Sean Penn

Fast Times at Ridgemont High (Widescreen Special Edition)

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One of the seminal teen films of the 80's
Remember the Time...
CLASSIC TEEN COMEDY! THE BEST OF IT'S KIND
The Ultimate High School Movie For ANY Generation
Party On Dude!

Fast Times at Ridgemont High (Widescreen Special Edition)
Starring: Sean Penn , Jennifer Jason Leigh , Judge Reinhold , Robert Romanus , and Brian Backer
Director: Amy Heckerling
Manufacturer: Universal Studios
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Comedy | Genres | DVD | Video

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National Lampoon's Animal House (Widescreen Double Secret Probation Edition)
Dazed & Confused - Criterion Collection
Sixteen Candles (High School Reunion Collection)
Caddyshack
The Breakfast Club (High School Reunion Collection)

ASIN: B00029RTCG
Release Date: 2004-11-02

Amazon.com essential video

Before he became an overrated filmmaker, Cameron Crowe (Jerry Maguire) was a reporter for Rolling Stone who was so youthful looking that he could go undercover for a year at a California high school and write a book about it. He wrote the script for this film, based on that book, and it launched the careers of several young actors, including Jennifer Jason Leigh, Judge Reinhold, Phoebe Cates, and, above all, Sean Penn. The story line is episodic, dealing with the lives of iconic teen types: one of the school's cool kids, a nerd, a teen queen, and, most enjoyably, the class stoner (Penn), who finds himself at odds with a strict history teacher (a wonderfully spiky Ray Walston). This is not a great movie but very entertaining and, for a certain age group, a seminal movie experience. --Marshall Fine

Customer Reviews:

One of the seminal teen films of the 80's.......2007-04-13

With teen romps like American Pie and so on and so forth, there are a handful of films to which they owe themselves to. Fast Times at Ridgemont High is one of them, and is notable for the fact alone that it helped launch the careers of many future stars and even Oscar winners. The story follows a group of various teen types; most notably being Jennifer Jason Leigh as a shy, would-be vixen and Sean Penn as the class stoner. Watching the film nowadays sees that it really hasn't aged all that well, but it's still enjoyable thanks mainly to Cameron Crowe's scathing screenplay and Clueless director Amy Heckerling's (in her directorial debut) energetic direction. Also featuring Phoebe Cates, Judge Reinhold, Robert Romanus, and Brian Backer in larger roles, but be on the lookout for small roles and brief appearances from Nicolas Cage, Forest Whitaker, Eric Stoltz, and Anthony Edwards as well.

Remember the Time..........2007-04-07

Finally the high school classic falls under my judgmental eyes. This film, like "The Outsiders," is known mainly for its incredible casting, creating a collection of actors who would go on to win Oscars (Sean Penn, Forest Whitaker) and box office glory (Nicolas Cage and Jennifer Jason Leigh). More a mosaic of high school as opposed to a plot driven production the heart of the story is Stacy (Leigh) who is on a quest for sexual enlightenment and a little bit of romance. Of course it doesn't go well at all and that is the fun of this film. We also get to hang with her sexual guru/clueless know-it-all Linda (a very good Phoebe Cates), party animal Jeff (Penn), her brother and case study in what goes around comes around Brad (Judge Reinhold), and crazed football dude who has a nice car Charles (Whitaker). Stacy bounces from one lover to the next, getting lucky and extremely unlucky at the same time. First she gets decherrified by a significantly older guy in a dugout (like you haven't). Then she moves on to the nice guy who is too sweet to seal the deal. And then to the town shyster who finishes in three seconds flat and leaves her with a bun in the oven. The script by Cameron Crowe is knowing and jaded. Since I am out of high school I see all this as one big joke, a snapshot of a lot of people caring about crap that doesn't even matter. All you're doing with those years is working in fast food, pretending to learn something, and having play relationships with people you couldn't care less about. It is all a joke and it is being played on anybody stupid enough to take it seriously. That is not to say that I think these characters are stupid, they aren't, but they are young and naive and a product of their environment. Jeff does seem to be the only one who sees through the ruse. Not that he is taking a stand against the charade; he just wants to eat his pizza in class and doesn't see the harm in doing so.

This film, like most of Heckerling's work, is breezy and a ball. You don't learn anything but you also don't lose any brain cells in the process either. Also, despite the fact that the main themes are sex, drugs and abortion it maintains that 80's cheesy, wholesome charm. It is about people taking things seriously that should not be taken seriously. It was refreshing to see Sean Penn play a role that wasn't so gosh darn heavy, he plays Jeff and his stoner ways up to the hills and I appreciated it. These kids may represent wasted youth, but youth is only idealized because it is wasted. No respectable adult would get busy in a dugout, and that is the beauty of being young. In a few years these kids will have real problems, but for now their foibles can be laughed at by those of us, at the advanced age of 25, can laugh with an understanding smile. No, this wasn't my high school experience but I can still grasp what they are going through. This film is no masterpiece but is deserves the staying power it has generated. I had fun being nostalgic and thinking back to the good ole days when flipping burgers equated into being a success in life. ***1/2

CLASSIC TEEN COMEDY! THE BEST OF IT'S KIND.......2007-04-06

A classic teen comedy! A very well written film with a great cast. If you haven't seen this one yet, it's long over due!

The Ultimate High School Movie For ANY Generation.......2007-04-02

Before American Pie, before Mean Girls, heck--even before Heathers (or any other teen high school romp movie (except maybe Porky's). This is the penultimate movie that after 25 years (!) is still as fresh as what's in Spicoli's bong! If you've never seen this movie...get on the bus (or get in the van).

Party On Dude!.......2007-03-13

May I say Fast Times at Ridgemont High is an important film? Here we observe American 1980's teenagers in their habitat as they actually are in a Hollywood way I mean. If you don't believe me: check out Shirley Temple in some of her 1940's bobby soxer teenage roles. America had changed in the post-modern world. Party on Sean Penn, dude!

Amy Heckerling has a way with teen actors as we discovered again, later with Clueless. They are innocent and way too mature at the same time. Judge Reinhold is making payments on his boss Buick, working the fast food, and dreaming about greener pastures as his girl is getting same same. Sean Penn battles the strictest teacher at Ridgemont, Our Favorite Martian, Ray Walston. You're a dick dude!

But special mention goes out to an 18 year-old playing a 15 year-old, Jennifer Jason Leigh. She's in a hurry to taste forbidden fruit, first with a slick 26 year-old and then with Robert Romanus, the loud mouth school weasel. In between all the action she falls for a complete nerd, Brian Backer. Full frontal: no problem, but in a teen film in the R rated 1982, that was shocking. You won't see that on the TV version. Oh, Jennifer, you were so like every young thing I ever unzipped. There should be an award just for teen vixen.

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One of the finest gangster films ever made
A slippery slope
A somber, contemplative, tragic version of Scarface
A true classic
The perfect genre for Al Pacino!

