality quickly disappears. Tideland is a spine-chilling tale from the visionary mind of acclaimed director Terry Gilliam.

Customer Reviews:

Jeliza-Rose In Wonderland.......2007-08-27

Terry Gilliam pretty much sums up what I would say about this gem of a movie in his introduction on the DVD. "If it's shocking, it's because it's innocent." {You'll know what I mean when you see it}. And it is true, you will either love it or you will hate it. It's easy to tell why for both reasons. He directs a very interesting and creative interpretation of Alice in Wonderland. I personally liked it a lot, and it's very interesting to see a modern, twisted version of Wonderland as a child's odd imagination: Throughout Tideland, Jeliza-Rose is kept company by her doll's heads on her fingers while roaming the prarie looking for imaginative adventure. She gets more than she bargained for after meeting some strange people with even stranger intentions. Not only that, but reality becomes ancient history with the stuff she experiences because of her "over-spontaneous" imagination and a few squirrels...

I also thoroughly enjoyed the interview with Terry Gilliam on the second special features DVD. He talked about the tough times in making the film, and he talks about the easy ones, and he also speaks about working with the actors. It can be funny that even he forgot certain aspects about the details of the film, such as the names of Jeliza-Rose's doll heads.

If you keep an open mind about Tideland, you're bound to enjoy it as much as I did with some quite amazing performances. I recommend it for anyone who wants to go on a fun kind of journey into the unpredictably strange.

Alice in Wonderland for the criminally insane.......2007-08-21

As was stated by the director, you'll love it or hate it. I thoroughly enjoyed it. It was darkly funny, sad, and morbidly fascinating. The acting was outlandish, and it fit the surreal quality of the film. If you lack imagination, don't bother. Watch it with an open mind, and you may really enjoy this gem of a film.

An underrated gem!.......2007-08-10

As stated on Terry Gilliam's introduction to the DVD, there will be those who will love this film, and there will be those who will hate this film. Then, there will be those who are left in the middle. Admittedly, the first time that I saw this film, I was in the latter group. That's probably because I was watching it with a group of friends who were totally not into it at the time, and that may have ruined the vibe. Later on, when I was reflecting over what I had seen, I realized that it was an experience that I wanted to have again - only this time, I would have it alone, in the privacy of my own room, no interruptions. Let's just say, I was captivated.

This is one of the most bizzare, disturbing, and powerful films that I've ever seen. Terry Gilliam is right. TRY to see this film through the eyes of a ten year old. Give over to the imaginitive quality of the film. You will find that if you do this, it's like being transported into an entirely different world. A world you would never want to encounter in real life, but that's really beside the point. What we have here, adventurous cinephiles of the world, is a masterpiece. A masterpiece that was misunderstood and overlooked by almost everyone. Mainstream audiences aren't going to "get it". It's not for the mainstream, really. It's an adult - and I stress ADULT - fantasy into a nightmarish world. It reminded me of "Pan's Labyrinth". Both strong films, but strong in entirely different ways. Terry Gilliam is a visionary, right up there with David Lynch. I have a feeling that later on down the road, "Tideland" will be considered a classic.

It already is, in my opinion! Highly recommended! For adults only.

The Tide is High.......2007-08-04

My how fashions change! This film came out the same time as Guillermo de Toro's frighteningly overpraised "Pan's Labyrinth". The films share very simillar themes- especially the power of childish magical thinking in the face of appalling adult realities. The trendy del Toro can do no wrong right now. In a land where fashionable consumption defines one's self worth- fashionable film makers like del Toro thrive (for the time being), while been-around-the-block directors like Terry Gilliam languish.

Terry is no longer fashionable. Maybe it was "The Brothers Grimm" that did it- who knows?

Why did people think "Pan's" was manna from heaven and "Tideland" should be burned? Maybe they were made uncomfortable by the later film's more adult themes- especially the sexual ones which are admitedly somewhat shocking- although presented as tastefully as possible. Maybe because this is a frightening and truly American nightmare world- one that more people here could identify with- a world ravaged by drugs, poverty, abuse and ingrown fundamentalism. It's easier to stand in judgement of the Spanish civil war than it is the modern American heartland.

