Description

Inspirational and entertaining, PREFONTAINE is another acclaimed success from the makers of HOOP DREAMS. It's the true-life story of legendary track star Steve Prefontaine, the exciting and sometimes controversial "James Dean of Track," whose spirit captured the heart of the nation! Cocky, charismatic, and tough, "Pre" was a running rebel who defied rules, pushed limits ... and smashed records ... in an incredible against-all-odds quest for Olympic gold! Now a major motion picture, the triumphs and heartbreaks of this unforgettable champion will have you riveted from beginning to end! ... Read more

Reviews (58)

Great movie, better of the 2 Prefontaine movies
I've seen this movie several times. The first time it was just my wife and I. Even though she's not a runner, the movie helped her to better understand where I'm coming from. A few days later we watched it with a few members of the high school cross country and track teams. I'm a volunteer coach at the high school and they really enjoyed the movie. The team members have read the book about Pre, as well as seen both movies, and the head coach at the high school also shows them the documentary that aired on CBS in 1995 a few nights before the state cross country championships. This has become a tradition as our team has qualified for the state meet quite a few times. But, back to the movie the team members agree that Prefontaine was better than Without Limits. I think most runners would agree with us. The movie is about more than just running it's about life, determination. Setting a goal and going for it, running to win, even if it means you lose. Then getting back up, to run another day. Knowing that you'll always leave your race on the track (where it belongs). Not, stepping off and thinking "what if". And that's the way life should be LIVED. I noticed alot of reviews were into what was accurate and what wasn't, but we all know that in the world of Hollywood, accuracy doesn't always sell. I was only a freshman in high school when Pre died. And just finishing my first full year of running when we heard the news. This movie helped answer alot of questions I had back in 1975. I will definitly be adding it to my video library.

Inspiring story of unmatched desire
As a person who is too young to have actually had the pleasure of watching Steve Prefontaine run, I am so glad that this movie gave me a chance to learn about his life. Anyone who watches this movie will be taken back by Pre's sheer will power and supreme confidence in himself. While there are some inaccuracies, they only occur because there has never been a biographical account of any person on film that was 100% accurate. As a runner, I was inspired by this movie and try to maintain Pre's attitude while I run. I have also watched this movie with people who do not run, but have enjoyed the movie as much as I did. We should all strive to live our lives with the same spirit and drive as Pre did. I have also seen "Without Limits," and enjoyed that movie, but not as much as "Prefontaine." However, both movies have a similar effect on the viewer's emotions because of the great subject, Steve Prefontaine.

if you dont have it, get it
This movie is amazing, I have to watch it before all of my big track and cross country meets. It is very inprational and one of the best movies I have ever seen. If you are a runner this movie inspires you to be even better that you could possibly imagine. If you don't have it, get it. It is worth it.

Better than "Without Limits"-A Must See for Runners
Another movie that is a must see for runners of all ability. I would definitely say that I rate "Prefontaine" above "Without Limits." From the makers of "Hoop Dreams," Prefontaine follows in the same footsteps and creates a docudrama that is unforgettable and very watchable-even to those not interested in the sport. The main cast, Jared Leto and R. Lee Ermey as the unforgettable Bill Bowerman, are really quite good for a film of this budget. "Prefontaine" follows Pre's story more closely than "Without Limits" and definitely offers more for runners to sink their teeth into.

Admittedly, the film's appeal is probably limited to those who are truly interested or inspired by the sport of running (or know someone who is). But athletes of all sports will enjoy Pre's story of defiance and heart. If you watch one of the two films, I'd see this one.

Overfocus on Pre
I liked the movie. It carries the plot loyally and consistently. It shows the athletic talent, as well as the human side of a young man obsessed with competing to the limit, playing fast, and winning gold in Munich.

However, I was not particularly fond of the overfocus on Pre as if he was the greatest of his time - a far cry from the truth. I did not care for the image defamation of Lasse Viren, who is depicted like the bad boy of Munich only because he is an introverted and quiet Finn and - let's face it - a better athlete than Prefontaine.

