Reviews (251)

The Third Season of Buffy is the Best!!!!!
The third season of Buffy marked the beginning of a new change for the Scooby gang. Picking up where the second season left off, Buffy is living in the big city of L.A. ("Anne") where she, along with a homeless teen, fights an evil demon who enslaves humans in the demon dimension. Then Buffy returns to her roots ("Dead Man's Party), where an irate Joyce, Giles, and the Scooby Gang confront her about her running away from Sunnydale. The best part of the season was the new addition of Faith, a rogue Slayer who at first developed a deep, close relationship with Buffy until the evil Mayor (Harry Groener) turns her to the dark side. This season also marked the return of a Drusilla-less Spike (James Marsters), Angel (David Boreanaz), and Amy the Witch, and the additions of the mysterious Mr. Trick, the demonic Anyanka (Emma Caulfield), and the charismatic Mayor. This season also introduces Wesley Wyndham-Price, Buffy's new Watcher after Giles was terminated from his services from the Watcher Council. The season finale also marked the departure of Angel (who went on to form Angel Investigations in Angel) and Cordelia who joined him as she left for L.A. to become an actress.

This 6-disc set contains all 22 episodes of the season. One of the best episodes is "The Wish," in which Cordelia wishes that Bush had never come to Sunnydale, which resulted her being transported to an alternate reality where vampires have overtaken the town, and the Master (Mark Metgalf) is still alive. This episode also features the vampiric counterparts of Xander and Willow, who end up being staked to death in the end. Another excellent episode is "Dopplegangland," in which Anya turns to Willow for help with a spell, which inadvertenely summons the Evil Willow from the alternate reality.

The menus in this set are outstanding and easy to use. This set contains five featurettes, selected episode scripts and commentaries, and has language tracks in French, Spanish, and English. This set is a must-have for true Buffy fans!!!!

Buffy keeps entertaining all!!
Buffy : The Vampire Slayer is one of the best shows currently on tv, that deals around the life of Buffy Summers and her close circle of friends. After all the adventures and twisting incidents since the first 2 seasons, the third season reveals more plots and twists for the audience, with new stars, such as faith, anya and a new villian, the Mayor as well!! This season being the senior year of Buffy, we also see the changes in the relationship between buffy and her friends and what choices they have to make, and also the relationship between angel and buffy, which is very unique and interesting. The third season consists of the following episodes:

01. Anne : Buffy's problems have followed her to LA.

02.Dead Man's Party : Sunnydale doesn't exactly welcome Buffy back.

03. Faith, Hope and Trick : There's a new slayer in town.

04. Beauty and the Beasts : Oz comes under suspicion.

05. Homecoming : Cordelia and Buffy go head to head.

06. Band Candy : Joyce and Giles get in some Summer Lovin'.

07. Revelations : There's a new Watcher in town.

08. Lovers' Walk : Spike returns to Sunnydale.

09. The Wish : Cordelia accidentally ends the universe.

10. Amends : Angel is tormented by evil spirits.

11. Gingerbread : Joyce begins a witch-hunt.

12. Helpless : Buffy loses her powers.

13. The Zeppo : An ordinary day in the life of Xander.

14. Bad Girls : Faith and Buffy grow closer.

15. Consequences : Buffy's in serious trouble.

16. Dopplegangland : Vampire Willow. Says it all.

17. Enemies : Faith curses Angel.

18. Earshot : Buffy struggles to save the school.

19. Choices : Willow is taken hostage.

20. The Prom : Can Buffy handle a broken heart and save the
prom?

21. Graduation Day I : The Mayor's getting hungy.

22. Graduation Day II : It's the end of an era.

Apart from this, we also get the enormous special features such as, audio commentaries by joss and other cast and crew members, photo galleries, featurettes, behind the scenes, interviews and much more!!! This is soo worth for any buffy fan and is worth getting!! Buffy rules!!

Amazing show, amazing season. Of course it has flaws, but...
Amazing show, amazing season. Of course it has flaws, but...

In third season, it's clear for everyone that the actors are totally comfortable playing their characters, everyone knows what to do, when to do it and how to do it. The level of confidence is rising and rising.

Of course it has flaws. You just can't produce 22 perfect episodes that will please everybody. The producers, writers and cast do the best they can in the short time and relatively small budget they have at their disposal.

One question, however, does not leave my mind: how can an actress (I'm talking about Sarah Mihcelle Gellar here) give such stupendous, gorgeous, solid, breathtaking, emotional performances episode after episode, season after season, no matter if the material that they give her is good or bad? She bears more than half of the credit for Buffy being the hit it was. She TOTALLY controls the show when she's on camera. I sincerely hope she has a marvellous and well suceeded movie career (away from Scooby-Doo movies, I mean...)

As for third season properly speaking, it has ups and lows. I particularly enjoy almost everything the show ever produced, but sometimes I did not. Faith, for example. She just not fit. Shés annoying. Of course it was a character created for us to hate, but not to ANNOY the viewer. Everytime she's on screen with her wooden dialogue, I simply wanted to go fast forward (but I didn't, of course!). I also agree with with a reviewer tha said that it would have been better if the Scooby-gang treated her like a basket case beyond help, instead of trying to save her. Anyway, Joss Whedon always suprise the audience doing the exact OPPOSITE of what we would expect (Example 1: Xander and Willow - their potential beautiful romance didn't last nothing, and it was never "officalized" - Example 2: Wesley and Cordelia flirting - the flirting lasts a lot of episodes and, when they finally kiss, there is no chemistry between them and the romance is over even before it starts.)

Also, we have someplot holes and weakness we must forget in order to remember that it's, after all, just a television show for entertainment. Even if the Ascension worked for the Mayor, what were his intentions? Sure, he would eat the entire school populace, but after that? The Army, police, Air Force, all of them would transform that giant worm in small pieces very briefly. No big threat indeed!

The show's best season...
The growing trend up until this point was that Buffy the Vampire Slayer seemed to get better after each season. The first season was a great start to the show, the second season was amazing, and the third season somehow managed to become even better. Over the course of the rest of the show, there would be some fantastic seasons. But, season three has managed to remain the best season of the entire show.

The relationship between Buffy and Angel is brought to a whole new level in this season, because of the events that took place in season two. Season three also introduced a beautiful and renegade slayer named Faith(Eliza Dushku) whose love for killing would eventually cause her to become an excellent villan, as well as the evil mayor of Sunnydale ( Harry Groener)that would definately practice the age old metaphor of "killing people with kindness". The suspense for season three is intense, because there is a countdown throughout the season that comes to a head on Graduation Day in which the mayor wishes to ascend to a higher level of being to destroy the world. There were so many great episodes in season three, that it is hard to choose a favorite. There were so many in fact, that 20 out of the 22 episodes were fantastic. The overall direction of season three was fantastic, and each episode seemed to build off the last one. Among season three's best episodes are - "The Wish" ( my all time favorite episode), "Dopplegangland","The Zeppo","Lover's Walk", "Band Candy", "Homecoming", "Lover's Walk", "Revelations", "Amends", "Earshot", "Prom", and "Graduation Day" PTS.1&2.

Overall, this is a must for any fan of the show. This would be worth owning just for the season itself. However, the DVD set is fantastic as well. You get commentary on several episodes, as well as five featurettes, and more.

A solid 5 stars...

