Based on the bestseller by Stephen E. Ambrose, the epic 10-part miniseries Band of Brothers tells the story of Easy Company, 506th Regiment of the 101st Airborne Division, U.S. Army. Drawn from interviews with survivors of Easy Company, as well as soldiers’ journals and letters, Band of Brothers chronicles the experiences of these men who knew extraordinary bravery and extraordinary fear. They were an elete rifle company parachuting into France early on D-Day morning, fighting in the Battle of the Bulge and capturing Hitler’s Eagle’s Nest at Berchtesgaden. They were also a unit that suffered 150 percent casualties, and whose lives became legend.
DVD Features: DVD ROM Features:Weblinks to the orignal Band of Brothers website and more! Documentary:“We Stand Alone Together: The Men of Easy Company” – 80 minute documentary featuring interviews with the real men of Easy Company Featurette:30-minute “The Making of Band of Brothers” The Premiere On The Beaches of Normandy – includes interviews with Easy Company vetrans and heads of state for the United States, Great Britian, France and Canada. Interviews:Ron Livingston’s Video Diaries – The experience of making “Band of Brothers” through the eyes of one actor. Other:Interactive “Field Guide”: An extensive reference feature that details the people, places and events associated with Easy Company’s campaigns through Europe, and World War II as a whole, including sections such as: soldiers, timelines, maps, chain-of-command and glossary of terms. Scene Access
Amazon.com
An impressively rigorous, unsentimental, and harrowing look at combat during World War II, Band of Brothers follows a company of airborne infantry–Easy Company–from boot camp through the end of the war. The brutality of training takes the audience by increments to the even greater brutality of the war; Easy Company took part in some of the most difficult battles, including the D-Day invasion of Normandy, the failed invasion of Holland, and the Battle of the Bulge, as well as the liberation of a concentration camp and the capture of Hitler’s Eagle’s Nest. But what makes these episodes work is not their historical sweep but their emphasis on riveting details (such as the rattle of a plane as the paratroopers wait to leap, or a flower in the buttonhole of a German soldier) and procedures (from military tactics to the workings of bureaucratic hierarchies). The scope of this miniseries (10 episodes, plus an actual documentary filled with interviews with surviving veterans) allows not only a thoroughness impossible in a two-hour movie, but also captures the wide range of responses to the stress and trauma of war–fear, cynicism, cruelty, compassion, and all-encompassing confusion. The result is a realism that makes both simplistic judgments and jingoistic enthusiasm impossible; the things these soldiers had to do are both terrible and understandable, and the psychological price they paid is made clear. The writing, directing, and acting are superb throughout. The cast is largely unknown, emphasizing the team of actors as a whole unit, much like the regiment; Damian Lewis and Ron Livingston play the central roles of two officers with grit and intelligence. Band of Brothers turns a vast historical event into a series of potent personal experiences; it’s a deeply engrossing and affecting accomplishment. –Bret Fetzer
DVD features
HBO’s impressive miniseries may have the most handsome DVD packaging to date: a tin container enclosing the accordion sleeves holding six discs. The extras on the set are just as classy. Besides the rudimentary 30-minute making-of, there’s an hour’s worth of video diaries by actor Ron Livingston (who portrays Lewis Nixon) detailing the tough “actors’ boot camp.” The first-person recollections of the real Easy Company soldiers that begin each episode are expanded in the 80-minute documentary We Stand Alone Together. The real footage and heartfelt recollections complement the series, but viewers may want more interaction between the lifelong friends. The documentary is better in the final minutes, when the veterans are not talking about the specific incidents depicted in the film. Another big help in this set is the “field guide,” a dossier of maps, glossary, definitions of ranks, a timeline, and a who’s who for each episode. –Doug Thomas
Customer Reviews
Band of Brothers DVD Collection
Love the series but one of the DVDs came with subtle marks/scratches and it does not play well. Difficult to return only 1 bad one out of the set.
full immersion
Essentially the TV spinoff of Saving Private Ryan, this series is just incredible. Not once do I ever feel as though I am watching actors. Not once do I ever feel withdrawn from the reality of what these soldiers overcame to stop the spread of tyranny.
World War II buff
Band of Brothers is a perfect gift for an WW II buff. The heroism and the horror of war are no better displayed than in the story of Easy Company, 506 PIR, 101st Airborne. After watching this, you might just begin to understand, through the experiences of this “band of brothers”, what it really means to be a hero.
Ben Gates (Nicolas Cage) sets out to find the lost 18 pages from the diary of Abraham Lincoln’s assassin, John Wilkes Booth. One of the 18 missing pages has been discovered by Jeb Wilkinson (Ed Harris). On that page are the names of the Lincoln assassination conspirators. Thomas Gates, Ben Gates’ great-great-grandfather, is listed on the page. After discovering this, Ben does not want Thomas Gates to be remembered “as a conspirator in the assassination of the man who brought this nation together.” His quest to clear his family’s name leads to unexpected twists and turns. Agent Sadusky (Harvey Keitel) tells Ben that a secret book has the information he needs. The president’s “book of secrets” holds documents, for presidents’ eyes only, of all the nations secrets; from the truth behind the JFK conspiracy, the missing minutes from the Watergate tapes, and Area 51. When Ben’s request to see the book is denied, he says he must kidnap the president. Each clue leads him closer “to a discovery that the world isn’t ready to believe.”
