Alan Bates

Average customer rating:

Shakespear at it's best
Good enjoyable interpretation.
Mel Gibson Does Shakespeare...
Odd ingredients make maybe the most accessible hamlet
Hamlet as he should be played

Hamlet
Starring: Mel Gibson , Glenn Close , Alan Bates , Paul Scofield , and Ian Holm
Director: Franco Zeffirelli
Manufacturer: Warner Home Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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( H ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video

Romeo & Juliet
Much Ado About Nothing
Macbeth / McKellen, Dench (Thames Shakespeare Collection)
Twelfth Night
A Midsummer Night's Dream

ASIN: B00019072G
Release Date: 2004-02-24

Amazon.com essential video

Franco Zeffirelli's stripped-down, two-hour version of Shakespeare's play stars Mel Gibson as a rather robust version of the ambivalent Danish prince. Gibson is much better in the part than many critics have admitted, his powers of clarity doing much to make this particular Hamlet more accessible than several other filmed versions. The supporting cast is outstanding, including Glenn Close as Gertrude, Alan Bates as Claudius, Ian Holm as Polonius, and Helena Bonham Carter as Ophelia. Zeffirelli's vigorous direction employs a lively camera style that nicely alters the viewer's preconceptions about the way Hamlet should look. --Tom Keogh

Description

Treachery. Madness. Murder. The story of Hamlet has been told for 400 years...but it's never been told like this! Mel Gibson (the Mad Max and Lethal Weapon films) takes on his richest part to date, the title role in a dynamic new version of Shakespeare's Hamlet. Directed by Franco Zeffirelli (Romeo and Juliet, Jesus of Nazareth), the location-shot production has a sumptuous look that won Academy Award nominations for Art Direction and Costume Design. Gibson plays the prince of medieval-era Denmark, who senses treachery behind his royal father's death. Glenn Close (Fatal Attraction, Dangerous Liaisons) plays Hamlet's mother Gertrude, all too dangerously entangled in that treachery. A brilliant supporting cast, including Alan Bates as Claudius, Paul Scofield as the ghost of Hamlet's father, Ian Holm as Polonius and Helena Bonham-Carter as Ophelia, adds its powerful presence to this immortal tale of high adventure and evil deeds. Big, bold and heroic, this is a vivid and virile Hamlet for the modern age and all time.

Customer Reviews:

Shakespear at it's best.......2007-06-08

Stunning acting by Mel Gibson, Shakespearian art hasn't been lost from this DvD a must buy if you have read the story before or just getting into Shakespeare. Truly a intellectual movie you will watch for years to come.

-SBJ

Good enjoyable interpretation........2007-06-04

I liked this version of the tragic prince's tale. As someone who's spent a lot of time studying Hamlet, the portrayal of the closet scene irritated me, but is entirely forgivable. The acting is very good, though the editing and arrangement of the script might throw you for a loop. If you're not a student who's read the play umpteen times, you should be fine though. Regardless, it's very enjoyable, and definitely worth the price.

Mel Gibson Does Shakespeare..........2007-06-02

1991's "Hamlet" featured action star Mel Gibson as the melancholy Danish Prince of the title of Shakespeare's famous tragedy. Gibson, whose resume was based on the Mad Max and Lethal Weapon franchises at that time, is surprisingly effective in a role thought be a stretch. Director Franco Zeffirelli had the good sense to let Gibson's energetic performance drive the pacing of a very brisk two-hour version of the story. The result is a very accessible production about murder and revenge in the Danish Royal Family, and a vigorous portrayal of the normally languid and moody Hamlet.

Zeffirelli's movie features beautiful location shooting, excellent costumes, and an extremely talented supporting cast, lead by Glenn Close as Hamlet's mother Gertrude, Alan Bates as the treacherous step-father, and Helena Bonham-Carter as the doomed Ophelia. At the center is Hamlet, as played by Gibson, visibly disturbed in his madness over his father's death, and movingly emotional in his approach to his mother and to Ophelia.

This movie is highly recommended as a different but highly entertaining version of Hamlet. It may appeal most to those without preconceived notions about how Hamlet should be portrayed, or to those who know Mel Gibson only from his later films.

Odd ingredients make maybe the most accessible hamlet .......2007-05-31

I laughed my head off when I was told that Mel Gibson had made a version of Hamlet. But even though casting a then action star as the meloncholy dane made as much sense as casting Charlie Sheen as King Lear, Gibson actually pulls it off, making for a more accessible and relateable Hamlet without cheapening or selling-out the material. The rest of the cast is perfectly acceptable: Glenn Close, Alan Bates, Ian Holm etc. And director Zeffirelli (already a notch on his belt with a definitive version of Romeo & Juliet) brings an interesting visual style to the mix: Matching the film to a rugid, harsh, grey, landscape the mirrors the rugid, harsh, grey content of the film to an effect that would have made Igmar Bergman proud (along with an, of course, wonderful Ennio Morricone score). The play is abridged which means that there isn't nearly enough of (amoung others) Helena Bonham Carter's Ophelia, but I suppose it's better to wish you could spend more time with someone than for them to wear out their welcome.

Hamlet as he should be played.......2007-05-27

I saw this in the theater in 1991. I was familiar with the play and with the way I was taught to understand Hamlet. The problem was that I never believed that the traditional interpretation of Hamlet, as a fairly weak and troubled youth, as it did not seem right to me.

This Hamlet is troubled, no doubt. However, he is wracked with anger and pain. His rage bubbles forth in a sometimes psychotic set of behaviors which always keeps its hold on reality. He is suicidal, but he intends to take any and all villians with him.

