Anna Friel

Average customer rating:

Disappointing
Best Dickens' movie I have seen!
Meh...
Riveting
our mutual friend

Our Mutual Friend
Starring: Paul McGann , Keeley Hawes , Steven Mackintosh , Anna Friel , and David Morrissey
Director: Julian Farino
Manufacturer: BBC Warner
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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North & South
Middlemarch
The Buccaneers
Under the Greenwood Tree
The Moonstone

ASIN: B0009PVZM8
Release Date: 2005-09-06

Amazon.com

One of Charles Dickens' darkest yet also most romantic novels gets a lavish treatment in this BBC mini-series of Our Mutual Friend. The heir to a great fortune made from the garbage business is drowned--and his death affects everyone. His father's manager, Noddy Boffin (Peter Vaughan, Brazil), gets the money, to the alarm of snooty society. The man who pulled the heir's body out of the Thames is accused of his murder; his daughter, Lizzie Hexam (Keeley Hawes, Tipping the Velvet), finds herself pursued by both an idle gentleman (Paul McGann, Withnail & I) and an obsessed, violent schoolteacher (David Morrissey, Basic Instinct 2). The heir's intended bride, Bella Wilfer (Anna Friel, Me Without You, gets socially adopted by the Boffins, where she succumbs to the lure of money above all and spurns the interest of a mysterious stranger (Steven Mackintosh, Lock, Stock, and Two Smoking Barrels). The plot creeps up and down London society like a tenacious plant, twining around a pair of golddiggers who mistakenly married each other and a heartsick bone merchant named Mr. Venus (Timothy Spall, Secrets & Lies). This excellent adaptation moves with aggressive speed, drawing the viewer into the grimy worlds of the riverside and the dust heaps and the glittering, gossiping parties of the rich. Our Mutual Friend balances one of Dickens' most entrancing love stories with his creepiest gothic turns--it's a rich stew of characters both earnest and vile, made with sumptuous production values and movie-quality cinematography. --Bret Fetzer

Description

Critically acclaimed as Dickens' crowning achievement, this sweeping tale of two turbulent love affairs plays out amidst a tangled web of wealth, corruption, passion and betrayal in 1860s London.

Customer Reviews:

Disappointing.......2007-06-05

I read the novel and adored it. I eagerly watched the adaptation, but I was disappointed to find that it lacked the spirit of the book. There is a lot of wasted time (the dialogue lags, and some scenes simply go on too long), and the performances are uninspired and lack urgency. The movie seems slack. This film is likeable, but all and all I would not recommend it.

Best Dickens' movie I have seen!.......2007-06-02

"Our Mutual Friend" is a rather dark and mysterious story with a wonderful plot, intriguing characters, and uplifting romance! Although the DVD cover gives away some important details, I was still completely surprised by the ending. Anna Friel is amazing as the beautiful Belle and Keeley Hawes is wonderful as the peasant Lizzie Hexam.
I SO enjoy a hystorical period movie with these characteristics and best of all... a happy ending!
For those seeking a movie appropriate for the whole family, let me warn you that one minor character uses God's name inappropriately perhaps four times. There is also quite a bit of death and scary thematic elements. However, there is absolutely NO inappropriate sexual activity. All those involved in the "romance" theme are chaste and wonderful examples for us all.
PLEASE! Watch this movie to the end! The second half is so exciting and the romance starts to play out.
All-in-all, an amazing movie! The characters seem to reach out and draw you into their dilemmas and you are overjoyed when their attitudes/desires change and they become TRULY "rich" individuals.

Meh..........2007-05-25

Okay for what I paid for it (9.99). The acting was good, the sets were good - everything was well done. I just can't get all excited about this movie. I probably won't watch it again.

Riveting.......2007-05-24

I started watching, and kept watching, and watching, and watching.... I loved this movie! I'll 'fess up and say I never read the book, but this was a wonderful viewing experience. Since it's based on Dickens, I was prepared to get somewhat depressed by depictions of poverty and the miserable down-trodden part of society, but this movie doesn't dwell too much on that. The story masterfully weaves together the rich, poor, and in between, with criss-crossing storylines that get all wrapped up together at the end. Wonderful!! I loved Robert Hardy's character especially - I've never seen him in a role like this. Hard to say much more without putting in spoilers, so I'll just say that I cared about what happened to all the characters, found the acting and directing great, and this goes down as one of my favorite movies. Just be prepared to spend several hours with it. I'll definitely be re-watching this every year or so.

our mutual friend.......2007-05-11

It was a terrific movie filled with twists and turns that left you wondering what would happen next. The romantic aspects of the film were excellently done and well porteayed.

Average customer rating:

Disliked it five years ago, still don't like it today!
The Director Turned A Simple Play Into Something Amazing!!!
Amazing version, Great for Classroom
A Midsummer Night's Entertainment
Bewitching&Dreamy

A Midsummer Night's Dream
Starring: Kevin Kline , Michelle Pfeiffer , Stanley Tucci , Rupert Everett , and Calista Flockhart
Director: Michael Hoffman
Manufacturer: 20th Century Fox
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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Much Ado About Nothing
Twelfth Night
Hamlet
Romeo & Juliet
William Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice [Region 99]