Amazon.com
Less engrossing than its 2004 predecessor National Treasure, Jon Turteltaub’s busy sequel National Treasure: Book of Secrets is nevertheless a colorful and witty adventure, another race against overwhelming odds for the answer to a historical riddle. Ben Gates (Nicolas Cage), the treasure hunter who feverishly sought, in the first film, the whereabouts of a war chest hidden by America’s forefathers, is now charged with protecting family honor. When a rival (Ed Harris) offers alleged proof that Gates’ ancestor, Thomas Gates, was not a Civil War-era hero but a participant in the assassination of Abraham Lincoln, Ben and his father (Jon Voight) and crew (Justin Bartha, Diane Kruger) hopscotch through Paris, London, Washington DC, and South Dakota to gather evidence refuting the claim. The film is most fun when the hunt, as in National Treasure, squeezes Ben into such impossible situations as examining twin desks in the queen’s chambers in Buckingham Palace and the White House’s Oval Office, or kidnapping an American president (Bruce Greenwood) for a few minutes of frank talk. Helen Mirren, the previous year’s Oscar winner for Best Actress, wisely joins the cast of a likely hit film as Ben’s archaeologist mother, long-estranged from Voight’s character but as feisty as the rest of the family. Returning director Turteltaub takes excellent advantage of his colorful backdrops in European capitals and the always-eerie Mount Rushmore, and oversees some wildly imaginative sets for this dramedy’s feverish third act in an audacious and completely unexpected, legendary setting. If National Treasure: Book of Secrets doesn’t feel quite as crisp and unique as its predecessor, it is still ingenious and wry enough to laugh a bit at itself. –Tom Keogh
Stills from National Treasure: Book of Secrets (click for larger image)
Review
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Customer Reviews
Excellent! 5 stars!
This movie was excellent! I was not disappointed at all. I don’t know how others can say it sucked, when it was truly great! Nicolas Cage did a fantastic job. I so can’t wait to own this video. I really hope they make a 3rd, and it’s just as great!
A lot of fun.
While it might not be quite as good as the first movie it is still a lot of fun to watch. It has some real good special effects and as in the first movie is riddled with humor. Some people get so critical with these reviews. I think these are very refreshing considering movies Cage has been in in the past. It is nice to see him do some clean entertainment.
I hope there is a third one. I go to very few movies because most are utter trash these days.
“National Treasure” movie review by Michael Elliano
Like Indiana Jones this movie capture the imagination. Nicholas Cage has found his calling in this series and I hope the episodes keep coming. It is what it is in the shape of a good movie and although constantly amazing and far fetched just plain fun. Enjoy.
Johnny Depp and Tim Burton join forces again in a big-screen adaptation of Stephen Sondheim’s award-winning musical thriller “Sweeney Todd.” Depp stars in the title role as a man unjustly sent to prison who vows revenge, not only for that cruel punishment, but for the devastating consequences of what happened to his wife and daughter. When he returns to reopen his barber shop, Sweeney Todd becomes the Demon Barber of Fleet Street who “shaved the heads of gentlemen who never thereafter were heard from again.” Joining Depp is Helena Bonham Carter as Mrs. Lovett, Sweeney’s amorous accomplice, who creates diabolical meat pies. The cast also includes Alan Rickman, who portrays the evil Judge Turpin, who sends Sweeney to prison and Timothy Spall as the Judge’s wicked associate Beadle Bamford and Sacha Baron Cohen is a rival barber, the flamboyant Signor Adolfo Pirelli.
Amazon.com
After years of rumors, it turns out that Tim Burton was the perfect visionary to film Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street, Stephen Sondheim’s Broadway masterpiece, and the result is a macabre and moving musical movie as enthralling as anything Burton has ever done. The show’s mix of gothic horror, Grand Guignol, very dark humor, and witty and beautiful music never was the stuff of traditional musical comedy, but it’s a powerful work, and perhaps the richest of the late 20th century. In the movie, Burton’s frequent collaborator, Johnny Depp, plays Todd, a wronged man whose lust for revenge drives him to murder (an 19th-century legend who has been traced to a real-life barber). Helena Bonham Carter, another Burton mainstay, is Mrs. Lovett, the barber’s partner-in-unspeakable-crime. It’s no surprise that Depp is an excellent choice to convey Todd’s brooding intensity and volcanic rage, but he can also sing a score that is so challenging it has often played in opera houses (though not with the same style as the Broadway original, Len Cariou, and he occasionally lapses into pop style). Bonham Carter is small of voice and lacks the humor of the original Broadway Lovett, Angela Lansbury, but she sings on pitch, in rhythm, and in character at the same time, which is no small feat for a Sondheim show. Aficionados will regret the loss of certain musical passages–”The Ballad of Sweeney Todd” is just an instrumental overture and the chorus is gone altogether, among others–but the reassuring presence of orchestrator Jonathan Tunick and conductor Paul Gemignani ensures that the music feels right and sounds great. And the film’s depiction of a Victorian London hellhole–with cinematography by Dariusz Wolski and costumes by Colleen Atwood–also looks and feels right.