This made sense to me. This is how I really saw Hamlet. Mel Gibson does this edge of crazy perfectly. He is not weak, but tortured and seeking revenge.

Furthermore, he makes the traditional script (not completely faithful, but very close) very understandable. Even the novice will be able to understand what he is saying after the rhythym of the piece is understood. To me, this means Gibson understands the role. When Shakespeare is not understood by the audience, it is somebody on the production side that does not get the role.

I understand why critics don't like this Hamlet, but in my opinion it is the most accurate version yet on film.

If you know someone you wish to initiate into the Shakespeare circle, view this film with them.

Average customer rating:

Gosford Park
Hollywood grossness versus British aristocratic bleakness
Best Contemporary English Murder Mystery on Film
Gosford Paark
Enjoyed it more the second time around

Gosford Park
Starring: Eileen Atkins , Alan Bates , Charles Dance , Stephen Fry , and Michael Gambon
Director: Robert Altman
Manufacturer: Universal Studios
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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Howards End - The Merchant Ivory Collection
A Room with a View (Two-Disc Special Edition)
The Player (Special Edition) (New Line Platinum Series)
The Remains of the Day (Special Edition) [Region 99]
Nashville

ASIN: B00005JKNF
Release Date: 2002-06-25

Amazon.com essential video

Gosford Park finds director Robert Altman in sumptuously fine form indeed. From the opening shots, as the camera peers through the trees at an opulent English country estate, Altman exploits the 1930s period setting and whodunit formula of the film expertly. Aristocrats gather together for a weekend shooting party with their dutiful servants in tow, and the upstairs/downstairs division of the classes is perfectly tailored to Altman's method (as employed in Nashville and Short Cuts) of overlapping bits of dialogue and numerous subplots in order to betray underlying motives and the sins that propel them. Greed, vengeance, snobbery, and lust stir comic unrest as the near dizzying effect of brisk script turns is allayed by perhaps Altman's strongest ensemble to date. First and foremost, Maggie Smith is marvelous as Constance, a dependent countess with a quip for every occasion; Michael Gambon, as the ill-fated host, Sir William McCordle, is one of the most palpably salacious characters ever on screen; Kristin Scott Thomas is perfectly cold yet sexy as Lady Sylvia, Sir William's wife; and Helen Mirren, Emily Watson, and Clive Owen are equally memorable as key characters from the bustling servants' quarters below. Gosford Park manages to be fabulously entertaining while exposing human shortcomings, compromises, and our endless need for confession. --Fionn Meade

Description

The Academy Award winner for Best Original Screenplay, Gosford Park is a whodunit as only director Robert Altman could do it. As a hunting party gathers at the country estate, no one is aware that before the weekend is over, someone will be murdered - twice! The police are baffled but the all-seeing, all-hearing servants know that almost everyone had a motive.
This critically-acclaimed murder mystery features a who's who of celebrated actors. With a diverse cast of characters - all with something to hide - it'll keep you guessing right to the surprising end. Gosford Park proves that murder can be such an inconvenience.

Customer Reviews:

Gosford Park.......2007-06-04

This is a clever "Country Manor" mystery with some very fine actors in roles quite different from their ordinary ones. The look at 'below stairs' staff is most interesting.

Hollywood grossness versus British aristocratic bleakness.......2007-06-03

Well played and pleasant but absolutely sinister. D.H Lawrence's Lady Chatterley's Lover in reverse. Lady Chatterley is in fact a Lord. And everything is different. The Lord has the right to have as many affairs with the female servants as he wants. He has the right to have as many children with these female servants as he wants and then to have the babies abandoned and sent to orphanages. Absolutely disgusting. And what's more he may keep the servants for further use eventually. When we know that we know the murder of the Lord will be accepted by everyone in his own social class as justified, that they will cover it up for the police not to find out the murderer. And what's more they will have been backboneless enough not to murder him themselves and let the servants murder him. Here Robert Altman imagines a thriller that becomes a vicious denunciation of the deepest hypocrisy you can imagine, that of the British aristocracy. There is little to add to this tale, except that all in all only the servants have the human dignity that provides them with some human feelings, including for the son that has managed to survive and is condemned to remain officially unknown. It is also the servants who have the liking and taste for the Hollywood sentimental and sentimentalese songs that are sung for the entertainment of the ladies and gentlemen who treat that music as some charming accompaniment for their simmering hatred of the world and themselves. Of course Altman also manages to put one note against the Americans in the two characters from California, one having a typically non-Anglo-Saxon name, viz. Weissman. They are vicious enough to infiltrate the servant quarters just for the sake of a film on the very same situation, hence to guarantee the realism of the servants' side of the film. But they are also gross enough to reveal the subterfuge before the end and that reveals too how much the servants hate this indiscretion that reveals their side of ,the household to someone from the other side of the household. The gap between the two social classes that live along to one another in this mansion is wider than the distance between the earth and the moon.

Dr Jacques COULARDEAU, University Paris Dauphine & University Paris 1 Pantheon Sorbonne

Best Contemporary English Murder Mystery on Film.......2007-05-18

If you want to spend a rainy evening at a stately English estate guessing whodunit?, this classic Altman film is for you. Star-studded cast in a complex, intertwined storyline with great plot twists and period details to perfection. Definitely worth the purchase. You'll watch it over and over just to decipher all the witty British dialogue.

Gosford Paark.......2007-05-07

I thought this was an excellant movie and have watched it several times.