A medicore story arc and jarring visual style
I think Buffy the Vampire Slayer is one fo the greatest dramas ever. From all the seasons of Buffy the Vampire Slayer I've seen however (I haven't seen seven) this has to be my least favorite. Primarly for reasons not even related to the show's story quality. My major gripe with this season was that it was visually bland and dark with colors so annoyling drab I could barely watch some episodes (luckily ever other season has fantastic colors and visual style). The seasons colors seem to be just made out of over-dark greens and grays. I am perfectly fine with visual darkness (when used effectively and in the right spots and isn't overused on a grand scale) but I also need visual variety and to some degree brigtness. The literal darkness of the season turned me off visually for many episodes. I have this same gripe with the show Angel which in my opinion is stuck in overdarkness for seasons 2-4. This isn't just because of the DVDs either (considering the visual flaws, the technical apects of this dvd are relatively good) because seaosn 3 looks even worse on tv. Even relatively bright episodes like Earshot have an annoying greenish and grayishness to them. I don't know if this is just me but season 3, visually, is a disaster.

Now to my storywise gripes with this season. The Buffy/Angel relationship felt doomed and dragging, the overall arc wasn't interesting and lost momentum, and the bad girl Faith lost appeal because of the "let's save her" attitude taken on by her friends and the visual style which seemed to somehow upstage Eliza Dusku's fantastic acting. It would have been best to not make any effort to humanize Faith and have the other characters treat her like a straight sociopath. Also the high-school setting was getting old. Also some very interesting villians (a la Mr. Trick) were underutilized. And some not so great villians (a la the mayor) were overutilized. Also the finale episode's big battle didn't make sense and had horrible effects (but was fun).

Now to what was good with the season. There are a number of standout episodes espicially the parallel universe ones and Earshot. Also the season opener is fantastic and Lover's Walk (Spike's brilliant season 3 cameo) ranks among one of the greatest episodes of Buffy. The character of Wesley was a great addition to the show (but lost all his charm on Angel when he went from a "caricature" to a dark, brood, and "complex" "character" an unwise decion). Principal Snyder remains in my opinion one of the greatest and funniest Buffy characters ever (and since he's not shown too much in the dark the visual flaws don't affect as much. Also his resembelence to a ferrangi (well he plays Quark on Star Trek Ds9, who I believe shares a loveable ruthlessness with Snyder) just made him more funny. Ever time I saw him I started expecting him to spurt out quotes from the rules of aquisition or give a lecture on profit. The main character's development is okay. I lost all my real caring for the Buffy/Angel realtionship, Faith was a lost cause from the begininning, and Xander and Willow were meant for eachother, but I loved what they did with Giles's character.

The extras are great, but some of the commentaries are hard to watch due to the fact that some apply to some of the visually blander episodes.

Do I recomend it, yes.

Do I guarantee you'll enjoy it visually, no.

But it's still Buffy, it's still quality and you still have to see it.

Maybe these visual flaws are only noticed by me or don't apply to anyone else, who knows. ... Read more

Amazon.com

For many fans, the Superman revisionist series Smallville truly hit its stride in its second season, when it shifted focus from traditional comic book conflicts to one of self-discovery for its hero, a teenage Clark Kent (Tom Welling).Fans and first-timers can judge for themselves with this six-disc set, which compiles all 23 episodes and a decent selection of supplemental features. Whereas season 1 focused on Clark using his powers to combat a host of menaces à la the WB's other big fantasy hit, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, season 2 delved into Clark's past and the extent of his super powers, most notably in the back-to-back "Heat," in which he discovers his heat vision, and "Red," in which red kryptonite in the high school class rings uncorks Clark's less-than-upstanding side. Other plot developments from the season that pull the series in interesting directions include the arrival of Dr. Helen Bryce (Emanuelle Vaugier), who becomes involved with Lex Luthor (Michael Rosenbaum), but the season's most significant moment comes during episode 17, "Rosetta," in which Clark learns of his Kryptonian origins courtesy of a scientist, who, in an effective bit of casting, is played by Superman film star Christopher Reeve.

The complexity of the writing and issues dealt with in season 2 marked Smallville as a series with depth and drama worthy of its considerable fan following as well as a second boxed set; fittingly, the supplements in this set are more expansive than on the first one.Producers Alfred Gough, Miles Millar, and Greg Beeman and cast members Welling, Rosenbaum, and Kristen Kreuk weigh in on commentary tracks for two episodes ("Red" and "Rosetta"), while a trio of short featurettes explore Christopher Reeves's appearance in "Rosetta," the show's visual effects, and the amusing "Wall of Weird" web page maintained by Chloe (Allison Mack). The extras are rounded out by a handful of deleted scenes and a gag reel. --Paul Gaita ... Read more

Reviews (50)

Date with Destiny
The legendary adventures of the Teen of Steel continues with "Smallville: The Complete Second Season" Box Set. The second season of the WB hit series successfully picks up from the events of last season's stirring finale and explores further into the Superman myth. Clark Kent (Tom Welling) begins to investigate his origins and learns some stunning revelations of his true destiny on Earth. The rivalry between Lex Luther (Michael Rosenbaum) and his devious father (John Glover) heats up and the new woman in Lex's life (Emmanuelle Vaugier) could be his salvation or tragic fall. The close friendship between Lana (Kristen Kreuk) and Chloe (Allison Mack) creates certain difficulties for Clark. The second season shows significant improvements in the series' dramatic content and the relationship between the characters. The second season also avoids the repetitive "meteor freak of the week" trend, but still offers some thrilling action sequences and great visual effects. The episodes storylines appear more creative and better structured, and allow the supporting cast to have a stronger effect in the series' outcome.

The "Second Season" 6-Disc Box Set is a reasonable improvement over the "First Season" Box Set. Like the previous box set, all 23 episodes are presented in 1.78:1 anamorphic widescreen format. Its picture quality isn't spectacular but is certainly well-defined. The 2.0 Dolby Digital sound is rather pleasant. Some episodes contain deleted scenes and insightful audio commentaries with producers Alfred Gough and Miles Millar, and cast members Tom Welling, Kristen Kreuk and Michael Rosenbaum. The box set also includes the engaging "The Chloe Chronicles", "Christopher Reeve: Man of Steel" and "Faster than a Speeding Bullet" featurettes, a fun gag reel and some colorful interactive menus. "The Complete Second Season" Box Set will delight fans of the hit WB series and scores a satisfying "B+".

Smallville : Origins
Who am I?. Where did I come from?. What is my destiny?. Those are the questions that make up the main story arc for the second season of this wonderful show. Origins. It was a fantastic direction for the show after it's debut season, which was very good, but was too "Monster Of The Week". The series really gets settled and comes into it's own in this spectacular season that definitley raises the bar. It starts to add onto the already existing mythology and legend of Superman, while creating it's very own. The show is always at it's best when it touches upon the mythology and tweaks it. The season begins with the fantastic "Vortex", where our characters and the town come to grips after a devastating tornado. "Heat" is a very cool episode where Clark gains another super power. Judging from the title, you know what that is. One of the best episodes of the season is the episode "Duplicity", where friend Pete learns of Clark's true secret. Other stand outs include the classic "Red", where Clark comes into contact with red kryptonite, which turns him into the Anti-Clark. The mysterious indian caves that have ancient paintings on the wall that could be extraterrestial set in motion the main story in "Sleepwalker", but the story really hits it's mark with the powerful and historic "Rosetta", which features Christopher Reeve as a brilliant scientist who just may have answers Clark is looking for. A superb episode that features a hint of the Superman theme. You WILL get shivers. Former regular Whitney returns in "Visage", or does he?. There are many other great eps here like "Fever", "Precipice", and the excellent two part finale, "Calling" and "Exodus". There are more great moments, but too many to mention. There are a handful of throwaway eps like "Dichotic", with Jonathan Taylor Thomas as a student who can clone himself, and the return of season 1's Ryan in "Ryan". The show is beautifully shot and choreographed and uses bright, vibrant colors. The special effects are top notch and some of the best seen on television. The effects are very sophisticated and eye grabbing. The acting has improved, not that it was bad. Tom Welling has settled and seems more comfortable in the role of Clark. Michael Rosenbaum continues to shine as Lex Luthor, and his relationship with his dad Lionel(Who is played by the fantastic John Glover)is fascinating and undeniable. One reviewer asks why Lex is even in the story. Huh?. I guess HE doesn' know the story. John Schneider and Annette 'O' Toole are also on hand as Jonathan and Martha Kent, giving two worthwhile performances and some of the best representations of parents on TV. Friend Pete though, while getting some more scenes, is still used sparingly. Kristin Kreuk, while beautiful and alluring, does what she can with Lana, and the writers have done little to expand on the character. While many people will belittle the show for heading into the relationship area and soap opera-y type stuff, that isn't the point. Clark loved Lana and so it is being showed. It doesn't make it less worthwhile or light. The writing isn't up to the high standards by other shows, but it is what the show is and it's solid, intelligent, and well crafted. There is no doubt that "Smallville" will continue to fly high(as it already has), and won't be coming down any time soon.

