Amanda Burton

Average customer rating:

the best of Tom and Meg!
My favorite movie
Just a fun movie
A Wonderful Fairy Tail for Grownups
This film works best as a rainy-day appetizer

Joe Versus the Volcano
Starring: Tom Hanks , Meg Ryan , Lloyd Bridges , Robert Stack , and Abe Vigoda
Director: John Patrick Shanley
Manufacturer: Warner Home Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Comedy | Genres | DVD | Video

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( J ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video

The 'Burbs
The Money Pit
Big (Extended Edition)
Sleepless in Seattle (10th Anniversary Edition) [Region 99]
I.Q.

ASIN: B00005Y71F
Release Date: 2002-04-02

Amazon.com

Joe Versus the Volcano is a true early-1990s cult film. This fantasy-comedy was the first pairing of Meg Ryan and Tom Hanks, yet it polarizes viewers like a Blue Velvet or Happiness. As the only directorial effort from John Patrick Shanley (the Oscar-winning writer of Moonstruck), it is something special, and it's hard to resist the film's feather-light heart tugging. Joe Banks is having the life sucked out of him at a dead-end job. Miserable in his gray surroundings with stark fluorescent lighting, Joe dreams of being brave again. A visit to the doctor reveals that he has a "brain cloud." It's fatal, but he'll be fine for a few more months. An eccentric millionaire, Samuel Harvey Graynamore (Lloyd Bridges), hears of Joe's predicament and comes to him with a proposal: The people of the Pacific island of Waponi Woo need a human sacrifice to appease their gods. Why not live like a king for a few weeks, then throw yourself into a volcano? (Graynamore needs a sacrificial victim to offer in exchange for permission to mine the island for a rare mineral.) Joe accepts Graynamore's lavish proposal and on his journey meets three romantic possibilities (all played by Ryan). Joe embraces life; so does the movie. It's packed with smile-inducing supporting performances by Bridges, Ossie Davis, Robert Stack, and Dan Hedaya; playful songs ("Sixteen Tons," "Ol' Man River," Presley's version of "Blue Moon"); and amusing scenes (such as Joe buying luggage). Add the daring, imaginative production design of Bo Welch (Edward Scissorhands), Hanks and Ryan's chemistry, and Georges Delerue's romantic music and you have a film to fall for. --Doug Thomas

Description

Laughs erupt when Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan fall in love and fall in lava in Joe Versus the Volcano, a colorful, stylish laughquake written and directed by Moonstruck Oscar winner John Patrick Shanley. As Joe, Hanks adds to his phenomenal string of successes that includes, Splash, Big and Turner & Hooch. And Meg Ryan follows up her starmaking When Harry Met Sally...with three roles, playing each of the women in Joe's life. When we first meet Joe, he has the white-color blues. Every day is Monday, the boss is always in a bad mood and the cumulative stresses convince Joe he has a terminal condition called a "brain cloud." So when a zany jillionaire pops up and offers him a fleeting taste of the good life, Joe leaps at the chance. All he must do in return is leap into a volcano. But funny things happen on the way from the urban isle of Manhattan to the remote tropical isle of Waponi Woo... Out of the corporate frying pan. Into the fire. Is Joes doomed to be the last of the red-hot lovers? Not if the forces of courage, love and comedy have their way.DVD Features:
Documentary
Filmographies
Interactive Menus
Music Video:Eric Burdon, "Sixteen Tons"
Other
Scene Access
Theatrical Trailer

Customer Reviews:

the best of Tom and Meg!.......2007-05-27

oh. how I love this film! Joe is told by his doctor (a quack I might add) that he has a rare disease that will kill him in 6 months. so he decides (via being bribed) to go toss himself into a volcano in exchange for a vacation, and loads of fun. but what he didn't expect to find along the way was Love! and Meg ryan is Ultra Cute in this film and tom hanks is Hilarious and as always very comical in his acting (I laugh every time i watch him being diagnosed with his "New Disease" and then quitting his job! what hilarity buy this film you will not regret it! great for family friends and anyone else! its also cool seeing meg ryan as a redhead blonde and brunette! this movie is a classic like Big!

My favorite movie.......2007-04-07

This movie has become my favorite movie of all time. I have given it a rating of E, which is the highest that I will give to a movie or book. To receive this rating, there has to be substance, meaning, consistency of story and plot, depth, and it must be unforgettable.

I highly recommend this movie to anyone who wants not just entertainment, but a challenge to find the messages this movie is saying to each viewer. There is a connectivity throughout the movie that makes it well worth viewing several times to pick out. I will not go into details, for that would make it too easy and spoil the fun to be had in searching. They are there, words, moments of insight, pictures, and ideas. They are there, find them, and enjoy.

I think the choice of Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan was the best choice for this movie. Both do very creditable acting. There is also a lot of frisson between these two characters which adds immeasurably to this movie.

One of the things that you will find in this movie is what simple love is and how important it is. By simple love I mean the power of the touch of hands, the giving of oneself to keep another safe and well, the look within the eyes that says "I care for you". These are all simple things, but powerful too. Hence, their meaning comes across powerfully within the framework of this movie.

I have seen this movie several times and I am still seeing things that connect throughout the movie. This makes it more fun to watch time and again, because you always will find something new missed before. Spielberg is an excellent director and he knows how to tell a story. The story presented in Joe vs the Volcano is done extremely well in this movie. There is much more to it within the movie than just the interplay of the two main characters. In addition, the music adds a depth to this, a surprising depth. I have tried to find the sound track and it is not available. Only 3500 CD's were made and these are gone to those who likewise found it to be something worth keeping.

