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| 1. Star Trek Deep Space Nine - The Complete Seasons 1-7 | |
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| 2. Sex and the City - The Complete Fifth Season Director: Martha Coolidge, Allen Coulter, John David Coles, Darren Star, Michael Spiller, Matthew Harrison, Dennis Erdman, Michael Fields, Timothy Van Patten, Wendey Stanzler, Victoria Hochberg, Michael Engler, Michael Patrick King, Nicole Holofcener, Alison Maclean, Daniel Algrant, Pam Thomas, Susan Seidelman, Alan Taylor, David Frankel | |
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Amazon.com Reviews (189)
We can be so hard on celebs. We love them yet we hate then and we are ultra critical of them. Lastly, I again want to remind you, dear reader, to consider the source and look up any info you can find on a reviewer and weigh that against whatever they write. Also take totally anonymous reviews with a big grain of salt. And again...I enjoyed the fourth season of Sex In The City even with it imperfections!
Many fans complained that Season 5 wasn't funny enough. Not enough men, not enough sex. Real single women know that Season 5 was the closest of all the seasons to what all of us experience in our daily lives - loneliness, good friends, occasional romantic connections, and a lot of "in between". Season 5 isn't "filler" or a poor season - its real life. Fans of the show who don't enjoy this season are, perhaps, happy to forget about their own lives while following those of Carrie, Charlotte, Miranda and Samantha. I prefer to think of the women of SATC as myself and my friends - and Season 5 proves that they are. ... Read more | |
| 3. Law and Order - The Third Year (1992-1993 Season) | |
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Reviews (5)
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| 4. Entourage - The Complete First Season Director: Daniel Attias, Adam Bernstein, David Frankel, Julian Farino | |
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Amazon.com Reviews (4)
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| 5. Baraka (Special Collector's Edition) Director: Ron Fricke | |
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Reviews (209)
The score to the movie complements the scenes and intensifies the emotions one feels watching the movie. Particularly haunting are the scenes of burning oil fields in Kuwait set to the music of Scottish bagpipes, Tibetan water music, and Japanese drumming. The movie explores love, faith, joy, war, death, rebirth and circle of life by showing scenes from around the world for each of these topics. Each time I have watched this movie I find myself discovering more of its hidden meanings. I think each viewer will come out with his own feelings and interpretations. But even if one isn't inclined to be philosophical, the music and cinematography alone is worth getting the DVD.
But Baraka is much more than just National Geographic for the visually inclined. Its purpose is to give us a view of the world good and bad. And as the second half of the film unwinds, the tone of Baraka becomes increasingly dark and pessimistic as we are exposed to some of the harsh realities of the world like homelessness, poverty, slave labour, hunger. Horrifying images of tree-chopping, sweatshops, subway-cramming in Tokyo and scenes in a chicken factory will make many cringe and think twice about eating chicken for a while. But sometimes even within these backdrops of despair can be found things that are beautiful such as the joy and happiness on children's faces despite growing up in poverty-stricken 2nd world countries. These kids grow up with practically no material possessions yet they seem so HAPPY, much happier than kids of first-world countries who grow up with any material object their heart desires. Baraka is certainly not the kind of film we are used to seeing. I struggled with it for the first 10 minutes or so but then immediately fell under its spell and forgot that I was watching a film with no dialogue. Sometimes it's nice to be able to flick off the brain, not worry about following a story and just let oneself be absorbed by what's on screen, and that's what this film does. The only minor squabbles I had were the absence of writing on the screen to let us know where in the world we are and that the film did peter out a little towards the end. Baraka is a film worth purchasing that will stand well to multiple viewings and might even make some think twice about where their real priorities ought to be.
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| 6. La Dolce Vita (2-Disc Collector's Edition) Director: Federico Fellini | |
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Reviews (27)
Though it began life as a sequel to "Il Bidone," "La Dolce Vita" ended up an autobiographical precursor to "8 1/2" by fictionalizing Fellini's earlier life as a journalist and newspaper caricaturist rather than his career as one of the great filmmakers of the 50s and 60s. As the celebrity journalist in crisis, Marcello is fantastic -- as graceful and intelligent and sexy a performance as the screen has ever seen -- and his romp with the unbelievably pneumatic Anita Ekberg in the Trevi fountain is one of the great iconic moments of world cinema. There's a haunted, despairing quality to Mastroianni's acting here that is so subtle and cumulative that by the end of the film his predicament of quiet despair overwhelms the viewer. Bottom line: no thinking person's film collection should be without this movie, which is as beautiful and moving as any piece of art ever created, in any medium. Fellini and his fantastic cast are all at their peak as artists, and few films have ever approached their achievement.
But the story line, although more important here than in later Fellini films, is really just a device to put actors on the screen, and nobody does this better. The cast is real reason to see this; Mastroianni in the role of his life, Anouk Aimee as a bored rich woman, and Anita Ekberg spilling out of her dress as an American actress are merely the most famous - every single performance, even by the most trivial of parts, is astounding and some of the best ever captured on film. My personal favorite is the clown trumpet player with the balloons at the Cha-Cha Club - in the middle of his performance he flashes one quick look at Mastroianni that speaks volumes. Unfortunately, the only version I have ever seen is in a standard screen ratio that is obviously badly panned - in a film this full of images there is almost more panning than actual camera movement going on, and still too much is happening off-screen. This movie needs badly to be letterboxed and given a new subtitle translation - but in the meantime, even if you have to settle for the poor VHS version, just enjoy what we have, from the awesome set pieces like the chasing of the Madonna and the final party, to the amazing Nino Rota score and the haunting organ melody of "Patricia".
P.S. To all sympathizers, Bergman's 'Persona' is FINALLY getting American release in February. Cross your fingers they don't back out at the last minute in favor of a straight-to-DVD sequel to 'Finding Nemo': 'Filet of Nemo: Almond Crusted with a Side of Rice Pilaf,' starring the voices of Keanu Reeves, Jennifer Aniston, and Dom Deluise.