I guess the storyline tries to hypnotize the audience with Pre's feats in the US (that frankly were more of a show than an international athletic milestone), and in so doing, fails to remind it that there were legendary long-distance runners at that time from Tunisia to Finland. After all, Prefontaine never ranked in the top 10 list of 5000 or 10000 meter runners between 1970 and 1974! As digressing a question as this may sound for a film review, how come he did not compete in Munich's 10000 meter race (like Puttemans, Bedford, Gammoudi and Viren did)? His times were great... in the USA, but with the exception of Frank Shorter, American long distance runners have not made much of a name for themselves since 1970.

You want to make a long-distance runner movie? Make one about Lasse Viren winning the gold medal in the 10000 meters at Munich in world record time after falling down in the middle of the race! ... Read more

Description

When his partner is killed, Jack Reed (Brian Dennehy) is framed for the murder. To avenge his partner’s death and protect his innocence, he must capture the drugged-out killer and unveil the corrupt politicos who hired him.Starring: Brian Dennehy, Susan Ruttan, and Charles Dutton. ... Read more

Description

In this sequel willy has rejoined his whale family, or pod, and is living in the pacific northwest seas. Jesse and Willy meet again when an oceanic disaster separates willy, his brother and sister from the rest of their pod. ... Read more

Reviews (13)

Good subject, lousy implementation, worse than the 1st.
I have to ask some of the people who RAVED about this movie if they actually were awake during the whole thing...

The computer generated graphics can not compare to real whales, sorry. I'm a big fan of computer generated images, but not this time.

The story is stretched to levels of disbelief that I didn't believe imaginable.

It's not horrible, but it's not as good as the first movie.

Kids will love it more than adults, that's for sure.

The subject matter is great. I love a good eco/bio movie any day but it could have been done better.

The little bit of budding romance was actually done reasonably well.

Net: I own it, only cuz the wife bought it. I wouldn't have. I've seen it twice, but other than that, it's tough to get through it without laughing. I know, I'm probably much too critical on this one, but hey, sometimes ya just gotta say "YO."

You might want to rent it before you think about buying it.

The Adventure Home Brings It Home!
Sure, everyone is going to make fun of Free Willy 2: The Adventure Home because everyone thinks Willy got home, right? No way! This movie is way rad, better than the original. Although it is a bit predictable (and silly), it has a strong plot, young love, that same 'save the whales' message, the cute Jason James Richter, and real suspense at the end. We learn that an older, girl-crazy Jesse (Richter) has a little brother (Elvis) that must come stay with the Greenwoods (Annie and Glen, Jesse's foster family) after Jesse's biological mom dies. You'll probably remember that in Free Willy Jesse was looking for his mom. Anyway, they all go camping and visit Randolph (the Native American guy that worked at the Whale Park and helped to free Willy). Jesse sees Willy for the first time in years (calling him with the harmonica tune from the original) and meets Nadiene, Randolph's God-daughter. She shares a love of orcas, and all is well until there is a terrible oil spill threatening Willy and his family. But thats not all! Feeling neglected, Elvis runs away but overhears the oil company owner's plans for Willy and his family-to catch and sell them. Then, while Jesse, Elvis and Nadiene are helping the whales to safety, the oil spill catches fire and they are nearly killed.

The acting is a little, well, over-the-top, but it's a great movie. It features another Michael Jackson song and Jesse with his harmonica and guitar. You will dig it, no matter what age. It's my favorite movie and I'm 16! (also check out Free Willy 3: The Rescue)

Better than the original
this is better than the original even though the original is awesome, this one is just has better

Better than the original
I love this one, better than the original.Better story and Better plot.

Good Movie, the first one was sooo much better
its a follow-up. its definatly worth watching. i think the third movie was a bit much but it was nice to see what was happening to jesse. the first one was alot better. it was about the connection between an orphaned boy and whale and how they freed eachother. it was an amazing movie if you exclude the michael jackson video at the beginning but i usually just fast forward through that, no harm done. the second one is a good investment though if you loved the first one. ... Read more

Reviews (5)

Without Merit
Okay, I admit it: I have a weakness for Angelina Jolie. I would watch her paint woodwork, do crosswords, order pizza, etc. But this film, whatever it may have started out to be, should never have escaped the studio. Angelina Jolie plays a screaming drug addict, during all of the 4 minutes that she's in the movie. At one point, being driven in a car against her will, she screams that she wants out, and bangs the window of the passenger side for effect. Trust me: this scene was not in the script. She was screaming to get out of this picture.