There are unforgettable scenes throughout the movie too. One in particular I always see in my mind and thoughts. Tom Hanks (Joe)and Meg Ryan are on a raft after the sail boat that Meg was captain of sunk in a storm. Meg suffered a blow to the head and is unconscious so Joe gives her water to keep her well, denying any for himself because he does not know when they will be rescued. About the third night he sees the moon rise. At one point he struggles to stand and it then appears he is holding the moon up with his hands. It is touching, an unforgettable scene. Joe then says:
"Lord, who's name I do not know,
I Thank you for my life.
I forgot... just how big...
Thank you for my life."

My recommendation is to not miss this movie. It is worth the price, and then some, I believe sincerely. You will not forget it, you will find the movie refreshing everytime you see it. And you will find a smile or two on your face, and maybe a tear or two as you understand all the things this movis is saying to you.

Joe

Just a fun movie.......2007-01-10

I missed it in the movies, but after seeing it it on STARS, I knnew I had to have it in my collection !!

A Wonderful Fairy Tail for Grownups.......2006-12-15

Stuck in the world of the corporate grind ... not sure how to break free ... not sure you can? Well, this wonderful little movie might just inspire you to FIND a way to break out of the "eternal gray" and create a wonderful life for yourself. And even if it doesn't ... it's a lot of fun.

This film works best as a rainy-day appetizer.......2006-12-06

This is a artsy, stylized movie, full of quirky humor and subtle satire. If you love "The Princess Bride" and/or "O! Brother, Where Art Thou?", then you will understand this film. The characterization of personality archetypes (in English, he makes fun of odd people that we all know) is what sticks the most with me, along with Elvis signing Blue Moon and the large moonrise on the ocean.

It has enough adventure in it so that it is not strictly a chick flick, but it strikes a nice balance. I think this is the first paring-up of Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan.

This film works best as a rainy-day appetizer, with hot cocoa and summer sausage. I recommend seeing it between 3:30 and 5:45 at the latest.

Average customer rating:

Plenty of sermons with a bit of sickness
A Man Called Peter
A Man Called Petter
Great family film
Excellent movie

A Man Called Peter
Starring: Richard Todd , Jean Peters , Marjorie Rambeau , Jill Esmond , and Les Tremayne
Director: Henry Koster
Manufacturer: 20th Century Fox
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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( M ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video

A Man Called Peter: The Story of Peter Marshall
The Keys of the Kingdom
The Story of Ruth
The Inn of the Sixth Happiness
The Man in the Gray Flannel Suit

ASIN: B0009X75VU
Release Date: 2005-09-06

Description

Richard Todd delivers a thoroughly winning performance as Peter Marshall, the Scottish-born minister who became Chaplain of the U.S. Senate. While still a boy, Peter wants only to go to sea. But as a young man he experiences a profound awakening which leaves him with the unwavering conviction that he has been called upon to do the Lord's work. He completes his religious training in the United States, where he presides over several congregations. A compelling speaker who believes religion should be fun, Marshall inspires young people to renew their interest in the church, and his ministries prosper. Eventually, he becomes pastor of the prestigious Church of the Presidents, in Washington D.C. and is asked to serve as spiritual guide for the Senate. Co-starring Jean Peters as Marshall's devoted wife, Catherine, "A Man Called Peter" is the deeply moving tale of "a man and his close friendship with God"

Customer Reviews:

Plenty of sermons with a bit of sickness.......2007-06-02

I saw the movie A MAN CALLED PETER when I was young and recently thought I should own the DVD and listen to the recording of a sermon by Peter Marshall that was a special feature on the DVD. There are plenty of sermons in the movie itself, including a sermon for the cadets at the naval academy in Annapolis on December 7, 1941 delivered before the attack on Pearl Harbor but emphasizing how meaningfully death could become our own world in a way that this world never will be. Peter Marshall was chaplain for the U.S. Senate, where he offered daily prayers that strove to be relevant to the kind of things that happen in Washington, D.C., from 1947 until the heart attack which killed him in 1949. Seeing the movie in a theater as a child, I was impressed by the idea that people who work hard are bound to die young and go to a well-deserved rest. I have certainly not been working hard enough for anything like that to happen to me, but I can appreciate this movie as an intellectual exercise in reflecting the spirit of the times in which the United States became a great power but faced mounting confusions about how to remain one.

On a personal level, Catherine Marshall is a major character in the movie, and she was author of a book that the movie is based on. At the beginning, she is merely a college girl going to church and listening to sermons, but remembering much more than most of us are capable of. That part of the plot reminds me of some themes of the `somebody's miracle' CD which Liz Phair released in 2005. The ironic first song, "leap of innocence," includes the dreadful lines, "I had so many friends in rehab. A couple who practically died. Anyone can tell you were my instrument. He said, I understand you. You want to play me." God and the Marshalls triangulated that theme marvelously.

One of the characters in the movie, a Senator Harvey, thwarts the plans of the timber interests who want to create a few more millionaires by clearing some forests, when he votes against a land bill to save thousands of farms that could have been destroyed by floods in subsequent years. It is nice to know that people making movies in 1955 were smart enough to include a few lines about facing the wind, like the second song on the Liz Phair CD about `wind and the mountain,' where she sings, "You're gonna right another wrong. And sometimes I am inspired. You're gonna raise your hand and say I don't understand. And there are days when you get an answer. There are days when you find your answer."