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| 7. The Grapes of Wrath Director: John Ford | |
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Amazon.com essential video Reviews (45)
As good as the film is, it really should be a companion-piece to Steinbeck's original masterpiece, and if you haven't read it I recommend setting aside enough time to read one of the greatest pieces of American literature ever written. That being said, the medium of the cinema allows for a visual impact that can't be matched with the written word. The Grapes of Wrath follows the Joad family during the great depression. That period of economic hardship hit the farmers in Oklahoma a little harder than the rest of the world, at the time of the dust bowl the "Okies" were at the end of their ropes, financially speaking. Thousands of Okies packed up the house after being foreclosed and moved out to California - many winding up around Bakersfield, at the California end of old US Route 66. (Merle Haggard's family did so and the "Okie from Muscogee" wrote about it in songs like "California Cottonfields".) Anyway, this is the historical context of the movie. The theme of the movie, and of Steinbeck's book, is the ability of the human spirit to remain intact in these worst of times. The Joads suffer terrible humiliations, one after another, most of them because of their desperate financial status. But as the story proceeds we see that they are fundamentally decent, hard-working people, and every time life knocks them down they get back up, brush the dirt off themselves, and keep moving forward. As a national characteristic, this was an important trait because this was the generation that produced the hard-working, high-minded individuals who did important things like win World War II, followed by America's greatest financial flourishing and the Baby Boom. Tom Brokaw called them "America's Greatest Generation". The cast is picture-perfect, with Henry Fonda as the spirited Tom Joad and John Carradine as the former preacher with a new social consciousness. Jane Darwell won a well-deserved Best Supporting Actress Award as Ma Joad, and the remainder of the cast is in every way equal to the story and the film.
In 1936, John Steinbeck wrote a series of articles about the migrant workers driven to California from the Midwestern states after losing their homes in the throes of the depression: inclement weather, failed crops, land mortgaged to the hilt and finally taken over by banks and large corporations when credit lines ran dry. Lured by promises of work aplenty, the Midwesterners packed their belongings and trekked westward to the Golden State, only to find themselves facing hunger, inhumane conditions, contempt and exploitation instead. "Dignity is all gone, and spirit has turned to sullen anger before it dies," Steinbeck described the result in one of his 1936 articles, collectively published as "The Harvest Gypsies;" and in another piece ("Starvation Under the Orange Trees," 1938) he asked: "Must the hunger become anger and the anger fury before anything will be done?" By the time he wrote the latter article, Steinbeck had already published one novel addressing the agricultural laborers' struggle against corporate power ("In Dubious Battle," 1936). Shortly thereafter he began to work on "The Grapes of Wrath," which was published roughly a year later. Although the book would win the Pulitzer Prize (1940) and become a cornerstone foundation of Steinbeck's Literature Nobel Prize (1962), it was sharply criticized upon its release - nowhere more so than in the Midwest - and still counts among the 35 books most frequently banned from American school curricula: A raw, brutally direct, yet incredibly poetic masterpiece of fiction, it continues to touch nerves deeply rooted in modern society's fabric; including and particularly in California, where yesterday's Okies are today's undocumented Mexicans - Chicano labor leader Cesar Chavez especially pointed out how well he could empathize with the Joad family, because he and his fellow workers were now living the same life they once had. Having fought hard with his publisher to maintain the novel's uncompromising approach throughout, Steinbeck was weary to give the film rights to 20th Century Fox, headed by powerful mogul and, more importantly, known conservative Daryl F. Zanuck. Yet, Zanuck and director John Ford largely stayed true to the novel: There is that sense of desperation in farmer Muley's (John Qualen's) expression as he tells Tom and ex-preacher Casy (Henry Fonda and John Carradine) how the "cats" came and bulldozed down everybody's homes, on behalf of a corporate entity too intangible to truly hold accountable. There is Grandpa Joad (Charley Grapewin), literally clinging to his earth and dying of a stroke (or, more likely, a broken heart) when he is made to leave against his will. There is everybody's brief joy upon first seeing Bakersfield's rich plantations - everybody's except Ma Joad's (Jane Darwell's), that is, who alone knows that Grandma (Zeffie Tilbury) died in her arms before they even started to cross the Californian desert the previous night. There is the privately-run labor camps' utter desolation, complete with violent guards, exploitative wages, lack of food and unsanitary conditions; contrasted with the relative security and more humane conditions of the camps run by the State. And there is Tom's crucial development from a man acting alone to one seeing the benefit of joining efforts in a group, following Casy's example, and his parting promise to Ma that she'll find him everywhere she looks - wherever there is injustice, struggle, and people's joint success. In an overall outstanding cast, which also includes Dorris Bowdon (Rose of Sharon), Eddie Quillan (Rose's boyfriend Connie), Frank Darien (Uncle John) and a brief appearance by Ward Bond as a friendly policeman, Henry Fonda truly shines as Tom; despite his smashing good looks fully metamorphosized into Steinbeck's quick-tempered, lanky, reluctant hero. Yet, in all its starkness the movie has a more optimistic slant than the novel; due to a structural change which has the Joads moving from bad to acceptable living conditions (instead of vice versa), the toning down of Steinbeck's political references - most importantly, the elimination of a monologue using a land owner's description of "reds" as anybody "that wants thirty cents and hour when we're payin' twenty-five" to show that under the prevalent conditions that definition applies to virtually *every* migrant laborer - and a greater emphasis on Ma Joad's pragmatic, forward-looking way of dealing with their fate; culminating in her closing "we's the people" speech (whose direction, interestingly, Ford, who would have preferred to end the movie with the image of Tom walking up a hill alone in the distance, left to Zanuck himself). Jane Darwell won a much-deserved Academy-Award for her portrayal as Ma; besides John Ford's Best Director award the movie's only winner on Oscar night - none of its other five nominations scored, unfortunately including those in the Best Picture and Best Leading Actor categories, which went to Hitchcock's "Rebecca" and James Stewart ("The Philadelphia Story") instead. Still, despite its critical success - also expressed in a "Best Picture" National Board of Review award - and its marginally optimistic outlook, the movie engendered almost as much controversy as did Steinbeck's book. After the witch hunt setting in not even a decade later, today it stands as one of the last, greatest examples of a movie pulling no punches in the portrayal of society's ailments; a type of film regrettably rare in recent years. "Ev'rybody might be just one big soul - well it looks that-a way to me. ... Wherever men are fightin' for their rights, that's where I'm gonna be, ma. That's where I'm gonna be." - Woody Guthrie, "The Ballad of Tom Joad." "The highway is alive tonight, but nobody's kiddin' nobody about where it goes. I'm sittin' down here in the campfire light, with the ghost of old Tom Joad." - Bruce Springsteen, "The Ghost of Tom Joad."
