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Princess Mononoke
Starring: Hisaya Morishige , Jada Pinkett Smith , Billy Bob Thornton , Yuko Tanaka , and Yoji Matsuda Director: Hayao Miyazaki Manufacturer: Miramax ProductGroup: DVD Binding: DVD Similar Items:
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ASIN: B00003CXBK Release Date: 2000-12-19 |
Amazon.com essential video
This epic, animated 1997 fantasy has already made history as the top-grossing domestic feature ever released in Japan, where its combination of mythic themes, mystical forces, and ravishing visuals tapped deeply into cultural identity and contemporary, ecological anxieties. For international animation and <I>anime</I> fans, <I>Princess Mononoke</I> represents an auspicious next step for its revered creator, Hayao Miyazaki (<I>My Neighbor Totoro</I>, <I>Kiki's Delivery Service</I>), an acknowledged <I>anime</I> pioneer, whose painterly style, vivid character design, and stylized approach to storytelling take ambitious, evolutionary steps here.Set in medieval Japan, Miyazaki's original story envisions a struggle between nature and man. The march of technology, embodied in the dark iron forges of the ambitious Tatara clan, threatens the natural forces explicit in the benevolent Great God of the Forest and the wide-eyed, spectral spirits he protects. When Ashitaka, a young warrior from a remote, and endangered, village clan, kills a ravenous, boar-like monster, he discovers the beast is in fact an infectious "demon god," transformed by human anger. Ashitaka's quest to solve the beast's fatal curse brings him into the midst of human political intrigues as well as the more crucial battle between man and nature.
Miyazaki's convoluted fable is clearly not the stuff of kiddie matinees, nor is the often graphic violence depicted during the battles that ensue. If some younger viewers (or less attentive older ones) will wish for a diagram to sort out the players, Miyazaki's atmospheric world and its lush visual design are reasons enough to watch. For the English-language version, Miramax assembled an impressive vocal cast including Gillian Anderson, Billy Crudup (as Ashitaka), Claire Danes (as San), Minnie Driver (as Lady Eboshi), Billy Bob Thornton, and Jada Pinkett Smith. They bring added nuance to a very different kind of magic kingdom. Recommended for ages 12 and older. <I>--Sam Sutherland</I>
Description
Claire Danes (THE MOD SQUAD), Minnie Driver (GOOD WILL HUNTING), and Billy Bob Thornton (ARMAGEDDON, SLING BLADE) head a cast of hot Hollywood stars who lend their talents to this exquisitely animated, overwhelmingly acclaimed adventure epic! Inflicted with a deadly curse, a young warrior named Ashitaka (Billy Crudup -- WITHOUT LIMITS) sets out for the forests of the west in search of the cure that will save his life. Once there, he becomes inextricably entangled in a bitter battle that matches Lady Eboshi (Driver) and a proud clan of humans against the forest's animal gods, who are led by the brave Princess Mononoke (Danes), a young woman raised by wolves! Also starring Gillian Anderson (THE X-FILES) and Jada Pinkett Smith (SCREAM 2), this monumental struggle between man and nature will have you transfixed as stunning artistry blends with epic storytelling to create a uniquely entertaining motion picture!Customer Reviews:
A thousand carats gem!.......2007-06-19
One of the best movies ever made.......2007-05-31
Argueably the best anime I've ever seen........2007-05-23
Must See.......2007-05-14
Excellent movie.......2007-05-13
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The Astronaut Farmer
Starring: Billy Bob Thornton , Virginia Madsen , Max Thieriot , Jasper Polish , and Logan Polish Director: Michael Polish Manufacturer: Warner Home Video ProductGroup: DVD Binding: DVD Similar Items:
ASIN: B00005JPLE Release Date: 2007-07-10 |
Amazon.com
If you can give The Astronaut Farmer the big, bounding leap of faith it requires, you'll probably enjoy this good-natured film about the importance of holding on to your dreams. The title character (and the dreamer in question) is Charlie Farmer (Billy Bob Thornton), a Texas ranch owner and former aeronautics engineer who's got a homemade rocket in his barn and a dream to blast into space. Even though Charlie's deeply in debt and threatened with foreclosure, his wife (Virginia Madsen) and kids are deeply supportive of Charlie's Earth-orbit mission, even when he attracts the glaring attention of a seasoned Air Force colonel (played by Bruce Willis, in an uncredited role), the FAA, the FBI, and the