The excellent cast is filled out by Alan Rickman as the villainous Judge Turpin, Timothy Spall as his seedy Beadle, Sacha Baron Cohen (Borat) as a rival barber, Jamie Campbell Bower as the young lover Anthony, Jayne Wisener as his object of affection, and Ed Sanders as the young Toby. For fans of Tim Burton and Johnny Depp who don’t think they like musicals, Sweeney Todd should be a revelation (though not for the squeamish, as the gore is intense and completely appropriate). For fans of Broadway and Sondheim, it’s hard to imagine getting a better adaptation than this. The fact that there’s no newly composed Oscar-bait song sung by a Josh Groban-type over the end credits only makes it better. –David Horiuchi
Customer Reviews
“No, not Barker. That man is dead. It’s Todd now… Sweeney Todd… and he will have his revenge…”
If you were to tell me that “Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street” would end up being one of my top favorite movies of 2007, I would’ve told you that you were completely mad. For one thing, I’m not a giant fan of musicals. I can take them in small doses, but for the most part I stay away from them. They always seemed fake and forced to me. Still, I wanted to see the movie. I like Tim Burton, and I like Johnny Depp. The movie seemed twisted and dark enough, so why not? I popped the DVD in and it didn’t take long for me to completely buy into everything this bloody musical has to offer. Indeed, it is one of the best movies to come out of 2007, or at least I think so.
Benjamin Barker was a famous barber with a lovely wife and daughter, but a cruel and sadistic judge was also in love with his wife, so he had Benjamin sent away for life for a crime he did not commit. Many years later, Benjamin returns to London completely dead inside. The color from his skin is gone and everything that once was life inside of him has deteriorated. When he learns that after the ordeal of his sudden “deportation,” his wife had poisoned herself and his daughter was held captive by the judge. Benjamin… no… Todd. Sweeney Todd vows vengeance and payment in blood. Not only that, but he sees all of humanity as being completely worthless in the end, and that everybody deserves to die.
I’m trying to be as brief as possible when describing the story, as you’ll learn secrets and twists along the way. The film is done completely in song with very few moments of actual pure dialogue. I will admit that it took me a little bit to get used to all of the singing, but it didn’t take long. The music isn’t bad at all and the songs will get stuck in your head. I’m impressed by how well this cast can sing. Especially Depp, who proves to not only be terrifying in his presence, but also proves to have one helluva singing voice. The music is what pushes the movie and tells the story, and I have to say that it works splendidly.
Now, you must realize this when it comes to “Sweeney Todd:” It is an acquired taste. You will either love it or hate it. I don’t see much of a middle ground with this one. If demented and morbid subject matter such as throat-slashing and cannibalism puts you off, then you’ll want to find another movie. I would not, however, be put off with the idea of seeing the movie if you hate musicals, because like I said I’m not a big fan of them. The movie is twisted and bizarre enough that it’ll keep your attention throughout. Tim Burton is once again successful at painting a bleak and gloomy environment filled with death and dread, and yet present it in such an ironically beautiful way. The two-disc version includes some neat behind-the-scenes featurettes that are worth checking out.
I have to say it, “Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street” is a morbidly fantastic time that puts a whole new spin on musicals. It has the ability to charm those who are not necessarily into musicals. It is a dark and depressing story, but it is so well done that most of us can’t help but stay along for the ride. Not only is it one of my top favorite movies of 2007, but it is also a new favorite in general. I will be a little hesitant when I go to my barber, however… or, at least I will be sure to skip the shave. -Michael Crane
Burton’s Todd gets a vat of venom, and deserves it.
It would have been nice had Tim Burton produced a “Sweeney Todd” that did a certain amount of justice to Steven Sondheim’s masterwork. Unfortunately, what Sondheim wrote and Burton put out bear only the most casual resemblance to each other … namely, they have a lot of the same words and much of the same music – assuming that you prefer Shakespeare’s witches acting like Wagner’s norns (Anna Russell: “this dreary set of women”), or prefer Beethoven’s 5th taken at the tempo of Chopin’s funeral march. Blech!
It should be noted that there are already available 2 other versions of this opera (yes, I know it has spoken dialogue, but so does Carmen when it’s done properly). Both star the talented George Hearn as Sweeney. One is the 1982 fully staged version with Angela Lansbury grasping immortality as Mrs. Lovett. The other is the 2001 concert version with the great Patti LuPone. Ms LuPone does an undeniable star turn in this role, but fails to achieve Lansbury’s high orbit. Hearn is a tremendous Sweeney, although in 2001 he’s showing the 19 elapsed years since the last recording. I would recommend either of these entries, although my recommendation of the 1982 version is unqualified, enthusiastic, and excited.
And now Tim Burton tackles the Demon Barber. Burton is an erratic director who often hits the heights but here sinks to a new low in this thing that is less a performance than a travesty.
The reader may notice I mention none of the other performers. This is done mostly to protect the innocent. They do well enough, but their quality is still leagues from the 1982 version. As in nearly everything that went wrong with this Sweeney, I blame the director.
Somebody must have told Burton that Sweeney Todd is a dark comedy. He seems to have forgotten about the “comedy” and concentrated on the “dark” – to great excess, alas. Practically everything is filmed through blue filters – which may have been considered clever technique 50 years ago but is now just a strain on the eyes.
On first viewing the film, and assuming you know the score, the first thing you will notice is the complete absence of the chorus. Considering the deep relationship between Sweeney and Greek theater, this omission is akin to dropping the witches from Macbeth. It is this omission that robs the work of its dimensionality and causes the ending to fall flatter than last week’s soufflé.