The movie includes a sermon on Elijah telling the chosen people, "Choose to serve the Lord." A little fire from heaven helped the people at Mt. Carmel make that choice, and sarcastic comments about the 450 prophets of Baal who could not call down fire from heaven certainly helped Americans learn how a super power could act on a good day, when the future seems like nothing but easy cakewalks. We have built an incredibly complex military base for carrying out whatever destructive tasks we can imagine, but have been lacking enough foresight to figure out what we will do when the people we borrowed money from ask us to actually pay for it. As Liz Phair put it:

And the wind that I'm in
Screams on me
Screams on me
Howls around me
Howls around me
And I feel like I am a naked man
I've got nothing and no one
In a stranger's land
And the wind will do me in.

A Man Called Peter.......2007-05-26

Richard Todd played an awesome roll in his portrayal of Dr Peter Marshall. My family and I would recommend this film to anyone who needs to be inspired to go on to bigger and better things in life!

A Man Called Petter.......2007-04-03

This is a very inpirational movie. Knowing it is a true story makes it even more so. It is well done. I watch it over and over. As one of the Special Features, is one of Peter Marshall's actual messages. It is awesome. He truely was one of God's gifts to the world.

Great family film.......2007-04-01

In this day and age where movies use bad grammar and as much foul language as possible, not to mention the sexual inunendos and explicit sex scenes, this movie is truly a treasure. It shows the love that the Marshalls had for each other (without having to see everything that happens between a man and his wife) and sends a powerful message that God is truly in control; no matter what happens in our lives. The movie is excellent for a family night viewing.

Excellent movie.......2007-03-18

This is an excellent movie. I recently watch the VHS and was glad to find the DVD. Peter Marshall is an inspiration!

Average customer rating:

Polyanna
Remake far surpasses the original
Actually Better than the Original
First Rate!
Superb

Pollyanna
Starring: Amanda Burton , Kenneth Cranham , Georgina Terry , Aden Gillett , and Pam Ferris
Director: Sarah Harding
Manufacturer: Wgbh Boston
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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( P ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video

Masterpiece Theatre: Railway Children
Pollyanna
The Railway Children
Pollyanna (Vault Disney Collection)
The Secret Garden (1975)

ASIN: B00009MEKB
Release Date: 2004-11-23

Description

A young girl reveals how a little positive thinking can make a big difference. Every dark cloud has a silver lining—and young Pollyanna knows how to find it. Newcomer Georgina Terry makes a stirring debut as Pollyanna in this heartwarming tale of a little girl whose effortless charm captures the hearts of family, friends, and strangers alike. After the death of her father, Pollyanna moves in with her downcast, embittered aunt (Amanda Burton, Silent Witness). Soon, Pollyanna charms everyone in the beautiful English village she now calls home—except her cold-hearted aunt who refuses to see the brighter side of life. Aunt Polly, despite her vast wealth, impressive estate, and numerous servants, treats young Pollyanna more like an stranger than a relative, but when tragedy strikes, Pollyanna's sunny outlook persuades her aunt to confront past ghosts and embrace the promise of happiness. Based on the classic novel by Eleanor H. Porter, Pollyanna is a treat sure to be treasured by the entire family.

Customer Reviews:

Polyanna.......2007-03-08

This movie should be seen more often by children and adults. It can help a lot in today full of stress environment. Adult can learn what they forgot about good attitude and manners. Children will be able to learn how to treat evryone properly.

Remake far surpasses the original.......2007-02-24

This film is a must-see and a wonderful treat for the whole family. My kids asked me to check it out from the library and after we watched it together as a whole family, I bought a copy from Amazon to add to our collection of family films. It's rare that a remake would outshine the original, but this one is in a class by itself and leaves the 1960 version in the dust. The casting and writing were superb; this film remains true to the book, which I appreciate. (I cannot tell you how annoying it is when filmmakers second-guess the classics and compromise the story in order to make it more "appealing.")

Amanda Burton did right by author Eleanor H. Porter in her interpretation of Aunt Polly. It would be so easy for an actress to make this a mere two-dimensional character, but Burton thoroughly masters this role. Georgina Terry is a wonderful Pollyanna. She is a relatively new to the film industry and she does have a few bad acting habits onscreen here and there that I noticed, but she was such a lovable Pollyanna that the shortcomings really don't matter.

As a mom I can wholly recommend this film to add to your family's home library. If you want your children to enjoy a film that embraces Christianity, upholds the sanctity of marriage, and tickles your eyes with sweet glimpses of English country living, then this DVD would probably be the best 18 bucks you've spent in a long time.

Actually Better than the Original.......2007-01-09

I caught this movie on TV. I was interested in watching the remake after enjoying the Walt Disney version.
I must say that I found this version a lot more enjoyable to watch. I enjoyed this movie so much that I went on Amazon to buy a copy as it is not available in Australia.
If you are looking for a movie that the whole family can watch look no further.
I am always pleased when I come across a well made production which is also clean and enjoyable.

First Rate!.......2006-09-13

A giving, young girl brings warmth and cheer to older people, who had lost all joy. And so she visits you.

I had seen the Disney version first, and liked it at 4-stars. This is a completely different movie, though the same story. The Disney is more entertainment. This film is a warm, uplifting, friend coming to visit you. More depth. Moving. Beautiful English country homes, within a beautiful countryside. Some subtle humor. A pleasant film of encouragement.

Well-made period films are: "Pride & Prejudice 1940, 1996, 2006", "Wives & Daughters", "North & South", Disneys' "Summer Magic", and "Naughty Marietta 1935 with Jeanette MacDonald and Nelson Eddy". Fairly made is "Under the Greenwood Tree". Excellent period series is "Road to Avonlea seasons 1-6", and "Christy the Complete Series".