By the way, there is NO widescreen version of "The Grapes of Wrath." This DVD release exhibits the full frame aspect ratio of the original (1.33 to 1 ratio). Essentially, films made between 1917 and 1952 were filmed with a full frame aspect ratio. Standard televisions were proportioned 4:3 to copy the standard cinema ratio. Widescreen (Cinemascope, etc) was a gimmick introduced by Hollywood in the 1950s to compete with television. So if a film was made between 1917 and 1952 don't go looking for a widescreen version of it because there isn't any! ... Read more | |
| 8. Black Adder - The Complete Collector's Set Director: Mandie Fletcher, Martin Shardlow | |
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Description Reviews (110)
Black Adder stars Rowan Atkinson, an absolute comic genius who is also the star of Mr. Bean. The screenplays were written by Richard Curtis (Mr. Bean, Not the nine o'clock news) and Ben Elton - possibly one of the funniest modern writers. In the first series, Rowan Atkinson plays a weak chinned, effeminate heir to Richard, Duke of York. Set in medieval England, we are introduced to two of the most often recurring characters in Black Adders live(s) - Percy and Baldrick. Lord Percy is an eager to please, high strung dolt. Baldrick, an filthy peasant that is under qualified to be the village idiot, acts as Black Adder's golfer. Although funny, the first series may miss an American audience with some of it's historical references. In the second series, Black Adder's next descendant is no longer heir to the throne but remains one of Queen's dearest friends. Set in Elizabethan England, we get to follow Black Adder as he plots to carouse, fornicate and steal his way to pleasure. Even funnier than the first series, Black Adder gets far more clever. We are also introduced to two additional, recurring characters - Melchett and Flash. Melchett is a pompous, over bearing palace sycophant and Flash is fast moving ladies man with more than just a sword hanging between his legs. Black Adder's fortunes have considerably fallen by the Third Series, where he is now serving a butler to the Price Regent of England, the stupidest man in the land. Again, the clever Black Adder schemes to raise himself at the expense of everyone around him. Other great English comedic actors Hue Laurie, Robbie Coltrane and Tim McInnery all make appearances. In the fourth and final series, Black Adder finds himself caught on the front lines of World War I. Trying to eke out a comfortable existence without being sent out on a suicidal charge against the Kaiser, Black Adder's fourth series is somewhat reminiscent of Mash. Without all the nice doctor's off course. This series has the "crudest" humour of all. Black Adder is undoubtedly one of the funniest English comedy series ever made and well worth owning.
A couple of specials are included in the collcetion. A brilliant lampoon of "A Christmas Carol" and a rather weak "Time Machine" spoof "Back and Forth", where they revert to slapstick and the writing is not as keen. This is a minor wrinkle as overall the series is a comic masterpiece. Well worth it.
I first saw this series on PBS, and it absolutely floored me. The humor is razor sharp, the dialog fast and funny. The first series is a little weaker in this regard, but very, very funny in a way different than the later series. The fourth, in my opinion, is the weakest of the bunch, too ofter falling back on gross out jokes, but even that is better than a lot of other stuff coming out of the BBC. The Christmas Special is outstanding. Keep an eye out for an appearance by Tom "Dr. Who" Baker as an insane legless ship captain in the second series. It was a testament to his performance that I, a big fan of his best known role, did not recognize him after having watched the episode about five times... until someone pointed him out to me. The Blackadder series are graced with a great supporting cast, including Brian Blessed, Miranda Richardson, and a number of other actors of whom you may never have heard, but should get to know. If you are turned off by cynical humor, this show is not for you; but for anyone else, it is absolutely worth checking out.
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| 9. Sex and the City - The Complete First Season Director: Martha Coolidge, Allen Coulter, John David Coles, Darren Star, Michael Spiller, Matthew Harrison, Dennis Erdman, Michael Fields, Timothy Van Patten, Wendey Stanzler, Victoria Hochberg, Michael Engler, Michael Patrick King, Nicole Holofcener, Alison Maclean, Daniel Algrant, Pam Thomas, Susan Seidelman, Alan Taylor, David Frankel | |
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Description (c) 2003 Home Box Office.All rights reserved.HBO(r) and Sex And The City(r) are service marks of Home Box Office, Inc. Reviews (236)
In fact, if even movies were this good, we'd be going all the time! The writing is superb, as is the acting, sets and fast-paced story line. If you've ever lived, as a single, in a large urban city and were remotely involved in the 'dating game', then you'll be able to relate to the characters. While mostly women, there are enough male characters for both sexes to connect with the 'dating game' and its ups and downs-- and the characters' ambitions, loves, fears and shared joys. Now I know why there has been so much "buzz" about this series... It's a totally sexy, hip romp! (Note: this is defintely not something that "Christian Coalition" types will admit to liking....!)
LOVE THIS SERIES! ... Read more | |
| 10. Drums Along the Mohawk Director: John Ford | |
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Amazon.com Henry Fonda and Claudette Colbert play newlyweds in New York's Mohawk Valley at the time of the Revolutionary War. That war is more a distant rumor than a direct concern of people with cabins to raise, crops to harvest, and firstborn on the way. When it comes to their valley, in the form of hitherto-peaceable Indians whipped up by a gaunt Tory with an eyepatch (John Carradine), life changes as though with the passing of a cloud shadow. In this, his first color film, Ford created indelible images of the dawning of America: a lone wagon making its way through acres of long grass rippling in the wind; the Indians, at the onset of their first raid, seeming to materialize out of the mist, out of the very trunks of trees; a ragged line of farmers with flintlocks passing along a split-rail fence, then resolving into a column, an army, marching toward a distant horizon. (Utah's Wasatch mountain country stands in persuasively for upstate New York in pioneer days.) Edna May Oliver scored a best-supporting-actress Oscar nomination as a memorably crusty frontier widow, while Ward Bond--oddly omitted from the opening credits--claimed a place of honor in the John Ford Stock Company playing Fonda's best friend. --Richard T. Jameson Reviews (18)
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| 11. Glengarry Glen Ross Director: James Foley | |
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Reviews (191)