Carlito's Way
Starring: Al Pacino , Sean Penn , Penelope Ann Miller , John Leguizamo , and Ingrid Rogers
Director: Brian De Palma
Manufacturer: Universal Studios
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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Donnie Brasco (Special Edition) [Region 99]
Scarface (Platinum Edition)
Casino (Widescreen 10th Anniversary Edition)
Carlito's Way - Rise to Power (Widescreen)
GoodFellas (Two-Disc Special Edition)

ASIN: B000AARKW6
Release Date: 2005-09-13

Amazon.com essential video

Al Pacino cuts a noble figure in this very enjoyable drama by director Brian De Palma (Scarface), based on a pair of books by Edwin Torres. Pacino plays a Puerto Rican ex-con trying hard to go straight, but his loyalty to his lowlife attorney (a virtually unrecognizable Sean Penn) and enemies on the street make that choice difficult. Penelope Ann Miller plays, somewhat unlikely, a stripper who has a romance with Pacino's character. The film finds De Palma tempering his more outlandish moves (think of Body Double or Snake Eyes) just as he did with the popular Untouchables and Mission: Impossible. But while Carlito's Way was not commercially successful and never rises to the level of greatness, it is a genuinely compelling movie graced with a fine performance by Pacino and a surprising one from Penn. --Tom Keogh

Customer Reviews:

One of the finest gangster films ever made.......2007-03-29

A longtime fan of Al Pacino, I saw "Carlito's Way" when it first came out, in 1993. Even back then, it was apparent to me that I was watching something very special. Since then, I've literally seen the movie hundreds of times, and it remains one of my all-time favorite films.

The plot summary has been covered many times here, so I'll just stick to my comments. I think "Carlito's Way" is Brian DePalma's finest hour as a filmmaker. I could never understand the lukewarm critical response it received, though, ironically, time has been very kind to it. A lot of critics dismissed it as a second-rate follow-up to "Scarface"--which, interestingly, was also panned upon its release--but it possesses a depth and resonance that "Scarface" (or any of DePalma's other films, for that matter) just can't match.

Having grown up in Queens, New York, in the 1970s--and having run with a pretty tough crowd--I was stunned at how well DePalma captured the sights and sounds of the time. It was like being transported back 20 years. But, perhaps because the film was made two decades after it's supposed to take place, "Carlito's Way" hasn't aged at all. Like many great films, it has a timeless feel to it, because it avoids many of the filmmaking clichés of the period in which it was made.

DePalma was already working from a very good foundation--Edwin Torres' two books on Carlito Brigante, "Carlito's Way" and "After Hours," are exceptionally well written--but he could've easily dropped the ball. Thankfully, he didn't. Though he and Pacino were both initially opposed to rehashing the success of "Scarface," they eventually decided to work together again. The combination was pure magic. Like many great actors, Pacino sometimes needs to be challenged, and DePalma challenged him. And he responded with one of the best performances of his legendary career. He brings an elegiac air to the character of reformed drug kingpin Carlito Brigante, which brings out a level of depth and emotional weight that the character of Tony Montana just didn't have. In fact, Carlito makes Tony seem woefully cartoonish and two-dimensional by comparison. As the film progresses, the psychic weight of Carlito's worsening dilemma is channeled perfectly by Pacino's every move and word. Despite Carlito's sordid past, you sympathize with him and his increasingly futile attempt to escape that past. The rapidly shrinking box that is Carlito's way out is communicated stunningly, by Pacino's acting, the excellent dialogue and cinematography, and, crucially, the music, which builds to a crescendo during the subway chase scene--one of the best chase scenes ever committed to film, in my opinion.

A movie is nothing without fine acting, and DePalma did a wonderful job of casting "Carlito's Way." The cast is, to a person, first-rate: John Leguizamo as up-and-coming gangster Benny Blanco; Penelope Ann Miller as Carlito's love interest, Gail; Luis Guzman as the traitorous Pachanga; and the ringer, Sean Penn, as Carlito's sleazy, out-of-control lawyer, David Kleinfeld. Penn has had a lot of great roles in his career, but his turn as Kleinfeld is definitely one of his most memorable: over-the-top, but never less than eminently believable . . . and chillingly frightening.

As I said earlier, the years have been very kind to "Carlito's Way." It has aged better than any of DePalma's other films, and still looks and sounds as vital today as it did upon its release. That's a tough trick to pull off, but it's a testament to DePalma's filmmaking prowess and the actors' collective skill that, never once, do you catch yourself thinking about the age of the film. It's, quite simply, timeless--and, in this viewer's opinion, one of the best gangster films ever made. Whether history will judge it as such is debatable, but I believe that time will continue to enhance its reputation. It's a stunning cinematic achievement that will gain more and more supporters as the years go buy. I have absolutely no doubt about that.

A slippery slope.......2007-03-23

(3.5/5 stars) Carlito "Charlie" Brigante has just been released from prison on a technicality, after serving five years of a thirty-year sentence. He proclaims he has retired from the life of drug dealing and crime that landed him in prison, and he resolves to go straight. He wants only to save $75,000 so he can head to the Bahamas and buy into a car rental partnership. When he chances upon his ex-girlfriend, Gail (the beautiful Penelope Ann Miller), all indications are that his life will turn out superb after all. Carlito discovers, however, that escaping his former lifestyle proves nearly impossible as his past catches up with him. In the lead role, Al Pacino offers the perfect complexity that makes him believable as a reformed thug, whose experiences have wrought him the wisdom and paternal temperament he will need to survive. As in so many other films, we sympathize with his character here because he brings such a gentle demeanor to the role. Also outstanding is Sean Penn, who is terrific as Carlito's attorney and "brother," among other roles. "The Ultimate Edition" features a widescreen presentation with DTS sound and deleted scenes. For about $10, you cannot go wrong. (And, if you are a fan of Penelope Ann Miller, you'll want this DVD to enjoy her nude scenes repeatedly)

A somber, contemplative, tragic version of Scarface.......2006-09-18

In many ways, Al Pacino's performance in Carlito's Way is far superior than that of his Tony Montana portrayal in Scarface. Montana was just a young, greedy, genuinely bad person. Carlito Brigante, on the other hand, is an old, pessimistic, ex-con who is trying to turn his life around.

Carlito's Way is a very tough film to watch. The whole time, there is an aura of dread surrounding every decision that Carlito makes. Whenever he tries to do the right thing, there is always someone waiting there to guide him in the wrong direction, and it hurts the viewer every time he takes a step toward the fate that you know is coming.

The only true De Palma moment in the film is the climactic chase and shootout throughout Grand Central Station. The cinematography and score are amazing. And the climactic shootout has some clever homages to a previous De Palma classic. (Think train station escalators instead of train station staircase.)

In many ways, this film doesn't feel like a De Palma, but it might be his highest quality film in terms of story, acting, and message.

A true classic.......2006-08-20

I can't say enough about this movie. I'll put it up there with the Godfather because the story is that deep. Everybody loves Scareface, but in my opinion this is the better movie. Scareface, although a great movie (and personal favorite) goes way over the top but Carlito's Way stays in the steet. In fact, when Carlito says the streets are watching you can almost see the eyes in the background. The story, the actors, and the script all work well together. This movie is the real deal and worth spending the money to find it.

The perfect genre for Al Pacino!.......2006-07-28

Carlito's way is another maffia movie with al pacino as the maffia boss working his way up. In this movie we get to see a more relaxed and laybacked Al Pacino who tries to stay of out the dirty work in order to get back on his feet and to get control of his life.