Superb.......2006-08-25

I watched this version of Pollyanna years after I had seen the Disney version, and was pleasantly surprised at how close it came to the book. Georgina Terry is exceptional, and leaves one wishing there were more to see. She absolutely owns the role, and you can't help but love her and all her gladness.

Is it just me, or does anybody else think she would make a wonderful Anne of Green Gables?

Average customer rating:

The Ultimate @ss Wipe
A movie based on Milo Manara's graphic novel series: "Click"
You'll like it
Who the heck cast the male lead for this movie???
Funny and enjoyable

The Ultimate Attraction
Starring: Gabriella Hall , David Chielens , Robert Donovan , Jacqueline Lovell , and Rick Jordan
Director: Rolfe Kanefsky
Manufacturer: New Concorde
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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( U ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video

Forbidden Games
Femalien
Lolida 2000: The Forbidden Stories
The Erotic Dreams of Jeannie
Virgins of Sherwood Forest

ASIN: 6305976333
Release Date: 2000-09-12

Customer Reviews:

The Ultimate @ss Wipe.......2005-08-19

Give me a break. This is the hokiest plot I have ever seen, read or dreamed of. The Ultimate Attraction is in reality the ultimate ca-ca. Example: The story starts out where a guy locked in an airplane restroom flushes a device which looks like a combination of a TV remote control and a pocket cassette recorder down the toilet, where it is discharged outside the airplane and falls through the roof of a health club and lands on a stack of towels, next to and in a closet, where a gorgeous babe (Gabriella Hall) and some numb nut guy are fornicating. Does anybody hear the device crashing through the roof? No! Do the amorous couple notice it dropping onto the shelf next to them or notice there is now a hole in the roof? No!

Lo and behold, the lovers eventually notice the object from the sky and start fooling around with it. You know, turning dials and aiming it and guess what it makes a gal on one of the exercise machines get stimulated and have an orgasm.

I should mention that the Health Club is in default with the bank and unless thirty thousand buckeroos are raised within the next three weeks it will be foreclosed upon and so these employees decide they can use this little machine to increase membership, raise the thirty thousand for their boss and save the club and of course, their sexual rendezvous location.

Their plan seems to be working, a little stimulation here and there and everybody is really digging it but then something goes wrong and pretty soon the clientele is going at it like rabbits in heat. Clothes are slung around everywhere and everybody is engaged and in some state of undress.

If this movie is so bad, why did I give it two stars? Well I never said the movie was terrible, just the story. Nobody really expects the stories for soft porn movies to very good and this story was one of the worst but on the flip side for a movie showing attractive people in various states of undress, depicting gratuitous sex, which is what most soft core movies are like, this movie wasn't bad. I guess it depends on what you're looking for and if you're looking a profound story in a sensual soft core movie, you're in the wrong genre. Ultimate Attraction was a soft porn movie with an abominable plot, that was otherwise typical of the genre. I didn't pay much attention to the guys (except for the geek that was with Gabriella Hall) but the girls were great looking with nice bodies, especially Gabriella Hall, Jacqueline Lovett and Jennifer Burton.

If you are looking for a good movie in the so called light erotic/comedic vein, there are better movies around but if you just want to see some good looking guys and gals in the altogether, it delivers. Final Rating 2.2 stars

A movie based on Milo Manara's graphic novel series: "Click".......2005-05-19

Closer to 3 and a half stars than 4 (3.65).

A rather short unrated adult "comedy" based on the series of adult graphic novels by Milo Manara that go under the name "Click." Lots of nudity and "action." The film is also known as: "Click: The Ultimate Attraction," and "Click: The Body Beautiful." The movie has a copyright of 2002, but there are a series of 7 90 minute TV movies that were made in 1997 based on "Click", and "Ultimate Attraction" might be one of those TV movies.

DVD Features: The DVD contains the movie, biographies, and available hits (4 trailers including "Ultimate Attraction," "Midnight Tease 2," "Knocking on Death's Door," and "Emmanuelle: First Contact.")

Credits: Stars: Gabriella Hall (Linda - trainer; "Erotic Misadventures of the Invisible Man" and over 30 other films and TV series), David Chielens (Ben), Nina Leichtling (Margo; "Anywhere but Here"), Jacqueline Lovell (Susan; "Lolita 2000"), Rick Jordan (Ted Fields; "Click: For the Love of the Click"), Robert Donovan (William Haywood - spa owner; "Shadow Dancer") and Taylor St.Claire (New Linda). The director is Rafael Glenn. Interesting, it would appear that financing came from Ireland-Holland-France & the USA.

Plot: A failing gym/spa tries to keep in business, and keep from being taken over, by using an electronic device to make customers very very "excited." The device literally fell from the sky, dropped through the toilet by a man trying to prevent its capture by the police.

Review: Unlike the other movie that I have reviewed based on a Manara series; I've read the "Click" series of books. While both the movie and the books use an electronic device, the books require an actual implantation of a receiver into the brain. The movie does not require this operation for the device to cause an individual to be infected by "adult happy" vibes. Both include at least one prudish woman that is "changed." The "victim" was the "good" person in the book, not the manipulators like in the movie. This movie does not really have the feel of a Manara book (though the books aren't all great). And unlike that other movie, this one jumps immediately into nudity and "adult fun time."

The movie feels a lot longer than it actually is because the "adult fun" nude scenes just go on way too long, and actually becomes a little boring (it has to say something that I found myself fast forwarding through the overly long nude scenes, and there's at least one scene that I didn't fast forward through more because of the music than the action; and several of the "good" scenes are fuzzy or foggy). That and there is a lot less "mainstream" scenes in this movie than there probably should be. The movie does seem to be a step above a movie with just nude scenes with filler, but it isn't that far away from that type of movie.