ASIN: 6305622876
Release Date: 2003-04-15

Amazon.com

Imagine a work by Shakespeare reduced to one of those pretty, glossy coffee-table picture books that have only a dollop of text alongside its sumptuous photographs, and you might have Michael Hoffman's adaptation of A Midsummer Night's Dream. This all-star version of Shakespeare's comedy is gorgeously shot in Tuscany, complete with a magical forest, breathtaking landscapes, beautiful villas, picturesque villages, stunning period costumes--oh wait, there's supposed to be a story here, too! Hoffman hijacks Shakespeare's basic premise but doesn't instill it with much more than surface shine and transplants it to turn-of-the-century Italy. Ergo, it's left up to the actors to find the heart and soul of this classic play, in which the fairies of the forest play mix and match with four young lovers, courtesy of a magical love potion. Hoffman couldn't ask for better (or better looking) actors to play Shakespeare's dreamlike love games--Michelle Pfeiffer, Rupert Everett, Calista Flockhart, Christian Bale, Stanley Tucci, Kevin Kline, Anna Friel, Dominic West, the list goes on and on--but he sure as heck doesn't know what to do with them, aside from putting them in various states of undress. Only Flockhart (as the lovestruck Helena), Tucci (a sprightly Puck), Pfeiffer (dazzling and funny as the queen of the fairies), and especially the sublime Kline (as weaver-turned-donkey Bottom) seem to connect with their characters in ways that make this adaptation occasionally soar; the rest are inexplicably left to flounder. Hoffman does seem to set himself right with the film's climax, when Bottom's amateur acting troupe hilariously enacts the tale of Pyramus and Thisbe (it helps that the troupe includes Roger Rees, Sam Rockwell, and Bill Irwin). Those searching for a more in-depth exploration of Shakespeare's farce might do better to look elsewhere, but if it's gorgeous actors and scenery you're in the mood for (along with an evocative opera soundtrack), and an all's-well-that-ends-well ending, this Midsummer Night will give you pleasant if weightless dreams. --Mark Englehart

Description

A stellar cast, headed by Michelle Pfeiffer and Kevin Kline, bring Shakespeare's romantic comedy to life. When two pairs of star-crossed lovers, a feuding pair of supernatural sprites and a love potion gone awry all come together in an enchanted moonlit forest, the result is a delightful mix of merriment and magic. Also starring Calista Flockhart, Stanley Tucci and Rupert Everett.

Customer Reviews:

Disliked it five years ago, still don't like it today!.......2007-06-13

Saw this when it first came out and hated it; watching it again, in hopes of using it in a class, and again I find it tedious and uninspired. It has all the right parts, in terms of actors (though I must confess to disliking Stanley Tucci's Puck), but the conception is busy, pretentious, and sadly missing the spirit of the play! As another reviewer said, if you haven't read much Shakespeare or seen much on stage, you may like this film. If you have read Shakes, and seen good stagings of this and other plays, you'll find it to be two very tedious hours. I still think I"ll use part of it in class, though, in comparison with at least one other filmed stage performance (the Royal Shakespeare Company's), just to spur discussion about updating and interpreting Shakespeare!

The Director Turned A Simple Play Into Something Amazing!!!.......2007-05-31

We first began to read Midsummer Night's Dream in school a few days ago. Then we watched the beginning of the movie (this one). I found the play extremely bland to read. The actors brought it to life! The director was best though, using modern items while keeping all the original text from Shakespeare, nothing has been orally changed. This movie is PG-13 but only idiots would hold it from anyone over 10.

Amazing version, Great for Classroom.......2007-05-09

This is a great supplement for anyone teaching Shakespeare Comedies. The acting is supperb and the sets bring the story to life. It is great seeing American actors trying their hand with the Bard's craft and doing it well.

A Midsummer Night's Entertainment.......2007-05-06

This film adaptation of William Shakespeare's "A Midsummer Night's Dream" is a star-studded and workable translation of the original play. It has a movie's freedom of action with respect to sets. The story moves easily from a Duke's luxurious Italian villa being prepared for a wedding, to a forest where two sets of lovers undergo a comedy of mistaken emotions thanks to feuding among groups of ethereal spirits, to the small town outside the villa where a group of workers is preparing a play to present at the wedding. The sets are sumptious, attractive to the eye, and suitable to the story.

The cast is truly star-studded, all with very solid movie credentials, although few with real chops for a Shakespeare play. Kevin Kline easily steals the show as the hapless Bottom, an over-the-top actor who is bewitched by the spirit Puck (played with mischevious good humor by Stanley Tucci) into a love affair with the Queen of the Fairies (played by Michelle Pfeiffer). Rupert Everett is solid as a spirit who while in search of revenge on the Queen unleashes much of the magical mayhem in the forest. Calista Flockheart seems least up to par as an hysterical Helena, one of the star-crossed lovers in the forest,

Perhaps the best portion of the movie is the play within a play, as Kevin Kline and his ham-handed fellow troupers struggle to put together their play. The audience cannot help but feel sympathy as they wrestle with lack of talent, uncooperative sets, and the unintended consequences of improvisation. Their determination is rewarded by an unorthodox but ultimately successful presentation that earns them the sincere compliments of the Duke.

This movie is recommended to fans of Shakespeare who are prepared to forgive the uneven efforts of a large troup of actors for an ultimately entertaining story.

Bewitching&Dreamy.......2007-05-04

What a lovely adaptation. And they did mostly stick verbatim to the play... Ok, so they may have taken some liberties, ie the setting (though the landscape is very like it should have been) the bicycles (though they are charming!), &the 'mud wrestling scene, which was truly ridiculous, but was obviously added for the benefit of the many boyfriends and husbands who were dragged to the flick by their wives or girlfriends! I love this film, and watch it over & over. Pair it with the delightful 'Much Ado About Nothing' and '12th Night', and you'll find yourself doing the same & memorizing the books so easily!