Aside from the directorial murder of the chorus and its music, this performance contains a number of omissions, truncations, and abbreviations. The flagellation scene, as I recall, is gone. The Todd-Pirelli contest contains only the shaving part, not the tooth-pulling half. (This omission is fairly common in performance, alas). The Beggar Woman’s part is excised by about 50%, including most of the best bits. The “God, That’s Good” number is foreshortened to the point of being seen on edge. The wildly funny lead up to Beadle Bamford’s murder is gone. And so on and on. Somebody should remind Burton that this is a recipe for hash, not honest roast beef.
Burton’s directorial aim seems clearly to rob Sweeney of almost every ounce of its considerable humor. He fails, and there’s enough left to cause us to go into deep mourning for the rest. “Hello, my name is Tim. I’m here to make sure you don’t have any fun.” He seems to desire the players to be a funereal in their acting as possible.
As a result, a great actor like Johnny Depp is converted into somebody you’d never want to see or hear again. Depp, clearly too young for the role, is made up to look like somebody in a 1930s horror flick instead of someone who’s spent nearly 2 decades in the penal sloughs of Old Australia. He plays Sweeney as if the man were loopy, which he isn’t. He has a detached, dreamy delivery and never, NEVER catches fire. I suppose this approach may be considered interesting in a sort of abstract way, but mainly it’s boring and tedious. Despite all the cuts, the film is only about a quarter-hour shorter than the 1982 and 2001 versions … yet it seems to drag out a lot longer. You do the math.
Perhaps the weakest link in the whole cast is Helena Bonham Carter, who is manifestly too young to play Mrs. Lovett. Her makeup may be intended to age her, but merely gives her a tired and haggard appearance. Lovett’s first appearance should wrench the viewer’s attention onto her relentlessly. Bonham Carter’s first appearance gives us time to see if there are any pictures on the ceiling. The less said about “Have a Little Priest”, probably the better. There are a few clever moments, but only in the sense of a convergence of a visual clue to the lyrics … a technique that doesn’t hold up well with repetition. Bonham Carter’s motherly effusions over Toby wouldn’t convince a 3-month-old puppy.
Speaking of puppies, the staging of this dog omits the original wonderful mechanistic set in favor of a more realistic presentation of London. This can be understood, since films generally try to transcend the limitations of the stage. In this case, however, the relationship of staging with plot is too organic to be so lightly dismissed.
Look, guys … if you buy this you’ll regret it … maybe not now, but later and for the rest of your life. (Thanks, Rick.) Try the Lansbury.
If you like Burton, Depp and Boham-Carter, don’t watch this movie!
After wasting what seems like a lot of time watching this flick I am seriously wondering if:
- Is this a movie that Burton HAD to do because of a contract?
- What was the bad story about?
- Why did I buy it?
I have been a huge fan of Tim Burton for years, but this movie has NOTHING original in it.
The story is shallow, the musical part is weak, there is way too much blood….
Amazon.com
The Coen brothers make their finest thriller since Fargo with a restrained adaptation of Cormac McCarthy’s novel. Not that there aren’t moments of intense violence, but No Country for Old Men is their quietest, most existential film yet. In this modern-day Western, Llewelyn Moss (Josh Brolin) is a Vietnam vet who could use a break. One morning while hunting antelope, he spies several trucks surrounded by dead bodies (both human and canine). In examining the site, he finds a case filled with $2 million. Moss takes it with him, tells his wife (Kelly Macdonald) he’s going away for awhile, and hits the road until he can determine his next move. On the way from El Paso to Mexico, he discovers he’s being followed by ex-special ops agent Chigurh (an eerily calm Javier Bardem). Chigurh’s weapon of choice is a cattle gun, and he uses it on everyone who gets in his way–or loses a coin toss (as far as he’s concerned, bad luck is grounds for death). Just as Sheriff Bell (Tommy Lee Jones), a World War II vet, is on Moss’s trail, Chigurh’s former colleague, Wells (Woody Harrelson), is on his. For most of the movie, Moss remains one step ahead of his nemesis. Both men are clever and resourceful–except Moss has a conscious, Chigurh does not (he is, as McCarthy puts it, “a prophet of destruction”). At times, the film plays like an old horror movie, with Chigurh as its lumbering Frankenstein monster. Like the taciturn terminator, No Country for Old Men doesn’t move quickly, but the tension never dissipates. This minimalist masterwork represents Joel and Ethan Coen and their entire cast, particularly Brolin and Jones, at the peak of their powers. –Kathleen C. Fennessy
Customer Reviews
Entertaining But…
Was a little over the top with the violence. Don’t have to see blood running constantly. Also, the ending was kind of abrupt. If you want to see a true, cold psychopath – this is definitely your type of movie. The only character that was a bit boring was Tommy Lee Jones – didn’t really get is character.
Better than I expected.
I expected nothing much more than a blood bath, but it was way better than that. Snappy dialog, sly humor, great scenery and well acted by all. What’s to not like?
I probably would have missed this movie entirely, if so much fuss hadn’t been made over it, because of the way it was presented as “nothing but violence.” Not true!