The film takes place in a real estate office, where cutthroat salesman do "cold calling," basically selling land by telemarketing. It's a brutal business (we've all been on the other end of that phone call and usually end up hanging up on the salesman), and the people these guys work for are brutal as well. Case in point: during an early, crucial scene, Blake (played brilliantly by Alec Baldwin) tells the gathered crew that the top prize for highest sales is a Cadillac. The second prize is a set of steak knives and the third prize -- "you're fired." The speech is a sadistic, humiliating version of a pep talk, all macho brags and venomous insults. He dangles the new contacts, or "leads," in the faces of the salesmen. "They're for closers," he tells them. These guys would kill for the good leads, and Blake knows it. The scene was written especially fo the film and Baldwin eats it up. It's easily the best thing I've seen him do. Jack Lemmon plays Sheldon Levene, the office's oldest employee. He used to be the best one around (they call him "The Machine"), but he's been on a bad streak lately and desperately needs his luck to change. His daughter's in the hospital and is unable to pay her medical bills. Al Pacino plays Ricky Roma, the current hotshot. His way of befriending a potential client in a bar and gaining his trust is odd, but effective (his opening monologue is totally insane, but thoroughly entertaining). Kevin Spacey is the office manager who will not bend the rules for anyone, much to the rage of the office. Ed Harris and Alan Arkin round out the rest of the salesmen. Harris plays Dave Moss, who has the world's biggest chip on his shoulder. Arkin is George Aaronow, who desperately needs to land a good sale. Most of his role consists of reacting to Harris and Pacino, but he's very good. The day after Baldwin's talk, the salesman come to work to find the office robbed. The new leads are missing. Probably an inside job. It could have been anyone. Everyone is questioned by the police and everyone is insulted that they are considered suspects. Ricky is mad because the robbery may have screwed up his latest sale, putting his ownership of the Cadillac in jeopardy. Also, last night's client comes looking for him -- he has second thoughts. The way Ricky tries desperately to blow off his client while still playing the salesman is creepy and brilliant. Lemmon is amazing as Levene -- I've never seen desperation played so well. Having said all that, I, along with the rest of the GGR fans, have been waiting years for this film to arrive on DVD. Especially since it's been promised as a "two-disc special edition." What a disappointing package it turned out to be. Well, let's be fair. First of all, the film. It looks great. It sounds great. They did a great job with the film itself. But don't promise a loaded special edition and then give us something as lame as this. The only commentary track on the widescreen version is director James Foley. He only speaks during three scenes. The other commentary tracks are only available on the full-frame version (on disc two) and are not scene-specific. The extras include "Magic Time," a tribute to the late Jack Lemmon, which is well-meaning but could have been a lot better. It does, however, end with a clip from Lemmon's appearance on "Inside the Actor's Studio," which is sweet. There is also "Always be Closing," another slapdash mini-documentary that features directors, playwrights, actors (including GGR's Alan Arkin and Alec Baldwin) discussing the role of the salesman in plays and films, as well as actual salespeople themselves. Sound interesting? It's not. It lacks any kind of cohesive thread. It appears to have been produced by a first-year film student. There's no structure to it. It looks unfinished. There's also a clip from Kevin Spacey's appearance on "Inside the Actor's Studio" where an audience member acts out a scene from GGR with Spacey. I'll admit, I enjoyed that bit. Why in the world didn't Criterion release this? They would have done a much better job and besides, they released the laserdisc version (with commentary tracks from Jack Lemmon, among others, I'm told). What we end up with here is an amazing film with an amazing transfer...and a bunch of lame extras thrown in. If you're a fan of this film, by all means, buy the DVD...but don't expect much in the area of extras.
There are two keys to being a good performer, whether you are writing or telling a story, whether you are selling something or selling yourself: Always exaggerate things by one thousand percent, and use repetition at least 500 percent. Those who understate a story or product that may not be very strong in the first place, will fall victims to making that story or product look weak. The way to avoid making yourself or whoever/whatever you are representing look weak is to follow the aforementioned keys. The way to do that when the product or story is weak is to learn how to "B.S." That is where being a good performer comes in... You are an actor, and being outgoing and to the extreme will always give the impression that whatever you are talking about is "the best." A good actor can do this perfectly and not come off as overly co.cky or obnoxious. Always say what the other person wants to hear. The customer is always right. Do whatever you can to "nail the gig." There is something else to keep in mind when doing this particular form of "B.S.-ing," and that is the "K.I.S.S." method of "keep-it-simple-stupid." That may sound like a contradiction to the keys, but it is not. Keeping it simple, is not disclosing the real specifics, but still making your case sound like it's above and beyond every other possible option. This comes in handy particularly when someone asks you a question that you may not know the full answer to. That is where "filling" comes in---something that students do when writing an English essay on a test. If you have a general idea of what you want to say but don't have a specific reply to a portion of the question, you "fill" that essay with long winded run-on sentences. However, the whole thing must be coherent, and if your essay is well-written and has a good amount of clever puns and humor, you cannot lose. If you are a slick actor or writer, you can fool even the best of English teachers into at least giving you an "E" for effort. Another thing to keep in mind is that you will never lose if you can "meet in the middle." What that means is this: Suppose a shirt looks like it is worth $15 to a customer but you build it up so much and make it sound like it's worth $50... By the end of the conversation, if you are doing your job, you are going to get them to meet you in the middle and the final conclusion will be that the price of the shirt is around $25. The real worth may be no more than $15 (and maybe even less), and certainly nowhere near $50, but you still get the "E" for effort and earn $25. You aren't really getting into details on why the shirt is worth so much more than the customer thinks, but you are pounding it into their head that it's worth $50. You are exaggerating and repeating. You are using adjectives that may or may not apply to that shirt but you are making it sound great and far above what it's worth. So finally, they will concede a price of $25. You were stretching the truth about the shirt being worth $50 and they may have been undervaluing it at $15. Essentially, you are both lying and both playing a game with one another, but finally, a minimum of $25 is agreed upon. No one may ever find out the true value, but it's irrelevant anyway. This works in any situation. Exaggeration and repetition. But remember to K.I.S.S. These keys could have been discussed in one paragraph, but it took an entire page, yet you as the reader were compelled to hang onto each word from start to finish. So I succeeded as a writer in that this essay was read from start to finish and my point was proven. The "Whale" A whale is a customer that you pull in, hook, line and sinker and mount on the wall. He is a golden nugget, a superstar, a monster. This type of customer that you get lucky enough to snag will be your customer for life. That means, you will either be set up for life from one deal you strike up or you will have him as a repeat customer that you can call back as a strong possible prospect forever. Sometimes it is tough to spot a whale, he may not always be overly outgoing or obvious about being a "buyer." So anyone can be a whale. The way to learn if someone is a whale or not is to simply get into their home and learn about their life and about them. So anything you can do to get your foot in the door will work. Start off small and discuss something that may appeal to their interest and work your way into their world. Don't pre-judge them until you learn about them. This will take time and patience, but all you need is a small "in" and then you can build on that and if you win the whale's trust, all it takes is one big deal to set you up for life. So practice the "A.B.C." method of "always be closing" with everyone, because anyone can be a prospect. While the impression may be given that you genuinely care about them, the main objective is getting them to sign on the dotted line. Of course the obvious "Gordon Gecko" type whales who go around showboating their spending habits and their skills are the true whales that if you are lucky enough to somehow snag, you are set.