Average customer rating:

Inspiring soccer movie
Outstanding Flick!
Knowing the happy end right from the beginning does not spoil the movie
Finally!
Goal - the dream begins

Goal! - The Dream Begins
Starring: Kuno Becker , Alessandro Nivola , Anna Friel , Stephen Dillane , and Kieran O'Brien
Director: Danny Cannon
Manufacturer: Touchstone / Disney
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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( G ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video

The Miracle Match
Stick It
Take the Lead
The Guardian
Click (Special Edition) [Region 99]

ASIN: B000GJ0LLI
Release Date: 2006-09-12

Amazon.com

You'd have to be a heartless curmudgeon to dislike a movie as enjoyably sincere as Goal! The Dream Begins. Yes, the corny title tells you all you need to know about this rags-to-riches soccer tale, but like Hoosiers and Rudy, this conventional sports drama rises above its familiar plot with an engaging cast and some pleasant surprises along the way. The first in a proposed trilogy that will follow young Santiago Munez (Kuno Becker) as he rises to prominence in the competitive world of British soccer, this one begins by showing how Santiago, an undocumented immigrant in Los Angeles, attracts the attention of a talent scout (Stephen Dillane), who arranges a tryout for England's prestigious team, Newcastle United. It's rough going for a beleaguered trainee who suffers from asthma, but soon Santiago is befriended by a hard-partying soccer star (Alessandro Nivola) and he's on his way to reaching his…Goal! It's all very inevitable, but director Danny Cannon makes the most of this inspiring story by exploiting the unexpected subtleties in an otherwise predictable screenplay: Santigo's relationship with his seemingly unsupportive father (Tony Plana) gains additional resonance as the story unfolds; a local nurse (Anna Friel) turns out to be more than a routine love interest; and Newcastle's German manager (Marcel Iures) is a wry, colorful character who works miracles with his unruly squad of players. Add some obligatory cameo appearances by real-life soccer stars including (of course) the great David Beckham, and you've got a modest, likable hit that delivers exactly what it promises, and a little bit more.--Jeff Shannon

Description

Like the inspiring heroes in MIRACLE, REMEMBER THE TITANS, and THE ROOKIE, the amazingly gifted Santiago Muñez, a young immigrant living in the barrios of Los Angeles, has an impossible dream -- to play soccer for a world class team. Unexpectedly getting a tryout with one of England's premier soccer clubs, Newcastle United, Santiago finds himself totally alone in a world where soccer is a religion and the players are gods. Now he not only has to prove he has the passion, talent, and determination to make it alongside the best in the world, but he has to overcome his own demons and those of others. Filled with memorable characters, great heart, and real-life soccer legends, GOAL! THE DREAM BEGINS is a triumphant story about believing in your dreams.

Customer Reviews:

Inspiring soccer movie.......2007-06-09

This is a rags to riches story in which a young Mexican man is transported from the barrios of Los Angeles to the soccer fields of England. It is a matter of being at the right place at the right time, when a former soccer player and scout spots Santiago Munez at a local match in L.A. and arranges a try-out for him. Battling asthma and culture shock, Santiago goes from the balmy weather of southern California to the freezing rain in England. He misses his family, especially his younger brother and his grandmother, but his angry father refuses to talk to him on the phone and nurses a grudge about Santiago leaving home without telling him. Kuno Becker plays the likeable hero and he'll have you cheering him every step of the way. One criticism I have is that the movie doesn't show much of what makes Santiago great and his promotion through the ranks often comes as a surprise. Nevertheless, this is an entertaining, "feel good" movie.

Outstanding Flick!.......2007-04-18

This is a fantastic movie! Goal reminds you what it is like to be young and have a dream. I really liked all aspects of this movie. The plot, the acting, the soccer moves...everything was outstanding. Despite what you may think from the title, this movie is not corny, far from it. You will walk away from this movie with a smile and a reinvigoration to get something accomplished. The soundtrack is great too!

Knowing the happy end right from the beginning does not spoil the movie .......2007-04-08

A movie in which the happy ending is a given just when you hear its title. Yet this movie captures your interest and it keeps you at the edge of your sit because it s done in a very realistic way. Until Santiago reaches his GOAL he has to overcome big obstacles. It is not so much the heartless kicks he gets and falling with his face on the mud. It is the way he is taught from his father to take things in life. A rather fatalistic way of thinking, which does not allow him to follow his dreams and believe in himself and in his abilities. The moment he gets rid of this mind frame is the turning point. From that moment on the way to success is wide open. A good reminder for parents never to set limits to the dreams of their kids.

The movie also very realistically portrays how easy it is for kids that suddenly find themselves with millions and with fame to loose their focus and end up in oblivion (frying burgers is fine) but addicted to drugs and alcohol is really sad.

This is a very entertaining movie for the whole family.

Finally! .......2007-03-26

Finally, Hollywood has realized the appeal of the beautiful game. Soccer, the world's sport, has never had too many good fictitious films made about it, until now. My whole family enjoyed this movie. I grew up in a soccer family, attending New York Cosmos games in the heyday of the NASL. When you were at one of those games, watching Pele, Beckenbauer, et al. you felt you were witnessing something great. This movie leaves you with a great uplifting feeling in the same vein as Hoosiers & Rudy!
Highly recommend it.

Goal - the dream begins.......2007-02-18

outstanding ! i enjoyed this so much i watched it back to back ! yea it probably helped that i am a real soccer fan, but i'll tell you honestly, the movie will capture your interest from the start and it will keep it ! isn't that what movies are supposed to do ?