The show that insults an American mythos
For starters,comic book purists HATE it when a classic book gets tampered with or heavily manipulated. This is especially true when it comes to comic books that make the transition to TV and film. Why,you ask? Because they turn out disappointing about 70% of the time.Written and produced,almost always,by a bunch of Hollywood writers who've never read comics before. More often than not,it's not a labor of love for the writers,it's just another script..Sometimes they can be good(The first two Superman movies,Tim Burton's "Batman" the first season of "Wonder Woman","Ghost World"and the two Spider-Man flicks)some mediocre("The Flash","Hulk","Hellboy","Birds of Prey","The Punisher")and some just downright awful("The Human Target","Dr.Strange","Captain America")

So,now we get "Smallville". I have nothing but some bitterness for a show that takes a 66 year old comic legend and reduces him to a teeny-bopper,"Dawson's Creek"pretty boy shill. For any real comic book fans like myself,this is a slap in the face. Anyone who's ever regularly read the Superman comics know that Smallville,far and away,was/is the least interesting part of Superman's origin. Beyond him being found by the Kents in the rocketship,slowly discovering his powers and experiencing his first love with Lana Lang,the fun that was Clark's home town pretty much has always stopped there. So,why make a whole series about it? And how lame and desperate is it to have to create other metahumans using that radioactive meteor (almost all of them evil and conveniently within Smallville's city limits)just to give Clark something to do? To make this even more ridiculous, it's almost always an uneven fight unless the villian that week gets a hold of some kryptonite.

Another problem with making a Superman "prequel" of sorts is that the mythos is limited and not fully tapped. Sure,the planet Krypton,kryptonite (in both green and red) STAR Labs,Metorpolis and Intercrime get used and name-dropped often but it's just not enough. Ok,Perry White also pays a visit as does Morgan Edge,but again,it's short shrift. Beyond Luthor (the only interesting character on the show) and the aforementioned Edge,the rest of the Man of Steel's arch-enemies are MIA. This means no signs of classic Supes baddies like Metallo,the Prankster,the Toyman,General Zod(from both the comics and "Superman 2")Bizarro,Mr.Mxypltk,the Parasite,etc.Yeah,they have the "villian of the week"schitck but none really interesting enough to warrant a return. Hell,even the recently cancelled "Birds of Prey"brought in classic Batman villian Clayface and also Batgirl's quasi-arch rival Lady Shiva! The writers have painted themselves into a corner and,therefore,can only use about a third of anything from the Superman history. This would be like doing a TV series focusing on Bruce Wayne after his parents' murder and he still hadn't gotten the inspiration to become Batman yet.Think of it: no Batcave,Batmobile,no cool utility belt,the grim black/grey Batsuit,etc. Now try to envision having to watch all this every week. Boring,right? This is what "Smallville" has become: turning the most powerful superhero in the history of comics into a melodramatic goof.

Millar and Gough,the Smallville writers,have adopted a strict"no tights/no cape" i.e. no costumes. Since they've made pretty much made Clark Superboy without the red & blue suit,you're sometimes wondering "what's the point of watching if he's not even going to change?" or do anything truly "Super"? Yeah,they have him running at super-speed,using his heat and x-ray vision for the first time and,of course,that super-strength is a given. However,it loses its punch when you see Clark doing all this in a pair of jeans and a t-shirt. Half the fun that goes with being a superhero is the secret identity,that juggling of the duality,which he doesn't really seem to have much of here. Of course,Ma & Pa Kent knew from day one as does best friend Pete of Clark's powers. And I don't believe for a second that Luthor hasn't known all this time.

Yes,there are some bits of action but not enough to write home about. Ask almost anyone and they'll tell you that Superman,in general,is boring compared to his contemporaries(Batman is still the most popular character in the DC Universe,far and away)but he is still the WORLD'S most popular superhero. MIllar and Gough have just made Clark Kent even more one-dimensional and lifeless than ever with "Smallville". Nice attempt,boys,at trying to infuse the teen angst similar to classic Lee/Ditko-era "Spider-Man"but it's just too forced. One wonders if Superman creators Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster are spinning in thier graves after hearing about the latest incarnation of thier classic icon.

At the end of the day,Millar and Gough are not showing any respect or love for the legend and seem more inspired on the marketing scheme than anything else. For crissakes,at least ABC-TV's "Lois & Clark"captured the fun of the comic,even with its heavy"will they or won't they?"subplot. And they had villians from the comic! "Smallville"is a teen chatter-fest,clearly marketed to girls and young women who really aren't there to see the heroics so much as to see the smaltzy melodrama between Clark and Lang. For comic book fans everywhere, I recommend that you save your pennies and just rent it or ,better yet,wait until it's syndicated and watch the reruns.

Tom Welling IS Superman!
The second season of this show is even better than the first one! The writing and acting improved drastically, and Tom Welling's acting ability blossomed considerably in this second season. The focus on character relationships is alot better than in the first season, and there's alot of character developement. There's still a heaping helping of Kryptonite mutants for Clark to square off with, however it's not as formulatic as in the first season. Also, the best episode of the season by far is the episode "Rosetta", featuring Christopher Reeve! It was a great episode, and not only did it delve into Clark's origins, but it felt almost like a passing of the torch, from one man of steel to the next. A great season, and definately a must own DVD set for Superman fans, along with the first season.

I sincerely hope that Warner Brothers chooses to use Tom Welling and the rest of the Smallville cast in a Superman movie. Smallville really does feel like it's a prequel to a Superman movie series, and it'd be a terrible shame if this vision is never realised. Christopher Reeve himself has endorsed Tom Welling as the next Superman for the silver screen, and is lobbying to get him into the new movie. Also, the performances of John Schneider, Annette O'Toole and Michael Rosenbaum are excellent as well, and it would be wonderful to see their performances carried into the new movie series.

AN EPIC MASTERPIECE OF A SHOW
Let me begin by saying, James Lowrie, a reviewer from Amazon, asked a question regarding the DVD. James, I have a response at the bottom of this review. :)

"SMALLVILLE" the first season began on a dramatic high when a meteor shower struck the quaint little town of Smallville. From that shower came a young Clark Kent, a boy with special abilities. The first season played with the abilities and basically was action-packed, featuring a teenage Clark Kent battling meteor-freaks. It began very well, but still, had much room for improvement as far as storylines go.