"Pan's" ultimately left the viewer with a new-agey feel-good ending and "Tideland" doesn't pander. Gilliam's is a Godless world.

While I wouldn't exactly call "Tideland" entertaining, I could not take my eyes off of it. While some of it's images and situations were undeniably bizarre and disturbing, I would wince but kept watching. This film, unlike most these days, is completely original, with a truly unpredictable plot. While it is certainly outrageous and artsy, it is also completely accessible. We know exactly what is happening to our child heroine at all times and what she is thinking, no matter where her little mind takes her or which of her disembodied doll heads is speaking.

This movie has "cult" written all over it. It's long and slow and truly weird- it will never be a party cult film like "Rocky Horror" or "Showgirls". File this one next to "Eraserhead".

In the meanwhile, wait a few decades for the rest of the world to catch up. By then del Toro will be on the "out" list and the critics will have "rediscovered" this truly one-of-a-kind creation.

A challenging, phantasmagorical clash between child id and Gilliam ego.......2007-08-02

You'll squirm, you'll laugh, you'll be (at times) captivated by the creativity. You may even wince. And you may swoon.

Co-screenwriter and director Terry Gilliam has long been fixated on the phantasmagoria of life, the clash of those titanic forces, Id and Ego. And "Tideland" is thusly tempest tossed.

Gilliam, with his signature visual sense and non-sense, goes to the jugular of the dichotomy between the brave light we would like ourselves to be, masters of our surroundings and fate, the love and innocence and comfort we wish to hold dear, the desire to be cared for... and the dark dangers and disasters and ghosts and creeping, tragic doubts and failings and frailties in ourselves that can scare us half to death and bring us down and even drive us crazy.

Not all children have rich fantasy lives. Not all children are tested early on by such things as the death of a parent, of abandonment, of surreal confusion, of utter isolation and imagination gone wild. And grown-ups tend to turn away from those fantastical riches of childhood. (Some of those adults have expressed their distaste and distress in other reviews of "Tideland".) Gilliam is drawn to characters who DO sink and swim in the deep recesses of the raucous, raging, sensual Id.

"Tideland" is challenging and, in a few scenes, disturbing. And it is, in many scenes, lovely and lyrical to see. AND it is a test of each viewer. Those who enjoy "Tideland" most, I am sure, are liberal, in the overarching sense of the word, glad to see others try, no matter how much they might disagree -- and able to walk a ways in another man's shoes -- as Atticus said to Scout in "To Kill a Mockingbird," just one literary and artistic reference which comes to mind while watching this film. And "Alice in Wonderland" doesn't just appear in the film by chance; this is Gilliam's Alice, who was, we should recall, not only a literary character but also a real little girl, on whom the author Lewis Carroll had a rather taboo crush. Yes, here too, as has been said, taboos abound.

Artistic endeavors often relish tackling taboos, and Gilliam is an old swashbuckler in this vein. He seems to ask: what wonder would heaven be without the horror, the horror of our darkest trials. He doesn't just rattle the skeletons in our closets, he intends to show we ARE those skeletons.

Those viewers who do not shy away from recognizing the fears of youth and being compassionate toward those fears, those who can recall the interplay of fear and relief, of conquering ghosts, of going through hell and being resilient enough to find comfort, to accept love and to come out the other side finding their own sanity both in doubt and enriched, may come to appreciate "Tideland."

Average customer rating:

photography and life
Fantastic!!!!!!
worth every penny
Born into Brothels
Can you see how important home is?