Average customer rating:

Sooooooo Bad, too bad, so sad
Not a very good film / Not like the book. Disappointing
A travel back in time and space
Ya, ya the book yadda yadda yadda
DECENT BATTLE SCENE AND ACTOR GERARD BUTLER MAKE THIS SCI-FI THRILLER WATCHABLE

Timeline (Widescreen Edition)
Starring: Gerard Butler , Mike Chute , Billy Connolly , Matt Craven , and Marton Csokas
Manufacturer: Paramount
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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Attila
Dear Frankie
Dracula 2000
Lara Croft Tomb Raider - The Cradle of Life (Special Collector's Edition)
Reign of Fire

ASIN: B0001I55OC
Release Date: 2004-04-13

Amazon.com

Just enough of Michael Crichton's novel survives in Timeline to make it a passable popcorn thriller. It's likely that Crichton fans will lament the shallowness of director Richard Donner's film, and its gee-whiz style of acting lays waste to any scientific credibility that Crichton's scenario might have retained. Still, the Crichton formula is a sturdy one, following the model of Westworld and Jurassic Park by involving a small band of adventurers in a fantastical realm of danger and death. In this case, a group of archaeologists and combat experts (led by Paul Walker and Frances O'Connor) use a "3-D fax machine" (so much for technobabble!) to time-travel back to France in 1357, in hopes of retrieving Walker's father (Billy Connolly) and returning safely to the present. No such luck! Fending for themselves against marauding hordes of medieval French warriors at war with the invading British, these semi-intrepid travelers find their body count rising, and the deadline for their return home is rapidly approaching. All well and good, so far, and the castles-and-crossbows action reaches a fever pitch, but it's obvious that Donner's too lazy to make the much better film that this could and should have been. Despite its enjoyable highlights, Timeline is perfunctory entertainment. --Jeff Shannon

Customer Reviews:

Sooooooo Bad, too bad, so sad.......2007-05-12

Normally I wouldn't bother with a negative review but, I really liked the book, and thought that this will be such a cool movie. Wrroonngg!

The science in the book was deemed to hard to understand for a movie audience and so this dumbed down story resulted. I can't even say you can relax your mind and enjoy this. Just skip it and enjoy the very good book.

Not a very good film / Not like the book. Disappointing.......2007-04-30

This is actually 2 reviews blended as one; the first, the movie as a standalone film (disregarding the book), and the second, as an adaptation of the book.

THE MOVIE:
The movie was not very good. It moves quickly and is filled with action but suddenly dies half way through and grinds to a slow finish. They don't really take time to explain much, rather they press forward with the story and unsuccessfully try to allow the characters to explain important points as the film runs it's course.

The story is creative and could be exciting. Archaeologists go back in time to the place they had been excavating. The man who is sponsoring the archaeological dig is a bad guy, someone seeking to make money off of the scientific find of the ages, time travel, even if it costs a few lives.
The acting is OK, the direction is OK, the editing OK, the screenplay is horrible, and the costumes, landscapes, sets and period pieces are somewhat authentic although stylistic and cliche. The battle scenes are poorly choreographed and not exciting. The only thing of note that was accurate would be the siege engines. That was done well.

All-in-all, the movie is poor. It is an OK escape, a film that may be worth watching but which does little to add to the genre of action/adventure films. A below average outing.

THE MOVIE AS AN ADAPTATION OF THE BOOK:
This is where the movie really falls flat.

If you read the book, don't expect much from the movie. Everything is changed. Characters, their motivations and fears, reasoning and abilities, strengths and weaknesses, relationships and interactions with each other, are all changed from the minute the film begins. A few good characters are completely dropped and several others are significantly changed from the book. The best character from the book, Andre Marek (played by Gerard Butler) is uninteresting at best.

The plot, the scientific explanations of time travel (which the movie just explains was an accident), the historical figures, the confrontations and protagonists, are all different and lack the depth and richness they possessed in the book. This was a pathetic attempt at adapting a book to film.

The book, as usually is the case, was much better than the movie. I can accept that. The basic premise of the book is carried over; that is to say that "based upon the novel by Michael Crichton" is an accurate while also misleading description. This movie just does not maintain any similarity to the book aside from the basic premise. It was very disappointing.

I truly enjoyed the book and felt that it could have been better adapted. I don't know if Crichton (the writer of the book) was involved in the movie, but if this were an adaption of a book that I had written, I would be very unhappy with the hack job that Hollywood did on a novel that was well researched, well written and thick with character development, historical accuracy and suspense.

MY RATING:
So, to sum up; if you are looking for an adventure, set in medieval times, this may suffice as mindless entertainment. As a standalone film, disregarding the book, the movie is a 2 or 3 out of 5, if I am generous

As an adaptation of the book, I would give this a 1 out of 5, very poorly done and extremely disappointing compared to a very good book.

So, I arrive at an average rating of 2. Had I not read the book, I may have rated the film a 3, but that is a bit generous because the movie just doesn't hold up as an entertaining adventure. Sorry.

A travel back in time and space.......2007-04-06

Timeline is an adaptation of a Michael Crichton novel about a team of
archaeologists who end up back in the period of history of the place they
are excavating. Having read the novel, I found the movie dissappointing.
I liked the movie but only because of the romance between Gerard Butler
and Lady Claire. He solely seemed to grasp the essence of the role and
became the part of Andre Marek. The rest of the cast never seemed to get it.
Richard Donner has directed some very entertaining movies, perhaps this just isnt his genre.