No Country for Old Men
I returned this product for two reasons. (1) I pre-ordered the item and I recevied it 8 days after the items released. (2) The dvd was $3 cheaper at a local store, and I was tired of waiting. The movie itself was fantastic. I gave it the low rating solely based on service which I have not been pleased with on recent purchased. BY the way, NEVER BUY ANYTHING FROM ONE OF AMAZONS OUTSIDE VENDORS. THERE IS NO CUSTOMER SERVICE AND RETURN POLICIES BLOW.
Amazon.com
Director Joe Wright (Pride and Prejudice) gives Ian McEwan’s bestselling novel a sumptuous treatment for the screen that should come to be regarded as one of the defining films of the epic romantic drama. Indeed, everything about this film stems from those three words: there is little here that is not epic, romantic, and dramatic, and Atonement is a film that masterfully expresses the overarching sense of adventure and emotion that such stories are meant to convey. In this instance, the story centers around the love story of highborn Cecilia Tallis (Keira Knightley) and housekeeper’s son Robbie Turner (James McAvoy, in a star-making turn), in England shortly before World War II. Despite their class differences, they are powerfully attracted to each other, and just as their relationship begins Robbie is tragically forced away due to false accusations from Cecilia’s younger sister Briony (Saoirse Ronan). She has a crush on Robbie, too, and after reading a private letter he sent to Cecilia, and then witnessing the first expression of their mutual love but mistaking it for mistreatment, her resentment grows until it leads to her telling the lie that will send Robbie away. Soon World War II breaks out; Robbie enlists and is posted to France, Cecilia is a nurse in London, and Briony, now age 18 and aware of what she has done, tries to atone for her actions–but none of them will be able to get back what they have lost. Knightley and McAvoy are perfectly cast as the young star crossed lovers, and the young Ronan is particularly impressive, but it’s clear that the real star of this film is the director. Wright allows Atonement to revel in every moment of its story and each scene is compelling in its own way, but that now famous extended shot with Robbie on the beach at Dunkirk–filmed in one take and sure to be considered one of the great long tracking shots in film history–is the most memorable moment in this remarkable film. Atonement is an excellent example of what can happen when a great book meets great filmmaking. This is one that is not to be missed. –Daniel Vancini
Customer Reviews
Hollywood Film Masquerades as Indie
Ok, there is definitely some fantastic work in this film. Music (A+), Acting (A); however, whoever wrote this adapted screenplay should be roasted over an open fire. Also, what is with this lame half-twist ending deal…I mean, even M. Night Shyamalan thinks that ending is bogus. The fact that Christopher Hampton received an OSCAR nomination for best writing tells me this was a poor year for writing. It did however deserve the win for best original score. Brilliant music!
I will say this for the film, the cinematography was very good, especially that very long tracking shot on the beach. I was very impressed with it. At points, I was expecting to hear Keira Knightley say, “Mr. Darcy!!” so a little Pride and Prejudice-y at points.
Overall a good attempt at a “Hollywood indie” but to me this film needed someone else to handle the writing to make it a great piece. I would definitely recommend seeing the film, but the Best Picture nomination was a little much.
4 stars.
Disappointment
Couldn’t understand what the British actors were saying and it jumped from one year to the next with no explanation. I had high hopes, but thought it was very medi
Brilliant Complication of Life
Having read Atonement in graduate school, I knew about the complicated issues that Ian McEwan’s novel brings up and wondered how a movie would approach such issues in a sensitive, beautiful manner. The cinematography alone in this great movie sold me on the way that visual images captured the emotion behind the message. While Atonement, the movie, is about the tragic separation of two socially mismatched characters who fall in love (Keira’s character is upper class, while James’s character is the caretaker), the real message lies in the difficulty in explaining complicated, natural emotions and communication between mature adults. I think that the artistic representation of how natural, human sexuality develops between two consenting adults can be misconstrued by children who are not yet prepared for it. I think it is a reminder to us that while sexuality is natural and normal, that it is complicated and full of emotions that are much too complicated for children who are unable to process them.
This is a beautiful film, and one that I will readily say that I loved every bit as much as the novel!
Ho-Hum
I’m a big sci-fi fan and a huge Stargate fan … have watched it from day one. I agree completely with the review written by Captain Hornblower “captainhornblower”, so I won’t repeat what the Captain said. I will add a little though. Since this was a made-for-DVD movie, one would have expected something more than what ended up being a 1hr 40min TV show without commercials. All the acting was terrific as usual, and the special affects were great, and the subtle humor moments were classic Stargate, but the plot was just gone. It was as if the writers handed over the job of writing the plot as a 9th-grade class assignment. As the Captain said, “too simple”! The whole Ori problem has been a really cool idea in the last season of SG1, and this movie was the perfect opportunity to continue the cool Ori story, but it just fizzled out.
Makes me miss the show even more
Best. Show. Ever. (Well, except for Buffy.) I hope they continue on with tons of movies. I really liked that format. I need more RDA, though.
great to see the band back together
Closed out the Ori story line in tue SG-1 fasion. I do wish there was a bit more shooting back during the space battles but other than that I only hope that we get more SG-1 movies to continue the francise.