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| 12. Soylent Green Director: Richard Fleischer | |
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Description Reviews (97)
Set nearly twenty years from now, humanity has used up most of our resources and spoiled the planet. There isn't enough to eat and there's even less space to live in; the cities are crowded with street people everywhere. The middle class is virtually extinct and only the wealthy have lives approaching the comfort to which we've become accustomed. A executive with a major food corporation is murdered. The company produces a variety of pre-processed foods that are popular among the general population. Fresh fruit and foods are almost as extinct as many of the species that have disappeared from our overburdened, overdeveloped planet. Charleton Heston plays Detective Thorn who is investigating the murder. In the process, his life is threatened and he comes into major conflict with the police force about his methods. What Heston's character discovers about the food maker could unravel the fabric of the comfortable society that runs the world. Soylent Green is based on Harry Harrison's fine novel Make Room, Make Room!. The adaption incorporates a lot of common themes from films during the 70's particularly the issue of the ecology. That isn't to say this film is obsessed with issues. While there are a number of importance observations, all of them are well integrated into this sharply written science fiction murder mystery. The direction by Richard Fleischer (Fantastic Voyage, 20,000 Leages Under the Sea, Treasure Island)isn't as stylized as one would expect but he does manage to get the most out of the material. The director's commentary is often wry and observant--a rarity now on most DVDs. This was Edward G. Robinson's last film and his 101st. A talented, popular actor often misused by Hollywood, Robinson gives a startling fresh and powerful performance as Heston's roommate and assistant Sol. His final scene in the film is both powerful and gives Heston's character the faith to carry on his investigation. The dinner scene between Heston and Robinson (which was ad libbed) is terrific and much of the dialog and banter between the two actors is both funny and touching. The DVD looks terrific particularly after all the poor prints that have circulated on television. Yes, there's analog artifacts but this is probably about as pristine a print as were likely to see. The transfer is vivid and well balanced. The sound is fairly strong given the fact that this was pre-THX and stereo. The DVD includes a couple of short featurettes about Heston and the making of the film. Robinson also gets due notice. A vintage theatrical trailer is also included. Soylent Green's importance in science fiction cannot be underestimated. There were a number of bad films produced after 2001 and Planet of the Apes (including many of the sequels to the original Apes film)that had cheapened the luster these two fine films had temporarily given to science fiction. Soylent Green is a somber, powerful film. It's also an entertaining mystery. After this the genre would fall back into decline (although there were a few highlights) until the success of Star Wars in 1977. Thoughtful, impactful science fiction films were rare during the 70's. Although Soylent Green hasn't aged as well as one would expect, it's intent and the power of the performances, script and direction still make it a potent look into the future.
Some of the reviewers here have bemoaned the fact that there are so many 70s-type vehicles in the world of Soylent Green, which detracts from its setting in the year 2022. Nothing could be further from the truth. I remember watching this film in 1973 and was very conscious of that fact that it was projecting what NYC might look like 49 years from then. Why so? Read on. Not to state the obvious, but this is a film about a dystopian future. The planet is overpopulated and running out of resources. All of the major oil fields on earth have passed peak production (our experts tell us that the last major fields in Saudi Arabia and Iraq will reach peak production in just a few years from now). Most of the automobiles are old and broken down. Infrastructure is decaying. Even in 2004, here and now, you can see this process beginning. In many parts of the city where I live, people are driving vehicles manufactured from the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s. Things are run down. People are working harder and making less money. Richard Fleischer's vision of the future is brilliant and spot on. So what about the cheesy 70s background music, you say? All I can say is that by 2022 there might very well be a 70s renaissance, because by then people will have realized how good things were in the 1970s. Look at us in 2004, we're still playing Beatles music, and it is quite likely that the music industry will dramatically change or won't even exist by 2022. And finally, to underscore the scope and brilliance of this film, just do some investigative research into today's Monsanto Corporation and see if you can't find an overwhelming parallel with the Soylent Corporation depicted in the film, whose aim was to control the world's food supply. And who knows, by the year 2022, food processing and Chicken McNuggets will be so pervasive that NOBODY will know where their food really comes from. What a chilling thought. I wish that every person on this planet owned this DVD. It's not just a great Heston film, or a brilliant science fiction thriller, it's an important film for all of mankind...because it's still not too late. p.s. the amazing quality and sharpness of the images in this film are astounding. This is the film that I saw in 1973. All other versions have been muddy and dark. Another outstanding transfer!! ... Read more | |
| 13. Earth 2 - The Complete Series | |
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| 14. The Sopranos - The Complete First Five Seasons | |
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Amazon.com Alternately seductive, exasperated, fearful, and murderous, James Gandolfini's Tony is utterly convincing even when executing brutal shifts between domestic comedy and dramatic violence. The first season's other life force is Livia Soprano, Tony's monstrous, meddlesome mother. As Livia, the late Nancy Marchand eclipses her long career of patrician performances to create an indelibly earthy, calculating matriarch who shakes up both families; Livia also serves as foil and rival to Tony's loyal, usually level-headed wife, Carmela (Edie Falco). Lorraine Bracco makes Tony's therapist, Dr. Melfi, a convincing confidante, by turns "professional," perceptive, and sexy; the duo's therapeutic relationship is also depicted with uncommon accuracy. Such grace notes only enrich what's not merely an aesthetic high point for commercial television, but an absorbing film masterwork that deepens with subsequent screenings. In its second season, The Sopranos repeatedly defies formula to let the narrative turn as a direct consequence of the characters' behavior, letting everyone in this rogue's gallery of Mafiosi, friends, and family evolve and deepen. That gamble is most apparent in the rupture of the relationship that formed the spine of the first season, the tangled ties between Tony and Livia, whose betrayal makes Tony's estrangement a logical response. Filling that vacuum, however, is prodigal sister Janice (Aida Turturro), whose New Age flakiness never successfully conceals her underlying calculation and opportunism. Soprano's relationship with therapist Melfi also frays during early episodes, as she struggles with escalating doubts about her mobbed-up patient. At home, Tony contends with wife Carmela's ruthless ambitions on behalf of college-bound Meadow (Jamie Lynn Sigler), as well as son Anthony Jr.'s (Robert Iler) sullen adolescent flirtation with existentialism--the sort of touch that the show handles with a smart mix of sympathy and amusement. In the brutal and controversial third season, The Sopranos justified its 11-month hiatus with some of its best, and most hotly debated, episodes. It continued to upend convention and defy audience expectations with a deliberately paced, calm-before-the-storm season opener that revolves around the FBI's attempts to bug the Soprano household, and a season finale that (for some) frustratingly leaves several plot lines