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DVD Packaging?
Mystery Training, or "I'll see your `Other Sister' and raise you a `Flowers for Algernon'"
The Greatest Film I've Ever Seen
One of the best dvd's i've ever watched.
I am Sean Penn

I am Sam (New Line Platinum Series)
Starring: Sean Penn , Michelle Pfeiffer , Dakota Fanning , Dianne Wiest , and Loretta Devine
Director: Jessie Nelson
Manufacturer: New Line Home Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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The Other Sister
Rain Man (Special Edition)
Radio
Simon Birch
Pay It Forward

ASIN: B000066HAS
Release Date: 2002-06-18

Amazon.com

I Am Sam makes you laugh, cry, and recoil all at the same time. Perhaps no other film of recent memory has epitomized the shameless sentimentality of Hollywood as succinctly as director and screenwriter Jessie Nelson's story of a mentally challenged man fighting to retain custody of his 7-year-old daughter. Sam (Sean Penn), who has the mental age of 7, wipes down tables at a Los Angeles Starbucks and takes good care of his daughter Lucy, who was left with him shortly after birth by a homeless woman. Sam has gotten by just fine with a little help from his friends, including his eccentric neighbor (Diane Wiest) and a lovable group of similarly challenged friends, but a series of misunderstandings leaves Sam fighting to get Lucy back from the state. Sam's lawyer, Rita Harrison (Michelle Pfeiffer), is an overly ambitious woman whose life is soon transformed by proximity to Sam's brimming humanity. Sean Penn is, as usual, wholeheartedly committed to his role and turns in an admirable, if overtly affected performance. However, I Am Sam, with all its earnest charm, reaches an emblematic low when Sam, a character apparently devoid of any authentic sentiment, delivers a courtroom speech memorized from Kramer vs. Kramer as the film's finale. --Fionn Meade

Description

Michelle Pfeiffer and Sean Penn give career-defining performances in this humorous and heart-warming film about a mentally-challenged father who enlists the aid of a high-powered attorney to help him regain custody of his daughter. An all-star supporting cast and a spectacular soundtrack complete this unforgettable story of life, love and laughter.DVD Features:
Audio Commentary:Filmmaker Commentary - With Director / Co-screenwriter Jessie Nelson
DVD ROM Features:Script-to-Screen Link to Original Website Hot Spot
Deleted Scenes:Deleted and Alternate Scenes with optional Director commentary
Documentary:Original Documentary: Becoming Sam
Other:Theatrical Press Kit DTS sound
Theatrical Trailer

Customer Reviews:

DVD Packaging?.......2007-03-29

I have a question for anybody who has purchased this item from Amazon recently.

Does the DVD come in a cardboard "snapper" case or a plastic keep case?

I've seen both at retail with the same UPC and was not sure what Amazon had...called customer service but they couldn't give me a straight answer.

Help would be appreciated.

Mystery Training, or "I'll see your `Other Sister' and raise you a `Flowers for Algernon'".......2007-03-24

"I am Sam" is both repellent and fascinating. It took me an entire day to finish the film. I'd watch a few minutes 'til Sam did something so cringe-worthy I'd shut off the TV out of reflex, then be drawn back an hour later because I had to see what happened next, even though I was well aware I was watching dishonest, manipulative garbage. I guess I was fascinated by how pretty they were able to package it.

Sean Penn is often able to extract and convey the humanity in misunderstood, unpopular people, helping balance out the generally insensitive status quo; other times he's empathetic to a fault.

Unlike Dustin Hoffman's detached but strangely engaged portrayal of autistic Raymond in "Rain Man," I was always aware of Penn steering Sam (who is described as retarded with autistic tendencies), manipulating him to match the film's theme of "All you need is love." The theme is a nice sentiment, but pragmatically irresponsible given the subject matter.

Penn's Sam Dawson isn't as irresponsible as Penn's Sam Bicke in the semi-true, "The Assassination of Richard Nixon," which had Penn as a humiliated, desperate everyman, leaving out important history about the real Bicke (Byck) that drove him to the assassination attempt. (Without knowing this it's a far more compelling performance.)

"I am Sam" does a big disservice omitting important information about the circumstances that led to Sam Dawson making a baby.

The film starts with close-ups of Sam obsessively organizing sweeteners and cups at Starbucks, complimenting people on their coffee choices. His boss George tells him it's time for him to go. Sam gets excited and runs over to the hospital where a woman is giving birth. A nurse asks him, "You the one responsible for this?" And Sam says he's sorry.

Afterward, the mother abandons Sam and the newborn, saying "I just needed a place to sleep." I guess you could infer it was the mother's idea to make the baby, which could be supported by a scene later in the film where Sam is in a food court conversing with a woman, oblivious he's being propositioned -- but this wasn't enough to ease my concern.

For seven years, Sam is able to take care of his daughter Lucy (Dakota Fanning, "Hounddog") without too many problems. He named her after the Beatles song "Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds" because he's a big Beatles fan. Their music plays a prominent part in the film, with the soundtrack primarily comprised of contemporary artists (Eddie Vedder, Sheryl Crow, The Black Crowes to name a few) covering their songs.

Sam has a few fellow mentally challenged friends who help him with Lucy. He also has Annie (Diane Wiest) as Lucy's godmother, an agoraphobic neighbor who helps answer Sam's many child rearing questions, which include giving him a feeding schedule based on Nikelodeon's TV schedule:

Starting with "'Hogan's Heroes' Then again, wait until "I Dream of Jeanie,' and then `I Love Lucy.'"

His friends' main activities are going to IHOP and "Video Night." One of them is obsessed with Victor Flemming, another guy is paranoid, and another one really wants to see "Kramer vs. Kramer."

One night, Lucy wants to go to Big Boy instead of IHOP. Sam throws a fit when the waitress tells him they don't have French pancakes. "Ask Bob! Bob's Big Boy! Because the customer is always right! The customer is always right! The customer is always right!" Lucy is embarrassed.

Cut to a scene of Sam dressed up as a young Beatle, flailing his arms to the Wallflowers cover of "I'm Looking Through You" with an embarrassed Lucy and her schoolmates during a Halloween party.

Lucy (Dakota Fanning, "Hounddog") is taken from Sam during a birthday party by a social worker (Loretta Devine from TV's "Boston Public") after Sam is determined to have the IQ of a seven year old. The social workers are concerned Sam won't have the ability to take care of Lucy when she gets older.

Sam finds a fancy lawyer named Rita (Michelle Pfeifer, who is still quite the Ladyhawke) and stalks her and manages to quote both "Lovely Rita" and "Michelle" to her. Rita ignores him until some of her colleagues mock her when she says she has considered doing pro bono work before.

The concern about Sam's baby-making is brought up once: while questioning neighbor Annie, the prosecution asks her about Sam's competency when puberty comes. Annie says he would have as much difficulty as any other father - she's lived a long life and has observed all kinds of fathers. The prosecution then asks her: What about your father? The camera does one of those dolly/zooms like when the boy on the raft got eaten in "Jaws," and Annie quietly leaves the room.

Then Sam defends himself by quoting a courtroom scene from "Kramer vs Kramer" and loses the case.

But Rita convinces him to keep going.

As you've probably already noticed, the film has a strong supporting cast, which also includes Mary Steenburgen and Brent Spiner (Data from TV's "Star Trek: Next Generation" and cruise director Godwyn in "Out to Sea") in a brief appearance as a shoe salesman.

Laura Dern ("Rambling Rose") plays Randy Carpenter, Lucy's protective foster mother. She has a change of heart when Lucy won't stop sneaking out and visiting Sam. She agrees to be on Sam's side in court, and the film ends with the kids playing soccer and Sam giving Lucy (Dakota Fanning, "Hounddog") a big hug after she scores with Aimee Mann and Michael Penn's cover of "Two of Us" on the soundtrack.

I guess I just wanted more interaction between lawyer Rita and Turner, the prosecutor. As it is, "I am Sam" feels as if the filmmakers cheated the ending and tried to blind the audience with shmaltz.

Which brings me to the cinematography. Elliot Davis uses small zooms and jerks to emphasize every emotion, as if with every movement he's saying, "Feel this, because I know you can't without me!" Calm down, Elliot.