Enjoyed it more the second time around.......2007-03-26

I first watched Gosford Park when it came out several years ago. Last night, I decided to give it a second viewing. This movie is really excellent. The acting is top-notch. Being that it is Hellen Mirren time after the last academy awards, I was able to really focus in on her performance which is excellent in Gosford Park. The movie is somewhat difficult due to Altman's use of multiple characters talking at the same time. His technique; however, is pretty close to everyday life, so it is just a matter of focusing in. Great storyline, with the "help" suffering the same gossip, and jealousy issues the upper class endure.

Highly recommended 5 star film.

Average customer rating:

Excellent
Excellent film
Great WWII movie
One of the Handfull of Submarine Greats!!!
Excellent battle of wits.

The Enemy Below
Starring: Robert Mitchum , Curd Jürgens , David Hedison , Theodore Bikel , and Russell Collins
Director: Dick Powell
Manufacturer: 20th Century Fox
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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Run Silent, Run Deep
Sink the Bismarck!
Twelve O'Clock High (Special Edition)
Midway (Collector's Edition)
Destination Tokyo

ASIN: B0001NBMH6
Release Date: 2004-05-25

Amazon.com

In The Enemy Below Robert Mitchum and Curt Jurgens are respectively captains of a U.S. destroyer and a German U-boat whose vessels come into conflict in the South Atlantic. Both are good men with a job to do, the script noting Jurgens' distaste for Hitler and the Nazis and engaging our sympathy with the German sailors almost as much as the Americans. Made at the height of the cold war of the 1950s, the film delivers a liberal message of co-operation wrapped inside some spectacular action scenes and a story which builds to a tense and exciting, moving finale. --Gary S. Dalkin

Description

It's Mitchum vs. Jurgens as the commanders of an American destroyer and a German U-boat play a deadly game of cat and mouse.

Customer Reviews:

Excellent.......2007-03-14

Para mi padre fue una pelicula memorable. Le recordó su epoca de gloria en la naval.

Excellent film.......2007-03-10

I found this film to be not only an excellent action film, with excellent strategizing and suspenseful decisions by both sides, but to be a wonderfully clear-headed depiction of real people in war. The Germans were not automatically shown as Nazi fanatics (in fact it was made very clear that the German U-boat captain was not a fan of Hitler) but as men just like the Americans.

I found the ending to be wonderfully uplifting and emotional.

Ausgezeichnet, meine Herren!

Great WWII movie.......2007-03-05

One of Robert Mitchum's best flicks. I bought this one along with several other WWII movies as a gift for my husband and because I remembered this one to be a great psychological war movie.

One of the Handfull of Submarine Greats!!!.......2007-01-11

Submarine films are a genre unto themselves, and there is no doubt that this is one of the classics. Beyond that, it shows two commanders battling wits toward the end of the Battle of the Atlantic. Mitchum and Jurgens are both in fine form, and really demonstrate the futility of traditional patriotic warfare, if not its occasional necessity up through the 20th century.

There are certainly better films from the standpoint of showing the outfitting of a German WWII submarine, but that really does not detract from the drama of this film. For the inscrutable U-Boat commander (also classically played by Juergen Prochnow in Das Boot), Curt Jurgens demonstrates exceedingly well the conflict of dual roles of commander and friend with his subordinate officer Heinrich.

Highly enjoyable and recommended!

Excellent battle of wits........2007-01-10

This movie is an excellent example between two seasoned professionals - no good guy vs bad guy, revenge motives, no sex, no swearing; an example of a quality movie that Hollywood can do when it puts its mind to it. Excellent performance by an all-star, legendary cast! A war movie that anyone would enjoy that wants more from a movie than simple gore and violence; a thinking man's kind of movie. A must have if you are a fan of the "destroyer vs submarine" type of naval warfare.

Average customer rating:

Wow!
Zorba the Great!
great film!
IT IS ALL A CLASSIC SHOULD BE
Zorba the Greek

Zorba the Greek
Starring: Anthony Quinn , Alan Bates , Irene Papas , Lila Kedrova , and Sotiris Moustakas
Director: Mihalis Kakogiannis
Manufacturer: 20th Century Fox
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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Never on Sunday
Topkapi
Zorba the Greek
Zorba the Greek
The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie

ASIN: B0001XALGY
Release Date: 2004-08-03

Amazon.com

If you think Zorba the Greek is a simple-minded homage to a man with a zest for life, then you haven't seen the movie. Basil (Alan Bates), a reticent British writer, comes to the Mediterranean island of Crete to revive a mine his father owned. On the way, he meets a Greek roustabout named Zorba (Anthony Quinn) and hires him to help, little suspecting that Zorba's exuberance will lead him to some dark and troubling places--frankly, if the last 30 minutes of Zorba the Greek are what it means to embrace life, some viewers will want to shut the door in life's face. But there's no denying the movie's ambitious scope and implacable force, even as it paints an alien and disturbing portrait of life in a Greek village. On top of that, gorgeous cinematography and one of the greatest film scores ever give this movie almost demonic energy. --Bret Fetzer

Description

On the Greek isle of Crete, Basil (Alan Bates), a shy inhibited writer from England is befriended by Zorba (Anthony Quinn) a boisterous peasant with an astonishing love for life. When Zorba agrees to work at Basil's abandoned mine, it is the beginning of a lesson for the young man as he gradually moves from an observer of the world to a participant. This acclaimed classic co-stars Irene Paps and Lila Kedrova in an Oscar winning performance. "An utterly absorbing and sharply memorable film" (The Hollywood Reporter)

Customer Reviews:

Wow!.......2007-06-11

Basil, an English writer caught up in orderliness ("I write essays") meets up with Zobra, a Greek with a huge lust for life. Basil hires Zorba to help him restart a mine he inherrited, and Zorba teaches Basil to get more out of life. It's more than a typical buddy scenario - the lessons are clearly only one way, and they're not always good ones.