Hey be nice
Hey my aunt Liz Godlove kills the bad guy in this movie and she is my aunt so be nice cause she is nice cause she is.

I love Angelina... but not this movie
I am a huge fan of Angelina and try to see all of her movies, hence my viewing of this particular video. However, I have to say this movie was awful! It moved so extremely slow and to me, seemed very hard to follow at times. Except for Angelina, the acting was poor and this is obviously low budget. If you are considering seeing this, I would recommend it only if you are a big Angelina fan, b/c despite her appearance on the cover she plays a quite minute part, appearring in only a few scenes. Although I gave the movie 1 star, I'd give Angelina's performance 4 stars- truly great work esp. considering it's one of her 1st!!!

A must for Angelina fans
Ok, I'm being generous with my rating, but only because I loved Angelina's performance in this movie. It is a very low budget, low quality film, but she in mesmerizing. I only recommend that major fans of Angelina like me get this, though, or else you'll be dissapointed. Overall the movie isn't very good, but Angelina's performance is definently worth watching. I'm glad I bought this tape!!!

Another Early Angelina Jolie Film - For Fans Only
Um, I so wish my mother never said "if you can't say something good, don't say anything at all".....that would totally negate the reviewing process, would it not?

If you've read some of my other reviews, you know I am a big fan of Angelina Jolie. I'm working on a complete collection of her films and therefore, I bought this one.

I don't exactly regret buying it - I mean, I really want to own all her films, the only problem is, this movie is terrible. I will likely never watch it again. Or if I do, it will be in twenty years or so and only for a laugh as Angelina accepts her third Academy Award....from such humble beginnings....I hope the best for her.

Back to the film - there are many problems. The main problem being, it's very boring. The next problem, which actually leads to the first problem, is that the editing is pretty much non-existant. There are useless scenes peppered throughout. And any scenes that might be useful, they run long and have extraneous minutes. There is literally no character development or growth. I doubt very much that there was anything on the editing room floor.

From poor scripts are poor movies made.

The film is based on a true story, a murder, but it is horribly told with the police being portrayed as complete idiots.

And now to the reason I made this purchase - Angelina Jolie. Unfortunately, Angelina Jolie isn't in a whole lot of this movie, which is not a surprise. She has a minor part as a girlfriend of a suspect in the murder. Her first appearance is about half way into the film - but believe me, it feels like longer. She plays it tough, but you can see that she's not exactly cut her acting chops yet.

The entire film sort of comes off as an acting school project. There's a whole bunch of emoting and HUGE sections of the story that just don't make sense. And that's not because it's a murder mystery, it's because of poor storytelling.

In most circumstances, stories based on real events have a certain interesting quality, but not this film.

If you want real-life drama, starring Angelina Jolie, pick up a copy of "Gia" - you will be stunned by her performance. She is outstanding in that breakthrough role.

The premise of this DVD is that this is a true story and if you can help solve the mystery, there's even a big reward in it for the the viewer if you come up with evidence, etc. Do you think with a catch like that, this movie is worth watching? I hope you answered no.

This one is for the Angelina Jolie Completist ONLY.

Best Regards, turtlex ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Beyond Obsession - Not for the moral
This film is listed as NR (NOT RATED) but should be given an R. There's 1 nude scene & 2 explicit sexual scenes. The gist of the story is: Tom Berenger is the handsome American engineer chasing after the blonde Nina who has an obsession with her father/step-father. We never really find out what Marcelo Mastrionni (sp?) is to her. And the Italian is so thick, you miss alot of what's being said. But when Matthew (Berenger) comes into Nina's life, she finally finds some peace & happiness. But it is short-lived. When her ex-diplomat father is released from prison in Marakesh, he finds her & their obsession with one another begins all over again leaving Matthew out of the picture. I actually threw this film in the garbage can after viewing it only once. ... Read more

Description

A young woman, by means of outer body experiences, embarks on a spiritual odyssey that enables her to escape the debilitating effects of multiple sclerosis and a suffocating marriage to a college prep school teacher.Interactive Menus, Scene Access, Production Credits, Filmographies, Trailer ... Read more