The DVD features audio commentary, a documentary "Becoming Sam," which wasn't as insightful as I'd hoped it would be, deleted/alternate scenes, which I didn't bother watching, and some cool folding/unfolding origami menus, which were probably my favorite thing about the whole disc.

The soundtrack is better than the movie. I suspect people will probably buy more of it than the "Hounddog" soundtrack. Personally, I'm waiting for the "Do the Right Thing" CD reissue, featuring Radio Raheem's "Fight the Power" m-m-m-mash-up with "Fairytale of New York" and "Close to You," topped with Bosco.

The Greatest Film I've Ever Seen.......2007-03-23

I Am Sam is one of, if not the best, motion picture of all time.

I Am Sam is about a retarded man named Sam (Sean Penn) who has a mental capacity of a 7-year old. He works as a server at Starbucks, is obsessed with The Beatles, and loves IHOP. After he accidentally has a daughter (Dakota Fanning) with a homeless woman who he names after the song Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds. The woman leaves him, and Sam is left to care for Lucy by himself. However, when Lucy intentionally begins to hold back in school to prevent becoming smarter from her father, child protective services takes her away and Sam must fight to obtain custody. He befriends a lawyer, Rita (Michelle Pfeiffer) with a bad marriage and a son who she thinks hates her. Together, Sam and Rita fight for Lucy's custody in a heartwrenching roller coaster of tears, laughs, and the overwhelming power of human spirit.

This is all beside some of the most stunning performances I've ever seen in a film. Sean Penn is top of his game and gives an amazingly realistic performance as a disabled man without a single flaw. To this day it makes me furious he didn't win the Oscar. Dakota Fanning's premiere role is by far her greatest ever, and at only six years old opened the eyes of actresses who've been in the business for years and basically screamed into their faces "This is how acting is done." And Michelle Pfeiffer delivers a phenomenal, incredibly realistic performance that will absolutely take your breath away.

As the film progresses, you will find yourself laughing one minute, crying the next (you WILL cry no matter how mature or old you are, so make sure you have tissues), the next moment tapping your foot along to the familiar Beatles tunes found throughout the movie (even though they're covers) and the next moment simply staring at the screen not believing your eyes and ears at how emotionally powerful a film can be.

And after watching, you won't want to ever give the DVD back to Blockbuster. If you don't at least give this movie a chance, you will truly be missing out on one of the shiniest gems of modern cinema ever.

One of the best dvd's i've ever watched........2007-03-11

This dvd has been my favorite ever since it came out. I love the actors, the setting, the beginning and the ending - how many times can you say that about a movie you watch? This movie is captivating, keeps the "watcher" interested throughout the movie. This movie teaches a good lesson. One of the main things that I learned from this movie is to have more compassion for the environment that surrounds me. To engage yourself in your community more than just going to work everyday - miraculous movie.

5 stars / 5 thumbs way up!

I am Sean Penn.......2007-03-09

I never would have thought that Sean Penn would have the chops to play a role like this, but he carries it off with a seriousness, poignancy and truthfulness that transcends the screen. Dakota Fanning deserves props as playing the very smart child that she truly is in real life. I warn you - this is a two box of Kleenex sniffer, but well worth the wonderful ride, despite the pain we see inflicted on ourselves and others every day.

Average customer rating:

An HD-DVD REVIEW (the movie is fantastic, of course)...
A mind game for the soul.
horrible HD-DVD transfer
The Movie Is Great, the HD-DVD Transfer is So-So
Michael Douglas is thrilling in The Game!

The Game
Starring: Michael Douglas , Sean Penn , Deborah Kara Unger , James Rebhorn , and Peter Donat
Director: David Fincher
Manufacturer: Universal Studios
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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Suspense | Mystery & Suspense | Genres | DVD | Video

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( G ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video

Children of Men (Widescreen Edition)
Payback - Straight Up - The Director's Cut [HD DVD]
Smokin' Aces (Widescreen Edition)
The Departed (Two-Disc Special Edition)
Casino (HD DVD)

ASIN: B000069HZP
Release Date: 2002-08-27

Amazon.com

It's not quite as clever as it tries to be, but The Game does a tremendous job of presenting the story of a rigid control freak trapped in circumstances that are increasingly beyond his control. Michael Douglas plays a rich, divorced, and dreadful investment banker whose 48th birthday reminds him of his father's suicide at the same age. He's locked in the cage of his own misery until his rebellious younger brother (Sean Penn) presents him with a birthday invitation to play "The Game" (described as "an experiential Book of the Month Club")--a mysterious offering from a company called Consumer Recreation Services. Before he knows the game has even begun, Douglas is caught up in a series of unexplained events designed to strip him of his tenuous security and cast him into a maelstrom of chaos. How do you play a game that hasn't any rules? That's what Douglas has to figure out, and he can't always rely on his intelligence to form logic out of what's happening to him. Seemingly cast as the fall guy in a conspiracy thriller, he encounters a waitress (Deborah Unger) who may or may not be trustworthy, and nothing can be taken at face value in a world turned upside down. Douglas is great at conveying the sheer panic of his character's dilemma, and despite some lapses in credibility and an anticlimactic ending, The Game remains a thinking person's thriller that grabs and holds your attention. --Jeff Shannon

Customer Reviews:

An HD-DVD REVIEW (the movie is fantastic, of course)..........2007-06-19

OK- let's just get the fact out of the way that this movie was fantastic. I remember seeing the trailer in theatres, thinking it looked great. So I was one of the few that actually caught it in the theatre and actually loved it. (One of the few films that lives up to a great trailer).

So for the HD version. I have to agree with most of the BAD HD reviews. This is a total "embarrassment" on the part of Universal for releasing such an obviously, un-remastered version of it in HD. You actually can tell there is a slight difference on a 56" HD screen but for smaller TV's, I can imagine there is almost no gain at all in quality over the standard dvd (which was an earlier generation transfer to begin with). This is such a shame because this film along with a lot of Fincher's other "dark" (actual film quality vs. content) films deserve better treatment. Do not waste your money thinking it will look better because it's on HD-DVD. We'll have to wait for it to get remastered which does not look good at this point. I doubt Universal will follow Sony's suit in remastering, like the fifth element after bad bluray reviews. Universal chose HD-DVD because it's cheaper to produce so they probably won't listen to consumer's reviews on horrible transfers. (you know...the savvy consumers that buy up early generation players/software to get things started.)

A mind game for the soul........2007-05-31

David Fincher's follow up to his out of nowhere masterpiece "Seven" is another example of his true genius. The Game is a film that grabs on to you and doesn't let up until the end. Even after it's over you still question everything you've seen and go over the film in your head. This is a film deserving of repeat viewing. The HDDVD quality is superior to any other version of this film available;although it would have been nice to have some extras on it. Who knows maybe a special edition is on the horizon.

horrible HD-DVD transfer.......2007-05-29

I gave this flick a 7 out of 10 over at IMDB, but I would give it a 1 out of 10 for it's HD transfer. The movie in HD looks absolutely dull. Save yourself a few bucks and buy the standard DVD title. You'll end up with the same video quality.

The Movie Is Great, the HD-DVD Transfer is So-So.......2007-05-18

I've always found this to be one of the most underrated films Michael Douglas has ever made. It got swept under the rug pretty quickly, which is a shame because the movie is like putting together a puzzle, a puzzle which could end up several different ways at the end, so you never know whats going to happen. The only drawback to the movie is that in a way, it is like the Sixth Sense, in that once you watch it once, and know whats going to happen, it loses a little umph the next time you view it.