Some of the acting isn't that bad, some is like something like you might find on a soap opera, and some is quite bad (though one on of the stars obviously knows how to act). I believe this film occurred after "Erotic Misadventures of the Invisible Man." If I'm right, then Hall's acting has regressed (and maybe shows why she stars in these types of movies and gets bit parts in mainstream movies). The plot is very thin, nothing more than a means to have nudity and adult fun. The humor is quite thin in this adult comedy, though there appear to be parts that seem as if they are supposed to be funny. The sound made by the active device is very irritating. Most of the women are attractive, and while it is harder for me to tell, most of the men seem to fall into the less attractive category (at least two might fall into the handsome category). Hall is a rather attractive woman, a "real" looking woman (other than the overly endowed top (that's before the "large balloons" gag, during which she is gigantic, clothed, but gigantic, at which point her "natural" size doesn't look as large)), but she does appear to be a little too fleshy to be an overly tight/fit fitness trainer, like she is supposed to be. The film inserts some common San Francisco scenes to remind the audience that the film is supposed to occur in that city. Overall, starts slow and some of the scenes are just too long. (3.65)

You'll like it.......2005-04-17

This movie seems fun and enjoyable. It's a good find if it is unrated and you are all alone in your house. A quiet night with yourself. ENJOY!!!!!!!!!

Who the heck cast the male lead for this movie???.......2003-06-20

I think he's a Hispanic guy of some sort, but he's so unfunny and geeky I just fast-forwarded all of his speaking parts. (Mind you these movies are not unfamiliar with the fast-forward button... Yao Ming?)
Regardless, what's her face is sexy as usual, but when she transforms and goes into the sauna with another chick and... well I DON'T WANNA RUIN ANYTHING... but yeah. They don't just talk about the weather.
The unrated version shows some shlongs which I really didn't need to see, but hey you can use it as an excuse to show your girlfriend.
I thought the best scene was the scene where the gym owner gets some of the female antagonist in his office. It is a really hot and steamy scene... very believable.
Some of the girls are a bit ugly side (check out the one in the juice-pouring part) and some of the guys in the cast are just boys (see the exercise bike scene) which I thought was a bit strange.
A mixed bag with questionable casting but some good, memorable softcore/semi-hardcore scenes.

Funny and enjoyable.......2002-06-26

Fantastic DVD, definitely not rated....Nice girls, funny. Must own one yourself before out of print.

Average customer rating:

Good performance
Too Close
Great performances!
hang the naysayers! this is the best A&C you will ever see
When Nunn Was Still Green

Antony and Cleopatra
Starring: Richard Johnson , Janet Suzman , Rosemary McHale , Mavis Taylor Blake , and Darien Angadi
Director: Jon Scoffield
Manufacturer: Lions Gate
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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( A ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video

Twelfth Night
Shakespeare - The Winter's Tale / Royal Shakespeare Company, Barbican Theatre
Julius Caesar
Macbeth / McKellen, Dench (Thames Shakespeare Collection)
Much Ado About Nothing

ASIN: B0002235QM
Release Date: 2004-06-22

Product Description

He was a man among men, one of the triumvirate who ruled the Roman world. She was a woman without equal, a mighty queen in a man's world. He was the warrior; she, the temptress. And neither could serve Caesar with the allegiance he demanded...because their ultimate devotion was to each other. Shakespeare's towering romantic tragedy - filled with alliances, rumors, battles, betrayals and death comes to the screen in a strikingly dramatic staging. Among the production's skilled ensemble of players are Richard Johnson (Khartoum) as Antony, a conqueror of armies but not of his own heart; Janet Suzman (Nicolas and Alexandra) as Cleopatra, the bewitching "Serpent of the Nile"; and Patrick Stewart (Star Trek: The Next generation) as Antony's crafty aide Enobarbus, who provides a running commentary on Antony's plunge from the heights. They and the entire cast from London's celebrated Royal Shakespeare Company fuel the Bard's remarkable work with the power and passion befitting its two legendary icons of love and war: Antony and Cleopatra.

System Requirements:

Running Time 161 Min

Format: DVD MOVIE

Customer Reviews:

Good performance.......2006-03-29

"Antony and Cleopatra" is one of Shakespeare's greatest plays where Marc Antony and Cleopatra, both with glorious pasts, have to cope with their dwindling fortunes. Janet Suzman plays Cleopatra and Richard Johnson plays Marc Antony and both handle their roles very well, faithfully potraying their respective characters.

The director, Jon Scoffield did a good job of producing a good film particularly in view of the fact that Shakespeare's plays are essentially theatrical and are a challenge to bring on film. However, he managed to produce a good film on a low budget by focusing on the characters and verse rather than producing a spectacle.

In summary, a good movie well worth viewing.

Too Close.......2006-02-07

The acting is beyond superb. Ms. Suzman IS Cleopata. My only complaint is the directing. This DVD consists of 90% talking heads. The close up lens for the camera was obviously the only one available. The play is done on a stage, but it is almost never seen. Way too too much facial.

