Meryl Streep

The Devil Wears Prada (Widescreen Edition)

Average customer rating:

This is a great movie, but it is not like the book.
A guy's perspective
And uh..............that's all (followed by a wave of a hand)
Blu-ray quality
Just all right

The Devil Wears Prada (Widescreen Edition)
Starring: Meryl Streep , Anne Hathaway , Emily Blunt , Stanley Tucci , and Simon Baker
Director: David Frankel
Manufacturer: 20th Century Fox
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Comedy | Genres | DVD | Video

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

( D ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video

Pirates of the Caribbean - Dead Man's Chest (Two-Disc Collector's Edition)
Little Miss Sunshine
Talladega Nights - The Ballad of Ricky Bobby (Unrated Widescreen Edition) [Region 99]
The Da Vinci Code (Widescreen Two-Disc Special Edition) [Region 99]
The Departed (Two-Disc Special Edition)

ASIN: B000J103PC
Release Date: 2006-12-12

Amazon.com

This clever, funny big-screen adaptation of Lauren Weisberger's best-seller takes some of the snarky bite out of the chick lit book, but smoothes out the characters' boxy edges to make a more satisfying movie. There's no doubt The Devil Wears Prada belongs to Meryl Streep, who turns in an Oscar-worthy (seriously!) strut as the monster editor-in-chief of Runway,<img border="0" align=right src="http://g-images.amazon.com/images/G/01/dvd/devil-wears-prada/dwp_253_sm.jpg"> an elite fashion magazine full of size-0, impossibly well-dressed plebes. This makes new second-assistant Andrea (Anne Hathaway), who's smart but an unacceptable size 6, stick out like a sore thumb. Streep has a ball sending her new slave on any whimsical errand, whether it's finding the seventh (unpublished) Harry Potter book or knowing what type she means when she wants "skirts." Though Andrea thumbs her nose at the shallow world of fashion (she's only doing the job to open doors to a position at The New Yorker someday), she finds herself dually disgusted yet seduced by the perks of the fast life. The film sends a basic message: Make work your priority, and you'll be rich and powerful... and lonely. Any other actress would have turned Miranda into a scenery-chewing Cruella, but Streep's underplayed, brilliant comic timing make her a fascinating, unapologetic character. Adding frills to the movie's fun are Stanley Tucci as Streep's second-in-command, Emily Blunt (My Summer of Love) as the overworked first assistant, Simon Baker as a sexy writer, and breathtaking couture designs any reader of Vogue would salivate over. -- Ellen A. Kim

Beyond The Devil Wears Prada <table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="4" cellpadding="4"> <tr align="center" valign="top" class="tiny"> <td width="33%"> <img src="http://ec1.images-amazon.com/images/P/0767914767.01._PIsitb-st-arrow,TopLeft,-1,-14_OU01_SCTHUMBZZZ_.jpg" border="0">
The Devil Wears Prada: A Novel</td> <td width="33%"> <img src="http://ec1.images-amazon.com/images/P/B000FZESR6.01._AA90_SCTHUMBZZZ_V39993596_.jpg" border="0">
The Devil Wears Prada Soundtrack</td> <td width="33%"> <img src="http://ec2.images-amazon.com/images/P/B000L0YS02.01-A3HS64JP3NS7SF._SCTZZZZZZZ_V34923413_.jpg" border="0">
Prada Handbags</td> </tr> </table> Stills from The Devil Wears Prada (click for larger image) <table border="0" cellpadding="4" width="100%" cellspacing="4">

</td> </tr> </table>

Description

Based on the hilarious best-selling novel, this sinfully funny movie starring Academy Award(r) winner Meryl Streep* and Anne Hathaway is "sensationally entertaining in every way" (maxim). As assistant to impossibly demanding New York fashion magazine editor Miranda Priestly (Streep), young Andy Sachs (Hathaway) has landed a job that "a million girls would die for." Unfortunately, her heaven-sent appointment as Miranda's personal whipping girl just might be the death of her!

Customer Reviews:

This is a great movie, but it is not like the book........2007-06-13

I read the book on which this film is based before seeing this film. I loved the book, & I thought that the film would replicate the book. I was wrong. It's a great film, but I was disappointed that the film did not replicate the book. Some of the concepts in the book are the same in the film, but some are not. For example, Andy's (Hathaway's) boyfriend in the film is not the same as he is in the book. I guess they had to make some changes so that the film wasn't so long. My advice is to read the book! I enjoyed the book more than the film.

The Devil Wears Prada

A guy's perspective.......2007-06-08

I'm a guy, and unless you can't sit through a movie without aliens or something blowing up you (other guys) will enjoy this movie, with or without your significant other. It isn't a chick flick. Sure, the movie deals with fashion, relationship issues, and the difficulty of people making life choices. So what. These are just a springboard for what this movie really is--a well-paced comedy with the best actors in the business. The comic timing is as good as anything coming out of the Will Farrell or Ben Stiller camps. Have fun with this thing and don't take it too seriously.

And uh..............that's all (followed by a wave of a hand).......2007-06-07

Haven't read the book so I have nothing to compare this movie to. But I don't think I would regret not having read the book first. Well the movie is good enough that I don't think I shall be reading the book anymore, I will rather watch the movie again. Having been in the fashion industry I can relate to this very well. "The Devil Wears Prada" is director David Frankel's first theatrical feature film, however, it's by no means his first important job, as Frankel perfected his craft directing several episodes of the famous TV series, "Sex and the City" (also inspired by a "chick lit" source). In many ways, "The Devil Wears Prada" retains the feeling of Frankel's previous work and it's probably the obvious next step in his career. While it may not be the most original film ever, it has quite good features, such as a very good edition (by Mark Livolsi) and a well-selected soundtrack.

Many words have been written about Meryl Streep's excellent performance, so I'll just say that she was perfect for the role; as she gives a deeper, more complex personality to a character that essentially exist to be mean. While Streep's performance is essentially what makes the film to stand out from other similar movies, credit must also go to Anne Hathaway and Emily Blunt, who play Miranda's two main assistants. Hathaway as our main character, Andy, delivers a quiet, subtle performance that allows her character to be likable, especially as her actions begin to show the slow but constant effect that Miranda has in her. Emily Blunt is the film's best surprise, showing a great future and a big talent for comedy. Finally, Stanley Tucci has a minor role, but shows off his scene-stealing abilities and makes gold of every moment he appears on screen. The rest of the cast is quite effective, but nothing really as special as the four main characters.

Personally, I think that the film's worst problem is the many similarities it shares with other films, as it gives the feeling that the story lacks originality. However, "The Devil Wears Prada" makes up for this flaw with its light-hearted tone and its big charm, as it's a film that doesn't take itself too seriously (as other similar films do). Also, Frankel's past directing a TV series becomes too notorious at times, making the film look like an extended chapter of a TV series; however, this is not really as annoying as it sounds, and it's probably due to the act that this is Frankel's first feature film.