national media. "If we don't have our dreams, we have nothing," says Charlie at a particularly desperate impasse, and this loopy, offbeat, and unabashedly sentimental drama embraces that message with disarming sincerity.Suspension of disbelief is a challenge when the movie glosses over so many of its logistical details (like, where does one buy an old NASA space capsule?), and in trying for a kind of Capra-esque, eccentrically Western spin on the American dream, the Polish twins--director Michael and cowriter/actor Mark (making their mainstream debut after such indie hits as Twin Falls, Idaho and Northfork)--are only marginally successful in making Charlie's ambition genuinely believable. The film works much better as a kind of post space-age fable for families, and it's just involving enough to make its climax emotionally rewarding, mostly because Thornton, Madsen, and their costars (including Bruce Dern and Tim Blake Nelson) handle the delicate material with the earnestness it needs to be marginally convincing. Elton John's "Rocket Man" is predictably heard over the closing credits (accordingly, Charlie's launch-time is "zero hours, nine a.m."), and at a time when several adventurous entrepreneurs (including Amazon.com founder Jeff Bezos) are gradually developing a civilian space-flight industry, The Astronaut Farmer is an admirable yet forgivably flawed reminder that we should never stop reaching for the stars. --Jeff Shannon
Description
All systems are "Go" for Charles Farmer. He's faced bank foreclosure, neighborhood naysayers and a government alarmed by his huge purchase of high-grade fuel, but now he's ready to blast into space inside the homemade rocket he built in his barn. Just be home in time for dinner, Charlie. Billy Bob Thornton portrays Charlie in this charmer about chasing dreams...and about what it means to be a family. 10,000 pounds of rocket fuel alone can't lift Charlie into the heavens. He needs a launch/recovery crew, and he has one of the best: his wife (Virginia Madsen) and children, dreamers all. They have liftoff. Our spirits have uplift. Gravity cannot hold down our dreams. The Astronaut Farmer is that kind of movie. <P><b>DVD Features:</b>Customer Reviews:
Real? Or Not?.......2007-06-19
A movie for dreamers.......2007-06-11
Reach the stars and your dreams.......2007-05-29
Great FICTIONAL movie!.......2007-05-21
Barn Burner.......2007-05-21
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Tombstone
Starring: Kurt Russell , Val Kilmer , Sam Elliott , Bill Paxton , and Powers Boothe Director: George P. Cosmatos Manufacturer: Walt Disney Video ProductGroup: DVD Binding: DVD Similar Items:
ASIN: 6304711905 Release Date: 1997-12-02 |
Amazon.com
This Western has become a modest cult favorite since its release in 1993, when the film was met with mixed reviews but the performances of Kurt Russell (as Wyatt Earp) and especially Val Kilmer, for his memorably eccentric performance as the dying gunslinger Doc Holliday, garnered high praise. The movie opens with Wyatt Earp trying to put his violent past behind him, living happily in Tombstone with his brothers and the woman (Dana Delany) who puts his soul at ease. But a murderous gang called the Cowboys has burst on the scene, and Earp can't keep his gun belt off any longer. The plot sounds routine, and in many ways it is, but Western buffs won't mind a bit thanks to a fine cast and some well-handled action on the part of Rambo director George P. Cosmatos, who has yet to make a better film than this. --Jeff ShannonDescription
A sizzling, star-studded cast brings to life the legendary battle to deliver justice to TOMBSTONE! Kurt Russell (MIRACLE, VANILLA SKY) turns in a gripping performance as U.S. Marshall Wyatt Earp and Val Kilmer (THE MISSING, BATMAN FOREVER) ignites the screen as the outrageous Doc Holliday. Together, they team up to bring law to the lawless in a notorious showdown with the ruthless outlaws at the O.K. Corral! The all-star ensemble also includes Sam Elliott, Bill Paxton, Dana Delany, Jason Priestley, Michael Biehn, and long-time Hollywood favorite Charlton Heston. Get ready for an explosive, action-packed adventure the Wild West would never forget!Customer Reviews:
I love this movie!!!.......2007-06-13
Tombstone is tops.......2007-06-11
Tombstone review.......2007-06-08
Phenomenal.......2007-06-05
A gorgeous example of western nobility and honor..........2007-05-24
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Armageddon