Great performances!.......2002-03-12

I've seen this play on film and on stage, but this British television version is by far the best version I've seen. Richard Johnson seems to be EXACTLY the embodiment of Marc Antony that Shakespeare must have envisioned - pure poetry and agony. And Janet Suzman channels Cleopatra in a way that is almost spooky (Cleo lives!). I also personally love the set design, which is solely used to create the mood of the characters and plot. This is like a stage play, in that it allows the viewer to focus on the characters, not on locations (I'll leave that to the deeply inferior movie version that plays the story out like an over-produced historical document). Trevor Nunn proves that one doesn't need lavish productions in order to recreate great Shakespeare. Just get some great actors on an open set and let the magic happen!

hang the naysayers! this is the best A&C you will ever see.......2001-11-15

I'm not sure what the above reviewers were looking for, but I have had an English bootleg of this production for years, and have never seen a better one. Suzman and Johnson wowed all of the English critics when this RSC production was onstage. And Stewart won every supporting actor award that season. I'm glad to get a new copy of this production.

When Nunn Was Still Green.......2001-08-16

If you have seen Trevor Nunn's work in Twelfth Night, you may be curious about his screen version of Antony and Cleopatra; however, there is no comparison. Nunn's A & C, while competently vocally performed by all the actors, did not appear to combine Method acting with Cicely Berry's voice direction which resulted in a tedious and disappointing filmed version of a stage production. Neither Janet Suzman nor Richard Johnson are able to evoke the passion expected from these characters. However, Nunn's casting and direction were much improved by the time he produced the filmed stage production of Othello with Ian McKellan, Willard White, and Imogen Stubbs which is available through Amazon UK (but only in PAL format).

Average customer rating:

Comparative Review
Five Stars for Jena Malone
Powerful
Lit teachers! This is a good find!
Mediocre family film, but a complete disgrace to the book!

Ellen Foster
Starring: Julie Harris , Jena Malone , Ted Levine , Glynnis O'Connor , and Debra Monk
Director: John Erman
Manufacturer: Hallmark
ProductGroup: Video
Binding: VHS Tape

Burton, Kate | ( B ) | Actors & Actresses | VHS | Video

Garrick, Barbara | ( G ) | Actors & Actresses | VHS | Video

Harris, Julie | ( H ) | Actors & Actresses | VHS | Video

Ivanek, Zeljko | ( I ) | Actors & Actresses | VHS | Video

Levine, Ted | ( L ) | Actors & Actresses | VHS | Video

Nunn, Bill | ( N ) | Actors & Actresses | VHS | Video

O'Connor, Glynnis | ( O ) | Actors & Actresses | VHS | Video

Olyphant, Timothy | ( O ) | Actors & Actresses | VHS | Video

O'Neill, Dick | ( O ) | Actors & Actresses | VHS | Video

Peet, Amanda | ( P ) | Actors & Actresses | VHS | Video

Erman, John | ( E ) | Directors | VHS | Video

General | Drama | Genres | VHS | Video

Drama | Today's Deals in Video | Features | VHS | Video

Deals Under $8 | Today's Deals in Video | Features | VHS | Video

Ellen Foster (Oprah's Book Club)
Echo of Thunder
Calm at Sunset
Harvest of Fire
The Summer of Ben Tyler

ASIN: 1574924346
Release Date: 1999-08-17

Customer Reviews:

Comparative Review.......2005-03-07

The Movie "Ellen Foster" followed the journey that a young abused girl takes to find a place to call home. Based on the book written by Kaye Gibbons, this horrifying but yet modern story makes the common day person thankful for their wonderful but not perfect life. With both famous screen stars such as Jena Malone and Amanda Peet and debuting cast such as Allison Jones, this movie is definetly one to put in a time capsul. Honorable mentions also include Kate Burton, Ted Levine, Julie Harris, Debra Monk, Glynnis O'Connor and director John Erman. With a star studded cast list and amazing author of the movie's base, this movie is set for life.

Ellen Hammond (Malone) was a young girl with adult-like maturity. Many children her age had never seen or felt what she had. When the movie opens, we see Ellen's father Bill (Levine) drunk and asleep on the couch. Ellen is going to get her mother from the hospital with her aunt. When Ellen's mother, Charlotte (O'Connor) returns, she is faced with orders from her husband to clean and cook when she really should be in bed resting. Charlotte works herself to her own death that day, and that is when Ellen's journey begins.

Ellen's school relizes that Bill is abusing Ellen and relocates her to the Art Teacher Julia's ( Peet) house. Ellen is loved and cared for there until a court order sends her to live with her grandmother Leonora Nelson (Harris), who hates Ellen and Bill with all her might. Leonora believes that it was Ellen and Bill's fault that Charlotte died, and she forces Ellen to work as a maid as a form of revenge. When Leonora dies, Ellen is sent to live with her aunt Nadine (Monk). Nadine is very wealthy and spoils her daughter, and Ellen is never truly welcome in the house. After an intense argument, Ellen leaves the house and goes to a foster mother. There she is accepted and is loved, and Ellen changes her name to Ellen Foster.

Though this movie was fascinating, it left out Ellen's deepest feelings. What was so amazing in the book was how strong and independent she was. The movie seemed to touch her lifestyle rather then her actual inner self. It was the writers who had a challenge in front of them and took the audience friendly side of the story or in my opinion, the easy way out.Kaye Gibbons' message was not stated to the extent that she portrayed it in the book.

This movie has a definite feel to it that will not be lost, which is sad. In 1997, when this movie came out, abuse was found everyday. Eight years later, nothing has changed. I guess that is what will keep this movie alive for generations to come.

Five Stars for Jena Malone.......2004-02-05

For such a young performer, Jena Malone gives an unforgettable performance as an unwanted child. She practically carries the whole movie. The rest of the characters are basically caricatures of the evil grandmother, the drunk father, noble mother, do-gooder art teacher, and insensitive aunts. She herself is a caricature of a long-suffering child but Jena more than competently erases the caricature and becomes Ellen Foster.