Ridley Scott puts on his “sweeping saga” gameface again, this time not for the sci-fi vistas of Blade Runner or the ancient world of Gladiator but for an urban epic. American Gangster gives the story of Frank Lucas (Denzel Washington), a real-life Harlem crime lord who built an empire on Southeast Asian heroin in the 1970s. Running parallel to Lucas’s somewhat standard story is the investigation led by a persistent New Jersey cop, Richie Roberts (Russell Crowe). Roberts is a more interesting character than Lucas–too honest for his own good, unlucky in his personal life–and this kind of character, easily patronized by others, fits Crowe like a polyester shirt. Scott’s tendency to hit his points square on the noggin is much in evidence here, including the typecasting of the supporting roles and the predictable Serpico atmosphere of the whole thing. (And speaking of supporting actors, the film needs more Chiwetel Ejiofor, whose role as a Lucas sidekick feels cut down.) It succeeds as a kind of chewy entertainment, fueled by the presence of two big stars working their muscles. Both Washington and Crowe look pretty brawny here. –Robert HortonBeyond American Gangster on DVD
Great Crime and Gangster Films
More from Denzel Washington
More from Russell Crowe
Stills from American Gangster (Click for larger image)
Customer Reviews
Well Balanced. Well Written. Well Done.
THE POINT OF VIEW REVIEW: POPCORN TIME with “American Gangster”
American Gangster. Fantastic.
The team that made this film has successfully delivered a wonderfully engrossing true story of two very fascinating men.
This is the amazing story of a genius of a crime boss named Frank Lucas (played by Denzel Washinton) and the cop who wouldn’t let him go (played by Russell Crowe).
What is particularly impressive is that the American Gangster presents both the glamour and the grit of the life of crime, but somehow does it in such a way that neither side out weighs the other. It is simply one very complete story with excellent writing and great execution.
Is it violent? Yes, but not at all in a gratuitous manner. It’s a gangster movie.
Is it long? Yes and no. Its two and a half hours long, but I only say that so you have the right amount of snacks to get you through. The film doesn’t feel long, it’s simply an interesting story that takes longer than average to tell.
This is a movie for those who love film, a good story, gangster movies, historically based dramas or just great entertainment.
Enjoy!
http://povreview.blogspot.com/
American Gangster
We opted to watch the “Director’s Cut” of this film and whilst just under three hours, we found it enthralling and were riveted.
Initially slow off the mark, this extended version takes the time to develop the characters and the slow pace – in the end – makes for great viewing.
The performances of both Denzel Washington and Russell Crowe are outstanding and given it’s based on a true story, makes the story all the more facanating.
We are now keen to see the “theatrical version” and compare.
American Gangster
Great movie. Denzel and Crowe excel at acting in this movie. Very interesting focus on the previous corruption of the police force during the Vietnam War. A must see for anyone.
A fairy tale comes to life in this thoroughly original new Disney Classic. Drawing inspiration from its classic heritage Disney creates an inspired story unlike any you’ve experienced before. Filled with excitement fun and incredible music from the legendary Alan Menken ENCHANTED is the ultimate fish-out-of-water adventure. For princess-to-be Giselle life is a fairy tale — until she’s banished from the animated land of Andalasia and thrust into the very unmagical live-action world of modern-day Manhattan. When a cynical no-nonsense divorce lawyer comes to her aid little does he realize that this joyful wide-eyed innocent is about to enchant him. ENCHANTED — the musical comedy that will have your entire family under its spell.System Requirements:Running Time: 107 minutesFormat: DVD MOVIE Genre: CHILDREN/FAMILY Rating: PG
Amazon.com
Life is idyllic in the fairytale world where conflict is minimal and breaking into song solves every problem, but what happens when a princess from the fairy world gets magically transported into the real world? Enchanted begins in the animated fairytale world of Andalasia where Princess Giselle (Amy Adams) is destined to marry Prince Edward (James Marsden) and live happily ever after. Problem is, Edward’s step-mother Queen Narissa (Susan Sarandon) doesn’t want to give up the throne and will do anything to get Giselle out of Edward’s life. Queen Narissa’s solution is to push Giselle into a well that magically lands Giselle smack in the middle of the real world–the center of Time Square in New York City, to be exact. This launches the live-action portion of the film where Giselle immediately realizes that things are frighteningly different in this new world and that she is ill-prepared for the callous ways of the people who inhabit it. Giselle finds herself alone on a stormy night in the wrong end of town, but a chance encounter with Robert (Patrick Dempsey) and his princess-loving daughter Morgan (Rachel Covey) leads to a warm, safe place to spend the night and the beginnings of a complicated, yet compelling relationship. As Giselle begins to question the fairy-tale truths she’s always inherently believed, Robert’s outlook on life and love also begins to change significantly. Parallels to the classic Disney fairytales, Cinderella, Snow White and Sleeping Beauty abound in the form of a King’s and Queen’s ball, small animals and rodents who clean house when called, the threat of poisoned apples, characters impulsively breaking into song, and the power of the kiss of true love and the absurd juxtaposition of fairytale idealism and stark reality is hilariously funny. Features music by Alan Menken and Stephen Schwartz of Pocahontas and The Hunchback of Notre Dame fame, Wicked’s Broadway Elpheba Idina Menzel as Nancy, and even a brief appearance by former Princess voice talent Judy Kuhn (Pocahontas). Enchanted is one of the best, most entertaining Disney films of the year. (Ages 6 and older with parental guidance due to some scary images and mild innuendo) –Tami HoriuchiBeyond Enchanted
Disney Princesses on DVD
Paperback
Soundtrack
Stills from Enchanted (click for larger image)
Customer Reviews
Must See
I own this on Blu-ray now.