"The Devil Wears Prada" is quite a good film for a nice evening; it's charming, funny, and most importantly: entertaining. It's always a joy to watch a very talented actress at work, but it's also a joy to discover three new talents (Hathaway, Blunt and director David Frankel) having a chance and making a good job. It may not be a life-changing experience, but this devil is a nice surprise.

Blu-ray quality.......2007-06-04

The video quality is outstanding on a 1080p plasma but don't look to hear 5.1 audio. It may say 5.1 but all I heard was 2.0 the entire movie. Not impressive at all. Even outdoor scenes in busy traffic could have been enhanced with surround sound from the rear speakers but there wasn't any. You'd be better off upscaling the DVD version at a cheaper price.

Just all right.......2007-06-02

This movie was "just all right". The point of high fashion escapes me, and the lectures in the film were not convincing - at least to me. I watched the movie because Meryl Streep can do no wrong, and this movie was no exception. I was reminded of Glenn Close in 101 Dalmations - not the way I like to see Meryl Streep, but she looked good as an unlikeable character. I far preferred her in "Sophie's Choice," but perhaps that's just my taste in movies. I want a movie to say something meaningful, rock my world, make a difference. "The Devil Wears Prada" made me want to go to sleep - and certainly not to work!

Sophie's Choice

Average customer rating:

A Favorite Film
Classic
It Moved Me.
Some of Barry's Best Work
One of the Greatest Masterpieces of Modern Cinema

Out of Africa
Starring: Meryl Streep , Robert Redford , Klaus Maria Brandauer , Michael Kitchen , and Malick Bowens
Director: Sydney Pollack
Manufacturer: Universal Studios
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Drama | Genres | DVD | Video

Period Piece | Drama | Genres | DVD | Video

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

( O ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video

Driving Miss Daisy (Special Edition)
The Bridges of Madison County
The Way We Were (Special Edition)
Out Of Africa: Music From The Motion Picture Soundtrack
Out of Africa (Modern Library)

ASIN: 0783240171
Release Date: 2000-02-29

Amazon.com essential video

Sydney Pollack's 1985 multiple-Oscar winner is a sumptuous and emotionally satisfying film about the life of Danish writer Karen Blixen (Meryl Streep), better known as Isak Dinesen, who travels to Kenya to be with her German husband (Klaus Maria Brandauer) but falls for an English adventurer (Robert Redford). The film is slow in developing the relationship, but it is rich in beautiful images of Africa and in the romantic tone surrounding Blixen's gradual discovery of her life and voice. One downside: while we may all love Redford, he is as convincingly British as Kevin Costner is in Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves. --Tom Keogh

Description

The most acclaimed motion picture of 1985 stars Robert Redford and Meryl Streep in one of the screen's great epic romances. Directed by Oscar winner Sydney Pollack, Out of Africa is the fascinating true story of Karen Blixen, a strong-willed woman who, with her philandering husband (Klaus Maria Brandauer), runs a coffee plantation in Kenya, circa 1914. To her astonishment, she soon discovers herself falling in love with the land, its people and a mysterious white hunter (Redford). The masterfully crafted, breathtakingly produced story of love and loss earned Oscars for Best Picture, Director, Screenplay (based on material from another medium), Cinematography, Original Score, Art Direction (Set Decoration) and Sound.

Customer Reviews:

A Favorite Film.......2007-06-09

This is one of my two favorite films of all time. The sweep and grandeur, along with the beautiful human elements makes this film a keeper!

Classic.......2007-06-08

This is one of the great classic films with wonderful actors, beautiful story and great photography. Love It

It Moved Me........2007-06-05

A masterpiece of cinematic beauty. This film is based on Danish writer Karen Blixen's(Isak Dinesen)years in Africa. One of the great performances of Meryl Streep, in a career of many great performances.

The story of a strong, yet very sensitive woman who follows her husband to Kenya to start a Coffee Plantation. His philandering ways soon leaves her with syphilis. Of course their relationship ends, and she is romanced by the Brit' Denys Finch Hatton, played by Robert Redford minus an ascent. One of the few often heard complaints during the film's release. But their chemistry still makes for one of the great screen romances ever.

1985's Best Motion Picture Academy Award winner, a year that saw many superb films. One of my other favorites that year was "The Color Purple", either one of which was worthy of the award in my book. Sydney Pollack also received the Best Director Academy Award for some of his most ingenius work. One of the most beautifully photographed films is magnificently transferred to DVD, though if you've never seen it on the big screen don't miss the opportunity should it ever arise. And John Barry's musical score makes for an even more breathtaking experience.

Some of Barry's Best Work.......2007-05-11

Everything it seems, has been said about this gorgeous film, except perhaps about the sound track. John Barry's work is outstanding and seems to enhance the move at its most powerful moments. The lasting impression I have more than two decades after the movie is the "Flight over Africa," when Denys takes his love up for a flight in his plane. I could watch - and listen - a million times and be enthralled every time.

One of the Greatest Masterpieces of Modern Cinema.......2007-05-09

This story unfolds giving the audience an extrordinary view into the mind, life and times of its' heroine, Karen Blixen (played to perfection by Meryl Streep), and captures the essence of what it means to be steadfastly stoic in nature, despite the surrounds and conditions that befall herself and characters central to the theme.
Robert Redford while starring blends an incredible balance.
The movie leaves the viewer with the impression they have just witnessed an almost Rembrandt type painting in every shot.
No review can do this 2 hour 41 minutes collectors edition justice.
Winning 7 Academy Awards including Best Picture in 1985 somehow now seems trivial (in a time when other movies were bringing in box office dollars by comparision, for example Cocoon and Back to the Future) this movie is pure quality and enduring. In what must have been and was certainly a mammoth task to recreate the ambience of 1914 Kenya, Producer and Director Sydney Pollack captures on screen what it is to live, love and lose and somehow, despite all tradgedy, to still win.
I will go so far to say that this is probably in the top five greatest movies ever made- if not the one!

Average customer rating:

outstanding!
Magnificent
Wonderful movie
Marvelous
Hated it!

Angels in America
Starring: Al Pacino , Meryl Streep , Emma Thompson , Mary-Louise Parker , and Justin Kirk
Director: Mike Nichols
Manufacturer: Hbo Home Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Drama | Genres | DVD | Video

Miniseries | Television | Genres | DVD | Video

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

( A ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video

Latter Days (Unrated Edition)
Brokeback Mountain (Widescreen Edition)
And the Band Played On
The Laramie Project
Angels in America: A Gay Fantasia on National Themes : Millennium Approaches/Perestroika

ASIN: B0001I2BUI
Release Date: 2004-09-14

Amazon.com

Tony Kushner's prize-winning play Angels in America became the defining theatrical event of the 1990s, an astonishing mix of philosophy, politics, and vibrant gay soap opera that summed up the Reagan era for an entire generation of theater-goers. Post-9/11 would seem to be too late for a film version--philosophy and politics don't always age well--but this 2003 HBO adaptation, ably directed by Mike Nichols (The Graduate), provides a time capsule of the '80s and reveals the deep emotional subcurrents that will give the play lasting power.