Jena Malone conveyed a child's depression from her situation and rising beyond the hopelessness by doing something about it. Her subtle gestures and myriad facial expressions equals the performance of an Academy Award winner.

The best part of the movie is the way her face shows sudden shifts in her emotions, the inner conflicts, the fear of rejection and a child's hope, all this in one scene near the end (a rather lame ending, too pat, but then, don't we all need endings like this after such a heart-wrenching movie?) as she talks to Mrs. Montrose.

I hope she is able to get work like this in her future, work that will show her mastery of her craft and her range. So far, I've seen her in supporting roles in big budget movies, but when she gets the starring role and an equally good script, the movie world better watch out!

Powerful.......2004-01-05

Ellen Foster based on the novel by Kaye Gibbons, is a story about a girl who just wants a place to call home. It's emotional and has you crying several times througout. It's not one of the best movies I've seen but it is a good movie that leaves a powerful impact. I as a viewer would be more inclined to rent it or get it out of the library than purchase it. It's really not a movie that you can watch over and over.

Lit teachers! This is a good find!.......2003-02-01

I taught this novel to a class of high school seniors, and then they watched the movie. It was a short, yet suitable video. Although it did deviate from the book at times, the characters are very well chosen and portrayed accuratly from the novel.

Mediocre family film, but a complete disgrace to the book!.......2002-12-03

The movie was much less impactful, much less meaningful, and generally much less compelling than the book. Ellen's various guardians in the film deserve Nobel Peace Prizes in comparison to their characters in the book. Jena Malone as Ellen Foster did well for a TV-film actress, otherwise the acting was mediocre. The only people I would recommend this film to are those with kids (8-12) who can't bear the thought of reading and aren't likely to change their minds once they reach ages 13 and up; the book is a bit explicit for children under 13. Basically, you're comparing the book Oliver Twist to your typical small-screen/straight-to-video cheesy drama. Angels in the Endzone is what pops into my head, but that's just my opinion on a different film.

Average customer rating:

Love this movie
The grass is greener
Fairly interesting look at the married life.
A Responsible Dream
If you liked 'American Beauty'....

Metroland
Starring: Christian Bale , Emily Watson , Lee Ross , Elsa Zylberstein , and John Wood
Director: Philip Saville
Manufacturer: Universal Home Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Drama | Genres | DVD | Video

DVDs Under $7.49 | Today's Deals in DVD | Special Features | DVD | Video

( M ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video

Royal Deceit
All the Little Animals
Laurel Canyon [Region 99]
Velvet Goldmine
American Psycho (Uncut Killer Collector's Edition)

ASIN: B0000648YK
Release Date: 2000-03-28

Amazon.com

Metroland, based on Julian Barnes's first novel, is a tale of midlife, middle-class malaise reminiscent of Ang Lee's The Ice Storm. It's 1977, and shaggy-haired thirtysomething Chris (Christian Bale) has a lovely wife (Emily Watson) and baby, a solid office job, and a nice house in the London suburb of Metroland. Life is good, until the surprise arrival of old chum Toni (Lee Ross), whom Chris has not seen for 10 years and who was his accomplice in teenage shenanigans and heady visions of a bohemian life abroad. Toni, an inveterate ladies man and rootless poet, disdains his old friend's bourgeois milieu and feels it his duty to revive Chris's passion for women, art, and rock & roll. Meanwhile, Chris can't stop fantasizing about his steamier days as a 20-year-old in Paris with his sultry French girlfriend, and fails to notice that Toni covets his wife and that she has sexual desires of her own. While there's a palpable sexual energy in the movie's proceedings that adds a certain zing to the themes of angst and longing, their eventual epiphanies are disappointingly benign. Lee Ross's swashbuckling Toni and Emily Watson's intelligent, knowing wife carry the movie. --Rebecca Wright

Customer Reviews:

Love this movie.......2005-07-19

It's one of my all time favorites. I love Christian Bale too. I have seen this movie many times and I still like watching it. I just wish I would have gotten it on DVD instead of VHS. DVD's last longer.

The grass is greener.......2002-05-09

This is the first movie that I've seen that depicts a good marriage in a realistic way. Married people are not immune to wanting to have sex with other people, they just weigh those wants against the value of their marriage. This film takes a look at one man's quarter-life crisis spurred on by the arrival of his devil-may-care childhood buddy. It is an exhamination of what one has versus what he invisioned he would have, and a realization of whether or not he is happy. This film is a glimpse at life, not sappy or overly-dramatic, just good.

Fairly interesting look at the married life........2002-02-02

Some people assume that they will stay young and single forever. Sleeping around, partying, no familial responsibility...sounds pretty good right? "Metroland" takes a look at the life of Chris (Christian Bale). Chris is a married thirty-something living in a nice part of town and has a stable job. All seems content in his life. Then one day out of the blue, his old buddy Toni shows up. Toni tries to bring Chris back into his world of the single life filled with hot women, smoking pot and hanging out at parties. This causes Chris to take inventory of his current life and the decisions he has made. Some of this film is in flashback. It shows Chris as a 21 year old photographer in Paris, where he meets the carefree Annick (played wonderfully by Elsa Zylberstein). He eventually meets Marion (Emily Watson), who is another Brit like himself currently in France. She develops a very low-key bond with Chris and eventually they marry. Was it the right choice?