Ya, ya the book yadda yadda yadda.......2007-03-03

Ok so its not as good as the book... what movie is? So that said, the movie is somewhat well shot with good attention to detail as far as the year 1357 is concerned. The acting is something to be desired overall. The conflicts are somewhat sudden and seem overly complicated. This movie is forgettable, in that once you finish watching it you kinda wake up, shake your head and find out whats for dinner. Oh and as far as the character David Stern... um all I could think of was "damn the man, save the empire."

DECENT BATTLE SCENE AND ACTOR GERARD BUTLER MAKE THIS SCI-FI THRILLER WATCHABLE.......2007-01-31

I was glad to see that most reviewers realized that director Richard Donner (16 Blocks, Lethal Weapon, Superman) was to blame for turning a perfectly good Michael Crichton story into an episode of Time Tunnel. I knew something was wrong when Gerard Butler (Phantom Of The Opera, Dear Frankie) - a talented actor - who plays archeologist Andre Marek, was reminding me of Mel Gibson from Lethal Weapon. Like so many actors before him, he was momentarily seduced by the Richard Donner "let's forget the script and just ad lib" school of acting. I think he finally does overcome the Donner side of the Force, and turns in a good performance in the second half of the film. But there's a lot the audience has to endure until we get to that point.

Like 14th Century English soldiers being understood by 21st Century English-speaking scientists, and vice versa! That's seven centuries! (We can barely understand our own parents.) So the believability factor is quite low in this pseudo sci-fi thriller. It would have made much better sense to make this a fantasy film, left out all the fake scientific stuff, and gone straight to the battle and love story, which are the best parts anyway. That said, there are some problems with the historical side of the story as well. Even with all the extra features praising their own efforts at research and authenticity, I felt like I was watching a modern day Renaissance Festival, rather than real people living in a real era.

But the battle at the end is exciting; and Anna Friel (Goal! The Dream Begins, Me Without You) as Lady Claire and Gerard Butler as Marek do hold our attention as they woo each other, as does Paul Walker (The Fast And The Furious, 8 Below) as Chris Johnston, the son of the scientist they've all gone back in time to rescue. The rest of the cast is just okay. Even though Frances O'Connor has third billing, I found her to be too hysterical for a scientist. More Donner influence, I'm sure.

If you have any interest in science, history or good filmmaking, you may want to avoid this one. But if you don't mind totally escapist fare, and like Gerard Butler, Anna Friel or Paul Walker, you may find it somewhat enjoyable. It has so much potential that it is a real shame Donner didn't take his job more seriously. So this is one that someday may make a good remake.

Waitsel Smith

Average customer rating:

mystifying
three stars for Rogue Trader
Good Lead Actors, Decent Movie
One of Ewan's Best
Excellent Movie 4 Traders. Ok 4 Others

Rogue Trader
Starring: Ewan McGregor , Anna Friel , Yves Beneyton , Betsy Brantley , and Caroline Langrishe
Director: James Dearden
Manufacturer: Miramax
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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( R ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video

Barbarians at the Gate
Boiler Room
Wall Street
Glengarry Glen Ross
Other People's Money

ASIN: B00002RAPA
Release Date: 1999-12-14

Description

Ewan McGregor (MOULIN ROUGE) brings a dynamic screen presence to this riveting motion picture about how greed, excess, and high-stakes gambling brought down one of Britain's oldest and most successful financial institutions. When he is sent to Singapore by the 200-year-old Barings Bank, futures trader Nick Leeson (McGregor) dreams of making a killing in the stock market. But even though his firm believes Nick is the most successful trader they've ever employed, he secretly begins to steal vast amounts of their own money to cover his risky financial wagering. With debts to match his desperation for a way out -- Nick risks everything in a frantic bid to beat the system and win back the money!

Customer Reviews:

mystifying.......2007-05-23

In the early 90s, Nick Leeson found himself working in Singapore as a poorly-supervised options trader on behalf of Britain's storied Barings Bank. His defalcation in this capacity (to the tune of over 1.3 billion dollars) led to Baring's unexpected collapse and about 6 years of jail time for the miscreant.

While behind bars, he wrote a story of his life entitled "Rogue Trader." This movie is heavily based on that book.

As for the quality of what you're getting here, I have to say the whole thing's a bit puzzling.

On the surface, there seems nothing wrong with this movie. The acting is all fine, the directing fine, the script fine. In theory the subject matter is interesting and the filmmakers make no obvious blunders.

Yet it's one of those movies that has so little to recommend it that months later you probably won't even be able to remember watching it.

Can't quite put my thumb on why: I've read Leeson's book and found it entertaining in a grisly sort of way.

But here we have a movie, and a movie that simply doesn't work.

Is that because Leeson's story simply does not lend itself well to the medium of film? Is is because the whole thing is predictable and there really aren't any twists? Is is because what Leeson was doing was so complicated that, despite the valiant efforts of the filmmakers, you spend the entire movie more or less in a fog? Is it because the movie contains a scarcity of people to root for?

Whatever the case, you can definitely find something better to do with two hours of your time.

three stars for Rogue Trader.......2007-04-29

The rogue trader of the movie is Nick Leeson who brought down the venerable 200-year-old Barings bank. Being based on his biography, the film is full of justification for his financial legerdemain -- his superiors were greedy, he was burdened with inexperienced staff, his wife of high expectations had a miscarriage that precipitated his final gambling run...