The story centers around Prior Walter (Justin Kirk) and Louis Ironson (Ben Shenkman), a gay couple that falls apart when Prior grows ill as a result of AIDS. But cancer is not the only thing invading Prior's life: He begins to have religious visions of an angel (Emma Thompson, Sense and Sensibility) announcing that he is a prophet. Louis, who doesn't cope well with disease and suggestions of mortality, leaves and starts a relationship with Joe Pitt (Patrick Wilson), a closeted Mormon who works for Roy Cohn (Al Pacino, Dog Day Afternoon)--the real-life right-wing lawyer, notorious for his ruthless behind-the-scenes machinations. Add in Joe's depressed and hallucinating wife Harper (Mary Louise Parker, Fried Green Tomatoes), his determined but open-minded mother Hannah (Meryl Streep, Adaptation), a fierce drag queen/nurse named Belize (Jeffrey Wright, Basquiat, reprising his celebrated performance from the Broadway production), and you've still only begun to discover the wealth of characters and storylines in Kushner's ambitious work.

The powerhouse cast (also featuring James Cromwell, Michael Gambon, and Simon Callow) is uniformly superb. The script has its weaknesses--some of the fantastic elements, including Prior's journey to Heaven towards the end, fall flat--but even what doesn't work is bristling with ideas and a ferocious desire to capture human existence in this time and place. --Bret Fetzer

Description

Academy Award-winners Al Pacino, Meryl Streep and Emma Thompson lead an all-star cast in a 6-hour HBO Films Event. Directed by Mike Nichols and written by Tony Kushner based on his Pulitzer Prize-winning play: Angels in America.

Customer Reviews:

outstanding!.......2007-03-25

If I could rate it 10 stars I would. Heart-Wrenching, Funny, Appalling, Spiritual, Sexual, Powerful. Evoking Anger, Laughter, Sadness, Joy, Hope, Love for fellow human beings who have been discarded and ignored instead of included and cherished. Amazing Film Adaptation.

Magnificent.......2007-03-03

I have seen many hundreds of movies, and this is only the third that I rate 5 stars. The acting was beyond superb, the screenplay and story line truly outstanding. I saw the play many years ago and totally enjoyed it. The DVD was even better.
While reading the reviews, it becomes obvious folks get different things out of the movie depending on their frame of reference. As a straight man working in San Francisco during the 80s and 90s, I watched the devastation this disease wreaked on friends, colleagues and strangers while the world ignored the issue. This movie gave me an insight into some of the emotional and spiritual struggles of the human beings affected by AIDS. I also loved how the lives of the characters intertwined in unique and sometimes outlandish ways. For me, a truly satisfying film. Most of the reviews express my thoughts better than I. A must see, but schedule 3 hours for each of the 2 DVDs.

Wonderful movie.......2007-01-04

This is a long movie but well worth the time. It's thought provoking, insight and even humorous in parts. Money well spent.

Marvelous.......2006-12-19

Profoundly moving. Evangelicals, please read the description. Don't buy it just because of the name and cover. It might not be about what you think it is. Nevertheless, if you've found yourself with it and have around six hours on hand, it's definitely worth a viewing or two. Part 1: Millenium approaches might drag a little bit, but Part 2: Perestroika, is some of the best theatre that I have ever seen or read. It's well worth your time. The writing is excellent, the acting is wonderful. It's a piece of art that definitely stays with you long after you've viewed it. Additionally, for people who truly love the miniseries, I also strongly recommend you read the play itself. There are a few changes in the adaptation, and it's worth your time from a critical perspective so how things are different. Both the DVD and the written play are wonderful on individual merit. Highly recommended!

Hated it!.......2006-11-05

I spent more than $30 for this movie based on the glorious cover with no idea what it was about. I then spent six hours watching the entire movie. Twice. Someday in the new millenium the Republican-Christian hegemony prophesied in the movie during the 80s will outlaw movies like this and the behaviours that they portrey. Then we can have an Angels in America movie where the Angel swoops in with an AK47 and blasts the infidels to Hell with the help of a wholesome white straight couple who have faithfully loved each other since high school and never even think about having sex.

Average customer rating:

Elegy for the variety show
Dull
It's Sucking My Will to Live!!!
A Must For Any PHC Fan
Great movie presentation of "Praire Home Companion"

A Prairie Home Companion
Starring: Woody Harrelson , Tommy Lee Jones , Garrison Keillor , Kevin Kline , and Lindsay Lohan
Director: Robert Altman
Manufacturer: New Line Home Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Comedy | Genres | DVD | Video

General | Musicals & Performing Arts | Genres | DVD | Video

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

( P ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video

The Da Vinci Code (Widescreen Two-Disc Special Edition) [Region 99]
Little Miss Sunshine
The Devil Wears Prada (Widescreen Edition)
Thank You for Smoking (Widescreen Edition)
Pirates of the Caribbean - Dead Man's Chest (Two-Disc Collector's Edition)

ASIN: B000H6SXYM
Release Date: 2006-10-10

Amazon.com

Robert Altman and Garrison Keillor combine reality and fantasy in this smooth, ebullient take on the long-running Prairie Home Companion radio show. Set during the show's fictitious last broadcast--the host station has been bought--the film has plenty of elements from the real PHC radiocasts, including a live audience and the sensational Shoe band. The onstage program is mostly music numbers, a beguiling mix of standards and old-style country. However, the show's usual comedy sketches are never presented, save for the commercial parodies--this may be a PHC show, but Lake Wobegone is never mentioned. Instead, the sketches are played out as backstage banter that feautres the Johnson Sisters (Meryl Streep and Lily Tomlin), a harried stage hand (Maya Rudolph), a former listener turned angel (Virginia Madsen), and Keillor himself (a crusty alter-ego named simply G.K.). A few characters from the real PHC are given life: the singing cowboys Dusty and Lefty and gumshoe Guy Noir are embodied by Woody Harrelson, John C. Reilly, and Kevin Kline, respectively. Old flames are fanned, stories are spun, new talents are found (Lindsay Lohan has a chance to shine as Streep's daughter) and everyone wonders if G.K. will do something to ebb the tide of cancellation (personified by Tommy Lee Jones as the corporate Axeman). All of the actors do right as singers, and seem to be having the time of their life. Keillor's screenplay is perfect fodder for Altman's usual brand of storytelling, as characters babble on with the camera picking them up often in mid-thought. The film appeared a few months after Altman received an honorary Oscar, and the director is still at the top of his game, creating this smile-inducing, song-filled time, ending with an ethereal last musical number. --Doug Thomas

Customer Reviews:

Elegy for the variety show.......2007-06-18

Many more people are fans of Garrison Keillor's NPR radio hit, "A Prairie Home Companion" than who can describe it succinctly. "PHC" is a show from a bygone era, where talented writers, comedians, and musicians put on a completely original two-hour show each week. Sure, there are some stock characters and common refrains, and the subject matter may be dated (old timey music features prominently, and the show is set in low-tech, changeless Minnesota), but each show is completely unique within those parameters. All in all, "PHC" is a time capsule showing what was good, decent, and just a wee bit naughty in Americana.