Starring: Ben Affleck , Clark Heathcliffe Brolly , Steve Buscemi , Ken Hudson Campbell , and Keith David Manufacturer: Buena Vista Home Entertainment / Touchstone ProductGroup: DVD Binding: DVD Similar Items:
ASIN: B00000G3PA Release Date: 1999-01-05 |
Product Description
From the blockbuster-making team who produced and directed PEARL HARBOR and THE ROCK (Jerry Bruckheimer and Michael Bay) comes the biggest movie of 1998 -- ARMAGEDDON! Starring the explosive talents of Bruce Willis (DIE HARD), Academy Award(R)-winners Ben Affleck (GOOD WILL HUNTING) and Billy Bob Thornton (SLING BLADE), Liv Tyler (INVENTING THE ABBOTTS), Steve Buscemi (CON AIR), and Will Patton (INVENTING THE ABBOTTS), ARMAGEDDON is a meteor storm of action-adventure moviemaking that has you on the edge of your seat forgetting to breathe! When NASA's executive director, Dan Truman (Thornton), realizes the Earth has 18 days before it's obliterated by a meteor the size of Texas, he has only one option -- land a ragtag team of roughneck oil drillers on the asteroid and drop a nuclear warhead into its core. Spectacular special effects, laugh-out-loud humor, great characters, riveting storytelling, and heartfelt emotion make ARMAGEDDON an exhilarating thrill ride you'll want to experience like there's no tomorrow.Amazon.com essential video
The latest testosterone-saturated blow-'em-up from producer Jerry Bruckheimer and director Michael Bay (<I>The Rock</I>, <I>Bad Boys</I>) continues Hollywood's millennium-fueled fascination with the destruction of our planet. There's no arguing that the successful duo understands what mainstream American audiences want in their blockbuster movies--loads of loud, eye-popping special effects, rapid- fire pacing, and patriotic flag waving. Bay's protagonists--the eight crude, lewd, oversexed (but lovable, of course) oil drillers summoned to save the world from a Texas-sized meteor hurling toward the earth--are not flawless heroes, but common men with whom all can relate. In this huge Western-in-space soap opera, they're American cowboys turned astronauts. Sci-fi buffs will appreciate Bay's fetishizing of technology, even though it's apparent he doesn't understand it as anything more than flashing lights and shiny gadgets. Smartly, the duo also tries to lure the art-house crowd, raiding the local indie acting stable and populating the film with guys like Steve Buscemi, Billy Bob Thornton, Owen Wilson, and Michael Duncan, all adding needed touches of humor and charisma. When Bay applies his sledgehammer aesthetics to the action portions of the film, it's mindless fun; it's only when <I>Armageddon</I> tackles humanity that it becomes truly offensive. Not since <I>Mississippi Burning</I> have racial and cultural stereotypes been substituted for characters so blatantly--African Americans, Japanese, Chinese, Scottish, Samoans, Muslims, French ... if it's not white and American, Bay simplifies it. Or, make that white <I>male</I> America; the film features only three notable females--four if you count the meteor, who's constantly referred to as a "bitch that needs drillin'," but she's a hell of a lot more developed and unpredictable than the other women characters combined. Sure, Bay's film creates some tension and contains some visceral moments, but if he can't create any redeemable characters outside of those in space, what's the point of saving the planet? <I>--Dave McCoy</I>Customer Reviews:
"We have 18 days before it hits Earth...".......2007-06-10
Armageddon.......2007-06-08
Action Packed And A Whole Lot Of Fun!.......2007-06-04
The perfect movie for stupid people!.......2007-05-30
Like a good friend.......2007-05-12
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Dead Man
Starring: Johnny Depp , Gary Farmer , Crispin Glover , Lance Henriksen , and Michael Wincott Director: Jim Jarmusch Manufacturer: Miramax ProductGroup: DVD Binding: DVD Similar Items:
ASIN: B00004Z4WX Release Date: 2000-12-19 |
Amazon.com
This disappointment from Jim Jarmusch stars Johnny Depp in a mystery-Western about a 19th-century accountant named William Blake, who spends nearly all his money getting to a hellish mud town in the old West and ends up penniless and doomstruck in the wilderness. A benevolent if goofy Native American (Gary Farmer) takes an interest in guiding Blake on a quest for identity in his earthly journey, but the film is really just a string of endless shtick about inbred woodsmen, dumb lawmen, and a trio of irritable killers. With Robert Mitchum, Iggy Pop, Gabriel Byrne, Alfred Molina, and a noodling soundtrack by Neil Young. <I>--Tom Keogh</I>Description