Born into Brothels
Director: Zana Briski , and Ross Kauffman
Manufacturer: Velocity Home Entertainment
ProductGroup: DVD
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ASIN: B000A2XCBC
Release Date: 2005-09-20

Amazon.com

Set in Calcutta's notorious red-light district, Born Into Brothels explores the lives of its most vulnerable citizens. Directed by Zana Briski and Ross Kauffman, the picture's eight small subjects shot the still footage themselves. Briski first teaches them how to shoot and edit. The children then put her lessons into practice. They gain confidence as the film proceeds, yet there's always the threat that any of the girls, especially 14-year-old Suchitra, could be forced to "join the line" (work as a prostitute). For most, it's only a matter of time. The boys don't have it much better. Promising photographer Avijit's mother is gone and his father is a drug addict. "Without help," Briski notes, "they're doomed," so she takes matters a step further and tries to get them out of the brothels altogether. Produced for HBO, this heartbreaking, if inspiring film won the 2005 Academy Award for best documentary feature. --Kathleen C. Fennessy

Description

2004 ACADEMY AWARD WINNER FOR BEST DOCUMENTARY

BORN INTO BROTHELS is an inspiring look at the transformative journey of a group of extraordinary children in Calcutta's red light district. Voted Best Documentary by the National Board of Review and the Los Angeles Film Critics Association. BORN INTO BROTHELS, which was produced and directed by New York based filmmakers Zana Briski and Ross Kauffman, also garnered over 20 major film festival awards including the Audience Award at the Sundance Film Festival and the Best Documentary Award at the Seattle International Film Festival.

A tribute to the resiliency of childhood and the restorative power of art, BORN INTO BROTHELS is a portrait of several unforgettable children who live in the red light district of Calcutta where their mothers work as prostitutes. Zana Briski, a New York based photographer, gives each of these youngsters a camera and teaches them how to take pictures, simultaneously causing them to look at their world with new eyes. Together with Ross Kauffman, Briski captures the magical way in which beauty can be found in the most unlikely of places and how a bright and promising future becomes a possibility for children who previously had no future at all.

Touching and heartfelt, yet devoid of sentimentality, BORN INTO BROTHELS defies the tear-stained tourist snapshot of the global underbelly. Briski spent years with these children and became a part of their lives. Their photographs are prisms into their souls, rather than anthropological curiosities, and a true testimony to the power of the indelible creative spirit.

Customer Reviews:

photography and life.......2007-09-08

An amazing twist in a photgraphic project proves to be a teaching to all os us about what photography can be and how photography can change lifes. We all know what photography is but few of us know what it can show through the eyes of humans, and in this case children, that had never taken one. It's incrdible to see the quality that shooting with no preconceved notions of what is composition and formally correct.
This documentary even turns into a social project and has acheived success for what i've known.
Trully inspiring, trully appealing, trully touching, trully real and trully about life and photography

Fantastic!!!!!!.......2007-08-13

This is what I'd call a must see movie! Brilliantly shot in the brothels of India, this movie is a testament to the purity and courage of the world's most precious commodity; children. It's hard to believe that some people are still born into servitude, but they are and it's a shame. Get inspired and watch Born Into Brothels, it's a great movie.

worth every penny.......2007-07-21

A heart warming tale of selfless giving, Zana is a true inspiration that all you need is love to make the world a better place.

These kids were destined to meet her and vice versa. Through their journey, one can be thankful that they have a shot at a better life and also that we are not living in calcutta.

A worthy buy and with good moral values to teach the kids. Look out for the extras that showcase three years later since the film and see the kids progress.

Born into Brothels.......2007-07-18

Both sobering and uplifting, Briski and Ross Kauffmann's documentary takes us inside the harsh, closed world of prostitution in Calcutta. Most often the children's parents are foul-mouthed and abusive, and India's caste structure minimizes the chances for these virtual orphans to advance in society. But Briski's attempt is still noble. We're humbled by the innocent spirit emanating from these special kids, most of whom still naively hope for a better life. As we see these dreams fade with the parents reclaiming their futures, we still admire their intent, and mourn their reality.