unresolved. "Employee of the Month," in which Dr. Melfi is raped and considers whether to exact revenge by telling Tony of her attack, earned Emmys for its writers, and is perhaps Emmy nominee Lorraine Bracco's finest hour. Other story arcs concern the rise of the seriously unstable Ralph Cifaretto (Joe Pantoliano) and Tony's affair with "full-blown loop-de-loo" Gloria (Emmy nominee Annabella Sciorra). Plus, there is Tony's estrangement from daughter Meadow, his wayward delinquent son Anthony, Jr., Carmela's crisis of conscience, bad seed Jackie Jr., and the FBI--which, as the season ends, assigns an undercover agent to befriend an unwitting figure in the Soprano family's orbit. Though for some the widely debated fourth season contained too much yakking instead of whacking, and an emphasis on domestic family over business Family, in most respects The Sopranos remains television's gold standard. The season garnered 13 Emmy nominations, and subsequent best actor and actress wins for James Gandolfini and Edie Falco as Tony and Carmela, whose estrangement provides the season with its most powerful drama, as well as a win for Joe Pantoliano's psychopath Ralph. Other narrative threads include Christopher's (Emmy nominee Michael Imperioli) descent into heroin addiction, Uncle Junior's (Dominic Chianese) trial, an unrequited and potentially fatal attraction between Carmela and Tony's driver Furio, and a rude joke about Johnny Sack's wife that has potentially fatal implications. Other indelible moments include Christopher's girlfriend Adriana's projectile reaction to discovering that her new best friend is an undercover FBI agent in the episode "No Show," Janice giving Ralph a shove out of their relationship in "Christopher," and the classic "Quasimodo/Nostradamus" exchange in the season-opener, which garnered HBO's highest ratings to date. Freed from the understandably high expectations for the fourth season, heightened by the 16-month hiatus, these episodes can be better appreciated on their own considerable merits. They are pivotal chapters in television's most novel saga. From the moment a wayward bear lumbers into the Sopranos' yard in the fifth-season opener, it is clear that The Sopranos is in anything but a "stagmire." The series benefits from an infusion of new blood, the so-called "Class of 2004," imprisoned "family" members freshly released from jail. Most notable among these is Tony's cousin, Tony Blundetto (Steve Buscemi, who directed the pivotal season 3 episode "Pine Barrens"), who initially wants to go straight, but proves himself to be something of a "free agent," setting up a climactic stand-off between Tony and New York boss Johnny Sack. These 13 mostly riveting episodes unfold with a page-turning intensity with many rich subplots. Estranged couple Tony and Carmella (the incomparable James Gandolfini and Edie Falco) work toward a reconciliation (greased by Tony's purchase of a $600,000 piece of property for Carmela to develop). The Feds lean harder on an increasingly stressed-out and distraught Adriana to "snitch" with inevitable results. This season's hot-button episode is "The Test Dream," in which Tony is visited by some of the series' dear, and not-so-dearly, departed in a harrowing nightmare. | |
| 15. Xena Warrior Princess - Complete Series (Seasons 1-6) Director: T.J. Scott, John Fawcett, Karen Dior, Robert Ginty, Ken Girotti, Bruce Seth Green, Patrick R. Norris, Janet Greek, Mark Beesley, Harley Cokeliss, Charles Siebert, Allison Liddi, Oley Sassone, Charlie Haskell, Gilbert M. Shilton, Renée O'Connor, John Cameron (II), Anson Williams, Philip Sgriccia, Robert G. Tapert | |
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| 16. Dumb and Dumber Director: Bobby Farrelly, Peter Farrelly | |
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Amazon.com Reviews (257)
Anyway, DUMB & DUMBER will leave in hesterics! Jim Carrey and Jeff Daniels are amazingly stupid as characters Lloyd and Harry. The two lovable losers from Rhode Island go cross country to Aspen, Colorado to return a loaded briefcase to a woman named Mary (Lauren Holly), whom Lloyd is in love with. But the two dimwits don't know that assassins are on theyre' tail to retrieve the briefcase! Ok, everyone know's the storyline, so let's talk about the humor in the film. One of my favorite scenes in the film is when a cop pulls Harry and Lloyd for a speed ticket, and unknowingly drinks a beer bottle with Lloyd's yerin in it. Funny! And when the dipstick Harry sticks his tongue to a frozen pole (borrowed liberally from A CHRISTMAS STORY) and experiences horrible diahorea. Sounds crude, but it's movie magic at its best. Oh yeah, the scene where Lloyd accidently killing a endangered snow owl, and saying the line "Boy this party really died", is a classic Carrey moment. If your a fan of Carrey and the Farrelly Brothers, or like disgusting comedies, or just simply a moron, you'll love this film! One of Carrey's best!
Jeff Daniels and Jim Carrey are an amazing team starring as two really low-wealth bums in the run-down slums of the east coast rustbelt and when Lloyd Christmas (Jim Carrey) is a taxi driver at the airport, an attractive woman (Lauren Holly) accidentally leaves behind an important suitcase with important material and now Harry along with his longtime dim-witted friend Harry Dunn try to compete to win her heart over and go all the way to Aspen, Colorado to return the suitcase to her but they are unaware that they are being persued by a criminal couple involved in a criminal crime ring. This movie is just plain funny and while certainly not a masterpiece by any means, it is nonetheless a memorable movie by both of the lead actors and Daniels and Carrey are a wonderful comedy duo team and a pity taht Derek Richardson and Eric Christian Olsen could not take notice of how well the former two did on this original movie. This is a movie that warrants taking off the thinking cap for a while and get out the soda and popcorn and share a laugh with your friends.
The film has just so many out-ragious scenes, including a scene in a restaurant were they fill this guys' bruger up with spicy peppers and he heats up when he takes a bite. The film does come to one of those endings were the villain shows up and it gets less funny and more serious. So, right from the very minute this starts you'll be laughing. Any words that come out from Harry or Llyod's mouth is just so hilarious.
Although Jeff Daniels is great, Jim Carrey really carries this movie. He is absolutely incredible. I suppose that every generation needs its own Jerry Lewis, but Carrey out-Jerry-Lewises the original. His energy, flexibility, and unerring instinct for the madcap are quite amazing, and I think that future generations will remember him as a great comedian. Check out the fight scene in the restaurant, for example, and notice how many long, unbroken shots comprise it. This film is lowbrow to be sure, but it cracks me up every time. What more can you really ask from a comedy? ... Read more | |
| 17. Queer as Folk Pack (Seasons 1, 2 & 3) Director: Laurie Lynd, John Fawcett, John L'Ecuyer, David Wellington, Michael DeCarlo, Chris Grismer, Kari Skogland, Kevin Inch, John Greyson, Kelly Makin, Jeremy Podeswa, Bruce McDonald, Steve DiMarco, Alex Chapple, Ron Oliver, Russell Mulcahy | |
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Reviews (5)
At first, I was worried, seeing that I never watched the series before buying them. I jumped with both feet and bought all three at once. I Definitely, 100% not disappointed! The drama and the complications in the series between queer friendship, love, devotion, pride and honor is the best I have ever seen in any gay portrayed series! Queer as folk shows all aspects of Queer life! The love between Justin and Brian, Mikey and Ben, Ted and Emmett, Lindsay and Melanie; and many other characters brings this series to a new level. Showing the honest view of gay life. I feel for every character, and care for each person and their lives, as it unfolds. Words can't express this series other than its a must see and definitely MUST OWN collection! At times, this series will show sex and nudity, so its not for the faint at heart. But thats what makes this series even more special. The fact that nothings held back; in your face truthfulness of gay relationships! Its awesome! If you never watched Queer as folk, I recommend to everyone they should! I cant wait to own Season four!