Robert Altman's movie, "A Prairie Home Companion," is an elegy for that beloved TV show. In a rather unbelievable set-up, a nasty Texas corporation (of course) has bought the beloved Fitzgerald Theater in downtown St. Paul and will tear down the lovely place to put up a parking lot. And so this show that has been a home for its fans and its cast for over 30 years must say goodbye. Altman then films the last episode, cutting away to the priceless behind-the-scenes moments when you see how these performers are a true family, and everyone's natural reaction is that "PHC" is a national treasure to be saved. Anyone who wants to tear down this beloved institution needs a comeuppance.

Garrison Keillor plays himself, as "GK," and he is ably assisted by a world-class cast of Meryl Streep, Lily Tomlin, Kevin Klein, John C. Reilly, Woody Harrelson, and many others. Fans of the real-life show may be a bit surprised that Keillor's regular "PHC" cast doesn't get much time to shine, but that's the way of things. Streep and Tomlin nearly steal the show as the singing Johnson sisters - who knew they could carry these tunes? Reilly and Harrelson are excellent personifications of Keillor's recurring cowboy characters, Lefty and Dusty, and their litany of bad jokes near the end of the show is priceless.

Kevin Klein is a bit fuzzy as Guy Noir, Private Eye. He's more buffoonish than his character on "PHC," but Klein pulls it off. When describing the Dangerous Woman (Virginia Madsen, an angel), Noir waxes poetic, "She wore a Mt. Rushmore T-shirt, and those old guys never looked so good." And Tommy Lee Jones represents the dastardly investors who want to destroy the show.

Shot in luscious tones and with all of Altman's visual artistry, "PHC" is quite simply a beautiful film. Slow and stately, to be sure, with many ruminations on passing and death, it is not always a bright and cheerful movie. But it is a loving one, and it is fitting that this was Altman's last film - he uses "PHC" to remind us to not spend too much time looking back or looking ahea, because there are some pretty darn good things with us in the present.

Dull.......2007-05-23

WTF??? Look, I listen to A Prairie Home Companion from time to time and I absolutely love Garrison's Lake Woebegone stories. But I don't know what the heck this is. Sure, I recognized all the characters. Guy Noir and Lefty and Dusty and blah, blah. But where is the plot? Okay, there's a thin one about the show being cancelled and all, but couldn't Garrison made this a little more compelling? People talking to angels like it's the most natural thing on earth. People dying and no one acting like they really cared. Oh, yeah they will go sing veiled songs, but really, I was bored to death. This movie was a huge disappointment for me.

It's Sucking My Will to Live!!!.......2007-05-21

Movie buffs still hotly debate whether Don Siegel's 1957 cult classic Invasion of the Body Snatchers is a cautionary allegory against McCarthyism, or against communism. I have a different take.

For years, I've observed buttoned-down suburbanite neighbors zip around their gated communities in Volvos, while their urban counterparts in the subways hold half-folded copies of the New York Times in one hand and Starbucks lattes in the other as they head into the city for another day's gray labor.

Yeah, they all seem human. But little clues tip me off that they may be the "Pod People" living among us, undetected.

Observe the truncated and polished facial mannerisms--their lips move only a few millimeters when simulating a smile, or when assuming an expression signifying displeasure. Neither do their voices modulate much--just a fraction of a decibel separates detached caution in their voices from full-throated reserve.

But, the dead-giveaways are those canvas tote bags in which they haul their daily rations of organic fruits, and the ceramic coffee mugs that dispense their designer coffees and teas. You can see embossed on these the secret symbol that identifies these metrosexual cyborgs to each other: "n p r."

A parasitic entity that feeds off the lifeblood of its hard-working, taxpaying hosts, National Public Radio broadcasts messages that can be deciphered only by such artificially engineered clones. For news reports about their unwitting dupes, they perk their ears to the calm, deceptive monotony of "All Things Considered." So that they can be seen "listening" to music, they fill their office cubicles, at around volume level "3," with the restrained sounds of mostly Mozart (though never anything so gauche as Don Giovanni) and Bach (though never anything so vulgar as Stokowski's orchestration of Toccata and Fugue).

And when these bloodless creatures return in the evenings to their ethnically cleansed, gentrified lofts, they "entertain" themselves with the gentle "humor" of Garrison Keillor's homey little corner of NPR-land, "A Prairie Home Companion." Since it requires of its listeners very little laughter, APHC provides them with further camouflage, helping them maintain the public pretense that they are actually human beings, possessing not only a sense of humor, but even souls.

Well, anyway, that's my conspiracy theory, and I'm sticking to it. How else to explain how an oafish dullard like Keillor could convince a segment of the population that he's Mark Twain reincarnated, and that his monumentally tedious nattering about the tiresome folk of some lake in Minnesota is fraught with "irony"?

So when I heard that Robert Altman was slated to direct this movie, I thought: "Wow! I'm sure glad they got him to breathe some friggin' life into this dreck!" After all, Altman has graced the screen with some of its most memorable treasures, from the Burt Lancaster/Gary Cooper Western Vera Cruz (1954) to the raucous World War II flick The Dirty Dozen (1967). Two of his classics, Flight of the Phoenix (1965) and The Longest Yard (1974), have even been remade recently.

Then, I suddenly realized: "Wait a minute, dummy: that was Robert Aldrich! Robert Altman was the guy who directed M*A*S*H (1970), one of the few comedies in movie history that had to ride the coattails of the TV sitcom it spun off."

Still, I decided to give this pic a chance anyhow, going in with such low expectations that I was sure to be pleasantly surprised. No dice. What I found instead was a trite, befuddled, pointless cinematic mess that made my earlier expectations seem like cockeyed optimism.

What, you may wonder, is this movie about? Well, it's about an hour and three-quarters. Seriously, though, let's take Keillor at his word: "It's the kind of program that died fifty years ago, only someone forgot to tell the performers." For sure. In reality, it's about as authentic as the manufactured quaintness of a Cracker Barrel Restaurant: If you're not paying too close attention, or if Alzheimer's has set in, you might actually believe that the old-fashioned country crafts really are made by backwoods hillbillies, and not by slave labor in some Chinese factory.

A Prairie Home Companion brims with allegory. Well, to be nice, let's call it that. The plot has Keillor's ensemble of Hee Haw! wannabes putting on their last show at the F. Scott Fitzgerald Theatre in St. Paul, broadcast on station WLF, which the script implies is being run by Mom and Pop from their kitchen table, and not by the governmental bureaucracy at Minnesota Public Radio. However, a real greedy Texan (Get it?), subtly named "The Axeman" (Tommy Lee Jones), wants to shut them down. Oh, if only some angel in the wings would waft in as the Axeman cometh, putting all his greedy, budget-cutting Evil to a halt, so that Keillor could continue to delight audiences (Podiences?) in perpetuity...