Now as for the quality of this HD-DVD. I would say the PQ is barely better than a really good standard DVD, and that is a shame.

The Regular DVD of The Game is absolutely awful, so I'm glad that it is available on HD-DVD. I just wish they would have done a better job with it. Oh and some special features would have been appreciated as well.

Michael Douglas is thrilling in The Game!.......2007-05-03

Nicholas Van Orton, a rather wealthy and successful man, played by Michael Douglas, is the sort of guy who wants to be... and is in control of all aspects of his life.

He likes order but his brother gives him a gift on his birthday that brings life as he knows it, to an abrupt end. His brother, played by Sean Penn, has enrolled him in "The Game," an experiential set of circumstances that progressively take Mr. Van Orton from rigid control of his surroundings to sheer chaos.

Michael Douglas is great as the rich, divorced, and lonely man, an investment banker, who... on his 48th birthday is haunted by the memories of a father who chose to commit suicide rather than confront life.

As the game starts, the company called CRS, or Consumer Recreation Services, involves Nicholas Van Orton in a series of events that bring him from anxiety to paranoia, to the depth of depression, through fear, anger, violence, seduction, and action... lots of action.

We are soon caught in the game, thrilled by the reality of what is happening to Van Orton, and horrified at the fact that everything around him appears to be so real. Van Orton's intelligence carries him through most of the impediments, but the apparent reality overwhelms him and at some point, he is simply out of control.

Michael Douglas is awesome as he conveys a sense of dread... of sheer panic that kept us riveted on his every move. Would highly recommend seeing this film, especially if you like solving puzzles... getting scared... in a world where everything is simply... out of control.

Average customer rating:

Being John Malkovich [HD DVD]
Starring: Orson Bean , Ned Bellamy , John Cusack , K.K. Dodds , and Richard Fancy
Director: Spike Jonze
Manufacturer: Universal Studios
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: HD DVD

General | HD DVD | Formats | DVD | Video

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Drama | HD DVD | Formats | DVD | Video

Science Fiction & Fantasy | HD DVD | Formats | DVD | Video
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ASIN: B000OHZL44
Release Date: 2007-06-26

Description

Craig Schwartz (John Cusack) is a struggling street puppeteer. In order to make some money, Craig takes a job as a filing clerk. One day he accidentally discovers a door… a portal into the mind of John Malkovich (played by John Malkovich)! For 15 minutes, he experiences the ultimate head trip - HE is John Malkovich! Then he's dumped out onto the New Jersey turnpike! With his beautiful office mate Maxine (Catherine Keener) and his pet-obsessed wife (Cameron Diaz), they hatch a plan to let others into John's brain for just $200 a trip. See what all the critics are talking about.

Dear America - Letters Home from Vietnam

Average customer rating:

very enjoyable/sad..brings out lots of emotions..
dear america letters home from vietnam
excellent documentary
They Walked Like Men
just like it was

Dear America - Letters Home from Vietnam
Starring: Tom Berenger , Ellen Burstyn , J. Kenneth Campbell , Richard Chaves , and Josh Cruze
Director: Bill Couturié
Manufacturer: Hbo Home Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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Dear America: Letters Home from Vietnam
In the Year of the Pig
The Atomic Cafe
Last Letters Home - Voices of American Troops from the Battlefields of Iraq
National Geographic - Vietnam's Unseen War - Pictures from the Other Side

ASIN: B000ARXF7S
Release Date: 2005-11-01

Amazon.com

All the confusion, pain, despair, and even hope of the men and women who served in Vietnam is captured in Dear America: Letters Home from Vietnam. Read by dozens of actors such as Harvey Keitel, Matt Dillon, and Kathleen Turner, these letters show a more human story of the war than we see in most media outlets and reveal real people in real situations trying to explain or understand. The footage, some newsreel, some shot by the servicemen and servicewomen, reveals a tension between the soldiers' actual experiences and the presentation their loved ones received from television. The soundtrack weaves the songs of the 1960s with the readings to create a compelling aural snapshot of the time, which complements the video exceptionally well. While it's not a "feel-good" movie, the viewer does get a sense of the indestructibility of human dreams. --Rob Lightner

Description

This classic HBO documentary features reenactments of actual letters written by soldiers during the Vietnam war. In each case, a famous celebrity voice (Martin Sheen, Michael J. Fox, Robin Williams, and others) reads the letters to us.

Customer Reviews:

very enjoyable/sad..brings out lots of emotions.........2007-05-14

I really enjoyed this DVD..It's not a movie per say...but a compilation of different stories..that all center around a common theme. The footage was nice because it was real...no cheesy reinactments..and the music was awesome and used at the right times. Worth buying if you like anything related to Vietnam or this era/time in history.

dear america letters home from vietnam.......2007-04-12

great documentary on life and attitudes during the vietnam war.

excellent documentary.......2007-04-01

This documentary is for all military historians and buffs alike,very good footage shot from the war, and very good narration. Great music from the era too.

They Walked Like Men.......2007-01-23

Our great battle in Vietnam was Long Tan, 1968 when a couple hundred Australians and Kiwi artillery, killed 1000 NVA or VC in a rubber plantation. The battle of Long Tan took place during a tropical downpour deliberately used by the enemy to hamper ANZAC defenses.
(Just thought I owed our "Diggers" their due before I begin!)

Dear America does a good job in giving you the "feel" of the war to the average soldier by seperating the "Americans:" the 19 year old boys who've largely never been outside the USA in their lives from "America" with its "falling dominos" foreign policy, that in Sen. Wayne Morse's words, would "lead to the deaths of untold American boys - and for nothing."

The letters home, trace well the shifting mood of these boys; the white poor and minorities, the kids who could not afford to use enrolement in college to avoid the draft. We see them going from their youthful "mugging" on 8mm home movies in the early days to the later TV pictures of exahusted soldiers on patrol in (&2 Dylan's) "Hard Rain," or telling of their confusion, "they say we're fighting for something, but I don't know - I'll be so glad to go home."
Yet, as another soldier wrote, "even though most men thought the war was being fought incorrectly and we would not win....they went out and risked their lives as if they were defending the continental USA."

Aside from the perspective of the individual soldier and the music takes (me at least) back to the 60s era, "Dear America" has the pace and structure of a Hollywood production. In fact "Dear America" is so engrosing that at times you had to remind yourself that this was indeed real! For example the "Grunt's Primer" montage to the Stone's "Gimme Shelter" is in the same league as the Helicopter attack in "Apocalypse Now." And, watch the title sequence for John Fogerty's "Fortunate Son," the "Grunts'" ironic anthem of the war. Personally, I think the words of that song are so telling that they should have gone up on screen as Creedence Clearwater played.

Fortunate Son and the rest of the music the boys listened to and their letters home combine to make Dear America as powerful a statement about war as the 1930 version of "All Quiet on the Western Front."

"Dear America," like "All Quiet," is a well constructed narrative, that brings presence and even urgency to a war now fading into history.

just like it was.......2007-01-16

I purchased this dvd for my husband who served in vietnam 498th dustoff 67. He said if anyone wanted to know what it was like over there this is the documentary to watch.It was so realistic the only thing that was missing was the stink and the heat.It captures the look of the american soldier that hollywood hasnt been able to reproduce

Average customer rating:

Impressive! Ambitious!
Three Tragedies
A Walk On The Razor's Edge Between Life and Death
Melodramatic Soap Opera
How much does your soul weigh?