Then came the thrilling opener to the second season, a continuation of the cliffhanger in season one. BOOM! BANG! Here it is, the second season! Here we see much more character developement, as Clark Kent digs deeper into his roots to really figure out who he is, and Lex Luthor (at this point Clark's good friend) tries to fight his demons, A.K.A. his twisted father, Lionel Luthor. Part of the genius of the season is Tom Welling's portrayal of Clark Kent. He plays the hero as not one of those action-movie type heroes, but rather, just a normal kid. He's not Superman yet. This is the story of how he becomes Superman, and thus, Tom Welling plays him as being just a mild-mannered teenager confused about his routes, wanting to know his destiny. Meanwhile, Michael Rosenbaum creates a dramatically brilliant performance as Lex Luthor. Poor Lex is tortured by the fact that he may grow up to be just like his father, and he is doing everything he finds humanly possible to stop that from happening. BUT...an important thing to see here is the point to all this. The creators of the show are not saying that if your father is a bad man, you will be. No. This season explores more in depth character study to show you that you CAN fight your destiny, but if you let your demons get in the way, like Lex's father, problems arise. At this point there's not much he can do to avoid it, but in the third season, Lex lets his father into his life in a way that creates more disturbing problems. The Lex and Lionel Luthor conflicts are part of the key reason for the show's massive success. John Glover plays Lionel with such a twsited outlook on life, but yet, gives the character many sides, so you also sympathize with him. His performance is incredible, and the chemistry between Glover and Rosenbaum is nothing short of extraordinary. As Lionel gets closer and clsoer to making Lex stray to the dark side, he also begins to be more and more curious about the enigma of Clark Kent. You see, Clark is trying to fight his destiny also. In an exquisite episode titled "Rosetta" he is told by Dr. Virgil Swann (CHRISTOPHER REEVES, THE MAN OF STEELE HIMSELF!) that his destiny is to take over the world. Now Clark is also on a quest to prevent his destiny from occurring. Thus, Clark and Lex are so much alike, but will ultimately be torn apart. Meanwhile, Clark and the love of his life, Lana Lang, grow closer, as his reporter friend, Chloe, who has the hots for him, becomes a bit envious.

Some of the best episodes include "Insurgence" in which Lionel Luthor bugs Lex's mansion with spy equipment, and Lex turns the tables, "Rosetta" the episode where Christopher Reeves reveals some secrets to Clark about his destiny, "Calling" where Clark begins to grow closer to Lana and Lionel grows closer to Clark's secret and "Exodus" the season finale that will take your breath away and leave you heartbroken and looking forward to the following season.

The DVD features are all very excellent, including a behind the scenes look at the making of the superb special effects in the show, an interview with some actors, including Christopher Reeves, deleted scenes, the CHLOE CHRONICLES, and a hilarious blooper reel! :)

And, James Lowrie, to answer your question, yes, the DVD does come with a booklet, at least mine did. I'm curious why yours didn't? It should be right in the front there in the front pouch. ... Read more

Amazon.com

Otto Preminger expanded his vision in the 1960s with a whole series of ambitious, expansive dramas with huge casts and big themes. Advise and Consent, an examination of deal making, party politics, and congressional diplomacy in Washington's legislative halls (based on the novel by Allen Drury), is one of his best. Preminger broke the blacklist with his previous film, Exodus, and it rings through in this drama about a controversial nominee for secretary of state (a confident, stately Henry Fonda) accused of being a Communist. The nomination process becomes the center ring of the political circus, with fidgety accuser Burgess Meredith in the spotlight; devious, silver-tongued Charles Laughton cracking the whip as a southern senator with a grudge against Fonda; and party whip Walter Pidgeon lining up votes behind the scenes. Arm twisting and diplomatic hardball turns to perjury and blackmail, and a melodramatic twist gives this lesson in party politics a salacious soap opera dimension. Preminger's style has been hailed as "objective," but it's really a matter of attentiveness: he gives all the character their due and their say, eschewing heroes and villains for an exploration of people clashing over opposing goals. In fact, the weakest elements of the film are the unscrupulous populist senator played by George Grizzard and the badly dated caricatures that populate a notorious underground club. The video preserves the handsome widescreen black-and-white photography, keeping Preminger's careful and measured editing intact. --Sean Axmaker ... Read more

Reviews (12)

Mildly Interesting Political Drama
Anybody who has seen C-Span can verify the authenticity of the Senate debates portrayed in the film.All the rhetoric and long-winded posturing on display here feels real.The film is long and at times it borders on the tedious, but so is alot of Senate debate.The film is almost torpedoed by a subplot involving the skeletons in one senator's closet.The film recovers at the end for a thrilling floor vote of a controversial Secretary-of-State nominee(Henry Fonda).Probably the film's best performances come from the older cast members, Walter Pidgeon, Lew Ayres, and Paul Ford.Fonda, the film's ostensible star, basically appears in a glorified cameo and seems to be phoning it in.

Not as goodas"The Manchurian Canidate", from the same
year, (1962).But it is still a very good political mellow drama.The excellent cast presents a primer on how congress works, the presidency, succession & party politics. An almost comatose Henry Fonda plays the Secretary of State nominee, Robert Leffington & suspected Communist. Walter Pidgeon does a fine job as the Majority Leader sheparding the nomination through the Senate. The real scene stealer is Charles Laughton in maybe his best role as Senator Seab Cooley, a red-baiting, red-neck determined to destroy Leffington at all costs.
A fine well know cast included, Lew Ayres, Peter Lawford, Gene Tierney & Burgess Meridith. Charles Laughton however, saved his best performance for last.

A classic for all times
This book is a classic.The acotrs are marvelous.Orrin Knox could have been more involved in the movie like he was in the book.I really didn't like the actor who protrayed Orrin Knox.The ending of the movie was brilliant.Seab Cooley and the vice president have always been two of my favorite characters.The movie is just as good as book (which I have read numerous times) and this is unusal.Both the book and the movied should be required in both high schools and colleges.

"C'mon in! Don't just stand there!"
Talk about an all-star cast: when Otto Preminger brought Allan Drury's epic study of a Senate confirmation of a morally ambiguous nominee for Secretary of State, he got just about everyone in Hollywood to participate. Though the best roles go to Charles Laughton as a manipulative (but intensely likeable) South Carolina senator and Franchot Tone as the tortured President, not everyone got so lucky; the novel had so many characters that some big actors (like Gene Tierney, wasted as a Washington hostess) are pretty much trapped in throwaway roles.

Preminger was pretty progressive by Hollywood standards, and so the Senate he depicts is remarkably diverse, with senators of many ethnic backgrounds. There's a great cameo (the film's standout moment) from Betty White, who, as a shrewd Kansas senator, trounces George Grizzard, the despicable Senator Van Ackerman (from Wyoming, of course, so as to offend the least number of audience members possible) in open debate on the Senate floor. Preminger was really daring (for the time) in his willingness to tackle the subject of the blackmail of homosexuals in the film. It should be said, however, that the film's notorious depiction of a gay bar (the first Hollywood film to do so openly since the institution of the Hays code) as a nightmarish cesspool of vice, where the fat effeminate bartender hysterically beckons in the horrified Don Murray (see my title), probably did more to keep gay men in the closet in the Sixties than anything Hollywood ever did.

The Granddaddy Of Political Movies!
This ultra-realistic 1962 drama of the goings-on in Washington, D.C. must rank as one of the best films of its type ever made. It's a lengthy one (2 hrs., 19 min.), but it never gets dry.The many veteran actors assembled to comprise this cast see to that.The roster includes Henry Fonda, Franchot Tone, Charles Laughton, Lew Ayres, Walter Pidgeon, and Burgess Meredith!There's also Don Murray, who probably gets more screen time here than anyone else. And I think Murray shines bright in his role as the senator with a deep, dark secret!Pidgeon is also particularly convincing in this film.This was Mr. Laughton's final motion picture.

If you've never seen Advise & Consent ..... then get it today!It's a thoroughly engrossing and powerful movie experience! ... Read more

Reviews (191)

Docked two stars for shoddy DVD treatment
First of all, let me go on the record as saying that Glengarry Glen Ross is one of my all-time favorite films. The acting is nothing short of astounding. Each actor (particularly Jack Lemmon) is at the top of their form. This is an actor's movie. There's no special effects, chase scenes, superfluous love story subplot, or pat ending. It should be obvious to anyone watching this film that it is based on a play -- specifically, David Mamet's Pulitzer-prize winning play of the same name. Mamet also wrote the screenplay, which is full of the fiery brilliance he always brings to the table. This is not a film for the timid. The language is raw and crude. The film takes no prisoners and I love it.