To convince his listeners--and hopefully, the dreaded Axeman--Keillor and crew put on a show to end all shows. Truly. I've never seen such an ensemble of gifted and acclaimed thespians acting their hearts out: Kevin Kline, Woody Harrelson, and Meryl Streep give inspired performances.

Unfortunately, they are inspired performances of an excruciatingly amateurish script. I think Keillor learned his screenwriting craft from one of those correspondence courses that they advertise on matchbook covers. The dialogue is embarrassingly stilted, the character development utterly absent. The confused staging is filmed by director of photography Edward Lachman, a one-note Johnny who appears to have learned his sole trick of moving the camera in lateral dollying--left-to-right, then right-to-left--at the Mr. Miyagi ("sand the floor") School of Cinematography.

Virginia Madsen plays the movie's pivotal role, a rather earthy, sensual Angel of Death who's been sent to off you-know-who. She's convincing and nuanced, but her blocking is so clumsy that if the projectionist turned off the sound, you'd swear she could be cast as a tree in one of those elementary school Thanksgiving plays that parents are forced to attend. By the end of the movie, I found myself screaming inwardly at Madsen: "Kill this movie! Drive a stake through its heart! For the love of Christ, release me from this tedium!"

So the NPR Pod People have now invaded The Cinema, too. And even though the film was screened only at "select" venues that run independent films, dozens of rave reviews from captive critics proclaim A Prairie Home Companion a shoo-in for a load of Oscar nominations.

Will these alien invaders succeed in their takeover of our planet? Not if we act now! It's still not too late to put up blockades and prevent trucks from delivering DVDs of this life-sucking movie to video stores in our hometowns. For if we don't, Kevin McCarthy's doomed prophesies from the original Body Snatchers may still come to pass:

"Look, you fools. You're in danger. Can't you see? They're after you! They're after all of us! Our wives! Our children, everyone! They're here already! YOU'RE NEXT!"

A Must For Any PHC Fan.......2007-05-20

This is a great movie and gives the viewer the actual feeling of being at PHC's "Last Show". I've listened to A Prairie Home Companion for years now and the movie is complete with bad jokes full of innuendo, good songs, and GK in all his glory.
How could any PHC fan not love a movie WRITTEN by GK himself?

Great movie presentation of "Praire Home Companion".......2007-05-15

Witty, fun, and gave me a good feel for the backstage of the production.

The Devil Wears Prada (Full Screen Edition)

Average customer rating:

This is a great movie, but it is not like the book.
A guy's perspective
And uh..............that's all (followed by a wave of a hand)
Blu-ray quality
Just all right

The Devil Wears Prada (Full Screen Edition)
Starring: Meryl Streep , Anne Hathaway , Emily Blunt , Stanley Tucci , and Simon Baker
Director: David Frankel
Manufacturer: 20th Century Fox
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Comedy | Genres | DVD | Video

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

( D ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video

Pirates of the Caribbean - Dead Man's Chest (Two-Disc Collector's Edition)
Little Miss Sunshine
Talladega Nights - The Ballad of Ricky Bobby (Unrated Widescreen Edition) [Region 99]
The Da Vinci Code (Widescreen Two-Disc Special Edition) [Region 99]
The Departed (Two-Disc Special Edition)

ASIN: B000J103OI
Release Date: 2006-12-12

Amazon.com

<img border="0" align=right src="http://g-images.amazon.com/images/G/01/dvd/devil-wears-prada/dwp_253_sm.jpg"> This clever, funny big-screen adaptation of Lauren Weisberger's best-seller takes some of the snarky bite out of the chick lit book, but smoothes out the characters' boxy edges to make a more satisfying movie. There's no doubt The Devil Wears Prada belongs to Meryl Streep, who turns in an Oscar�-worthy (seriously!) strut as the monster editor-in-chief of Runway, an elite fashion magazine full of size-0, impossibly well-dressed plebes. This makes new second-assistant Andrea (Anne Hathaway), who's smart but an unacceptable size 6, stick out like a sore thumb. Streep has a ball sending her new slave on any whimsical errand, whether it's finding the seventh (unpublished) Harry Potter book or knowing what type she means when she wants "skirts." Though Andrea thumbs her nose at the shallow world of fashion (she's only doing the job to open doors to a position at The New Yorker someday), she finds herself dually disgusted yet seduced by the perks of the fast life. The film sends a basic message: Make work your priority, and you'll be rich and powerful... and lonely. Any other actress would have turned Miranda into a scenery-chewing Cruella, but Streep's underplayed, brilliant comic timing make her a fascinating, unapologetic character. Adding frills to the movie's fun are Stanley Tucci as Streep's second-in-command, Emily Blunt (My Summer of Love) as the overworked first assistant, Simon Baker as a sexy writer, and breathtaking couture designs any reader of Vogue would salivate over. -- Ellen A. Kim

</td> </tr> </table>

Description

Customer Reviews:

This is a great movie, but it is not like the book........2007-06-13

A guy's perspective.......2007-06-08

And uh..............that's all (followed by a wave of a hand).......2007-06-07

Blu-ray quality.......2007-06-04

Just all right.......2007-06-02

Average customer rating:

very funny movie
I could not wait anymore...
Best Potion for youthfulness
Really funny sci-fi
Life becomes me as I enjoy 'Death Becomes her'

Death Becomes Her
Starring: Meryl Streep , Bruce Willis , Goldie Hawn , Isabella Rossellini , and Ian Ogilvy
Director: Robert Zemeckis
Manufacturer: Universal Studios
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Comedy | Genres | DVD | Video

Black Comedy | Comedy | Genres | DVD | Video

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

( D ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video

She-Devil
The First Wives Club
The Witches of Eastwick (Keepcase)
Big Business
Housesitter

ASIN: 0783225482
Release Date: 1998-01-20

Amazon.com essential video

This 1992 black comedy by Robert Zemeckis (Forrest Gump, Who Framed Roger Rabbit, the Back to the Future trilogy) features some of the most eye-popping special effects of the '90s in its story of a narcissistic star (Meryl Streep) who steals the husband (Bruce Willis) of another woman (Goldie Hawn) and continues her rivalry with her even after death. A magic potion keeps both women going despite the punishment of murderous bullets and fatal plunges, and the joke is that even as they rot they remain vain about appearances. Though he's fashioned a one-note movie, Zemeckis gets a lot of mileage out of such impressive sights as Hawn walking around with a hole in her chest the size of a basketball, and Streep--her head and arms twisted 180 degrees--moving like a broken crab. It's weird, it's sick, it's hilarious, and the stars push the whole project to a classy entertainment. Isabella Rossellini is great as a scantily clad witch who sells the immortality brew. The DVD release has a full-screen presentation, optional French and Spanish soundtracks, optional Spanish subtitles, and Dolby sound. --Tom Keogh

Customer Reviews:

very funny movie.......2007-05-07

this movie is so funny. goldie and merryl streep are hilarious. i wish there was more movies like this. the way madeline's head turns all the other way around is so cool and always wondered how they did that. what a funny movie this was and still is.