"Metroland" has a superb cast which plays their roles in just the right manner. Where this movie falters, however, is the mediocrity of the script. An introspective movie such as this should have much more powerful and memorable dialogue than it has. Hardly anything ever really comes out and grabs you. It just kinda rolls along and eventually reaches its conclusion. It could've been a great look at the choices we make and where it ends up placing us in life. As it is, however, it falls short of greatness...but it's still worth a look.

A Responsible Dream.......2001-05-13

Christian Bale stars in "Metroland" as Chris, the early-middle-aged British suburbanite who is suddenly forced to dredge up all his bohemian, idealistic questionings from his early twenties when his old poet-buddy Tony (played by Phillip Saville) shows up. Emily Watson must have sparked many a crush among male cinema-goers, as Chris' mildly stodgy, yet keenly intelligent and feisty wife. Maybe it's just because I'm at a time in life (33) when someone like her is highly attractive, but, well, I thought she was a total babe. But beyond my reaction to her personally, the movie in general has the feel of a real slice of life. This is a set of occurences that many people can relate to, things that strike a real chord.

A few reviewers have commented that this movie lacked a real climax. What did you expect, car chases? Huge explosions? Some kind of cosmic epiphany, perhaps? I think the essence of the charm of this movie can be summed up by Chris' wife's simple obsevation that Tony, the rootless wanderer, is jealous of Chris. Romance and wild times are fine for a couple years when you're young. "Young" in this sense being a socially constructed state, after all -- many people in the world expect to be married and having children, or are busily preparing for it, in their very early twenties, instead of being out drinking and cavorting with Parisian babes. Still, if you are bourgeois enough not to have felt internal forces driving you to get married immediately after high school, as people in many neighborhoods do, after all -- then this movie will speak to you. The point of this movie is that sooner or later, at SOME point, be it at 18 or 30, everyone grows up, and maybe that fact is something other than the zenith of heinousness. I like this movie.

By the way, for anyone out there who likes the basic story of this film, my favorite Julian Barnes book (he wrote the book this movie came from) is "The Porcupine." It's a much more political, different kind of story, but it's really provocative. It makes good use of Barnes' characteristic ear for dialog, and his deft characterizations. If you like Julian Barnes, you should find a copy of "The Porcupine."

"Metroland," at any rate, is positively worth scoping out. Two thumbs up.

If you liked 'American Beauty'...........2000-11-12

you'll love METROLAND, a gentle, bittersweet British film that explores the extremes of middle-age male sexual frustration in the same way - sans violence, of course. Christian Bale, oft cited as one of the biggest stars on the Internet, demonstrates why with an incredible range portraying Chris Lloyd at ages 17, 21 and 35. Subtle changes of mannerism and perspective make Bale's work very satisfying - none of that 18-to-80 aging make-up for Bale!

Description

Customer Reviews:

Plenty of sermons with a bit of sickness.......2007-06-02

A Man Called Peter.......2007-05-26

Richard Todd played an awesome roll in his portrayal of Dr Peter Marshall. My family and I would recommend this film to anyone who needs to be inspired to go on to bigger and better things in life!

A Man Called Petter.......2007-04-03

Great family film.......2007-04-01

Excellent movie.......2007-03-18

This is an excellent movie. I recently watch the VHS and was glad to find the DVD. Peter Marshall is an inspiration!

Average customer rating:

Love this movie
The grass is greener
Fairly interesting look at the married life.
A Responsible Dream
If you liked 'American Beauty'....

Metroland
Starring: Christian Bale , Emily Watson , Lee Ross , Elsa Zylberstein , and John Wood
Director: Philip Saville
Manufacturer: Universal Studios
ProductGroup: Video
Binding: VHS Tape

Bale, Christian | ( B ) | Actors & Actresses | VHS | Video

Rufus | ( R ) | Actors & Actresses | VHS | Video

Watson, Emily | ( W ) | Actors & Actresses | VHS | Video

Wood, John | ( W ) | Actors & Actresses | VHS | Video

Zylberstein, Elsa | ( Z ) | Actors & Actresses | VHS | Video

General | Drama | Genres | VHS | Video

Saville, Philip | ( S ) | Directors | VHS | Video

Deals Under $8 | Today's Deals in Video | Features | VHS | Video

Royal Deceit
All the Little Animals
Laurel Canyon [Region 99]
Velvet Goldmine
American Psycho (Uncut Killer Collector's Edition)

ASIN: 0783233299
Release Date: 1999-10-19

Amazon.com

Customer Reviews:

Love this movie.......2005-07-19

The grass is greener.......2002-05-09

Fairly interesting look at the married life........2002-02-02

A Responsible Dream.......2001-05-13

"Metroland," at any rate, is positively worth scoping out. Two thumbs up.

If you liked 'American Beauty'...........2000-11-12

Description

In 1964 segregation is a reality in Catesville, Mississippi, but 12-year-old Rachel doesn't notice it because she has many white friends. When a group of civil rights activists comes to town, the tension between black and white citizens grows. It's now up to Rachel and her friends to persuade the adults to overcome the racial barriers that divide them.

Customer Reviews:

Excellent teaching tool.......2004-01-18

I first saw this movie when I was about six or seven years old. It gave me my first glimpse of the Civil Rights Movement.

And The Children Shall Lead.......2002-01-03

This is a great inspirational movie!

Typical PBS stuff but soft intro to racism.......1999-11-15

If I wanted to introduce a young child to racism, I wouldn't start off with "Rosewood" "Amistad" or "Beloved" (although my toddler has been with me to two of them). This is a tame afterschool-special-like treatment of racism in the South. Good for showing at school or to young children.

Actress:

Actress

Actress