Can you see how important home is?.......2007-07-05

If anything, this documentary is a display of human nature, a demonstration of children's textbook behaviors. As a teacher, I have found that despite life's hardships, children are resolute survivors and this film reinforced this belief. While many of us cannot even imagine the life of being raised in a brothel, we can easily imagine our own selves joining the quest in which Zana Briski embarks to improve the children's lives. We understand the importance of sending them to a good school and getting them out of their horrible surroundings so they can make something more of themselves. However, they're still children, and the importance of living a life with which they are familiar -- mom, sisters, brothers, friends, HOME -- is more important to them than anything else in the world. While I was shocked at hearing the "where are they now?" portion of the film, I was not in the least bit surprised. I wish I could show this film to parents whose children were taken by CYFD here in the U.S., so they could see just how important their roles as homemakers really are.

Average customer rating:

interesting
Great film, but you better know your wines
Propaganda: misleading cuts, smears, ad hominem attacks
How did they ever let those filmmakers in?
wine guy looks at mondovino

Mondovino
Starring: Albiera Antinori , Lodovico Antinori , Michael Broadbent , Battista Columbu , and Lina Columbu
Manufacturer: Velocity / Thinkfilm
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ASIN: B0009OL8E4
Release Date: 2005-07-12

Description

The ultimate film about wine and wine culture, Mondovino offers an unprecedented look into the conflicts, conspiracies and alliances of the wine trade. Filmed by award-winning director Jonathan Nossiter, Mondovino has sparked controversy in its theatrical run among wine producers, distributors and consumers as it shed light on the esoteric world of wine. Hailed as "Fahrenheit 9/11 for the grape" by MSNBC.

An epic exploration into the modern world of wine, Mondovino was filmed across three continents, in five languages, over a three-year period. With an insider's access and an artist's eye, Nossiter weaves together multiple family and multi-generational sagas, all stemming from the production, distribution and consumption of one of the oldest, most respected and still-affordable luxuries. Juxtaposing artesian wine growers with multi-national conglomerates, and peasants with billionaires, the film gives voice to those who create, critique and are involved in the commerce of wine, offering up a surprisingly prismatic, varied and sometimes controversial glimpse into something everyone enjoys but few people know much about.

Customer Reviews:

interesting.......2007-05-28

I've noticed that the reviews seem to be good or bad, depending on if the reviewer agrees or disagrees with the filmmaker's perspective. I'm fairly new to the wine hobby, so the subject matter was also pretty new to me. It was certainly interesting to see perspectives from a variety of people in the industry. It is also interesting to see the behind-the-scenes politics of wine. The filmmaker has an opinion, but I don't think it was overly stressed as all subjects spoke for themselves; i.e., he edited the film, but didn't put words into anyone's mouth.
As some have mentioned, the camera work is terrible, but the film is much more about what's being said than about what's being filmed. Happily, the subtitles are stationary, so the shoddy filming didn't bother me much. I'd recommend it for someone who, like myself, has a passion (or developing passion) for wine. For someone not particularly interested in wine, it's probably not worth watching.

Great film, but you better know your wines.......2007-03-20

For people who truly love life and love wine, this film is a masterpiece. However, I would only suggest it to people who have some knowledge about wine and the wine trade. Personally, I've worked in the industry for a few years now, so I was already familiar with the big names in the movie (Mondavi, Parker, Broadbent, Rolland, etc.) If I knew absolutely nothing about wine, I probably would have been bored to tears for much of the two and a half hours. Which is a shame, because there are some incredibly interesting ideas and people scattered throughout this film. Even the villains of the movie (whom they are depends on your perspective) have intriguing personalities.

The crux of the movie is this: you have an ongoing battle in the wine industry between climate wines and terrior wines; industrial wines and agricultural wines; huge corporations and small producers. The fact of the matter is that more and more people, like Rolland and Mondavi, view wine simply as a tradable commodity that they can make a profit off of. They find out what will get high scores from people like Parker and publications like Wine Spectator, and they then tailor their wines in such a way that they will get a high score. The high score will lead the sheep to their wine, and profits are made by all. Everybody wins! Well, everyone except the consumers who end up with bland, innocuous tasting wines that easily could have been made anywhere by anyone. But hey, who cares about them, as long as they keep giving us their money.

Others, such as Broadbent and the filmmakers, see wine as something greater than that. They, like myself, believe that wine should not become just another branded product, like everything else has these days. It shouldn't be about what score a wine got, but what it actually tastes like (what a novel concept.) It makes me think of a particular wine we carried in the store that I work at. For months it just sat on the shelf, collecting dust. Nobody even bothered to ask about it, let alone buy it. Then Wine Spectator gave it a 93 or something. Within a week, we had sold all of those dusty bottles. Just lead the sheep to the wine, and profits will be made.

This movie shows a small slice of the battle that is being fought everyday, both here and abroad. It is not simply about wine; it is about life and what makes it truly worth living. Is it about experiences and expanding your consciousness? Or is it about your net worth and expanding your business portfolio? Contrary to what some of these reviewers say, this movie does not decry everything that is big. It decries everything that is false. Globalized Western Capitalism has changed the game. It no longer matters if you have a quality product; what you need is a fancy logo, a catchy name, an unlimited marketing budget, some industry connections, and an ocean of naive consumers ready to believe anything that you tell them. I suppose it was only a matter of time before this type of brand oriented thinking poisoned the wine industry.

Propaganda: misleading cuts, smears, ad hominem attacks.......2007-03-11

This is the ultimate hatchet job, infused with politics and anti-globalization rants, and oversimplifying complex issues. The camera work often looks like it was done by a 12-year-old. But substantively, the level of professionalism is far worse. The film seems deliberately cut to make melodramatic points and take peoples' words out of context. Anyone little becomes a hero, including folks like H. De Montille, who said he was "content" after 9-11. Then we get what can only be considered smear tactics-- things like the digression to examine the Frescobaldi fascist past. Evidently, this proves their winemaking must be bad. Your mind should turn off now. Similar investigation into de Montille's past? Uh, no. Parker gets to talk a lot about farting dogs, but he can't respond to Broadbent's unintentionally hilarious rant. If you're big, you're bad. Period. This incredibly stupid, simplistic and ultra-leftist view of wine is one of the great hatchet jobs of all time, not to mention overlong, incompetently produced and utterly tedious. A film that makes a crank like de Montille into a hero and Robert Mondavi, who risked every nickel his family had to transform California, into a corporate villain, loses its footing with its initial, childish premise. This film is on a 4th grade level--except that is insulting to 4th graders.

How did they ever let those filmmakers in?.......2007-02-11

What a heavenly film about the wine world. Documentarions travelled to France, Italy and California interviewing some of the greatest winemakers and, in other cases, some of the most powerful wine merchants in the world, including the consultants andRobert Parker,s still the most important wine critic. If you think the wine world is absent the kind of treachery or price manipulation that you associate with Exxon, you are much mistaken. This film is beautiful and fascinating to watch. Extraordinary people like Piero Antinori are everything you imagined but to see him and hear him is to gain a sense of Italy, of Tuscany, of a world far removed from ours-- just marvelous.

wine guy looks at mondovino.......2007-01-12

Stupid, pointless and useless. Hand held camera about made me seasick. Learned nothing except that Parker had lost a lot of weight, apparently.

Average customer rating:

seriously disappointing
intense
very entertaining, interesting, and inspiring
Pressing On.
Tremendous movie, no captioning though????

Murderball
Starring: Scott Hogsett , Christopher Igoe , Kevin Orr (II) , Joe Bishop (III) , and Dave Willsie
Director: Henry Alex Rubin , and Dana Adam Shapiro
Manufacturer: Velocity / Thinkfilm
ProductGroup: DVD
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ASIN: B000B5XP24
Release Date: 2005-11-29