There are several strong points in the movie. The humor is frequently dark, and not sanitized hollywood. The Buddhist undercurrents and morality are shown, lightly told, but no over-preachy. And rather than present a purely rosy picture of "living large" the darker sides are also explored.

It's a great movie, certainly worthy of the oscars it won, and perhaps it deserved a few more.

Zorba the Great!.......2007-05-13

This film is, has been and always will be one of the 10 ten films ever made in my opnion. Anthony Quinn's performance is magnificent as well as Alan Bates' and Lila Kedrova's. I was fortunate enough back in the '80s to see him do Zorba at Ford's Theatre in D.C. And Lila was in it also. Sadly they have both passed away.

great film!.......2007-05-07

My introduction to this film was actually the wonderful soundtrack on vinyl, played while a small child, in our family living room. Much of this great music, with traditional Greek accompaniment, is often heard at Greek restaurants, too. I always had wonderful memories of souflaki, piping hot spanakopita and saganaki, associated with all of the songs!

It wasn't until some years later that I saw this great film, starring Anthony Quinn, as Zorba, with Alan Bates, as Basil, the young English writer he befriends and helps awaken to the sights and sounds of life. There is more to this film than meets the eye. For starters, it isn't all dancing and singing. There are also some very dramatic moments that I won't elaborate on, here, so as not to spoil the plot for you! I will say that the acting is superb, that Irene Papas and Lila Kedrova are fabulous co-stars, and the music will linger in your ears for days following your intial viewing of the film.

IT IS ALL A CLASSIC SHOULD BE.......2007-03-26

What can you expect from a classic? "Zorba" is simply excellent. Anthony Quinn, Alan Bates and Irene Papas are the big guns that make this an unforgettable movie.

Zorba the Greek.......2007-01-03

I saw this film when it came out in 1964 and I must have been moved by it because I decided to see it again after all these years. WOW!!! What a film. Discribing it is like trying to discribe dancing. Do the dance. See the film. The rest is just words.

Average customer rating:

Awful; just plain awful
Seriously Underappreciated - One Of The Better Action Movies Of The 2000s
just missed
Ignore the Critics on Amazon.... this is a cool flick !
.

Get Carter
Starring: Michael Caine , Alan Cumming , John C. McGinley , Miranda Richardson , and Mickey Rourke
Director: Stephen Kay
Manufacturer: Warner Home Video
ProductGroup: DVD
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Avenging Angelo [Region 99]
Eye See You (aka D-Tox) [Region 99]
Driven
Cop Land (Exclusive Director's Cut) (Miramax Collector's Edition)
Assassins

ASIN: B000056PNL
Release Date: 2001-02-13

Amazon.com

The original Get Carter (1971), directed by Croupier's Mike Hodges, stars Michael Caine as Jack Carter, a mob enforcer who returns to his hometown after the suspicious death of his brother. The plot has a breezy, improvised feel and Caine is fantastic, an amoral man who would sleep with any girl or torture any guy to get what he wants. In the American remake, Sylvester Stallone plays a sanitized version of Jack Carter, a guy who is violent but ultimately moral. It doesn't work nearly as well. The whole movie seems like it's been crafted around the Stallone persona, which gives it a manufactured rather than spontaneous feel. Admittedly, that is not helped by the film-school pyrotechnics of director Stephen Kay, who fills the frame with so much unnecessary camera movement that it really feels like he spent more time setting up the camera shots than he did on the script. Moving the story from a small town north of London to Seattle works better because of the subplot concerning Internet porn, of which Seattle is a virtual hotbed. The downside is that it allows for Alan Cumming's portrayal of a Bill Gates-like billionaire as a near-retarded boy-child. Other actors fare better with their roles, particularly Rachel Leigh Cook and Mickey Rourke, though Michael Caine's presence only serves to draw unfair comparisons to the original. That said, if you buy both versions you will learn more about the state of Hollywood at the turn of the millennium than with a year's subscription to Variety. --Andy Spletzer

Customer Reviews:

Awful; just plain awful.......2006-06-03

I LOVE Sly Stallone. Love the man dearly, but wow, is this movie bad. I really couldn't even make it all the way through, it was so bad. As heralded as Stallone is as an actor, he really only made a few good movies. The Rocky movies, Rambo movies, and Cliffhanger was pretty good. Get Carter was an abomination.

Seriously Underappreciated - One Of The Better Action Movies Of The 2000s.......2006-01-06

Easily one of Sylvester Stallone's best movies (and best performances), this remake of "Get Carter" was relentlessly bashed upon its release but seems to be gaining more of a following in the subsequent years. It's a good thing too, because if you pass this one up you're actually missing out on one of the most intense and just plain best action movies of the last several years. Carter (Stallone) is basically a bad guy who doesn't want to be a bad guy, a midlevel mob enforcer who it seems gotten into his current lifestyle and occupation rather unwittingly some years ago and now can't find a way out. It never says that in the movie, but that's what I got right from the beginning. He seems resigned to his role until the death of his brother brings him home to his estranged family for the first time in years, where he becomes suspicious that his brother's death wasn't an accident. When his sister-in-law and niece begin to be terrorized by some unknown assailants, Carter goes on the warpath against whoever's after them and whoever killed his brother, turning his violence loose without reserve. The bond he forms with his niece (played by Rachel Leigh Cook in a big change of pace from her comedic roles) seems to galvanize his courage to not only pursue his current targets but to re-evaluate his whole life and the choices he's made and the position as a common thug he's lived in during recent years. Very effective use of inner drama intermixes with tension and top-of-the-line fight scenes to make this a cut above many similar movies. Was ripe for a sequel but it appears unlikely one will materialze. "Get Carter" is disturbing, sursprisingly realistic, populated with well-constructed characters both good and bad, and kicks Way into full-throttle whenever the plot calls for it. A great choice for action fans and non action fans alike.

just missed.......2005-12-12

This movie just missed greatness. If it weren't for the acting and the script.