Ewan McGregor was uninspired in his playing the lead role and the first two-thirds of the film is a slog. The only reason I didn't rate it any lower is because the subject matter itself is interesting and towards the end the pace does pick up as you try to figure out how much longer Leeson can keep up the deception.

Good Lead Actors, Decent Movie.......2007-03-09

McGregor and Friel make a cute couple. While there's not a whole lot of depth, it is a fairly good translation of Nick Leeson's book.

One of Ewan's Best.......2006-08-09

I am a big fan of Ewan McGregor and have seen most of his movies. I was hesitant to get this movie because the idea of money, trading, etc. seemed foreign and out of my league. You DO NOT have to know anything about trading to get into this movie. Ewan McGregor gives one of his best performances. You actually feel extremely nervous and uncomfortable as he gets himself deeper and deeper into trouble. You kind of feel like you're going to get in trouble for just watching! Great movie if you love suspense and a "must own" for any Ewan fan.

Excellent Movie 4 Traders. Ok 4 Others.......2006-03-03

To fully apreciate this movie you have to be a trader, a trader who has experienced loses. Many of the emotions that Nick goes through are similar to the emotions that most people experience when they begin to trade. While Nick's trading style is different than most people's (price arbitrage and huge amounts of equity), the emotions are still there, fear and greed.

Average customer rating:

Sooooooo Bad, too bad, so sad
Not a very good film / Not like the book. Disappointing
A travel back in time and space
Ya, ya the book yadda yadda yadda
DECENT BATTLE SCENE AND ACTOR GERARD BUTLER MAKE THIS SCI-FI THRILLER WATCHABLE

Timeline (Full Screen Edition)
Starring: Gerard Butler , Mike Chute , Billy Connolly , Matt Craven , and Marton Csokas
Manufacturer: Paramount
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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Sci-Fi Action | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Genres | DVD | Video

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( T ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video

Attila
Dear Frankie
Dracula 2000
Lara Croft Tomb Raider - The Cradle of Life (Special Collector's Edition)
Reign of Fire

ASIN: B0001I55NS
Release Date: 2004-04-13

Amazon.com

Customer Reviews:

Sooooooo Bad, too bad, so sad.......2007-05-12

Not a very good film / Not like the book. Disappointing.......2007-04-30

A travel back in time and space.......2007-04-06

Ya, ya the book yadda yadda yadda.......2007-03-03

DECENT BATTLE SCENE AND ACTOR GERARD BUTLER MAKE THIS SCI-FI THRILLER WATCHABLE.......2007-01-31

Average customer rating:

The Tribe is mysterious and absurd
Preachy and a bit silly

Tribe
Starring: Joely Richardson , Jeremy Northam , Anna Friel , Trevor Eve , and Laura Fraser (II)
Director: Stephen Poliakoff
Manufacturer: Tango Entertainment
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Drama | Genres | DVD | Video

Drama | Independently Distributed | Stores | DVD | Video

Independently Distributed | Indie & Art House | Stores | DVD | Video

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

( T ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video

Tangled (2002)
Lie With Me
Flannel Pajamas
Somersault
Close My Eyes

ASIN: B000FO0AD8
Release Date: 2006-07-25

Customer Reviews:

The Tribe is mysterious and absurd.......2007-03-28

Jamie (Jeremy Northam) is charged by the head of his firm with removing a mysterious group from some property he wants to develop. This `tribe' is a sort of cult, which barricades itself inside a gated mansion in a seedy part of London. Local, would-be hooligans are afraid of this group for no particular reason, especially considering the group is comprised of feeble, malnourished models. To earn a living, the Tribe sells electronic gadgetry on the street. How they obtain the gadgetry in the first place is a bit of a secret, though the group suspects it involves an exchange for sex between a desperate Japanese businessman and their leader, Emily (Joely Richardson). All of this is peripheral to the real crux of the group, which is free love. Jamie penetrates the group (quite literally) in the name of procuring the land that houses the group's fortress, though he finds himself increasingly both enamored of the Tribe's charm and disillusioned by his career ambitions. Made for the Beeb, there are certainly some silly moments, such as several scenes of the group strutting down the street or over meadows in their black robes, or barging into the compound of a competing sect and trying to form an alliance. Nonetheless, this film certainly provides enough mystery and allure to hold one's interest for most of its runtime. I initially wanted to watch it for Kate Isitt (of `Coupling' fame), though her role is very, very small. Not to fret, Northam and Richardson prove to be charming attractions. Anna Friel, however, practically steals the show as the wayward and free-spirited (read: loose) Lizzie. Fans of Jonathan Rhys Meyers probably will not be disappointed to find him fully nude in a couple scenes as well. There is also a series of this show, though I am not familiar with it. The DVD is presented in widescreen and the transfer looks great, though it lacks in all other departments; no subtitles or extras of any sort. This is not rated by the MPAA since it was made for TV, though it is the equivalent of an `R' rating due to full frontal nudity, profanity and a wee bit of violence.

Preachy and a bit silly.......2006-11-10

I first about this film after reading an interview with Anna Friel and became curious and started searching for a video release. I just happened upon it one day. The story is somewhat contrived and is at its weakest when it tries to preach non-conformity and freedom of choice among the young people, when ultimately they realize the only choices they have are different types of confirmity. That probably makes no sense, but now you how I felt after watching this movie. And hey, Anna Friel looks great naked.

Average customer rating:

BFF
It follows you home
Friends Can Be Too Close.
Friendships are necessary, but sometimes they are not a good thing
I love this movie!