I could not wait anymore..........2007-04-21

It is one of the best comedies I`ve ever seen...

Best Potion for youthfulness.......2007-04-13

This is one of the most original films I have ever seen. Meryl, Goldie, and Bruce work well off of each other, which is why the film was a success. Helen and Madeline each woman want Earnest. and they each seek eternal life when they find out about it. Helen and Madeline are both viscious women.

This movie is a dark comedy. very funny. I reccomend this to everyone.

Really funny sci-fi.......2007-04-05

I have loved this movie for years...it is always in the top 5 of my favorite movies, maybe even the top 3...Bruce Willis, who generally is not a funny guy, is hilarious in his turn as a washed-up, alcoholic Hollywood plastic surgeon, and Meryl Streep was never funnier, playing a has-been looks-obsessed movie star, and of course Goldie Hawn is a natural at comedy. If you haven't seen this movie you have to rent or buy it, you will laugh as hard the twentieth time you see it as you did the first time you saw it.

Life becomes me as I enjoy 'Death Becomes her'.......2007-03-10

Death Becomes her is star studded, spectacular, which is both thrilling and hilarious. I love it mainly for the fact that it stars Meryl Streep. As well as a fantastic actress she has the timing of a comic genius. The DVD has never before seen footage on how they created the amazing special effects and talks with the actors. If you like meryl streep, Goldie hawn, cosmetic surgery, a spooky sci-fi, rip-roaring comedies or just fancy Bruce Willis, you NEED to watch this film. I assure you, you will NOT be disappointed.

Average customer rating:

Heavenly
Thought provoking afterlife
got it from Netflik and then bought it here before it was even over!
On my all-time Top 20 List
A Funny and Sweet Story of Life, Love, Death and Everything in Between

Defending Your Life
Starring: Wil Albert , Sage Allen , Gary Beach , Roger Behr , and Beth Black
Manufacturer: Warner Home Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Comedy | Genres | DVD | Video

DVDs Under $9.99 | Today's Deals in DVD | Special Features | DVD | Video

( D ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video

Mother
Heaven Can Wait
Real Life
What Dreams May Come
Looking for Comedy in the Muslim World (WS)

ASIN: B000056WRG
Release Date: 2001-04-03

Amazon.com

Albert Brooks proves there's laughs after death with this almost heavenly comedy--almost heaven as in Judgment City, where recently perished Daniel Miller (Brooks) learns whether he is worthy of advancing to a higher plane of existence or will be sent back to earth for another incarnation.

His fate will be determined in a very special trial, during which scenes from his life are replayed on a giant screen. "Isn't it realistic?" a judge asks. "It makes some people nauseous." While the steely prosecutor (Lee Grant) will try to prove that Daniel failed in life to face his fears and insecurities, his glad-handing, reassuring defender (Rip Torn) will argue on behalf of this hapless "little brain" (a Judgment City term for residents of earth).

As Woody Allen did for the future in Sleeper, so does Brooks create an original vision of the afterlife. In Judgment City, white-robed residents can eat as much as they want without guilt or fear of gaining weight. They can also visit the Past Lives Pavilion, where they are greeted by a hologram of--who else--Shirley MacLaine.

Daniel finds himself touched by an angel. Meryl Streep gives an enchanting performance as Julia, whose exemplary life is in stark contrast to his. During her trial, the court watches in rapture as she saves not only children, but a cat from a burning building.

Daniel and Julia are a match made in Judgment City, but first Daniel must summon up the courage to express his true feelings for her, or she will surely advance without him.

Defending Your Life is Brooks's most ambitious film and, with Mother, his most accessible. --Donald Liebenson

Description

Immediately following his death by bus, Daniel finds himself in the afterlife facing his past. If you can't make a case for having lived a full and fearlessuperb music score won an Academy Award.s life, you must go back to Earth and try again. But Daniel doesn't want to go back after he meets Julia in this heavenly fable written and directed by Albert Brooks.

Customer Reviews:

Heavenly.......2007-06-10

A good look at The Other Side a.k.a. Heaven. Eating whatever you want, past life regression, moving on. A movie I believe gives people some real good insight into the afterlife. A positive outlook for paradise.

Thought provoking afterlife .......2007-05-12

Family friendly (no bad words), thought provoking movie about the afterlife and what might happen to get all the way into the pearly gates....reviewing your life....not just the bad and good you did, but how you handled yourself (self doubt, self confidence, etc.). I enjoyed it and have watched it at least 3 times.

got it from Netflik and then bought it here before it was even over!.......2007-05-04

Awesome for helping you see that fear can hold us back in our lives! and funny

On my all-time Top 20 List.......2007-04-11

I recently persuaded my 14 year old daughter and her friends to watch this DVD and they loved it. Since this is one of my favorite movies, I was very gratified. A witty film about life after death, DEFENDING YOUR LIFE'S premise is that fear is what keeps us from progressing both on earth and in Judgment City. Conquer your fears, and you'll continue to grow and move on. If you don't, you'll keep returning to earth until you get it right....or until the universe just gets fed up and throws you away.

Albert Brooks' low-key performance is perfect, and Meryl Streep is blissfully charming. But it's Rip Torn as Defense Attorney Diamond who steals the show. This is a subtle, quiet comedy that you can watch again and again. From the 'Little Brains' that have to go on trial while in Judgment City to the Past Lives Pavilion to the running gag that while there, a person can eat all they want and never get sick or gain weight, DEFENDING YOUR LIFE manages to be both funny and thoughtful. After all, the idea that courage or the lack of it is what keeps us from our full potential is all too true. This is Brooks' best film, and you shouldn't miss it.

A Funny and Sweet Story of Life, Love, Death and Everything in Between .......2007-04-06

This movie has always been one of my favorites for many reasons - - it makes you think, it's quirky, it's a love story, and it stars my two favorite actors - Albert Brooks & Meryl Streep. These two make an excellent combination with Albert Brooks' sense of humor and Meryl Streep's undeniable charm and likability. The supporting cast adds just the right amount of humor and seriousness.

The movie is well-made, holds your attention, and makes a great escape from the mundane. I highly recommend this for practically any age group (except the very young).

Average customer rating:

Terrific
Why no Widescreen version?
One of the BEST!
A love story with Passion
To find true love at the wrong time and place...