Reviews (11)

A Mesmerizing and Thoughtful Love Story
I stumbled upon this picture one afternoon and was instantly mesmerized by the subject of "astral travel" as presented in this movie. Who hasn't had the feeling after coming out of a deep dream state that we have "traveled" in our dreams? I couldn't believe the way the movie portrayed the other-worldly feeling of being out of one's body and circling the universe through the narration and acting of Joanna Going. She is magnetic, provacative, and credible not to mention very beautiful. This movie really hit on something that few dare to talk about but "feel" every night in their dreams-ASTRAL TRAVEL.
I highly recommend this movie and the other actors provide a wonderful pallet for this eerily real and lovely film. Check out Joanna Going in "Still Breathing" with Brendan Fraser-mesmerizing!

Save you money for something better
Quite possibly the worst movie I have ever seen. I would have walked out on it only I was in my living room. I hoped it would somehow redeem itself so I watched until the bitter end, and believe me, the end weas not bitter but a blessing.

It's one worth looking up
I enjoyed this story about a woman with MS who uses her unique and rather puzzling gift for astral projection to escape her illness and her limited life as a 1950s housewife (or 1960s - I didn't catch the exact setting). Her husband really got on my nerves with his martyr attitude toward his ailing wife; he was so smug about how well he was taking the change in her while pushing her hard not to give in to her symptoms. Meanwhile, she keeps wanting to teach and her husband insists that she has plenty to do in the home. No wonder that with frustrations like that, she literally chooses to escape the world. Finally, at the end of the film, the information gets through to her husband that he can't keep forcing his wishes on her. The ending is truly moving and made me cry.

I find the astral projection angle puzzling, though. Little was actually explained about it - little was shown. There was no mention of how long she'd been doing it or why she could do it when others couldn't. When did she start it? It was like some scenes were missing. I suppose the angle works if you take astral projection as a metaphor for something she needed and used for escape. It's just such a darn unusual activity that the lack of background information puzzled me. Also, a student living at her house kept mocking her behind her back by saying "Psycho-somatic" whenever she acted a little bit odd. Were we supposed to think that maybe she was imagining everything? I feel much could've been made clearer. Still, I recommend the movie. It's okay to be asked to use your brain and interpret for yourself.

RIP
Responsibility, Initiative, Progress. This movie is now one of my top 5. I can see how it could be recommended for any of several reasons already mentioned by others; for me, as an educator, the "sub-plot" of learning was especially strong and moving.

Addiction to astral projection
Eden is the story of a woman, Helen, who learns how to make out of body trips and then becomes addicted to it. As with any serious addiction, it takes over her life. I found it a horror to watch Helen sink deeper and deeper into her addiction, deteriorating in her mental balance and stressing her body by lack of restful sleep and care -- while no one suggests any sort of psychotherapy or even recognizes her addictive behavior. The total absence in the 1960's of any mention or consideration of any sort of mental health care is beyond belief.

If instead of astral projection, the vehicle for Helen's addiction were alcohol, drugs, gambling, sex, compulsive eating, or any of the other commonly recognized vehicles, the entire plot would be basically the same. But somehow the fact that the addictive vehicle is astral projection is supposed to turn this film into a life-affirming beautiful self-exploration -- completely oblivious to the true nature of her behavior.

Addiction is addiction, regardless of the means. The portrayal of how wonderful Helen feels when in the sway of her addiciton is somehow supposed to make this a beautiful movie. But all of the other vehicles of addicition make the addict feel just as wonderful at the time -- as the addiction takes control of their lives: that is precisely the nature of addiction, precisely what happens in this film. The addiction to astral projection is no different than any other form of addiction, no matter how beautiful the cinematography is.

A final note about astral travel and self-discovery, since these are the hooks for this movie for many potential viewers. If you really want to learn about self-discovery in other states of consciousness, then read Stanislav Grof's "The Adventure of Self-Discovery" or Michael Murphy's encyclopedic compendium "The Future of the Body." You'll feel a lot better about the quality of what you bought if you buy those instead of this movie. ... Read more