The variey of character personalities offers great plot variety. Brian's frequent sexual activity, Michael's homelike presence, Emmitt's flamboyance, and Ted's shyness are only some traits that offer such joy to audiences. Justin, Debbie, Mel, Lindsay, and Ben also offer their own unique presence. The acting offers more great additional entertainment value. New and interesting ideas always keep audiences awaiting for the next episode. The combination of realism, drama, and slight comedy offers issues that some viewers can relate, including the straight/ ally community. Besides GLBT issues and struggles, it explores drug use, HIV/ AIDS, hate crimes, pornography, and many others. The shock value offers a great unforgettable experience. As the seasons progress, the plot and the characters follow. Season one, the season always to be watched first, explores the coming out process, struggles in high school, struggles in the workplace, same sex couples raising a child, and others. Those who haven't watched the show will witness Justin meeting Brian for the first time, Lindsay giving birth to Gus (Brian is the father), Justin coming out for the first time, and of course Brian being Brian. Such deep chain of events and many others lead to a surprising and shocking season finale that keeps audiences awaiting for the second season premiere episode. Season two starts with the result of the traumatic event on last season's finale. The characters begin evolving more throughout this season. Some surprising turn of events keep audiences interested in every detail. New viewers will witness Michael and Ted beginning their dream jobs, Michael meeting Ben who is HIV-positive, the birth of "Rage", Justin beginning college, Brian admitting more of his love for Justin, and of course Brian still being Brian. Viewers will be shocked when they learn Debbie's weak spot, despite being a strong GLBT ally. Robert Gant makes a wonderful debut as Ben. The acting from everyong shows great improvement throughout this season. Everyone creates their own tactics to keep audience watching. The chain of events, and many others, lead to a great season finale, leading to season three. Season three answers questions that were cliffhanged in the second season finale. This season shows a greater variey of expressed issues, some which have not been expressed before, including politics, hustling, drug abuse, and others. This shows a greater emphasis on HIV/ AIDS issues, especially when Ben and Michael help a young hustler and when Ben's ex-boyfriend/friend dies of AIDS. This season shows surprising revolutions of some characters: an unlikely town hero arises to prevent a town from being run by a homophobic mayor candidate, an unlikely person becomes a crystal meth addict, and others. The chain of events and others lead to a shocking season finale that keeps audiences awaiting for season four. This "Queer As Folk" set is a great collecion item for fans. This is sure to keep audiences entertained for a long time. First time viewers must watch this edition in order. Otherwise, the chain of events will be confusing. Cast: Gale Howard (Brian), Hal Sparks (Michael), Randy Harrison (Justin), Peter Paige (Emmitt), Scott Lowell (Ted), Robert Gant (Ben), Michelle Clunie (Mel), Thea Gill (Lindsay), and Sharon Gless (Debbie).
Queer As Folk The Complete First Season - The first Queer As Folk DVD Box Set has all 22 episodes of the first season of the most controversial and bravest series in the history of television. The total running time of all 6 DVD's is approx: 1,205 minutes which includes Bonus features such as: behind the scenes outtakes, deleted scenes, special edition episodes, a Photo Gallery, DVD rom extras, A 6 minute Season 2 Sneek Peek, and much more. Queer As Folk shows the life of a group of gay guys and a lesbian couple living in Pittsburgh and all the dramas that go on in each of their lives. Queer As Folk The Complete Second Season - The DVD Box Set is over 900 minutes and has all 20 episodes of the second season of one of the most controversial television shows today. The BOX SET includes over 3 hours of Bonus features such as: behind the scenes outtakes, deleted scenes, special edition episodes, a Photo Gallery, DVD rom extras, and much more. Queer As Folk shows the life of a group of gay guys and a lesbian couple living in Pittsburgh. I feel the first season of QUEER AS FOLK is better, but this second season is very good as well and shows the growth of the characters. I have seen all 20 episodes of Season 2 and it is slower paced than the first season, and I sometimes find myself looking at my watch which rarely ever happened with season 1. Queer As Folk The Complete Third Season - This New Queer As Folk Season 3 DVD Box Set is over 673 minutes and has all 14 episodes of the third season, which is still one of the most controversial and bravest series on television today. This BOX SET like the seasons before include over 3 hours of Bonus features such as: Behind-the-camera, Hot Summer Days, Wrap Party Reel, Enter Babylon LA, Meet the Folks, Animated Photo Gallery, Season Four Sneak Preview, Weblink, Music Videos, and a few other surprises. I have seen all 14 episodes of Season 3 and it is another great season with some major twists. Season 3 is also a step above season 2 which was a little drawn out when compared to season 1. I do have to say I am a little upset that this season is very short when compared to season 1 and 2, which both had about 7 or 8 more episodes, but either way it is still a good season. Can't wait till the new Season 4 starts on Showtime soon. ... Read more | |
| 18. Boccaccio '70 (Remastered Edition) Director: Mario Monicelli, Federico Fellini, Luchino Visconti, Vittorio De Sica | |
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Amazon.com Monicelli's story, Renzo and Luciana, is an agreeable tale, full of everyday Roman life:an office worker (Marisa Solinas) must marry her boyfriend when she gets pregnant--although marriage is against company rules. Fellini's segment, The Temptation of Dr. Antonio, is fantastical and big-scaled. It tells of a censorious bluenose (Peppino de Filippo) who becomes incensed at the presence of a billboardfeaturing a sexy portrait of Anita Ekberg (selling milk)--a portrait that comes to life. For this bizarre escapade, Nino Rota composed an advertising jingle that will stick in your mind whether you want it to or not. Visconti's The Job is the best segment, tracking the emotional chess game between a playboy (Thomas Milian) and his wife (Romy Schneider at her most gorgeous) after he is publicly exposed in a sex scandal. Finally, the De Sica piece (The Raffle) is a fairly broad romp that uses Sophia Loren as the reward in a raffle. Sophia's delicious, needless to say. The finished product weighed in at a whopping 208 minutes, and Monicelli's segment was lopped off before the film showed at the Cannes Film Festival. It has never been restored, until this DVD release. All the segments are frankly too long, and none qualifies as an essential gem, but they do give the flavor of Italy's best at an especially exciting cinematic moment. --Robert Horton Reviews (2)
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| 19. Amadeus - Director's Cut (Two-Disc Special Edition) Director: Milos Forman | |
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Amazon.com essential video The director's cut of Amadeus finally accords this masterful work the DVDtreatment it deserves. The handsome anamorphic widescreen picture is accompaniedby a choice of Dolby 5.1 or Dolby stereo sound options, and it's all containedon one side of the disc. Director Milos Forman and writer Peter Shaffer providea chatty though sporadic commentary, but they're obviously still too mesmerizedby the movie to do much more than offer the odd anecdote. The second disccontains an excellent new hour-long "making of" documentary, with contributionsfrom Forman, Shaffer, Sir Neville Marriner, and all the main actors, taking inthe scriptwriting, choice of music, casting, and problems involved in filming inCommunist Czechoslovakia with half the crew and extras working for the SecretPolice. --Mark Walker Reviews (363)
The biggest star of the film however, is the music...the glorious sounds of Mozart's operas, and his magnificent Requiem. Many of my favorite scenes are depicted, from the ballet music from "The Marriage of Figaro", to "Don Giovanni a cenar teco", as well as portions of "The Marriage of Figaro", "The Magic Flute", and much more. Twyla Tharp's choreography is fresh and exhilarating, Miroslav Ondricek's cinematography is exquisite, and Milos Forman's direction imaginative and well paced.