Ignore the Critics on Amazon.... this is a cool flick !.......2005-11-14

Ignore the critics here on Amazon.
This is a cool and much improved remake of the 1971 GET CARTER.

Brief synopsis....

"Bad brother" and occupational debt collector returns home after 5 years to attend his younger "good brother's" funeral.
It becomes quickly apparent the circumstances of his brother's death are not what they appear to be.
Stallone makes up for his failure to be a part of the family these past few years by getting to the bottom of things and "making things right".

With dark rainy imagery, some upbeat soundtrack movie and good acting by not only Stallone but Rourke and Leigh, this is a great film that deserved more attention.

Only the casting of the billionaire computer-geek is bad casting.

My wife loves this film so much she watches it at least once per month !

........2005-09-29

This is worse than my eighth birthday party. Some kid brought his pet Teradactyl and let go of the leed. Also, the hired band 'The Caz Dolowicz Experience' didn't show up. Something about a hijacked subway train. They think we're mugs? Anyway, the photography in GC was worse. Everbody too big in the frame and sort of artless and wobbly. How does Rachel Leigh Cook manage to appear in so many disasters? Does she have a homing beacon in her nose? It's a very small nose which just goes to show how amazing technology is today. Stallone looks like he's on Dialysis. I didn't watch the end. It either ends in a friendly game of Jim Rummy or a blowtorch enema. Gosh, I wonder.

Average customer rating:

Great fast paced version, but lacks detail.
The Definitive Annie
Annie by Alicia Morton
Charming and Memorable!
Annie Lite

Annie
Starring: Alicia Morton , Kathy Bates , Alan Cumming , Audra McDonald , and Kristin Chenoweth
Director: Rob Marshall
Manufacturer: Walt Disney Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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Annie (Special Anniversary Edition) [Region 99]
Annie (1999 Television Film)
Annie (1977 Original Broadway Cast)
Annie (Original 1982 Motion Picture Soundtrack)
Rodgers & Hammerstein's Cinderella

ASIN: 6305870187
Release Date: 2000-05-30

Amazon.com

Disney's 1999 TV production of the classic 1977 musical Annie is remarkable for its casting of stage actors rather than ratings trump cards. Tony winners Audra McDonald (Grace), Alan Cumming (Rooster), and Kristin Chenoweth (Lily) join four-time nominee Victor Garber (Daddy Warbucks) and Les Misérables veteran Alicia Morton (Annie) to tell the tale of the Depression-era orphan who gets a taste of the upper-crust life. Not surprisingly, they all turn in strong performances, and even Oscar-winner Kathy Bates acquits herself well in a singer's role, as the villainous Miss Hannigan. Perhaps best of all is the original title moppet, Andrea McArdle, making a sensational one-minute cameo as the Broadway Star-To-Be in "N.Y.C."

Compared to John Huston's plodding, overly busy 1982 theatrical release, this production as directed by Rob Marshall (Cabaret, among other shows) is quite conservative; few numbers leave the confines of their sets, giving it the feel of a stage production. It is also more faithful as a whole to the Broadway original, though at a running time of 90 minutes it leaves out most of the historical context of the FDR administration as well as some of Charles Strouse and Martin Charnin's familiar songs, and makes a few plot changes, some of which work and some of which don't. Because of the omissions, this probably isn't a definitive film translation of Annie, but it's well paced for a young audience, and would be an excellent introduction to get children interested in live theater. Annie was produced by the team behind the 1993 telecast of Gypsy with Bette Midler, as well as 1997's Brandy-Whitney Houston Cinderella, and there are plans for many others. As Broadway shows are too often represented on video by inferior big-screen translations, this trend toward good, solid small-screen productions is most welcome. --David Horiuchi

Description

Disney makes this beloved musical more magical than ever with an all-new, feature-length production! Featuring an all-star cast and new choreography, this charming tale of an adorable orphan named Annie captures all the fun of the original, but adds an unmistakable Disney touch! For a young girl living a "hard-knock" life in a children's orphanage, things may seem pretty bad -- especially at Christmas. But feisty Annie carries a song in her heart and hope in her locket -- the only thing she has from her parents. One day, fed up with the dastardly Miss Hannigan (Academy Award(R)-winner Kathy Bates), Annie escapes the rundown orphanage determined to find her mom and dad. Her adventure takes her from the cold, mean streets of New York to the warm, comforting arms of bighearted billionaire Oliver Warbucks, with plenty of mischief and music in between! Filled with memorable songs and magical moments, Disney's ANNIE brings this heartwarming story to a whole new generation. And now you can relive the magic over and over again!

Customer Reviews:

Great fast paced version, but lacks detail........2007-06-04

Overall, I found this version quite enjoyable. After seeing the original film I thought this one was much more pleasing visually. The new costumes, sets, and choreography really improved the show and made it fun for the younger kids. I also thought the music and singing was pretty good for a Disney film.