21 Grams
Starring: Sean Penn , Naomi Watts , Danny Huston , Carly Nahon , and Claire Pakis
Director: Alejandro González Iñárritu
Manufacturer: Universal Studios
ProductGroup: DVD
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Amores Perros
Traffic
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House of Sand and Fog

ASIN: B0001CNRRU
Release Date: 2004-03-16

Amazon.com

Sean Penn and Benecio Del Toro, two of the most gripping actors around, play wildly different men linked through a grieving woman (Naomi Watts, Mulholland Drive, The Ring) in 21 Grams. Del Toro (Traffic, The Usual Suspects) delves deep into the role of an ex-con turned born-again Christian, a deeply conflicted man struggling to set right a terrible accident, even at the expense of his family. Penn (Mystic River, Dead Man Walking) captures a cynical, philandering professor in dire need of a heart transplant, which he gets from the death of Watts' husband. 21 Grams slips back in forth in time, creating an intricate emotional web out of the past and the present that slowly draws these three together; the result is remarkably fluid and compelling. The movie overreaches for metaphors towards the end, but that doesn't erase the power of the deeply felt performances. --Bret Fetzer

Description

The emotionally and physically charged lives of three people, a college professor (Sean Penn), an ex-con (Benicio Del Toro) and a young mother with a reckless past (Naomi Watts), collide unexpectedly in this gripping suspense thriller.

Fate brought them together. Now vengeance will take them to the heights of love, the depths of revenge and the promise of redemption. Sean Penn, Benicio Del Toro and Naomi Watts give the finest performances of their careers in the film that is "tantalizingly alive!" - Owen Gleiberman, Entertainment Weekly

Customer Reviews:

Impressive! Ambitious!.......2007-05-07

I was tempted to entitle this review, "Too clever by half" but I would have been guilty of the same....Another title that came to mind was "Needs Heart Transplant" but I rejected that for the same reason.

On the positive side, most of the acting is superb. Sean Penn is never less than great and he does not disappoint here. Benicio de Toro's performance was beyond brilliant. Naomi Watts was the weakest in my opinion. (I loved her in The Painted Veil.) She relied on looking pale and blank and tensing her jaw too many times to show any number of emotions and somehow I found her just blah. She looks good, though, so men might overlook her pallor. I think any number of other actresses would have done a better job. Kate Winslett and Julianne Moore both come to mind. Melissa Leo, as del Toro's wife was perfect in her role.

The story is smart. It's full of thought provoking elements. Perhaps too many to be digested in the space of one film. This might be a good opener for a discussion group on any number of subjects: addiction, religion, abortion, marriage, suicide, heart transplants, etc.

That brings me back to "ambitious." There's nothing wrong with that, but I was so overwhelmed with the intensity of the content, that I numbed out, and by the end, I really didn't care about any of them. Except Jack Jordan (del Toro's character) and his family.

I found the technique of cutting back and forth in time more confusing than intriguing. As others have mentioned, it seems largely for the sake of being arty. A little mercy for the viewer would have been welcome. It did all come together, but too late in the film, for my taste, and by that time, I had stopped caring. If it had been filmed in a more sequential way, I think I would have been able to sustain my ability to keep my heart open to these characters. Also, the ratio of misery to joy was severely imbalanced, in my opinion and this had the effect of numbing me.

I agree with another reader who complained that the characters played by Penn and Watts were not fully written. Penn's, especially. He's portrayed as a real cold character, but when he gets the heart (transplant) of the good, famiy loving man, he warms up....but only to the widow of the dead man, not to his own wife, who wants desperately to stay in the marriage and have his child. Penn, by his natural humanity, makes us care about him, but that's a gift I think he gave to the script.

The Watts character didn't hold together much for me. She's portrayed as the loving wife, mother, sister and daughter, but then there is another, darker part of her that I think we should have seen earlier in order to make sense of her later meltdown. True, she was given an enormous blow, but others have suffered similar things without resorting to drugs and murder.

I have to give special mention to Jack Jordan, (del Toro). The character is written with great depth and compassion and acted accordingly. I was only going to give this film three stars but for that I add a fourth. He is the one, troubled as he was, who comes through with the real heart.

Another reader wrote that "the intricate screenplay isn't half as smart as it thinks it is" and I think he has a point. It seems that the goal of the film is to impress. If you want to be impressed, and don't mind being de-pressed in the bargain, then this might be the film for you.

Three Tragedies.......2007-04-25

Alejandro González Iñárritu usually mixes three stories together, (Babel, 21 grams, amores perros).

The score in this feature creates the bitter mood that envelopes the entire endeavor. A mathematician, a widow, and an ex-con someone become entwined in a rollercoaster of emotions and tragedies.

It will keep you guessing, its one of the most depressing films that I have seen, yet it creates a scar that you will never forget.

A Walk On The Razor's Edge Between Life and Death.......2007-03-31

"Though not depressing, because nothing this good is, the film is haunting -- a walk on the razor's edge between life and death." Liam Lacey

For the first half hour I was confused trying to figure out the characters and how one minute Naomi Watts looked like a lovely woman and housewife, and the next a coke addict. Alejandro González Iñárritu has directed this engrossing and fascinating film which glides back and forth between past and present, slicing time as if it were a ribbon. As a matter of fact as a critic stated; the movie is like a mirror broken into hundreds of pieces and put back together one piece at a time.

Naomi Watts is an illuminating presence. She can by a glance depict her mood and feelings. Sean Penn needs only to move his body and look for us to know he is the man. Here's Benicio Del Toro, who above all shows us his true colors. A man who has found Jesus but still can't get away from his former life of tattoos, violence and crime. A man's death, a man's life and a man responsible. All three cover the waterfront of this story.

Stephen Hunter has said that "21 Grams", which refers to the weight that a body eerily loses at the instant of death," could be construed as the weight of the soul -- is a pure theological argument, playing two theories of grace off each other." A movie with so many messages that we wonder how to put this all together. What does this all mean? Why do we care and why should we?

"21 Grams" begins with an image of birds in an urban landscape, suddenly breaking into helter-skelter flight. That's Gonzalez Iñarritu's metaphor for chaos, for the possibility that life is random atoms splattered this way and that by other random atoms. That, too, is the narrative strategy: a confusing jumble of seemingly random scenes, beyond the capacity of human organization." Stephen Hunter

This is a movie that begs for discussion and pondering. How can we begin to understand the meaning and the message from the lives of three humans as 'screwed up' as these three are by their circumstances? What can we begin to learn? Alejandro González Iñárritu is a director of brilliance and it will behoove us to view all the films he has and will make.
Highly Recommended. prisrob 3-30-07

Babel

Amores Perros

Melodramatic Soap Opera.......2007-02-27

21 Grams is an outstanding example of a cinematic soap opera. Its non-linear plot is heightened by its melodrama.

How much does your soul weigh?.......2007-01-24

How much is a life worth? Modern folklore suggests that at the moment of death, when the soul leaves the body, the body loses 21 grams. Be sure to read a few reviews of this film: the complicated plot is told in a complex, non-linear fashion.

All the King's Men (Special Edition) [Region 99]

Average customer rating:

Well intentioned remake that falls a bit short
Warmed Over Willie Stark
Sean Penn was riveting in All the King's Men
Bayou blues
WHO IS THE REAL WILLIE STARK?