Me Without You [Region 99]
Starring: Ella Jones , Anna Popplewell , Cameron Powrie , Trudie Styler , and Allan Corduner
Director: Sandra Goldbacher
Manufacturer: Sony Pictures
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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Period Piece | Drama | Genres | DVD | Video

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( M ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video

Somersault
Me Without You
Tribe
Prozac Nation
Junebug [Region 99]

ASIN: B000093W4U
Release Date: 2003-06-17

Amazon.com

Friendship can prove more complicated than romance. Me Without You follows two British girls from their 1970s preadolescence to contemporary adulthood. Holly (Michelle Williams, Dick), a shy Jewish girl with loving but bookish parents, grew up next to Marina (Anna Friel, The Land Girls), whose glamorous but unstable parents render her flamboyant but a mess inside. The girls form an alliance, each envying the other and finding solace in the relationship, but over time, they sabotage as much as support each other, sometimes at the same time. Both have an affair with a randy college professor (Kyle MacLachlan), but it's Holly's attraction to Marina's older brother Nat (Oliver Milburn) that, in the end, forces the women to redefine their lives. Me Without You is excellently performed and full of telling details. Though the heroines are often confused, the movie has a lucid clarity that is compassionate but open-eyed. --Bret Fetzer

Customer Reviews:

BFF.......2007-02-18

This movie captures the essence of Best Friends Forever. Your best friend is the one person you connect with and share secrets with but as you grow older the relationship must change or it becomes confining. The actors do an excellent job of showing how the relationship can be loving or painful but that imperfection is what sets this movie apart from the hollywood fluff stories. I love the 80's setting.

It follows you home.......2006-02-03

At the end of the first time seeing this I didn't like it. Then as the days passed, I kept thinking about it and it snuck into my heart. I watched it two more times before returning it to Blockbuster.
This is a story of a not so perfect friendship. Michelle Williams plays the part of Holly, "the sweetest girl in all the world." She is convincing and charming as an intelligent, shy, overlooked beauty. Her best friend's brother, played by Oliver Milburn, is absolutely captivating and charming. If you don't fall in love with this movie, you'll fall in love with him. The music used fits perfectly into every mood and emotion that is explored in the lives of these two girls.
Anna Friel does a capital job as the loud-mouthed, self-obsessed friend. The contrasts between their personalities and the events that unfold are both heartbreaking and heartwarming.

Friends Can Be Too Close........2005-09-19

Marina and Holly were best friends as children and vowed to always be together. But as they grow older, the nature of their relationship changes for the worse. Although Marina (Anna Friel) is an outgoing party girl, she seems unable to find an identity of her own and instead relies on the smarter and more introverted Holly (Michele Williams) to provide her with one. Holly is in love with Marina's brother Nat (Oliver Milburn), but Marina's jealousy has always come between them. Holly can hardly have a relationship with any man before Marina claims him for herself, leaving Holly heartbroken. After college, Holly pursues a writing career and Marina seems to make a career of forcing herself into Holly's relationships. For some reason, although she blames Marina for her misery, Holly allows Marina to turn her life upside down.

"Me Without You" is an especially true-to-life character drama. Marina and Holly are both interesting people, and each is sympathetic in her own way. The film's characters, their actions, and their feelings are all believable. Anna Friel and Michele Williams are exceptionally effective in their roles. It turns out that Michele Williams, probably best known for her teen roles in "Dick" and in television's "Dawson's Creek", is a very fine actress. Kyle MacLachlan has a small role as Daniel, one of Holly's and Marina's love interests. A story about a childhood bond that gets out of hand and becomes a co-dependent relationship of disastrous proportions sounds like it might be either a colossal bore or a horror flick. "Me Without You" is neither. Sandra Goldbacher's adept direction moves the story along at a fair clip, and it is easy to share these characters' frustrations.

Friendships are necessary, but sometimes they are not a good thing.......2005-09-02

Friendship is an important thing in living and there are plenty of films that tell the stories of great friendships. "Me Without You" would not be one of those films, because you repeatedly have to wonder when you are watching this 2001 film whether Holly (Michelle Williams) and Marina (Anna Friel) really like each other. The two girls grew up living next door to each other in London in the early 1970s, and when they were young, dressing up and bouncing on their beds, they make a pact of eternal friendship. It seems clear this is a mistake, because Holly is the smart one but follows the lead of the dominating Marina, but there is nothing the two can do about it because their lives are so completely intertwined that a trauma for one invariable involves the other as they grow up and move on into the 1980s.

"Me Without You" is directed by Sandra Goldbacher from a script by Goldbacher and Laurence Coriat, and I wonder what personal demons they are exorcising here because the pain and regret rings so true. I also find myself considering this film to be the anti-"Beaches." There you had two young girls who form a friendship because of a chance meeting and who keep in touch over the years, especially during the key moments in their life. Her you have two young girls who form a friendship because they live next door and they have nobody else in their lives. They live together as often as not and are in each other's lives almost constantly, so that every time they fall in love the other seems to be some sort of impediment to living happily ever after. We jump from year to year, with attention paid to what Holly and Marina wear along with the music they listen to, and the question is whether the two will be able to survive their friendship.

You can pick your moment where this friendship clearly becomes dysfunctional and a bad thing rather than a good thing, but I think the die is cast when Holly finally sleeps with Marina's brother Nat (Oliver Miburn). She has had a crush on him since the beginning, but Marina sees this as some sort of betrayal, and from then on Holly is the sympathetic figure in this story, although to some extent she wins that position by default. The division between the two friends becomes starker when they both end up in the bed of Daniel (Kyle MacLachlan), an American lecturing at their college. The both want to sleep with Daniel and he obliges them both, and then is thoroughly befuddled when it turns out the two young women are closer than the thought. For Marina the relationship seems to be nothing more than another competition with Holly, while for Holly the truth takes away all of the joy of an important personal epiphany.