Not only did I get the joy of watching once again one of the best movies to have ever been released -- to remember how enthralled I was by the performances of Tom Hulce, F. Murray Abraham and Elizabeth Berridge (unfortunately, most reviewers tend to exclude her contribution to this movie, but her performance as Constanza, Mozart's wife, is as powerful as the others) -- but the extras (behind the scenes, the commentaries) added to my delight. I truly find it hard to put into words how wonderful this movie is. I have spent the last 20 years telling people "Trust me, just watch it, and you will understand what I am talking about." It is more than just a grand journey through the worlds of these two men (yes, granted, told from a "movie" point-of-view). The entire package, from the scenery, the costumes, the story and THE MUSIC, THE MUSIC, THE MUSIC!!! shows you how a movie should and can be produced. Even if you can't stand classical music, you will adore the wonder that is Mozart. Please -- I'm begging you -- WATCH THIS MOVIE. You will NOT be disappointed!!!
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| 20. High Fidelity Director: Stephen Frears | |
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How could I ever have doubted John Cusack and co!! The point is made well by Stephen Frears in his interview; moving the movie to Chicargo highlights the fact that its themes are universal. We are taken inside the mind of Rob(John Cusack), a thirtysomething record store owner, undergoing a mini mid-life crisis. His girlfriend has left him for the new-age hippie neighbour (Tim Robbins). In an effort to understand why this has happened he takes the advice of "The Boss" and contacts his "all-time top five break-ups" to try to determine why they broke up with him. Rob is not the perfect hero and his flaws are clearly shown to us. It is this which allows the viewer to identify with Rob in a way which certainly I have done with very few movie characters. He's a good guy who does stupid things, hurts the people he loves, acts selfishly but is ultimately likeable. Rob's journey of self discovery is always anchored by his obsession with music and this music gives us a further insight into the mind of the main character. Special mention must be made of the deleted scenes on the DVD version. A couple of these are particularly fine and would have added to the narrative. I can only think that there was a particularly vicious editing process to cut ten minutes off the running time. The cast is truely outstanding, a real ensemble piece with particularly fine performances from Jack Black and Todd Luiso as Rob's stereotypical record shop snob employees ("I can't fire them. I hired them three days a week but they starting coming every day. That was three years ago!) Some of the scenes in the music shop are painfully funny. But ultimatly it's Cusacks movie. He truly is one of the most talented actors in mainstream cinema today. Besides any movie that can namecheck Belle & Sebastian and The Beta Band and features a cameo from Bruce Springsteen deserves an extra star!
Then take into account the amazing support, knowns and unknowns - Cusack's sister Joan, Tim Robbins, Jack Black, etc. - even Zeta-Jones isn't half bad. Consider too the script, which is surprisingly faithful to Nick Hornby's (very good) book, and gives equal measure to comic and tragic relief. Fianlly, the soundtrack. Can there be any greater song to sum up Rob Thomas (John Cusack's) final revelation after the film ends than Stevie Wonder's I Believe? No. High Fidelity is the complete package - funny, touching, well-acted, scripted, directed, scored for, and unbelievably true to life. And for all those sad Englishmen writing in to complain that the movie should have been set in Britian - get real. I thank you.
But actually their hyper-critical views are pretty close to the mark. It's great to hear someone else noticing and lamenting the 1980s decline of Stevie Wonder, for example. One might criticise author Hornby for selecting Rob's dream job as record producer in the punk era (1976-79) when he could have chosen, say, late 1960s Beach Boys / Beatles psychedelia. But you can never find someone with the identical taste as your own. Strangely, the music is not particularly central to this movie, in the sense that it probably generated fewer album sales for featured artists like Marvin Gaye than say 'The Big Chill'. The structure of the movie takes a little getting used to. The first time you see it can be a disappointment -- there's no upbeat climactic ending, unless you count the improbable, rather obviously tacked-on, disco/concert by Sonic Death Metal, or whatever they happened to be called at the time. John Cusack's frequent chats to camera seem altogether natural (except when he's sauntering backwards and forwards on some wooden bridge-cum-platform in downtown Chicago). What I like about this film is that, from a male viewpoint, it rings true so often. Men do behave treacherously, and the behaviour often looks worse at first sight. I like the fact that the actress who played Laura wasn't stunningly attractive. Even Lisa Bonet didn't seem particularly beautiful in the movie. (But yes, that really is Catherine Zeta-Jones discreetly stripping off in a role just before she became famous enough to warrant a major Hollywood film credit.) This is not the perfect movie, but it contains a message about the male psyche that I hadn't extracted from any other movie, and that revelation in itself is sufficiently uplifting to distract from the artificial attempt by the film to uplift via the back-together-again concert/disco scenario.
That being said, when I first saw this movie I didn't quite understand many of the points. So I watched it again and realized "My god, I AM Rob Gordon!" Within a month, I purchased the DVD of High Fidelity and the book by Nick Hornby which was incredible. I highly recommend this film to all guys who have had their share of hard-not-to-forget relationships, radio DJs, music retail workers, and lovers of music of all types because the soundtrack, to quote Jack Black "kicks fu**ing a**". The DVD is great to own. It presents the film in clear colorful matted Widescreen (1.85:1), offers 9 Deleted scenes that appeared in the original screenplay as well as the original novel, short mini conversations with actor John Cusack & director Stephen Frears, and the original theatrical trailer for the film. Without a doubt, this is a MUST-HAVE for people who love music, have been in tough relationships, and enjoy writing Top 5 Lists. "Good luck...goodbye...thanks, boss."-Rob Gordon (John Cusack) ... Read more | |
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Too expensive!!!!!!!
Save time & shoot yourself in the head