All the King's Men (Special Edition) [Region 99]
Starring: Sean Penn , Jude Law , Anthony Hopkins , Kate Winslet , and Mark Ruffalo
Director: Steven Zaillian
Manufacturer: Sony Pictures
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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The Illusionist (Widescreen Edition)
The Departed (Two-Disc Special Edition)
Babel
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The Good Shepherd (Widescreen Edition)

ASIN: B000K2UGXO
Release Date: 2006-12-19

Amazon.com

Sean Penn gives another powerhouse performance in All the King's Men, leading a topnotch cast in writer-director Steven Zaillian's underrated adaptation of the Pulitzer prize-winning 1946 novel by Robert Penn Warren. When you consider that the previous 1949 film version earned well-deserved Academy Awards for director Robert Rossen and actors Broderick Crawford and Mercedes McCambridge, it's no surprise that Zaillian's film was expected to earn similar acclaim, but lukewarm critical reception and disappointing box-office gave it the stigma of a noble failure. And while the film (which moves Warren's story from the Depression-era '30s to the early 1950s) suffers from uneven pacing, partial miscasting, and an occasional lack of dramatic tension, it still qualifies as a first-class production that resonates with the timeless relevance of Warren's piercing political classic. Like Broderick before him, Penn is riveting as Louisiana governor Willie Stark, an upstart political dynamo (freely inspired by controversial real-life Louisiana governor Huey P. Long) whose rise to power is ultimately doomed by corruption and betrayal.

Jude Law costars as political reporter Jack Burden, our firsthand witness to Stark's rise and inevitable fall; his orbit of political insiders includes a corrupt judge (Anthony Hopkins) with a dark secret to hide; a longtime friend (Mark Ruffalo) and former lover (Kate Winslet) who fall victim to Stark's influence; and political staffers (James Gandolfini, Patricia Clarkson) who remain powerless against Stark's ill-fated populist juggernaut. At Sean Penn's request, former child star Jackie Earle Haley (from the original Bad News Bears) makes a welcome return to movies as Willie Stark's quietly intense bodyguard, "Sugar-Boy." Coproduced by Louisiana-born political consultant James Carville, filmed on authentic Louisiana locations and boasting all the stately, luxurious production values of a would-be Oscar contender, All the King's Men clearly benefits from Penn's fiery performance and Zaillian's earnest embrace of Warren's still-potent subject matter. And while the film's shortcomings may have prevented it from achieving unanimous acclaim, this is still a serious, well-crafted drama with much to say about the insidious potential for fascism in America, especially when well-meaning politicians lose their souls to power. --Jeff Shannon

On the DVD
The special features that accompany All the King's Men further demonstrate the film's in-production status as a potential classic. While the "making of" featurette is perfunctory at best, the other featurettes are definitely worthwhile despite Sean Penn's conspicuous absence. In "Shake Hands with the Devil," the film's cast, producer, and writer-director Steven Zaillian discuss the timeless theme of political corruption; "An American Classic" is a concise profile of Robert Penn Warren, paying tribute to the poet and author's literary achievements; and "The Legend and Lore of Huey Long" examines the life and legacy of the still-beloved governor who won the hearts of working-class Louisianans while falling prey to his own ambition. "LA Confidential" is a brief featurette about the film's use of authentic Louisiana locations and the positive effect they had on cast and crew; three deleted scenes were obviously cut from the film for purposes of time, yet offer ample proof of Zaillian's established skill as one of Hollywood's top screenwriters; and the alternate ending extends beyond the film's final shot, with a funeral scene that serves as a melancholy (and ultimately unnecessary) coda to the film's Greek-tragic drama. --Jeff Shannon

Product Description

Sean Penn, Jude Law, Kate Winslet, and Anthony Hopkins star in this riveting story of a humble man's rise to political power and the destructive force of corruption and betrayal that would ultimately unravel his soul, based on Robert Penn Warren's 1946 classic Pulitzer Prize-winning novel. Also starring James Gandolfini, Mark Ruffalo and Patricia Clarkson.

Beyond All The King's Men <table border="0" cellpadding="4" width="100%" cellspacing="4">

<td><img src="http://images.amazon.com/images/P/B000BITV92.01.TZZZZZZZ.jpg" border="0">
The Original</td>

<td><img src="http://images.amazon.com/images/P/B000HT35RY.01.TZZZZZZZ.jpg" border="0">
The Soundtrack</td> </tr>

<td><img border="0" src="http://images.amazon.com/images/P/B000E1NXJ0.01.TZZZZZZZ.jpg">
More Political Dramas</td>

<td><img border="0" src="http://images.amazon.com/images/P/B000ELL1R6.01.TZZZZZZZ.jpg">
The Films of Sean Penn</td>

<td><img border="0" src="http://images.amazon.com/images/P/B00004WG2F.01.TZZZZZZZ.jpg">
The Films of Anthony Hopkins</td> </tr> </table>

</!-- end6pak --> Stills from All the King's Men (click for larger image) <table border="0" cellpadding="4" width="100%" cellspacing="4">

Customer Reviews:

Well intentioned remake that falls a bit short.......2007-06-14

I'm a big fan of the original version starring Broderick Crawford. Like any remake, if you could combine the best of both versions together you would have the perfect movie. That said, I thought Sean Penn did a good job portraying Willie Stark. But I think he suffers from a script that is mess. I think it was a mistake first of all to move it to the 1950s. Huey Long, who Stark is based on, came to power in the grips of the Great Depression which explains why he built all those roads and bridges and the University and new capital. I think Steven Zaillian tried to be faithful to the book. He included scenes explaining the relationship between Jack Burden and the others at Burden's Landing, but they were choppy. He also doesn't do as good a job explaining Willie Stark before be became the power thirsty man that he turned in to. Patricia Clakrson's character is also wasted in this version. I'm glad the producers included the deleted scenes on the dvd release. They fill in a lot of the gaps and I just can't understand why they were ever left out in the first place. For example, the scenes explain what drove the doctor to shoot Stark. You find out that Tiny planted the seeds. Why was this scene deleted from the theatrial version? One other criticism is that it is difficult at times to understand Penn and some of the dialogue. I almost needed subtitles. Overall, it was a well intentioned effort that just falls a bit short.

Warmed Over Willie Stark.......2007-06-05

The movie didn't have budget enough to do justice to Robert Penn Warren's All the King's Men.

The writer-director is new at the game and it shows.

Sean Penn either weighs 240 pounds in the movie or is padded to appear as though he weighs that much. Penn gives a scenery-chewing performance that is so overwrought it unbalances the film. His hairdo puts me in mind of the one Eric Blair AKA George Orwell wore in his heyday.

Trouble is, the hairdo features white sidewalls around the edge. So when Penn as Willie Stark puts on a fedora, as he often does in the film, he is not recognizable as the same Willie Stark sans hat. Its a major gaffe. A more seasoned Director would have found a way around this.

Penn indulges himself in wild gestures even when talking to the person right next to him.

Stark blows his stack throughout the film. The other performances are more low key, so the Willie speeches jar the audience and undo the quieter moments in the film.

The accents. Sean Penn's Willie is impossible to understand for the first third of the film. Jude Law's Jack Burden the reporter, is only a shade off his usual British accent. Not really American. Willie is romancing his woman aide Virginia Clarkson, in addition to his wife, a skater-stripper, and the Judge's daughter. The judge's daughter is played by Kate Winslet. She's an Aussie. The Judge is played by Anthony Hopkins. Tony Soprano (James Gandolfini) has a thankless role as a political handler. Both Winslet and Hopkins are totally understandable but not particularly Louisiana accented. Patricia Clarkson is FROM New Orleans, but doesn't particularly have an accent.

The screenplay is a mess. There is no time for Willie to actually have the romances with the women. They are only alluded to. What is really missing though is a sense of the crowd, the base of any political film. Willie is never down among them, always above them talking over their heads. You have to hear something representative from the crowd to know what they're thinking. Apart from some sour looks, the film never gives a sense of who the voters are. The film needs to be opened up in the way stage-locked plays often are when converted to movies.

Instead of being a movie about a gargoyle in Louisiana politics, this film instead becomes a story about an insular group of political people infighting and romancing one another. The film lacks the necessary sense of the crowd that brings politics alive.

Sean Penn was riveting in All the King's Men.......2007-05-15

I did not feel inclined to watch this movie because I always look at the starring roles to help me determine if I should bother. The movies of Sean Penn that I had seen on TV never really impressed me. I generally take a helping of salt with the accolades given by Grammy awards or critics, as I have watched so many movies with great ravings only to find them to be plain junk - but not this one! This is one that got few ravings but deserved much more due to the performance of Sean Penn. I rented this film on a whim, took it home on a week-end and I still did not watch it. Returned it and again on a whim I paid the fee again to see it. I have no regrets.

This is a masterpiece, shouldered and driven almost exclusively on the shoulders of Sean Penn. That guy made me rewind and rewind just to hear him deliver a line. His mannerisms, his charisma, the way he ingrained himself into that Stark character had me hypnotized. The supporting roles were important to me, especially the role of Jack Burden played by Jude Law. However, these roles were only serving to interest me into what impact these other players had on the Stark character. I could not look away or think of anything else but what was going on in that movie. I know nothing of the history of the characters this movie may be based upon, I watched it to relax and be entertained. Sean Penn pulled me right into the movie. Now that is what I call entertainment. Thank you!

Bayou blues.......2007-04-23

I thought this movie much too dark
too shallow and too slow
Most characters don't come to life
they just go with the flow

It starts off well with Willie Stark
the hick who would be king
He turned the tables on the folk
who'd yanked him on a string

He gave 'em heck, this simple man
but power soon corrupts
He gets his fingers dirty
and a scandal then erupts

He's no more crooked than the rest
as we will soon discover
And asks his spin practitioner
some secrets to uncover

Jack Burden is his right hand man
Polite and politic
Backgrounds more like chalk and cheese
Yet something makes it stick

A tangled web they weave and spin
But much is left unsaid
Desires, dreams and ambitions
left hanging by a thread

Sean Penn fits neatly in the role
Law mostly looks pretty
Winslet never gets a chance
to show her nitty gritty

The others just weave in and out
without a strong foundation
If this one's showing on TV
I think I'd change the station

Amanda Richards, April 23, 2007

WHO IS THE REAL WILLIE STARK?.......2007-04-19

THIS REVIEW IS BEING USED FOR BOTH THE SEAN PENN AND BRODERICK CRAWFORD VERSIONS OF ALL THE KING'S MEN

I have seen both film versions of Robert Penn Warren's classic tale of the rise and fall of a `populist' corrupted politician, Willie Stark, based at least loosely on the political career of 1930's Louisiana Governor Huey Long. America has had no shortage of such politicians who have allegedly championed the cause of the `little people' in their rise to power while on the side lining their pockets and the pockets of their friends. The late Governor of Alabama George Wallace comes to mind as a more modern example but there have been others, some who did not bother to champion the cause of `little people' or anyone else, for that matter.

The question before us, however, is who is the real Willie Stark. Since the story line is fairly simple and familiar from a glance at today's newspapers or a look at the political landscape it is the believability of the performances in the films that counts here. Broderick Crawford played in the original black and white film version and won an Academy Award for his performance by acting as a initially naïve country bumpkin with a thirst for power to do `good' who is corrupted by power as he goes about the business of governance. Seemingly, all his baser instincts come into play and there is an almost fatalistic sense that he is in for a big fall. Sean Penn in the more recent version seems to be more world weary about the political process and cynical about what he can do for the `people' and himself when in power. Of the two, Crawford just seems to be more comfortable in his interpretation of the role. Moreover, in the recent version the narrator's story, that of a troubled alcoholic former news reporter hired by Stark as his smooth-tongued flak, takes top-billing and that diminishes Stark's role in all the shenanigans. For my money, although Penn's performance may appeal to today's more politician-averse audience Crawford wins this duel. View both films and you decide.

Average customer rating:

very emotional, driven by great performances...
Drawn into the Mystic
Much Ado about nothing
Almost Great
boring and very disturbing

Mystic River (Widescreen Edition)
Starring: Sean Penn , Tim Robbins , Kevin Bacon , Laurence Fishburne , and Marcia Gay Harden
Director: Clint Eastwood
Manufacturer: Warner Home Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Drama | Genres | DVD | Video

Crime & Criminals | Drama | Genres | DVD | Video

General | Mystery & Suspense | Genres | DVD | Video

( M ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video

Million Dollar Baby (Two-Disc Special Edition)
Road to Perdition (Widescreen Edition)
21 Grams
Monster [Region 99]
Cold Mountain (Two-Disc Collector's Edition)

ASIN: B0001ZX0OW
Release Date: 2004-06-08

Amazon.com

Superior acting, writing, and direction are on impressive display in the critically acclaimed Mystic River, Clint Eastwood's 24th directorial outing and one of the finest films of 2003. Sharply adapted by L.A. Confidential Oscar-winner Brian Helgeland from the novel by Dennis Lehane, this chilling mystery revolves around three boyhood friends in working-class Boston--played as adults by Tim Robbins, Sean Penn, and Kevin Bacon--drawn together by a crime from the past and a murder (of the Penn character's 19-year-old daughter) in the present. These dual tragedies arouse a vicious cycle of suspicion, guilt, and repressed anxieties, primed to explode with devastating and unpredictable results. Eastwood is perfectly in tune with this brooding material, giving his flawless cast (including Laura Linney, Marcia Gay Harden and Laurence Fishburne) ample opportunity to plumb the depths of a resonant human tragedy, leading to an ambiguous ending that qualifies Mystic River for contemporary classic status. --Jeff Shannon

Description

Drama. Mystic River tells the story of three men whose dark, interwoven history forces them to come to terms with a brutal murder on the mean streets of Boston.

Customer Reviews:

very emotional, driven by great performances..........2007-06-09

Sean Penn, without a doubt, is the heart and soul of this movie... Mystic River is one of the very best of Clint Eastwood's pictures and it features highly charged emotions in a great screenplay that flows beautifully despite the length of the film... It all comes back to childhood this is something (I think) we should all know - and something the characters in this movie discover as they fumble around trying to right the wrongs of the world.. Tim robbins' character (i try to be careful not to give away plot elements) is torn inside from a childhood experience and sees the world as a place where vampires roam and suck the blood of the innocent - something he takes upon himself to venge against.. Sean Penn's character is intent on finding justice himself following the death of his daughter.. and kevin bacon (who is a cop) is obviously trying to make up for the wrongs of the world - all three try and fail - because at heart they are children (like we all are) born to suffer in an unjust world.. Mystic river will make you cry if you truly let it break through your personal barriers.. Though i am not normally a fan of such movies (i generally find them predictable) 'mystic river', despite its rehashed dramatic techniques, works out - highly recommended..

Drawn into the Mystic.......2007-04-06

Mystic River is a triumph for Clint Eastwood. Truly a moving film, Mystic River never lets your eyes wander from the screen as you're completely focused on this very disturbing story. A film capturing the adult lives of once childhood friends, played by Sean Penn, Tim Robbins and Kevin Bacon, you watch as they come together once again after what appears to be many years of brief and intermittent run-ins with each other.

Sean Penn plays somewhat of a wise, yet immature loose cannon o