I was not sure why Michelle Williams was adopting a Brit accent to do this film, but she was the reason I checked out this film, not just because I saw a shot of the seaweed scene. To date in terms of "Dawson's Creek" alumni, Williams might be the forgotten one because she does not get big films but she is putting together a solid resume with films like "Prozac Nation" and "If These Walls Can Talk 2." The important thing here is that if Williams's name is enough to get people to see this movie with its almost brutally realistic depiction of friendship between two young women, then so much the better. "Me Without You" is not an uplifting film, but given its honesty it certainly is a refreshing one.

I love this movie!.......2005-06-28

I first caught this movie while flipping channels. I was immediately drawn to the love/hate relationship between the two main characters. The performances of Anna Freil and Michelle Williams (very under-rated actress.. she is always excellent) were real evoked memories of days gone by. The love triangle (and I use that word liberally) was also one that well written. On top of everything else, the movie soundtrack is filled with past gems that bring the story and timeline to life. I highly recommend this movie for fans of the Bridget Jones movies.

Average customer rating:

An Everlasting Piece
Brilliant Piece
Brilliant.. captured northern irish humour to a tee!
Charming!
War and Piece

An Everlasting Piece
Starring: Desmond McAleer , Ruth McCabe , Pauline McLynn , Billy Connolly , and Brian F. O'Byrne
Director: Barry Levinson
Manufacturer: Dreamworks Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Comedy | Genres | DVD | Video

4-for-3 Comedy | 4-for-3 DVD | Stores | DVD | Video

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( E ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video

Waking Ned Devine
The Snapper
Omagh
Bloody Sunday
The Boxer (Collector's Edition)

ASIN: B00003CXOS
Release Date: 2001-08-07

Amazon.com

It's hard to believe that a movie about two hairpiece salesmen in war-torn Northern Ireland--a comedy, no less--could work at all, but An Everlasting Piece does work, though perhaps not in the way one would expect. Colm (Barry McEvoy, who also wrote the screenplay) is a new barber at a mental institution and bonds with his fellow barber George (Brian F. O'Byrne) even though Colm is Catholic and George is Protestant. A new patient arrives, who turns out to have been the owner of the only wig company in all of Northern Ireland. Figuring that having a monopoly means easy money, Colm and George convince the new patient to give them his client list, and they're off on a series of rambling comic adventures, aided by Colm's girlfriend Bronagh (Anna Friel, A Midsummer Night's Dream). But when a wig is found at the site of an act of IRA sabotage, the salesmen's lives get suddenly complicated. What makes An Everlasting Piece work is not that it ignores the Irish conflict, but that it pays close attention to it; in fact, the tension of civil strife is a crucial element of the movie's humor, allowing it to dip into a more serious mood without becoming preachy or pretentious. The actors are uniformly excellent; Friel is particularly charming. A comedy about wigs sounds like goofy slapstick; An Everlasting Piece is actually thoughtful and richly human. Directed by Barry Levinson (Diner, Rain Man, Wag the Dog). --Bret Fetzer

Customer Reviews:

An Everlasting Piece.......2007-05-13

I enjoyed it but it got a bit outlandish at the end.

Brilliant Piece.......2005-11-29

If you ever longed for the feeling you were left with after watching The Commitments, and wondered was something like that ever possible in one life time? Do not miss An Everlasting Piece! Hillarious send up of the Forign Establishment in N Ireland. Anyone who can't laugh at this deserves to scalped!

Brilliant.. captured northern irish humour to a tee!.......2005-10-15

being from northern ireland and understanding the impact of the troubles and sectarianism i found this lighthearted comedy a great movie to watch and i laughed the whole way through. the belfast dialect means that some people who dont understand would be left out in the dark, some of the terms used might not be understood to some while to others it will piece the whole movie together. The movie shows how the majority of people from here can take the mick out of the situation, and how even though a it can be serious situation we still keep our humours intact. Typical funny dark northern irish humour the whole way through.. Fantastic film even if ur not from NI, but even better if you are!

Charming!.......2004-03-17

I stumbled on this video at the library and checked it out simply because I was attracted to the picture of a wig sitting on the earth. I'm so glad I did. An Everlasting Piece skillfully weaves the conflict in Northern Ireland with the story of two friends who set out to run a hair piece business. Although a few scenes are a bit pointless and seem to have been added simply to make Colm's family appear eccentric--the mother with the knickers on her head, the naked boy on the couch--these scenes are so charming that you forgive their irrelevance. As an Irish American, I found the scenes that focused on the troubles to be particularly poignant. I highly recommend this movie.

War and Piece.......2004-02-20

This movie is much more than a funny story about selling hairpieces. It's also about the difficulty of maintaining a friendship when you are on opposite sides of a conflict. Just living in the middle of the situation is struggle enough, but trying to rise above it is a life changing enterprise. Funny, sad, endearing.

Average customer rating:

Totally Misses the Era With a Wretched Script
JUST WHAT YOU'D EXPECT FROM A SEVENTIES MOVIE
5 out of 10
Good movie
doesn't stack up

Sunset Strip
Starring: Simon Baker , Anna Friel , Nick Stahl , Rory Cochrane , and Adam Goldberg
Director: Adam Collis
Manufacturer: 20th Century Fox
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD