Steven Spielberg

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A movie that will change your life.
Necessary
needs no review
a whole new language
Movie Reveiw

Schindler's List (Widescreen Edition)
Starring: Liam Neeson , Ben Kingsley , Ralph Fiennes , Caroline Goodall , and Jonathan Sagall
Director: Steven Spielberg
Manufacturer: Universal Studios
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Drama | Genres | DVD | Video

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The Pianist
Saving Private Ryan (Special Limited Edition)
Platoon (Collector's Edition Steelbook)
Forrest Gump (Two-Disc Special Collector's Edition)
The Shawshank Redemption (Two-Disc Special Edition)

ASIN: B00012QM8G
Release Date: 2004-03-09

Product Description

Winner of seven Academy Awards, including Best Picture and Best Director, it also won every major Best Picture Awards from the New York Film Critics Circle, the National Society of Film Critics, the National Board of Review, the Producers Guild, the Los Angeles Film Critics, the Chicago, Boston and Dallas Film Critics; a Christopher Award; and the Hollywood Foreign Press Association Golden Globe Awards. Steven Spielberg was further honored with the Directors Guild of America Award.

The film presents the indelible true story of the enigmatic Oskar Schindler, a member of the Nazi party, womanizer, and war profiteer who saved the lives of more than 1,100 Jews during the Holocaust. It is the triumph of one man who made a difference, and the drama of those who survived one of the darkest chapters in human history because of what he did.
Directed by Steven Spielberg, the film, which also won Academy Awards for Screenplay, Cinematography, Music, Editing, and Art Direction, stars an acclaimed cast headed by Liam Neeson, Ben Kingsley, Ralph Fiennes, Caroline Goodall, Jonathan Sagalle, and Embeth Davidtz.

System Requirements:

Running Time 196 Min

Format: DVD MOVIE

Amazon.com essential video

Steven Spielberg had a banner year in 1993. He scored one of his biggest commercial hits that summer with the mega-hit Jurassic Park, but it was the artistic and critical triumph of Schindler's List that Spielberg called "the most satisfying experience of my career." Adapted from the best-selling book by Thomas Keneally and filmed in Poland with an emphasis on absolute authenticity, Spielberg's masterpiece ranks among the greatest films ever made about the Holocaust during World War II. It's a film about heroism with an unlikely hero at its center--Catholic war profiteer Oskar Schindler (Liam Neeson), who risked his life and went bankrupt to save more than 1,000 Jews from certain death in concentration camps.

By employing Jews in his crockery factory manufacturing goods for the German army, Schindler ensures their survival against terrifying odds. At the same time, he must remain solvent with the help of a Jewish accountant (Ben Kingsley) and negotiate business with a vicious, obstinate Nazi commandant (Ralph Fiennes) who enjoys shooting Jews as target practice from the balcony of his villa overlooking a prison camp. Schindler's List gains much of its power not by trying to explain Schindler's motivations, but by dramatizing the delicate diplomacy and determination with which he carried out his generous deeds.

As a drinker and womanizer who thought nothing of associating with Nazis, Schindler was hardly a model of decency; the film is largely about his transformation in response to the horror around him. Spielberg doesn't flinch from that horror, and the result is a film that combines remarkable humanity with abhorrent inhumanity--a film that functions as a powerful history lesson and a testament to the resilience of the human spirit in the context of a living nightmare. --Jeff Shannon

Customer Reviews:

A movie that will change your life........2007-06-18

Schindler's List, directed by Steven Spielberg, is a film about the Holocaust. This movie will break your heart and change your life.

So what's this movie about? This movie is mainly about the Holocaust with a side story about a man named Schindler. Schindler was a German who knew Nazis in higher power. He used his good standing to help Jews. He owned a factory and recruited Jews to work for him so that they wouldn't have to go to concentration camps.

What's to like about this movie? First of all, aside from a little girl's coat, most of this movie is in black and white. Also, there's a ton of detail in terms of costumes and props. The realism as well as the camera work are a huge plus. Second, it's EXTREMELY emotional. You see everything. From people getting shot to dead bodies being burned, Spielburg doesn't hide anything. The one scene that truly had me in tears was when a trainful of Jews were squished together in the extremely hot weather. Schindler persuades the Nazi soldiers to spray them with firehoses. You can see one person drinking the water that falls down from the top of the train. It made me realize that these people were treated like animals, not human beings.