Let me just say this is a fantastic movie, like everybody else has said.
Amy Adam is Outstanding!
See it, you won’t be disappointed. Disney still has it, why don’t they use it more often?
“Enchanted” is a delightful, sweet tale of a fairy-tale princess transported to the real world, with her prince following her to bring her back.
Princess Giselle (Amy Adams)of Andalasia is shoved by her evil witch future mother-in-law to the real world. Hopelessly lost and confused, she stumbles into the relucant help of Robert (Patrick Dempsey) and his daughter Morgan. Somethings a little different about Giselle, as she has the ability to summon animals to help her with the household chores and make a new dress each morning in a few minutes.
Prince Edward (James Marsden) and his helper follow her in, and are equally unprepared for the new world, leading them to attack buses and talk to TV sets.
Watching this reminded me when Disney was truly a magic place, producing classic after classic. “Enchanted” deserves to be a classic. Amy Adams is on her way to becoming a true movie star. So if Disney can still make great movies, why are they hanging their hats on the half-baked sequels and threequels to thier old classics, and even the garbage they recently produced?
Enchanted
Great family movie! Disney did it again! We love everything about it! Music is quirky but terrific!
The dark side of the moon
Consistently the best thing about the ongoing BATTLESTAR GALACTICA series has been in its intellectual ambitions. While its predecssor and namesake, the Glen Larson series from the late 1970s, was largely a space opera, this series is actually a study in war, and attempts to cover such difficult ethical problems as loyalty, violence, torture, religion and class in a war-torn society (except this happens to be a society in outer space). But you often find yourself applauding the series more for its intentions than for its execution, particularly in this, its third season.
Season 2 ended extremely thrillingly with a leap forward in time of a year in the final episode when the fugitive fleet, after settling on an Earth-like planet, found themselves invaded and conquered by their Cylon nemeses. This season begins four months after that during the ongoing Cylon occupation; although the show’s creators remark repeatedly on their pride concerning these first four episodes (which involve the humans having to escape the Cylons yet again) in their somewhat gaseous podcast commentaries provided as extras on their DVDs, these actually some of the least enjoyable and least original episodes of the series so far. The creators of the show seem to have tried to hard to push for contemporary analogies to Iraq and Afghanistan. The cinematography replicates the gritty stock and overexposed lighting of recent international problem films (such as RENDITION and BABEL), and the tone goes from the darkness of the previous seasons a bit too far into out-and-out bleakness. There are too many fancy torture scenes here (and in other episodes during the season), and it’s a big relief when the fleet gets back into space. The succeeding episode, “Collaborators,” is one of the best of the series, and some of the other stand-alone episodes are quite intelligently done. But by the end of the season, when the show has bizarrely become an endless courtroom drama (with Apollo a defending attorney!) you feel like the writers have become a bit bored by the premise and don’t know where to go next. It may be the best thing for the series that it ends next season.
The acting on this series can be absolutely first-rate, and Grace Park, Alessandro Juliani and Katee Sackhoff continue to turn in terrific performances episode after episode. Some of the other actors seem a bit hampered by the fact their characters seem caught in a creative revolving door: yet again we have to see Colonel Tigh descend into alcoholic sprees and depressive bitterness, Laura Roslin struggle with cancer, and Apollo and Starbuck have a fling all over again. The special effects are sometimes heartstoppingly beautiful, as with a flight through a bullseye -colored planetary storm system and a battlestar falling through clouds towards the ground of a planet below; at other times, such as in the scenes set on the Cylon basestars, the sets seem cheaply furnished courtesy of a Seventies mall giftshop. The whole season is worth seeing despite its wild unevenness: you always feel at the very least the creative team is trying at something, even when they don’t quite succeed.
BSG-Season 3 was very good
Having read some of the reviews here, I’m left wondering whether or not I watched the same show that they did. I will admit that there were a few episodes here and there that really did nothing to move the major story-line plot along. However, I can’t, or won’t say that I didn’t find those particular episodes lacking in entertainment value; because they didn’t. But, frankly, this series has been great and any series that presents the season finale that season 3 did for this show is just simply excellent. 1. A fleet dead in the water w/Cylons bearing down. 2. The revelation of most of the unknown Cylon models, (and who they were). 3. The reappearance of a main character thought dead, with the revelation that she’d been to Earth and knows the way. I can’t speak for anyone else, but I’ve been chomping at the bit waiting for season 4 to get started.
Breath Officially Taken Away…
This series has been consistantly great from the start. In season 3 we are treated to the most spectacular episodes in the entire series. I will not give away any details for those that have not seen it, but the first few episodes could have been a feature film, they are just that good. I know many people complain about some of the later episodes but I have found with my recent re-watch, that they stand up fine and are actually better than I first thought when they originally aired. If you are a BSG fan, this is a can’t miss addition to your collection.