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.

Best Sales Movie Ever
Exaggeration & Repetition: Performance keys to live by

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.

A play trapped inside a movie.
'Glengarry Glen Ross' has good dialogue and good acting by the fine actors, but this is actually a play trapped inside a movie. They should not have made it into a movie.

Put that coffee down!
If you're looking for car crashes, gun fights and naked people you won't find them here. But if great dialogue and raw emotion hold your interest, it doesn't get any better than this. Every one of these guys should have won an award for their roles in this movie. Not sure if this particular DVD contains the interview with Jack Lemmon that was included after one of the cable TV broadcasts of the film. If not, it should!

Always Be Closing!
Most people think of explosions, car chases and action/adventure films as guy movies. Well, maybe, but those are for boys. There's no car chase in this movie, no deaths and no guns. But it manages to hold your attention while telling its story of real estate salesmen. This is the quintessential guy movie. This screen adaptation of David Mamet's Pulitzer-winning play is incredibly stagebound, which was a stroke of genius: thus, the fast-paced dialogue and the desperate, macho facades of the characters become, and stay, the focus. This allows the amazing talents of the cast to flourish. Pacino and Lemmon are untouchable. Ed Harris is outstanding. Having just the four main characters makes the whole thing seem oddly forced at times. Baldwin's slick delivery of his ball-busting speech to the three underachieving salesmen, is a scene to remember. Highly recommended. ... Read more

Amazon.com

The world can be divided into two camps: those who will watch Joshua reverently and gratefully, and those who will not touch it with a 10-foot pole. The reverent probably own Joseph F. Girzone's bestselling novel about a mysterious but friendly loner who shows up in a small American town and blesses every life he touches. Whites and blacks, Catholics, Protestants, and Jews will work side by side as newly recognized brethren; an estranged couple will resolve to save their marriage; the lonely and disconnected will embrace and be embraced by community; etc. The message--the healing power of Christ's love--is beyond reproach, the intentions of the filmmakers entirely benign, but there is not one whit of dramatic tension or narrative complication to any of it. The cast is stronger than usual in such religious projects (Tony Goldwyn, Oscar^® winner F. Murray Abraham, Giancarlo Giannini as the Pope), but no one has a prayer with a script that posits the hero's Christhood on the fact that 12 people show up for his going-away dinner. --Richard T. Jameson ... Read more

Reviews (96)

Uplifting and inspirational... a movie to treasure
All too often the lack of quality acting, writing or a budget tends to ruin filmaker's attempts to bring a quality Christian work to the screen. Left Behind is an example and if you are a fan of the series and saw the movie, then you understand what I mean. So it should come as no surprise that anyone like myself who has so enjoyed the Joshua series written by Joseph Girzone would be skeptical about the movie. But very quickly I realized that not only was this movie going to be fairly faithful to the original book, it was also going to maintain the consistant message of love and salvation that sometimes gets lost in Christian filmmaking. Tony Goldwyn whose probably been typecast since Ghost, quickly made me forget that role and pulls off an extraordinary portrayal of Joshua. Add that to a quality supporting cast and some surprises that stray a bit from the book but are nonetheless enjoyable, I would recommend this movie to anyone, whether you are a fan of the series or not.

Touches the Soul
This movie adaptation of Father Girzone's book wonderfully compells the viewer to sit back and be fascinated by a modern day Christ story.

Joshua, an artist and woodcarver, drifts into a small town and within days turns a disjointed group of citizens into a community of good neighbors. Joshua's manner is straightforward, kind, yet fun and amusing---just the kind of guy you'd want at your next get-together. He doesn't preach---he simply is---his love and selflessness runs out from him like cool fresh water to the thirsty. His actions are transforming---but alas, they also cause trouble. The pastor of the local church is frightened by Joshua's charisma and he does his worst to disassemble the band of neighbors by attempting to blacken Joshua's name.

The movie is not as complicated as the novel, the scenes where Joshua is asked to speak at the nearby Jewish Synagogue are completely eliminated as is Girzone's hopeful message of all roads--all houses of worship--leading to the same goal rather than insisting that their way is the only way. The dialogue at times can be a little too persuasive in attempting to disclose the true nature of Joshua--which the audience identifies correctly from the start anyway.

I was disappointed that more attention was not paid to Joshua's exquisite carvings----only one of the statues of Peter is manifested here.
Of note is F. Murray Abraham's portrayal of the threatened pastor and lovely sad-eyed Giancarlo Giannini as the Pope.

Recommended to all who enjoy or need a spiritual kick in the head.

What if Jesus showed up as a carpenter in a small town?
"Joshua," based on Joseph F. Girzone's novel, is not about the Second Coming of Christ. In fact I would think that it is not about a second coming either, because I get the feeling from this film that Jesus has shown up in similar ways countless times before. This time a stranger named Joshua (Tony Goldwyn) shows up in the quiet town of Auburn. He moves into a dilapidated old barn on the outside of town and when he finds a Baptist church that was destroyed in a storm, he starts working on fixing it up. This seems odd to the members of the congregation of that church, but some of them start to pitch in and help Joshua.

There are no real surprises in "Joshua," especially since the opening credits tell us that Giancarlo Giannini plays the Pope in the movie we are about to see. But the point of the story here is not to tell you anything you do not already know. The message, when Joshua actually articulates one, is the one that has been around for almost two thousand years. So the attraction here is the enticing "what if?" as to what it would be like if Jesus suddenly showed up in your neck of the woods and started doing things and talking to people. Joshua does not preach series nor does he tell parables. The important thing here is that when you talk, he listens to you.

This is not the first time that a movie has tried to portray a more "realistic" type of Jesus. There was Jeffrey Hunter in the 1961 film "King of Kings," where Jesus walked among the masses while he gave the Sermon on the Mount. In "The Passion of the Christ" the focus on the story is on the scourging and crucifixion of Jesus, but in the film's few flashbacks James Caviezel reveals a remarkably accessible figure. Tony Goldwyn has an advantage in that he does not have to wear the beard, long hair, and flowing robes of the conventional images of the Biblical Jesus. He plays Joshua as what you can only describe as being a good guy, which is more difficult to play that you would think.

Auburn is not a modern Sodom or Gomorrah. The worst you can say about the place is that the different denominations are not paying attention to each other. But then one of the points about Joshua is that he not only fixes churches and carves statues of Peter, he also fixes small things. "Joshua" is about the ministry of Jesus and the miracles have the same affect they did the first time around.

The supporting cast is solid, with F. Murray Abraham as Father Tardone, the local priest who is suspicious of the stranger in town, Kurt Fuller as Father Pat Hayes, who is captivated by that same stranger, and Stacy Edwards as Maggie, who has a different idea as to what void in her life Joshua can fill. Granted, anyone who has never been to church on Sunday is not going to be interested in this film, but "Joshua" should appeal to most Christian audiences, who will find it a pleasant reaffirmation of their beliefs.

A Gift from the lord
I have watched this movie well over 50 times, though i dont beleive in the church i do beleive in god, this movie i have recommended to others in need weather it be for emotional support or physical pain, it is uplifting, and beautiful. I truely beleive that the actors in this movie at the making were guided by the hand of God, This is a MUST SEE MOVIE....if not a must own movie, one of the nicest aspects of it was all ages can watch it, and get something out of it

A true call to everyone
The first time seeing this movie was completely by chance. My family and I rented it one evening without knowing what it was about at all. For whatever reason it stood out on that shelf, I may never know, however, the impact it has left upon me will last my lifetime. ... Read more

Reviews (110)

one the definitive films of the '80s finally on DVD!
WALL STREET has always been one of my favourite Oliver Stone films. it crackles with the same intense, acerbic dialogue as SWEET SMELL OF SUCCESS. from his "Greed is good" speech to the way he handles day to day deals with ruthless efficiency, you can see how Michael Douglas nailed this role of the ultimate amoral insider and deservedly won the Oscar that year for Best Actor.

after watching this film on a crappy pan and scam VHS tape, it is so gratifying to finally see this film given a proper DVD treatment. the transfer is crisp and clear with good sound but the real selling points are the fascinating documentary -- which features Douglas and Charlie Sheen and their views and thoughts of the film after all this time -- and Stone's informative and candid audio commentary. for someone like myself who has seen this film a zillion times, listening to Stone's observations on his movie was a real treat. great stuff. along with GLENGARRY GLEN ROSS, this is one of THE best films about money, greed and the people who ruthlessly pursue it.

'Gekko the Great'
Real-life bigtime investment banker Jeff Beck not only advised Oliver Stone when he made 'Wallstreet' but also stars in this film for a few minutes playing himself at a climactic meeting of topdog-lawyers and bankers. He delivers one of the many exhilirating monologues in this Epic tale of greed, pride and innocense lost. "Now your boss will really start thinking he's Gekko the Great!" He shouts at Bud Fox (Charlie Sheen) who plays a struggling young stockbroker who's desperately trying to get on the fast-track to becoming a "player".

Michael Douglas who plays 'Gordon Gekko' (not 'Gecko' as the Amazon review suggests, the name can be seen in the scene where Charlie Sheen turns on his computer in the morning and finds out it's "Gekko's Birthday") puts on such a mindblowing performance he really can be dubbed 'Gekko the Great'. The character is right up there with Don Vito Corleone, Tony Montana, Popeye Doyle and some other members of that elite group of high-octane male movie-characters that will long outlive the actors that created them.

Gordon Gekko is a high profile corporate raider that was probably modeled after Ivan Boesky (the biggest corporate raider of the 80's who eventually went behind bars for insider-trading), Michael Milken (creator and unchallenged 80's king of the high yield or junk-bond) and John Guttfreund (CEO of Salomon Brothers in the 80's who'se extravert and bizarre behaviour is documented in the classic books "Liar's Poker" (Michael Lewis) and "Barbarians at the Gate" (John Helyar).

Michael Douglas seems to have been born to play this part and from the moment he is introduced ("Lunch? whaddaya kiddin' me, lunch is for wimps!") to the moment we viewers have to part from his hypnotic character ("I gave you Darian, I gave you everything!") he reduces any leaps of faith that his character may present us with to tiny hops due to his powerhouse presence. In fact, whenever I see Michael Douglas in another movie I have the strange feeling that Gordon Gekko is trapped inside and might burst out at any time to hose us down with sardonic one-liners. ("Love is just an old lie created to keep people from jumping out of windows.")

Gekko is truly the "mother of all high-rollers", and his performance alone more than warrants the purchase of this film.

Charles Sheen plays a believable 'Bud Fox' but one wonders what a late 80's Tom Cruise or Kiefer Sutherland might have done with the part. Charlie never really creates the electricity that Douglas shocks the audience with.

I won't get into the details of the story here but will post some comments on the general themes in the movie.

There's the theme that Stone had already explored in 'Platoon' of two fathers fighting for the soul of their son. In Platoon it was Tom Berenger and Willem Dafoe battling for custody of Charlie Sheen's spirit. In Wallstreet it's Douglas and Martin Sheen representing the 'exciting but evil' and 'wholesome but tedious' ways to go for Charlie Sheen's character. This theme introduces some good tension in the storytelling.

The other theme that Stone put into this narrative is the bleeding heart "Capitalism is bad and unfair" jingle. "I don't produce anything...I own..." Gekko confesses at one point. "How many boats to waterski behind do you need? When is it enough?!" cries a shocked Bud Fox. The moral comments on succesful capitalists come accros somewhat naive and in my opinion don't really work. I won't go into the details but most people I've met who've seen the movie don't even remember what it was about Gordon Gekko that was so wrong. All they remember is the classic "Greed is Good" speech and ironically most of them agree with Gekko on the issue. The fact that Oliver Stone lets Gekko initiate industrial espionage is the reason I gave the movie only four stars instead of five.

I personnaly think this was a real blooper. A man in Gekko's position doesn't need the aggravation of blatantly breakin the law. There's a good plot-line concerning a fictive company 'Bluestar Airlines' that Gekko has his own plans with to make himself rich and get scores of hard working people fired that adds enough suspense to the tale. It seems as though Stone was so set on painting a negative picture of egoistical an a-moral Wallstreeters that he went one bridge too far.

Fact is that, if anything, this movie is like a recruiting video for Investment Banking. What "Top Gun" did for Naval Aviation "Wall Street" has done for Investment Banking. Big corporate banks have never had to complain about the amount of interested well educated young hopefulls but nowadays there's probably not one person sitting in any dealing room anywhere in the world who has not seen Wall Street. I am currently a trader in Amsterdam and I am convinced that if it wasn't for the scenes that have the camera following runners and stressed out yuppies yelling "How about those september 40's!" I wouldn't have been in this racket.

The dealing room-scenes are some of the most exhilirating scenes in the history of cinematography. Spielberg sucked in audiences with his scenes of Normandy's beaches in '44. Stone creates the same spellbinding grip on the audience without getting anybody shot or brutally maimed. That alone is a great achievement for any director in Hollywood. More so for the man who made a career in gory cinematic violence with 'Scarface', 'Platoon' and 'Natural Born Killers'.

Al Hail Gekko the Great! See this movie again and again. It's full of catchy one-liners that will make you not only the toast of any party but might provide you with more of an energy boost than any Tony Robbins video ever will. "Life all comes down to a few moments...this is one of them."

One of the Best Movies of the 1980's
Oliver Stone will never be known for subtlety. "Wall Street" bashes you over the head with its message- getting to the top in society requires duplicity, dishonesty, and the willingness to destroy any obstacle. However, unlike Ayn Rand, Stone vilifies rather than lauds this dubious morality. Bud Fox is a fresh faced, innocent stock broker trying to get ahead through hard work and elbow grease, as he was taught by his father. Bud soon meets powerful, charismatic corporate raider Gordon Gekko, incapable of love, remorse, or empathy. Gekko, we are told, sold NASA short 15 minutes after the Challenger exploded (impossible since the shuttle was destroyed in 1986 and the film is set in 1985!). Gekko predictably seduces Bud with his world of "perks", and Bud's star rises dramatically the farther he falls into corruption.

Throughout the film, Bud serves as a sounding board for the rival values of Gekko and his father. The speech most cited by critics and fans is the immortal "Greed is Good" monologue. While this speech, standing alone, is a vigorous defense of capitalism and selfishness, it is important to note that Gekko is using it at a shareholders' meeting against a lousy, entrenched, and greedy management!

Inevitably, Bud is forced to decide whether to follow his father's philosophy or Gekko's, and to pay the price for his misdeeds. A slight complaint with the ending- the fate of Gekko is hinted at rather than displayed. Gordon Gekko has become something of a hero for young, wanna-be big shots, who are attracted to the glamour of his lifestyle and his "up your's, I got mine!" attitude much as Bud was. Perhaps seeing Gekko get his comeuppance could have made an impression.

Overall, Wall Street is a tight, well done character drama populated with iconic characters delivering iconic dialogue that acts as an indictment of a decade. The movie and its message will stay with you long after viewing it.

As for the DVD, the sound, although in 5.1, is relegated almost exclusively to the center channel. One does not hear the sounds of Manhattan from all directions as Bud navigates the concrete jungle. The video quality appears grainy in some areas. This is a great movie worthy of better treatment on DVD.

Good.
'Wall Street' was a good movie, although once again, Oliver Stone goes way over the top. Powerful speech about greed by Michael Douglas though.

My favourite movie
I found this movie to be fantastic. I loved every minute of it. Most of this movie seemed to tie in with politics. Being a conservative, I found this very interesting. The plot of millionare Gordon Gekko followed along the ways life should be lived. Greed, power, and self-confidence.

Revenge was another big part in this movie. I liked how Charlie
Sheen played his role of Bud Fox. Towards the end the focus was to screw over Gekko and to have sweet revenge.

From this movie came my favourite quote of all:
"... greed, for the lack of a better word , is good. Greed is right, Greed works. Greed clarifies, cuts through, and captures the essense of the evolutionary spirit. Greed, in all its forms-greed for life, for money, knowledge has marked an upward surge of mankind..."

I'm not sure that my way is the way that Oliver Stone intended his movie to be interpereted. Oh well, I don't necessarilly care. Greed is Good! ... Read more

Amazon.com

Driven by intelligent, constantly surprising and moving performances from the film's leads, Dear Frankie stars Emily Mortimer (Lovely and Amazing) as Lizzie, Scottish mother of Frankie (Jack McElhone), a deaf and highly intelligent 9-year-old. Constantly uprooting themselves and relocating from town to town, Lizzie and Frankie are on the run from the latter's abusive father, a fact unknown to the boy, who believes his dad is a busy seaman sending letters full of adventure and love. In fact, Lizzie is writing those missives, but she is faced with a challenge when Frankie discovers his father's ship will dock nearby. Lizzie hires a kind, handsome stranger (Gerard Butler) to play Frankie's dad, creating an odd situation in which ever-growing lies become a conduit for love, and Lizzie's repressed desires come to the fore with a man posing as her husband. The moral tangles are of interest in director Shona Auerbach's charmingly paced, quietly insightful drama-comedy, but so is the glorious feeling of watching these characters come fully alive. --Tom Keogh ... Read more

Reviews (34)

Astounding
Many people have figured out that some low-budget films are as good as any expensively advertised films--even better. Well, Dear Frankie is one of them.
Starring a hugely talented Emily Mortimer as Frankie's mom, Lizzie, the film follows a family around that constanly has to move, because of the fear that Frankie's estranged father will show up and take him away. As Lizzie puts it in the movie, "Frankie wasn't born deaf. It was a gift from his daddy." However, Lizzie wants to protect her son from his disturbing past, and tells him his dad is on a boat. She has him write letters to his "dad", and then reads and answers them herself. This is not, however, a sob story for a unfortunate deaf boy. Frankie is perfectly fine being the way he is, and others are at ease around him, because he is happy.
Anyway, one day, Frankie reads that the boat that his father is supposedly on is coming to a dock very near to his house. His friend bets him his father will not visit, and Lizzie decides to do something about it. She meets a Stranger (Gerard Butler) and he agrees to be Frankie's father. The story unfolds from there beautifully, but I won't spoil it; you have to see the movie!!
I admit, the reason I wanted to see this movie was because the spectacular Gerry Butler was in it! And fans of his, you will be very pleased if you see him in this movie. But everyone and everything about this movie is what really kept it in my memory. It is easy to tell that it truly came from all the actor's hearts, and this really pays off. So, instead of seeing a high budget movie, please, do a favor for yourself and find Dear Frankie. You won't be disappointed.

A must see.
Though not cheery because of the dramatic nature of the plot, the film is wholly entertaining and not in anyway dissappointing, even though I strained at times to understand what little Frankie was saying. (HIs accent is quite thick)

Performances were top shelf and everything, including the music, worked well with the scenery, the climax and the ending of this film.

Suitable for children who would enjoy and understand the yound child's compelling drive to know his father.

Emily Mortimer is so expressive, and you yearn for her and Gerard Butler to end up together, even though that'snot real life, and Dear Frankie is a slice of real life.

Take a bite.

90 mile drive and completely worth it!
My mom and I drove 90 miles to get to see this movie. We had been looking forward to it for months, and were afraid that it wasn't going to play anywhere near us. When we saw it, we loved it so much that we went to lunch and came back for the next show. It was an amazing cast and a beautiful story. I can't wait to add it to my movie collection

One of my favorite all time movies
Dear Frankie is one of the best movies I've seen.Its gritty and raw, while at the same time being so warm and sweet.It brings every emotion to the surface, you can't help but feel everything Frankie and his mom are feeling.I can't wait till its out on dvd, I know I will watch this one again and again.It's a movie that will stay with you for a long time.

worth the search
Because Miramax saw fit to bury this movie and spend zero dollars on advertising, anyone who wanted to see it had to track it down.I didn't think I would get a chance to see it in a theater, but it finally came to a small theater 75 miles from me.My family and I made the trip and it was certainly worth it.From the wonderful, haunting piano music at the beginning to the final credits, it was a thoroughly enjoyable movie.The story has been described elsewhere.I will just say that all the actors gave phenomenal performances.I had never seen Emily Mortimer before, but she was great.Gerard Butler has to be one of the most underrated actors today.He can express more with facial expressions and his eyes than most actors can with their whole bodies and loads of dialogue.The young actors were all good.I especially like Frankie's little girl friend.The Scottish locations werepicturesque and evocative.Like I said, there are lots more accessible movies out there, but there are few that are worth the film they are printed on.Dear Frankie is heads and tails above most rubbish in the theaters today.Do yourself a favor and track it down.It is worth the trouble. ... Read more

Amazon.com

A clear-eyed look at the Rwandan genocide is offered in Sometimes in April, a frank take on the 1994 slaughter that claimed upwards of 800,000 lives. Some overlap with Hotel Rwanda is inevitable, and this HBO feature does have similarities, but without the strong suspenseful storyline of Hotel. Its protagonist (the strong Idris Elba, from The Wire) pieces together the past tragedy from the perspective of a decade-later war-crimes tribunal, where his brother is on trial. It's hard to know which is less bearable--the depiction of atrocities, such as mass murder at a girls school, or the second-guessing of the international community, which largely stood by while the horror was unfolding. (Like Hotel Rwanda, this film zeroes in on the U.S. government's distinction that "acts of genocide" occurred in Rwanda rather than "genocide," a Joseph Heller-like absurdity.) The plain style of director Raoul Peck, shooting on location in Rwanda, works for the subject; his film Lumumba was also a direct, blunt account of a tragedy in Africa. The approach doesn't work as well in the U.S. scenes, which feature Debra Winger as a concerned official; these just look clumsy. But the subject itself remains worthy of close attention. --Robert Horton ... Read more

Reviews (15)

A must watch movie to know catastrophic loss of human lives
I have watched both the movie - this and the Hotel Rwanda; and to my utter disappointment one question roams in my mind after watching these movies. How could international community be so indifferent when one part of our world was seeing one of the horrific loss of human lives?

I applaud HBO for their wonderful effort on depicting war time atrocities with such an intensity and perfection; it really touched my heart.

Powerful, Must-See Movie
Deeply unsettling portrayal of Rwandan genocide. Strong performances by entire cast -- very believable. Slow paced at times. Liked HOTEL RWANDA better -- more suspenseful. How can such horrors be ignored repeatedly by major powers in Africa, Europe, Asia, & the Americas? A must see.

Fine companion to Hotel Rwanda
I really enjoyed this movie-as well as Hotel Rwanda.No sense saying one is better then the other-as both are excellent and well worth watching. This story centers around a Hutu Army man with a Tutsi wife.There are of course similarities at times--since both movies cover the same period of genocide (or is that "acts" of genocide?)IMO--both movies should be watched as they compliment each other!Due to the nature of the events depicted-there are a number of unpleasant scenes--but the gore and mayhem are presented in a responsible manner (no cheap thrills for the sadistic)While each of these movies recounts the horrors that mankind inflicts upon itself-I feel each should be essential viewing for those mature enough to handle the subject matter!