The biggest problem I had with it was the acting, and extreemly edited script. To make a long story short I thought Kathy Bates needed to be a bigger BIT**! Mabey its just because I love Carol Burnett so much! I thought Allan Cumming was awesome, as well as Kristen Chenoweth. Victor Garber and his secretary (blanking on her name) were also pretty good in my opinion. But the cut down script left many plot holes, and didn't develop their characters enough.

They never gave Warbucks and Ms. Hannigan enough time to show us their change of character from the start of the show to the end. I understand that they wanted to make it short for younger kids, but I thought it was a little TOO short.

If you haven't seen it, I would recomend it, but I think it's been majorly DISNEY-FIED. :-D

The Definitive Annie.......2007-05-02

From top to bottom, this production is quite perfect. The sensitivity to the material allows a marvelous production to reach the stratosphere the moment Andrea McArdle steps onscreen and begins belting out the NYC number. That this was director Rob Marshall's first film makes it that much more exciting. Everyone is excellent and perfectly cast. Certainly one of the finest film adaptations of a Broadway musical yet.

Annie by Alicia Morton.......2007-03-16

I bought this movie for my 7 yr old twin granddaughters at their request. They even told my what website to get it on! They saw it at school and they loved it and knew their Nana would buy it. If my 7 yr old grandkids want to watch this movie over and over again I definitely recommend this movie to all kids!!!!
Nancy J

Charming and Memorable!.......2007-02-19

We caught this movie on (of course) the Disney Channel. And for weeks afterwards my 4 year old daughter talked about it and sang the sun will come out song. So I bought it for her and then (after she watched it two dozen times) I took her to the full scale production.

I really thought it would be too much for her since this version and the broadway production are different (as others have stated). But she followed along wonderfully singing all the songs she knew.

This is by far her favorite movie and she follows the choreographed routines of the orphan girls and mimics the songs much more than any of the princess movies. It truly is very well acted and very charming.

Annie Lite.......2007-02-04

This version of Annie is a great introduction for the younger set and showcases some terrific Broadway talent, but leaves out a lot from the original stage version. As others have mentioned, the politics, romance between Grace and Warbucks, and villianous behavior of Miss Hannigan that were such a winning combo on stage have been toned way down by Disney. Alicia Morton is adorable and has a beautiful voice, but trades in a lot of Annie's signature pluck for sweetness. Some of the song lyrics have been changed, while other songs have been cut completely. The purist might find all of this this detrimental, but my 3 year old does not know the difference and just enjoys the heck out of the story, the singing, and the dancing. And the length of the film is perfect for her attention span. Miss Hannigan appears to have kicked her drinking problem in this version, which robs both the actress and the viewers of some great comedic material, but leaves parents of young children with less explaining to do.

While this version of Annie is a bit of a "Lite" approach, it is in my opinion an improvement over the overdone 1992 version. Editing a few things out is to me less of a crime of creative liberty than adding a character (Poonjab) and songs that were not part of the stage version.

So far there is no movie version that is a worthy substitute for seeing Annie live on stage in its entirety, but this movie covers the basic storyline and memorable songs, and is great for young Annie-lovers.

Average customer rating:

The King has returned
King of Hearts
"We Have Decided To Be Happy, And There Is No Stopping Us"
'King of Hearts' is King in My Heart
MORE URGENT THOUGH LESS POPULAR MESSAGE NOW THAN IN THE SIXTIES

King Of Hearts
Starring: Jacques Balutin , Alan Bates , Jackie Blanchot , Robert Blome , and Pierre Brasseur
Manufacturer: MGM (Video & DVD)
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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( K ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video

Harold and Maude
Being There
Where's Poppa (Ws Sub)
The Mouse That Roared [Region 99]
La Cage Aux Folles

ASIN: B000059H9D
Release Date: 2001-04-10

Amazon.com

This film was a touchstone of the late 1960s, when it was seen as an antiwar allegory for a world in which madness seemed to reign. Of course, that would probably be true whenever this movie was shown, wouldn't it? Directed by Philippe de Broca and set during World War I, King of Hearts stars Alan Bates as a Scottish soldier separated from his unit in France. He wanders into a small French village that has been abandoned by its residents in the face of oncoming combat. Instead, the town is populated by the residents of a nearby insane asylum, whose keepers have fled--a fact that escapes the innocent soldier, who assumes these are the regular folks. A film that celebrates the innocence and wisdom of the insane, even as it questions who the real madmen are. --Marshall Fine

Description

One of the most popular foreign films of all time, playing continuously in some theatres for over five years, King of Hearts is a "bright, lilting, whimsical, lyrical" (Cue) comedy thatcleverly satirizes the absurdity of war with a "message [that is] meaningful and entertaining" (Boxoffice). Bumbling Scottish Private Plumpick (Alan Bates) is sent to a village in the beautiful French countryside during World War I on a suicide mission to detonate explosives set bythe retreating German army. The village, soon to be blown sky-high, has been abandoned by its inhabitantsand replaced with escapees from the local insane asylum. Now, with the mentally challenged running the town, Plumpick is crowned King! But his new title brings him his first horrible decision: to carry out his deadly mission or join the ranks of the blissfully ignorant who know nothing about war. King of Hearts is subtle, visually striking and, in short, the "ultimate display of madness" (Life)!

Customer Reviews:

The King has returned.......2007-06-13

This is possibly one of the greatest films ever made! Its impact is just as profound today as it was when I first saw it decades ago. The performances and atmosphere are as timeless as war and comedy. It makes its social comentary through humor and flight of fancy. If you haven't seen this film, do so!

King of Hearts.......2007-02-20

Delighted to have what has until now been my favorite film. I have worn out the video making all my friends watch it!
Now I have the DVD and am out looking for new friends....

"We Have Decided To Be Happy, And There Is No Stopping Us".......2006-11-24

"We have decided to be happy, and there is no stopping us." So says Bishop Daisy.

When Alan Bates tells an impossibly young Genevieve Bujold, (divine sylph in yellow ballerina finery), that they have only three minutes to live, her response is, "That's great! Such a long time."

King Of Hearts has a whimsical way of tossing cherished assumptions into a cocked hat that succeeds brilliantly. This treasure has only gotten better with time; it delights the eye, the ear, the mind, the funny bone, and the heart.

One could easily enjoy KOH with the sound off, no small French village has ever looked more picturesque, or been populated by more visually appealing citizens. Fellini admirers will find the surrealistic parades familiar; they dance on the surface of reality like bubbles in the sun. Director Philippe de Broca created these film paintings without irony; their fragile magic is simply superimposed on top of the dumb, grim, WWI setting.

Factoring in the superb Georges Delerue score gives you a long succession of movie moments that are poignant at least, and sometimes truly haunting in their beauty. Alan Bates carries the film with a seemingly effortless performance; he makes the familiar look ludicrous and the bizarre seem totally reasonable. On many levels this is a very silly movie that never could work without such a reasoned, level performance.

KOH has really been damaged by over-analysis. It is an enchanting, light-hearted comedy that casts a very particular spell. It is not a daring, bare-knuckled indictment of war, (although it would be hard to miss its anti-war position). It is also not a manifesto proclaiming the wisdom inherent in mental illness. This said, KOH does invite viewers to ask - Who is more crazy, people who shoot each other or people who dress up and play pretend?

In the real world, mental illness isn't adorable. There aren't costumes and parades. There is only pain. In the real world, war is not always moronic and pointless; there is also nobility and valor. But that's the real world; KOH is a movie, an exquisite movie.

'King of Hearts' is King in My Heart.......2006-08-22

I have been going to the movies for a long, long time...starting in the late 1930's. 'King of Hearts' is very near the top of my list of favorites and I was delighted to be able to obtain my very own copy. The premise asks the question, 'Who is Really Crazy? The gentle souls confined to an insane asylum or the warmongers on the battlefield?' Though the actions of the actors is comedic and amusing, this can hardly be defined as a comedy. It causes one to think a great deal about a very serious subject.

MORE URGENT THOUGH LESS POPULAR MESSAGE NOW THAN IN THE SIXTIES.......2006-08-12

We in the Sixties cheered this film heartily.

Now it would be as popular as the Dixie Chix.

Such is the collapse of peace and our world cutlure and consciousness.

In the Sixties we understood war to be insane and immoral.

Now we are taught from our first film to kill the Other.

Watch this film from a "kinder, gentler" age and remember your own inner humanity, and how to love in peace.

Why are we here? Where are we? Where are we going? Are we having fun yet?

This film through theatre of the absurd responds to the universal and essential questions. General Geranium has such a finer grasp of questions of war than our Rumsfeld.

Watch this film as an antidote to our current elevated urgent war-mongering for fun and profit.

You may even once again dare to love the French people.

Peace, baby.
Peace will win in the end because war does not create.

Private Pumpernickel convinced us the only way to drop out of an insane and violent society is to join the marginalized and rejected from society. Many of us managed to harm ourselves deeply in an effort to drop out. Seek life first, and peace.

And Love.

Such is to be human, and to live.

This is the best movie from that era and essential viewing for children and other living humans.

This movie frees us from that fear which sells wars.

It is a religious film.

Average customer rating:

botched culture nights
Arabian Nights
The movie bored me
Arabian Nights
Captivating

Arabian Nights
Starring: Mili Avital , Alan Bates , James Frain , Tchéky Karyo , and Jason Scott Lee
Director: Steve Barron
Manufacturer: Lions Gate
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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( A ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video

The 10th Kingdom
The Magical Legend of the Leprechauns
Merlin (Special Edition)
Jason and the Argonauts
Gulliver's Travels

ASIN: B00005NB94
Release Date: 2001-08-07

Amazon.com

When Sultan Said discovers his wife locked in a passionate embrace with his only brother, he flings his sword at the prince and accidentally murders his adulterous queen. Tortured by his wife's ghost, the maniacal and cowardly sultan must marry another to save his kingdom, but to avoid future matrimonial disgrace he plans to have her executed the morning after the wedding. Fortunately for him, Scheherezade, the grand vicar's daughter played by the lovely Mili Avital, jumps at the challenge and the chance to marry her childhood love. A master storyteller, the newly crowned sultana escapes death night after night with her mesmerizing tales of Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves, Aladdin and his Magic Lamp, countless warriors, supernatural duels, and ferocious genies.

Although the main story line falls short of Scheherezade's seductive tales, audiences will be enchanted with fantastic special effects, elaborate costumes, and the magic of Persia. Wonderfully directed and edited by Steve Barron, Hallmark's Arabian Nights will particularly appeal to fans of magical computer-effects laden television miniseries. --Melissa Asher

Customer Reviews:

botched culture nights.......2007-04-19

Did anyone else find the glaring cultural mixups distracting? Interesting how they mixed Indian dance, Indian clothing, inauthentic clothing, English accents into this movie.

Arabian Nights .......2007-04-07

I'm 63 years old and never get tired of this movie. A pleasure to watch with a bowl of pop corn and my family. Mili Avital is enchanting and uses hers brain to keep the story going. Finally a movie where filthy language and sex aren't used to entertain the viewer. This movie has its silly moments and fantasy abounds. The special effects are really very good making this move a classic for the ages. There is some old slapstick comedy which keeps you laughing. without telling secrets out of school this movie is worth the almost 3 hours a viewing. I would consider this a top 10 for family viewing.

The movie bored me.......2007-03-20

It had great special effects and tons and tons of great reviews, but I honestly could not get into the story. It bored me from the very beginning. I thought the acting was very flat--almost like reading lines. Very monitone. It just didn't have any flair, I thought. I know everybody will disagree with me, but I checked it out and I was disappointed. Yawn!!

Arabian Nights.......2007-03-16

I really enjoyed this movie the first time I watched it. So much so that I went ahead and bought it. If you enjoy the Disney stories but think their a little to childish these are the same stories before Disney took out all the violence. Its not gory or anything just a lot more grown up. It may be an older movie but I don't think the graphics are lacking at all.

Captivating.......2007-03-08

As the storyteller says, you must leave your audience wanting more....well, they sure did accomplish that task. My husband and I could not turn off the tv, we had to stay up and finish until 1:00 AM. And with 3 kids that's not something we do often anymore. Wonderful story and extremely well done!

The Sum of All Fears (Special Collector's Edition)

Average customer rating:

The Sum of All Fears (Special Collector's Edition)...
terrorism and wmd brought to the big screen
Sadly disappointing!
good dvd
What can I say?

The Sum of All Fears (Special Collector's Edition)
Starring: Ben Affleck , Alan Bates , John Beasley , Michael Byrne , and James Cromwell
Director: Phil Alden Robinson
Manufacturer: Paramount
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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( S ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video

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Clear and Present Danger (Special Collector's Edition)
Patriot Games (Special Collector's Edition)
The Hunt for Red October (Special Collector's Edition)
Paycheck (Special Collector's Edition)
The Recruit

ASIN: B00005JL8F
Release Date: 2002-10-29

Amazon.com

It's not easy replacing Harrison Ford as a beloved screen hero, but Ben Affleck brings fresh vitality to The Sum of All Fears, reviving Paramount's Tom Clancy franchise in the role Ford made famous. As CIA agent Jack Ryan, Affleck is a rookie in the covert ranks, unraveling a plot that lures Russian and American superpowers into a nuclear standoff, while a neofascist faction turns most of Baltimore into an atomic wasteland and holds the world in the grip of a terrorist nightmare. Affleck combines sharp intelligence with a new-guy's perspective, while a senior agent (Morgan Freeman) passes the torch of back-channel authority. The result is one of the best Clancy films to date, ably helmed by Phil Alden Robinson (whose comic thriller Sneakers was sorely underrated) with a stellar supporting cast, and adapted with abundant humor, humanity, and thrills by Donnie Brasco screenwriter Paul Attanasio and cowriter Daniel Pyne. Even the typically reticent Clancy would approve. --Jeff Shannon

Customer Reviews:

The Sum of All Fears (Special Collector's Edition)..........2007-06-02

This is a good movie that invites one to think. The acting was very good. Morgan Freeman again, is outstanding!

terrorism and wmd brought to the big screen.......2007-04-03

Great video with all star cast that shows the realities that face us here in america. A terrorist mastermind wants to drag the U.S. and Russia into WW3 and uses a smuggled nuclear device to do it. The only thing i would have done differently, is to have used Islamic terrorists to make it more lifelike.

Sadly disappointing!.......2007-02-14

Tom Clancy's "Sum Of All Fears" is a 900 page thriller - complex, highly detailed and smart. A mini-series would be necessary to preserve the integrity of the story, but alas it was squashed into two hours for the theater. Large parts of the story were completely discarded and what remains has been compressed to the point of being barely recognizable. What makes the book so interesting is the premise that the US and Russian governments could be manipulated by clever terrorists, and in spite of all safeguards the world could be brought to the brink of nuclear war. The movie shows us the escalating danger, but without the insights. Be afraid, be very afraid!

While I can understand the problem of creating a coherent screenplay I cannot understand the characterization of Jack Ryan (played by Ben Affleck). Jack Ryan (as portrayed by Tom Clancy) is not just a guy who runs with guns. He is smart, thoughtful, and highly articulate. He is the Deputy Director of the CIA and an advisor to the President! Yet in this film he says things like "I really don't believe the Russian leader would act that way, Sir." Apparently we are supposed to believe that Jack Ryan saves the day because he can walk away from helicopter crashes, and because he's really, really sincere.

Still, on the plus side the film is nice to look at, moves at a fast pace, has a few well done special effects, and some decent acting (notably Morgan Freeman). The ride can be enjoyable if you don't think about it, so I give it two stars. Regardless of how you feel about this film I say read the book. You won't believe how much more there is to this story.

good dvd.......2007-01-04

It is a good merchandise very low price. It a great opportunity to collete all those movies that can t bee fond in any store.

What can I say?.......2006-11-10

A Movie that will make you wonder if it could be true. It made you wonder what would happen next or if they would be able to stop it in time and did not come with the normal hollywood happy ending that we all wait for. I would recommend this movie to anyone who likes a good action movie.

Average customer rating:

GREAT MUSIC
Doing Justice to Janis Joplin
It's all because of Bette
BETTE MIDLER IN AMAZING PERFORMANCE!!
"Where's everybody going!?"

The Rose
Starring: Luke Andreas , Jonathan Banks , Alan Bates , Rudy Bond , and Hildy Brooks
Director: Mark Rydell
Manufacturer: 20th Century Fox
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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