The Bridges of Madison County
Starring: Michelle Benes , Brandon Bobst , Art Breese , Annie Corley , and Pearl Faessler
Manufacturer: Warner Home Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Drama | Genres | DVD | Video

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

( B ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video

Out of Africa
Same Time, Next Year
Falling in Love
Sophie's Choice
The Bridges of Madison County

ASIN: 0790729369
Release Date: 1997-03-26

Amazon.com

Some called it a snooze-fest, while others tearfully clutched their Kleenex. In any case, Clint Eastwood was an unusual and (as it turned out) perceptive choice to direct and costar in this lush adaptation of Robert James Waller's phenomenally bestselling novel. Meryl Streep costars as Francesca, the lonely Iowa farmer's wife who is instantly attracted to Robert (Eastwood), the photographer from National Geographic who is in the area to photograph the bridges along Iowa's rural roadways. The two fall in love while Francesca's husband and children are away at a county fair, but the story's passion and lasting appeal derive from their decision to part forever after just a few brief days of intimate connection. Superbly acted with an emphasis on quiet, graceful moments of tender revelation, the film builds to a crescendo of powerful and conflicting emotions. Like David Lean's Brief Encounter (to which it bears marked similarities), The Bridges of Madison County is destined to become one of the classic movie love stories. --Jeff Shannon

Customer Reviews:

Terrific.......2007-06-15

A very mediocre, sappy book became a terrific movie. Mr. Eastwood and Ms. Streep breathe life into their roles, making the characters people you'll care deeply about. The dilemma Ms. Streep's character has at the end of the movie and its resolution are completely believeable. There is no right answer; there is only the answer that hurts the fewest number of people. There isn't one misstep in the entire film. I can watch it over and over. It never gets old.

Why no Widescreen version?.......2007-04-29

The movie on this DVD "has been modified to fit your TV screen." Who makes these awful decisions? Why is there no version in widescreen?

One of the BEST!.......2007-04-17

This DVD is a true classic, one of the most beautiful grown up romance stories. Each time I watch it I fall in love again!

A love story with Passion.......2007-03-29

I read the novel couple of years back, but got a chance to view the movie recently on DVD. It was an excellent movie that followed the novel. I'm sure there are many people who identify themselves with the characters. I loved Robert Kinkaid in the novel and Clint Eastwood did justice to that role. I recommend this movie.

To find true love at the wrong time and place..........2007-03-20

...and to perhaps never recognize you found it indeed, but until way past its time. This is what this beautiful movie is all about. Soulmates eternally searching and loosing each other in an endless sucession of human lives, happen to cross each other's path one day, in the middle of nowhere. No one expected it to happen. No one seeked for it to happen. And yet, all surroundings (including family and social conventionalisms) are bound to become mere accidents. And love fulfills itself. A love, so brief and yet so meaningful and powerful that will be forever treasured in their hearts. Like a candle that lits only as they encounter. Isn't this the stuff all tragedies, dreams, dramas and everlasting love stories are made of? This beautiful, beautiful movie perfectly showcases Clint Eastwood's uniqueness as a Director, a trademark he will carry on all the way up to masterpieces like "Mystic River" or "Million Dollar Baby". Such a deep and profound touch that reaches people's hearts. The product of a genius in the making. I loved it.

Average customer rating:

Flawless performance by Streep.
Streep's best performance
Life as an ordeal of traumas
THE BEST ACTRESS...EVER!!
See it for Streep

Sophie's Choice
Starring: Meryl Streep , Kevin Kline , Peter MacNicol , Rita Karin , and Stephen D. Newman
Director: Alan J. Pakula
Manufacturer: Lions Gate
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Drama | Genres | DVD | Video

Period Piece | Drama | Genres | DVD | Video

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

4-for-3 All DVDs | 4-for-3 DVD | Stores | DVD | Video

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

( S ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video

Holocaust | Jewish Heritage | Specialty Stores | DVD | Video

The French Lieutenant's Woman
Out of Africa
Falling in Love
Postcards from the Edge [Region 99]
The Bridges of Madison County

ASIN: 0784011710
Release Date: 1998-04-21

Amazon.com essential video

The sunny streets of Brooklyn, just after World War II. A young would-be writer named Stingo (Peter MacNicol) shares a boarding house with beautiful Polish immigrant Sophie (Meryl Streep) and her tempestuous lover, Nathan (Kevin Kline); their friendship changes his life. This adaptation of the bestselling novel by William Styron is faithful to the point of being reverential, which is not always the right way to make a film come to life. But director Alan J. Pakula (All the President's Men) provides a steady, intelligent path into the harrowing story of Sophie, whose flashback memories of the horrors of a Nazi concentration camp form the backbone of the movie. Streep's exceptional performance--flawless Polish accent and all--won her an Oscar, and effectively raised the standard for American actresses of her generation. No less impressive is Kevin Kline, in his movie debut, capturing the mercurial moods of the dangerously attractive Nathan. The two worlds of Sophie's Choice, nostalgic Brooklyn and monstrous Europe, are beautifully captured by the gifted cinematographer Néstor Almendros, whose work was Oscar-nominated but didn't win. It should have. --Robert Horton

Customer Reviews:

Flawless performance by Streep........2007-05-07

I watched Sophie's Choice for the first time last night, and despite having watched numerous Holocaust movies, this one truly touched me. Meryl Streep truly shines as the tragic Sophie, who lives with harrowing memories of her wartime experiences, whilst dealing with the complications of a tumultuous relationship with her live-in mad lover, played convincingly by Kevin Kline. Also of noteworthy performance is McNichol as Stingo, the aspiring writer who also narrates the story...his infatuation and later love for Sophie is true, even after realising Sophie's dark past. The most painful scenes were the flashbacks to Sophie's retelling of her wartime experiences. The "choice" that is the movie's title is rendered in an amazingly heartbreaking performance by Streep, one of cinema's most gut-wrenching scenes ever, and something I will never forget. Truly memorable!

Streep's best performance.......2007-03-07

there is always that one performance in a actors career thats defined as there best and for the great Meryl Streep, her role as Holocaust survivor Sophie brilliantly conveys a person of heartbreak, riddled with guilt, and just so volnerable. pulling of a flawless polish accent, Streep plays Sophie, a polish immagrent who is haunted by her horrible past in WWII during the Holocaust and her stay at a concentration camp. Kevin Kline plays her temptatious lover Nathan and Peter MacNicol is Stingo, the man who Sophie and Nathan befriend. as Stingo becomes more involved in there life, he learns of Sophie's past and the horrible decision she had to make. Kline and MacNicole both provide excellent buffers as to not be outshined by Meryl Streep. the other great thing about this film is the cinamatography, it shifts very nicley from the comforts of Broklyn to the horrors of Europe. there are many great Holocaust films but Sophie's choice is definently at the top three along with Schindler's List and The Pianist. if you want to see a truley powerful film that will leave you heartbroken at the end then Sophie's Choice is the film

Life as an ordeal of traumas.......2007-03-06

Sophie's Choice is a very powerful story of a woman whose strength did not desert her in imaginably some of the most traumatic moments in a person's life. Whether it was her abysmal life in German concentration camps or her Brooklyn existence with her schizophrenic boyfriend, Sophie did not have much to fall back up on with the exception of her inner core - a core that was so solid that it did not falter, did not waver, did not even flinch as she lost everything that a human heart deems precious. In the end she appears calm and poised even after having lost what every one holds dearest to heart - life.