Better than Hotel Rwanda
I thought Hotel Rwanda was outstanding, but this movie is better.Sometimes in April more completely helps you grasp the historical context for the genocie, and issues the Rwandese people faced back in 1994 and are still facing today.I have been to Rwanda 3 times and read a half dozen books about the genocide.After watching this movie I felt more deeply compassionate towards these people than ever before.

Even more powerful than Hotel Rwanda
Sometimes In April is a shocking portrayal of the lives of Rwandan survivors Augustine Muganza (excellently played by Idris Elba) and Sister Martine (talented Pamela Nomvete).While lacking the flair of Hotel Rwanda, `Sometimes' makes up for flash with brutal reality of the atrocities committed in 1994.

The movie bounces back and forth between the genocide in 1994 and 2004, when Augustine's brother Honore is on trial for his involvement with the genocide through his radio broadcasts on RTLM "Hutu Radio" show.Honore was a journalist who got caught up in the propaganda he spewed out over the airwaves, until the violence comes to his own family.

In 2004, Augustine is with Martine, and the movie goes backward in time from Honore's trial to document the horrors that both Augustine and Martine survived.This made for HBO movie is much more graphic than theater-released Hotel Rwanda, brutally shoving into your face the mass murder of innocent catholic schoolgirls, horrific testimony from a mother who was tortured and raped for days on end, and the callus indifference of the westernized world.

"It's just Rwandans killing Rwandans," says one official."We have no oil, no dams, there is nothing in Rwanda for you," says Rwandan militia member, encouraging the US to stay out of the genocide.Equally as appalling as the mass murders are real-clips from Prudence Bushnell as she coldly described how the US classified Genocide, and all the political back-speak as the western nations tried to cover their impassiveness with words while one million human beings died.

Sometimes In April is a powerful, must-see movie, but not for the squeamish or feint of heart.It is brutal, and reminds us to "Never Forget".Expertly directed by Raoul Peck and filled with unknown but very talented actors, `Sometimes' will grab your attention and not let you go until the end.I did find the movie a bit hard to follow at times with the time-jumps, but not overwhelmingly so.Horrifically good movie with realistic portrayal.Enjoy!
... Read more

Reviews (98)

This Movie Iz Crazy
Im am a 14 year old and I want to talk about the Movie Menace II Society.Menace II Society is the tightest Movie I ever saw since "Boyz N The Hood" & "South Central".It all started out as a young boy name Caine (Tyrin Turner) telling a story about surviving the streets for good.My favorite Scence is When Caine & O-Dog(Larenz Tate) was in the liquor store when these two got evloved in a murder by O-Dog kill the korean grocer and also killed the korean lady while O-Dog threatens to get the video tape from her.In The Movie, They mention O-Dog as "The American's Worst Nightmare" and They also mention that O-Dog is Young, Black, And Don't Give A [care]. They also have a cool soundtrack with MC Eith(Streith Up Menace) and all other cool artists.I Recommend this movie to everyone.If U love hood movies and u have not seeen it yet, nows it the time to spend your money and buy this classic.On the internet, they also mention the "Director's Cut"(which is Unrated and the orignal verison is an R-Rated Movie).So if you Moviegooer and u have not seen that movie yet, now's the time to get that movie.One more thing,The Directors Allen & Albert Hugues(From Hell,Dead Presidents) did an good job on this movie.

True 2 Life
Okay, since im from London, i cant accuratly depict if this is, or is not the real situations encountered by members of the LA public. But upon watching this for the first time, it really hit me that the horrific things portraid in this movie could happen to anyone of us.

Caine, the main focus of the movie, was brought up in a drug filled home, his father was a drug dealer, and his mother a heroin addict. Caine first saw someone be shot when he was just a child, as shown in the films early scenes. Following this his father is murdered in a fixed drug deal, and his mother overdoses, and dies.

Caines best friend O-Dogg is a 16year old, who, as is said in the movie is 'Americas worst nightmare', hes young, Black, and he just dont giv'a F***.

I wont spoil the movie by saying anymore, but take it from me this is one of the the best movies you will see in a long time, especially if you like the whole gang thing, it also has historical content of the 'Watt's rights'. I say buy it as soon as you can.

Powerful movie
This movie is a veery powerful movie. It will give you some laughs and then youll be crying. It is very moving and it wshows you what the ghetto is really about. Growing up and surviving in the hood is very hard and this movvie shows just how hard it is.

Top 10
Menace II Society is one of my Top 10 movies of all time. I could watch it 5 times a day every day. Tyrin Turner should have become a big star after this movie. This movie had great actors, a good storyline, and production. Just wanted to say he was in Janet Jackson's Rhythm Nation video as the kid walking around that place, whatever it was, for some strange reason.

After Boyz in da hood
came this, a raw powered movie, that brings to the real of the early 90's South Central LA. This movie is pretty violent and gory, but yet it has a pretty strong message in it. Do you care wether you live or die?

Tyrin Turner(Kaydee) did a excellent dabut about a man who gets cought up in a situation he wants to get out of. Larenz Tate(O-Dog) is more of a straight up gangsta, but did a real good job at acting. Movies with strong messages like this make up for a excellent drama.

If you loved boyz in the hood and don't have this, that's a real shame, even if you didn't watch bouz in da hood, you should get this, and boyz in da hood as well, because those 2 movies are wll-worth the money.

peace ... Read more

Amazon.com

"The book was better" has been the complaint of many a reader since theinvention of movies. Frank Darabont's second adaptation of a Stephen King prison drama (The Shawshank Redemption was the first) is a very faithful adaptation of King's serial novel. In the middle of the Depression, Paul Edgecomb (Tom Hanks) runs death row at Cold Mountain Penitentiary. Into this dreary world walks a mammoth prisoner, John Coffey (Michael Duncan) who, very slowly, reveals a special gift that will change the men working and dying (in the electric chair, masterfully and grippingly staged) on the mile . As with King's book, Darabonttakes plenty of time to show us Edgecomb's world before delving into JohnCoffey's mystery. With Darabont's superior storytelling abilities, his touch for perfect casting, and a leisurely 188-minute running time, his movie brings to life nearly every character and scene from the novel. Darabont even improves the novel's two endings, creating a more emotionally satisfying experience. The running time may try patience, but those who want a story, as opposed to quick-fix entertainment, will be rewarded by this finely tailored tale. --Doug Thomas ... Read more

Reviews (552)

Terrible movie, more Stephen King Schlock
This endless movie was a reminder of why I hate Stephen King stories, 3 hours of my life wasted on this drivel.

The Green Mile represents death row in a Louisiana prison of the 1930's, when a huge black man, sentenced to death, reveals remarkable powers of precognition and hands-on healing. However, this story is mired in implausible situations and a lack of believeability.

We have the gratuitious scenes of Tom Hanks peeing for comic or shock value, the frequent graphic executions of death row inmates, the mumbling cajun accent of Michael Jeter, the remarkable coincidence of Sam Rockwell also landing on death row even though no one seems to make the connection that he also worked for the family whose daughter John Coffy is accused of murdering.

Mr Jingles is a mouse used as a plot device to tug at your heart strings, although it becomes tiresome after a short while.

The character of Purcey is useless and adds nothing to the story.

John Coffey spends this entire movie sweating and blubbering his way through his sentence. Even his miraculous healing of a woman with a terminal brain tumor isn't enough for Tom Hanks to somehow intervene and get this miracle worker off death row, but instead, he reluctantly executes him in the climax of the movie.

Should we also beli