Johnny Depp (CHOCOLAT) delivers a remarkable performance in this highly acclaimed tale of adventure and intrigue in the wild, wild west! A young man in search of a fresh start, William Blake (Depp) embarks on an exciting journey to a new town ... never realizing the danger that lies ahead. But when a heated love triangle ends in double murder, Blake finds himself a wanted man, running scared -- until a mysterious loner teaches him to face the dangers that follow a "dead man." With an outstanding supporting cast including Gabriel Byrne (THE USUAL SUSPECTS) and Robert Mitchum (CAPE FEAR), and a sizzling soundtrack, DEAD MAN is another motion picture triumph from filmmaker Jim Jarmusch.Customer Reviews:
Totally Awesome!.......2007-06-19
Dead Man.......2007-06-11
One Of My Favorites.......2007-05-16
Not a single extraneous shot.......2007-05-06
my FAVORITE MOVIE!.......2007-05-03
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Tombstone - The Director's Cut (Vista Series)
Starring: Kurt Russell , Val Kilmer , Sam Elliott , Bill Paxton , and Powers Boothe Director: George P. Cosmatos Manufacturer: Walt Disney Video ProductGroup: DVD Binding: DVD Similar Items:
ASIN: B00005RHGL Release Date: 2002-01-15 |
Amazon.com
This Western has become a modest cult favorite since its release in 1993, when the film was met with mixed reviews but the performances of Kurt Russell (as Wyatt Earp) and especially Val Kilmer, for his memorably eccentric performance as the dying gunslinger Doc Holliday, garnered high praise. The movie opens with Wyatt Earp trying to put his violent past behind him, living happily in Tombstone with his brothers and the woman (Dana Delany) who puts his soul at ease. But a murderous gang called the Cowboys has burst on the scene, and Earp can't keep his gun belt off any longer. The plot sounds routine, and in many ways it is, but Western buffs won't mind a bit thanks to a fine cast and some well-handled action on the part of Rambo director George P. Cosmatos, who has yet to make a better film than this. --Jeff ShannonDescription
George P. Cosmatos presents the Director's Cut of his incredibly popular TOMBSTONE, the action-packed, star-studded western that brings the legendary feud between the Earps and the Clantons to life. Former U.S. Marshall Wyatt Earp's (Kurt Russell) plan for peace, quiet, and prosperity misfires when he, his brothers, and the outrageous rogue Doc Holliday (Val Kilmer) encounter that ruthless band of outlaws, the Clantons. Gripping performances and explosive action fill the screen in this legendary western about Tombstone and the gunfight at the O.K. Corral.Customer Reviews:
I love this movie!!!.......2007-06-13
Tombstone is tops.......2007-06-11
Tombstone review.......2007-06-08
Phenomenal.......2007-06-05
A gorgeous example of western nobility and honor..........2007-05-24
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The Apostle
Starring: Todd Allen , Brother Paul Bagget , Lenore Banks , John Beasley , and Mary Lynette Braxton Manufacturer: Universal Studios ProductGroup: DVD Binding: DVD Similar Items:
ASIN: B00007ELF1 Release Date: 2002-11-05 |
Amazon.com
Written, directed, and personally financed by Robert Duvall, <I>The Apostle</I> was the culmination of a 14-year effort on the part of its creator, who also stars as the dynamic, God-fearing Texas preacher Euliss "Sonny" Dewey. Vibrantly authentic with its use of real gospel preachers and extras carefully selected from parishes of the deep South, the film treats its complicated characters with the kind of compassion and moral complexity mainstream Hollywood wouldn't dare muster. This is especially true in the case of Sonny, who responds to his wife's infidelity with a crime of passion that sends him on a new and uncharted quest for redemption. Under the assumed identity of "The Apostle E.F.," he settles in a tiny Louisiana town to revive an old church, where he undergoes a transformation of spirit and purpose that enlivens his community. But will the law catch up to him? Does he deserve to be punished? Fueled by Duvall's powerhouse performance, <I>The Apostle</I> refuses to praise or condemn its fascinating central character, leaving the proper degree of forgiveness up to the viewer. Further graced with superb performances by Farrah Fawcett, Miranda Richardson, and Billy Bob Thornton, the film is clearly Duvall's labor of love. The Collector's Edition DVD features a full-length commentary by Duvall and <I>The Journey of the Apostle,</I> a documentary featurette about the making of the film. --Jeff ShannonCustomer Reviews:
A great work indeed.......2007-06-06
Psychopathy in Action.......2007-05-08