In her Academy winning performance, Meryl Streep is peerless. Arguably it is one of the most powerful and yet sublime performances ever - an incredibly realistic portrayal of a character whose numerous shades of existence are impossibly difficult to depict. Streep delivers what easily can contend for an Academy among Academy winners. Other actors, the direction, the script and the milieu are all flawless but this movie belongs to Streep who stands head and shoulders above the rest in a performance bound to leave an indelible impact on the audience.

THE BEST ACTRESS...EVER!!.......2007-02-01

Meryl Streep is sensational. No words can do justice to describe how amazing her performance is.

See it for Streep.......2006-08-03

This will be the role she is always remembered for. This is the role of a lifetime, the jewel in her crown.

I don't know if I would want to watch this film again. It leaves me spent and empty and sad. I suppose I would watch it to see Streep's astonishing performance. But the themes explored are so brutal, so unspeakable, that they leave me dumbfounded.

Yes, there is beauty here. Cinematography, music, acting, writing. But there is a sense of hopelessness that leaves scars.

It is worth seeing for a beautiful, haunting and incredible acting performance by Meryl Streep.

Minority Report (Widescreen Two-Disc Special Edition)

Average customer rating:

Good movie despite Cruise.
nice plot
Best SF classic of the new millenium yet
a top notch sci fi thriller
tom cruisers will love it

Minority Report (Widescreen Two-Disc Special Edition)
Starring: Colin Farrell , Arye Gross , Jessica Harper , Steve Harris , and Patrick Kilpatrick
Director: Steven Spielberg
Manufacturer: Dreamworks Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

Crime | Action & Adventure | Genres | DVD | Video

General | Action & Adventure | Genres | DVD | Video

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

General | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Genres | DVD | Video

Futuristic | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Genres | DVD | Video

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

( M ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video

Special Editions | Fully Loaded DVDs | Features | DVD | Video

A.I. - Artificial Intelligence (Widescreen Two-Disc Special Edition)
Vanilla Sky
Collateral (Two-Disc Special Edition)
Catch Me If You Can (Widescreen Two-Disc Special Features)
The Last Samurai (Two-Disc Special Edition)

ASIN: B00005JL78
Release Date: 2002-12-17

Amazon.com essential video

Set in the chillingly possible future of 2054, Steven Spielberg's Minority Report is arguably the most intelligently provocative sci-fi thriller since Blade Runner. Like Ridley Scott's "future noir" classic, Spielberg's gritty vision was freely adapted from a story by Philip K. Dick, with its central premise of "Precrime" law enforcement, totally reliant on three isolated human "precogs" capable (due to drug-related mutation) of envisioning murders before they're committed. As Precrime's confident captain, Tom Cruise preempts these killings like a true action hero, only to run for his life when he is himself implicated in one of the precogs' visions. Inspired by the brainstorming of expert futurists, Spielberg packs this paranoid chase with potential conspirators (Max Von Sydow, Colin Farrell), domestic tragedy, and a heartbreaking precog pawn (Samantha Morton), while Cruise's performance gains depth and substance with each passing scene. Making judicious use of astonishing special effects, Minority Report brilliantly extrapolates a future that's utterly convincing, and too close for comfort. --Jeff Shannon

Customer Reviews:

Good movie despite Cruise........2007-06-16

While I've never been a Tom Cruise fan, he is good in this movie, bearable even, and it's extremely entertaining. It's refreshing to see a science fiction movie presenting an interesting idea rather than a series of special effects. Here, the special effects serve the story, and with Spielberg involved you can expect it to be done well, which it is.

This is one of those movies where I don't think it's necessary to know more than the basic premise, so I won't go into the story.

I highly recommend this.

nice plot.......2007-06-08

this movie is worth buying, the plot and the actors are very good. i'd recommmend this to everybody.

Best SF classic of the new millenium yet .......2007-06-06

Every decade seems to spawn no more then 10 major SF classics worth watching again and again ( my personal litmus test of quality).The 80's seem to have the lead in this field (Blade Runner ,Alien I & II , Empire Strikes Back , Conan , Philadelphia Experiment , The Abyss , Back to the Future Trilogy , They Live , Star Track Wrath Of Khan , some others as well ). The 90's OTOH were a disappointment , only a few Sci-Fi flicks seem to me to have been memorable : Starship Troopers ,Total Recall Blade I and The Matrix .
I was thrilled therefore in 2002 when Minority Report came out .Seemed that the new decade was off to a great start. The overreliance of CGI spawning soulless forgettable tripe like the new Star Wars series snozefest seem to have been overcome .MR arguably stacked up right up there with the classics of the 80's and the balance between storyline and CGI seemed to have been struck . . Sadly it's 2007 and the only a few other movies which seem to have entered my personal hall of fame in this field are (more or less ) War of the Worlds (Spielberg again) and Apocalypto . I Robot barely makes it . Looks like the first 10 years of the new millennium are going to come up the driest yet as far as Sci-Fi classics go .

a top notch sci fi thriller.......2007-02-26

A great science fiction thriller is also one of Spielberg's strongest films. It earned four Saturn Awards, including Best Science Fiction Film and Best Direction. It also earned an Academy Award nomination for best sound Editing. A Great plot is the key to any compelling science fiction film and this one is very thought provoking. set in Washinton D.C. during the year 2054 Thanks to three "precogs and technology built around their ability to see murders before they happen, the city has gone six years without a homicide. The group making use of the precogs is called the "Department of Pre-Crime"; the police officers and detectives within the department are empowered to act on their foreknowledge, arresting people who are about to commit a murder, and imprisoning them without a trial in a "Hall of Containment" using technology even crueler than that used to make use of the precogs. The story asks many moral and ethical questions about what types of freedoms would you give up to live in a safe invoronment. The film has cool gadgets and weapons, and new hip looking transit system and a more rundown looking part of the city called the "sprawl". The Tom Cruise Character has depth and has a tragic past that makes his plight very believable. I love this movie and watch it often.

tom cruisers will love it.......2006-12-27

Saw the movie on DVD today. I'm not a great Cruise fan, but have watched about a third of his movies, to me it seems he plays the same character over and over again in most of them. I did like him a lot in Born on the 4th of July, but in all the action/special effects movies he does the acting/characters never vary much, kind of like Jack Nicholson in his movies, to me he is the same in almost every one. I thought the idea interesting, understand from reading other reviews that it is based on an short story but as usual changed some from it. I had a couple of problems that may have to do with not understanding a portion of it or missing something that was said, or just need to watch it again to make it a little clearer. When Cruise and Sydow confront each other at the end, it is never made clear to me if Sydow had 1. had Cruises' son killed, or 2. the son had been kidnapped by someone and has been raised within this other ho