Robert Neville is a brilliant scientist but even he could not contain the terrible virus that was unstoppable incurable and man-made. Somehow immune Neville is now the last human survivor in what is left of New York City and maybe the world. For three years Neville has faithfully sent out daily radio messages desperate to find any other survivors who might be out there. But he is not alone. Mutant victims of the plague — The Infected — lurk in the shadows… watching Neville’s every move… waiting for him to make a fatal mistake. Perhaps mankind’s last best hope Neville is driven by only one remaining mission: to find a way to reverse the effects of the virus using his own immune blood. But he knows he is outnumbered… and quickly running out of time.Format: BLU-RAY DISC Genre: ACTION/ADVENTURE/THRILLERS
Amazon.com
Will Smith stars in the third adaptation of Richard Matheson’s classic science-fiction novel about a lone human survivor in a post-apocalyptic world dominated by vampires. This new version somewhat alters Matheson’s central hook, i.e., the startling idea that an ordinary man, Robert Neville, spends his days roaming a desolated city and his nights in a house sealed off from longtime neighbors who have become bloodsucking fiends. In the new film, Smith’s Neville is a military scientist charged with finding a cure for a virus that turns people into crazed, hairless, flesh-eating zombies. Failing to complete his work in time–and after enduring a personal tragedy–Neville finds himself alone in Manhattan, his natural immunity to the virus keeping him alive. With an expressive German shepherd his only companion, Neville is a hunter-gatherer in sunlight, hiding from the mutants at night in his Washington Square town house and methodically conducting experiments in his ceaseless quest to conquer the disease.The film’s first half almost suggests that I Am Legend could be one of the finest movies of 2007. Director Francis Lawrence’s extraordinary, computer-generated images of a decaying New York City reveal weeds growing through the cracks of familiar streets that are also overrun by deer and prowled by lions. It’s impossible not to be fascinated by such a realistically altered cityscape, reverting to a natural environment, through which Smith moves with a weirdly enviable freedom, offset by his wariness over whatever is lurking in the dark of bank vaults and parking garages. Lawrence and screenwriters Mark Protosevich and Akiva Goldsman wisely build suspense by withholding images of the monsters until a peak scene of horror well into the story. It must be said, however, that the computer-enhanced creatures don’t look half as interesting as they might have had the filmmakers adhered more to Matheson’s vampire-nightmare vision. I Am Legend is ultimately noteworthy for Smith’s remarkable performance as a man so lonely he talks to mannequins in the shops he frequents. The film’s latter half goes too far in portraying Smith’s Neville as a pitiable man with a messianic mission, but this lapse into bathos does nothing to take away from the visual and dramatic accomplishments of its first hour. –Tom Keogh
Customer Reviews
A little too over the top
The other reviews capture some of the pitfalls of this movies that I would want to echo. Will Smith gives an excellent performance but as he started to talk to mannequins I started to loose the character. The zombies of the original movies were not monsters that could perform amazing feats (walk on ceilings, etc.) and this movie should have stuck to what was possible. It started to loose me at the end.
Hmmmm….. I’ll stick with Vincent Price version
I AM LEGEND could have been a classic film.
But it fell flat…. a terrible loss of potential.
First the good….
1) The scenery work making New York look like a wasteland deserves an oscar. Very well done.
2) Will Smith has matured into a very good actor and did well in this film.
3) The film borrowed heavily from the Vincent Price film version of this sci-fi classic which is a good thing.
Now the BAD……….
1) CGI “dark seekers”.
Hollywood needs to put away the “gee-whiz” gimmickery and sometimes focus on real film making again.
These cartoon-looking “monsters” looked so goofy and like the Zombies in the old SEGA video game “House of the Dead” that any feeling of dread and gloom that were established by the great scenery was lost.
CGI is still not to the level technologically where it can be used for humans or characters meant to strike a chord of reality or feeling.
That’s what killed the HULK, recent remake of KING KONG and some other recent films.
You simply can’t connect or feel “what I am seeing is real” when they are visually divorced from reality.
Smith’s other film “I-ROBOT” suffered that same problem.
2) SPOILER ALERT -
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When Sam, the dog dies…… so does the apparent pacing of the movie.
Others have had the same comment on here…. It seems the 2nd half of the movie pales in comparison to the first.
The plot device used to get rid of Sam, was too contrived.
ie…. Smith’s character get’s snared in a trap.
Then awakens just at sunset.
When he gets down… you ask yourself …………… Okay Buddy why don’t you hop on your one good leg ??
But NO…. he drags across the ground until the dark seekers come out and attack them…. THEN afterwards of course when the damage is done, he is able to limp on that same leg and even carry Sam.
My wife kept complaining…. “Great the dog dies because he is too stupid to hop on his one good leg and get out of there. They should have re-shot that scene differently”.
In summary it seems they had the budget to work with, but somehow the film fell FLAT and was OK….. but it is not memorable and will probably be forgotten with time.
Even allowing for it’s old age…. We feel the 1956 Vincent Price version of this film “Last Man On Earth” actually had a stronger feeling of pathos than this remake.
But this new film COULD have been a classic if they maintained the mood of the first 40 minutes and did not turn the movie into a CGI fun-fest
VERY VERY GOOD MOVIE TO THE BEST DEGREE!
I HAVE SEEN IT TWICE, AND I AM GLAD THAT I FINALLY GOT A CHANCE TO SEE THIS MOVIE, I HAVE SEEN ALL OF THE MOVIES THE FIRST ONE AND THE SECOND, AND I THINK THAT WILL DID A GREAT JOB, NOT ONLY HIM BUT THE MAKING OF THE FILM WAS GREAT, I AM GOING TO SEE AGAIN. ONE OF BEST MOVIE OF THE YEAR.
I WISH IT COULD BE A PART TWO.