Amazon.com

More than merely a sports documentary or an inspirational profile of triumph over adversity, Murderball offers a refreshing and progressive attitude toward disability while telling unforgettable stories about uniquely admirable people. It's ostensibly a film about quadriplegic rugby (or "Murderball," as it was formerly known), in which players with at least some loss of physical function in all four limbs navigate modified wheelchairs in a hardcore, full-contact sport that takes them all the way to the Paralympic Games in Athens, Greece, in 2004. But as we get to know paralyzed or amputee players on Team USA like Andy Cohn, Scott Hogsett, Bob Lujano and charismatic team spokesman Mark Zupan, we come to understand that quad rugby is a saving grace for these determined competitors, who battle Team Canada coach (and former Team USA superstar) Joe Soares en route to the climactic contest in Athens. Simply put, Murderball is the best film to date about living with a severe disability, but codirectors Henry Alex Rubin and Dana Adam Shapiro avoid the sappy, inspirational sentiment that hampers nearly all mainstream films involving disability. By the time this blazing 85-minute film reaches its emotional conclusion, the issue of disability is almost irrelevant; these guys are as normal as anyone, and their life stories led to Murderball becoming the most critically acclaimed documentary of 2005. --Jeff Shannon

Customer Reviews:

seriously disappointing.......2007-08-16

This documentary could serve as proof that paraplegia in no way interfers with men's ability to be overtly prejudice, sexist, or jingoistic.

intense.......2007-06-02

Quad rugby is an intense sport full of interesting characters. This film chronicles the US quad rugby team through the 2004 Athens Olympics. Provides excellent profiles of the athletes as well as the rival coach of the Canadian squad.

I had never heard of wheelchair rugby before this film. To call the sport intense is an understatement. This doc is full of action...great film.

very entertaining, interesting, and inspiring.......2007-04-13

This well-made documentary follows the US quad rugby team and their rivalry with Canada. I loved it. I mean, these guys all face physical limitations, yet overcome them and find meaning in competitive sports. You really see their personalities and get a glimpse of what it's like to live with such limitations. The movie is at times funny, exciting, sad, and inspiring.

Pressing On........2007-03-26

Rugby is a violent, yet fascinating sport that makes American football look like a bunch of teenagers playing with a nurf ball. Many Americans take pride in the game of American football and consider it the most manly of sports. For those that do, they've never seen or played in a rugby game. Rugby is kind of like American football, except without the pads. The game has been popular internationally for years (especially in countries that once were ruled by the British crown) and is slowly gaining in popularity in the U.S.

MURDERBALL is a documentary about a bunch of Americans who play rugby at the highest level. That in itself makes for a fascinating documentary. But the best part is that the players featured in MURDERBALL aren't ordinary players: each one of the players is a quadriplegic who plays in their wheelchair. I've seen some games of rugby and played in a couple of pick-up games, but those games are tame compared the games shown in MURDERBALL. These guys play a vicious and hardcore game.

The film follows some of the most prominent members of the U.S. Team over a two-year period, from 2002-2004 between international competitions. The film examines some of the players' routines, their family lives, and what they do besides playing "murderball". They talk openly about their injuries, their sex lives, and how they started playing the game.

The film tries to follow several different players, but it focuses on two particular individuals who are the defining personalities of the story. On the one hand there is Mark Zupan. Zupan is one of the bigger stars of the American team. Zupan is cocky, brazen, rough, and defiant. In many ways he is the stereotype of the typical American jock. Contrasted with Zupan is Joe Soares. Soares is a legend in the sport. He is bull-headed and has a nasty temper, but he is a master of the game as well as being a devoted father and husband. Early in the film Soares is hoping to be hired to coach the American team, but when he is passed over for someone else, he accepts an offer from Team Canada to be the coach of their team. Many of the American players, including Zupan, consider Soares departure a betrayal and view him as a traitor to his country. But things aren't that simple, Soares is a man who loves the sport and is willing to do anything to stay involved; it is his passion.

There are three games of murderball that the film shows which happen in the three acts of the film's framework. The first game happens at the beginning of the film, the second near the middle, and the final game (between Team USA and Team Canada) happens towards the end. The games themselves are fascinating to watch, but they are the more compelling because of knowing who some of the players are and part of the drama and story of their lives.

I found MURDERBALL to be a fascinating film about a fascinating story and I highly recommend it.

MURDERBALL was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Feature Documentary in 2006.