What's not to like about this movie? The reason for the 4 stars rather than 5 is because the big plot of this movie was to show how the Jews were treated during the Holocaust. If you're like me and you've studied books and watched movies about this subject, not a lot of what happens in this movie will surprise you. For the average person, this movie will completely shock you and have you in tears. The only thing that was new to me was Schindler's story.

This is a movie that EVERYONE needs to watch. There's a ton of nudity and violence so I would hold off on letting young kids watch this but adults will be completely enthralled.

Necessary.......2007-06-16

I rate this movie 9.5/10 or 5 stars. This movie is among the 1000 Best Movies in DVD's by Peter Travers and in the Top 10 list of Best American Movies Ever. The movie won several Academy Awards, including Best Picture and Director. Steven Spielberg directs this movie 10 years after he read the book for the first time and was completely fascinated with the story. As a Jewish himself, he brings to the screen the story of those Jews who survived the Holocaust thanks to one man -Oskar Schindler-, who gave them the opportunity to work in his factories during the end of World War II. The movie shows the brutality of the Nazi army against the Jews, and how they were being killed at different Death Camps (Auswitch, etc.). The movie is based on true facts collected after the testimony of many people who experienced the Holocaust and survived. The movie is rated R for obvious reasons and it is very difficult to contain the tears. This DVD Collector's Gift Set edition is absolutely wondeful, including a special plexiglas casing, a picture book showcasing images by photographer David James with a foreword by Spielberg, the Original Soundtrack by the Oscar winner and always superb John Williams, and a rare limited edition senitype individually numbered and made from a actual film frame from the movie. (So the price it's just a bargain with all of that!). I want to say that, despite not being a Jewish nor coming from a country involved in World War II, I feel absolutely moved by the story told here and I have enormous respect and empathy for the Jewish community and for all the atrocities they have gone through their history. This is a necessary movie that needed to be done and needs to be seen by as many people as possible, so we don't make the same mistakes in the future. We are all human beings, and we all deserve to be treated with respect and dignity, regardless our religion, ethnicity, race, social status, sexual orientation, etc. Unfortunately today, we are still witness of so many intolerance and bigotry that makes me feel embarassed and very sad. We all should work together for human peace, love and understanding among all peoples from all countries in the world. This movie helps people understand how important it is to know each other and understand each other, so ignorance and hatred does not govern our lifes.

P.S. If you like my review vote YES. You can read all my other reviews if you wish to. I modestly write them to help people form an opinion about movies, music and books, but if nobody reads them (if you don't vote I do not know if you did) there is no point in writing them.

needs no review.......2007-06-10

this is a phenomenal film.

everyone should own it.

a whole new language.......2007-06-04

Stephen Spielberg's SCHINDLER'S LIST is simply the finest motion picture ever made.

The story brings us face to face with the most organized evil of which humanity has yet proven itself capable. Spielberg's direction and performances of Liam Neeson, Ben Kingsley, and Ralph Fiennes attain that level at which matters are simply beyond improvement. One merely stands in awe.

After viewing the LIST for just the second time since its debut in 1993, this reviewer can think of no more adequate response than the exhortation to buy, rent, view, and then bow silently or in prayer before the fact of evil and the potency of good.

Sadly, it takes a wickedness so vile as to require its own language to occasion a work of art so noble in its conception and execution that language fails to describe it.

'The LIST', as Kingsley's Yitzhak Stern says with a different intent, 'is an absolute good.'

Movie Reveiw.......2007-05-30

I ordered this movie without having ever seen it before. I got it, watched it, and was pretty disappointed. It was so boring I coulden't get through the whole movie.

Saving Private Ryan (Special Limited Edition)

Average customer rating:

A very good movie
Very bloody movie
63rd anniversary
Outstanding Movie
Quite Possibly the Best Movie of all Time!

Saving Private Ryan (Special Limited Edition)
Starring: Tom Hanks , Tom Sizemore , Edward Burns , Barry Pepper , and Adam Goldberg
Director: Steven Spielberg
Manufacturer: Dreamworks Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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Band of Brothers
Black Hawk Down [Region 99]
Braveheart
We Were Soldiers (Widescreen Edition)
Schindler's List (Widescreen Edition)

ASIN: B00001ZWUS
Release Date: 1999-11-02

Amazon.com essential video

When Steven Spielberg was an adolescent, his first home movie was a backyard war film. When he toured Europe with Duel in his 20s, he saw old men crumble in front of headstones at Omaha Beach. That image became the opening scene of Saving Private Ryan, his film of a mission following the D-day invasion that many have called the most realistic--and maybe the best--war film ever. With 1998 production standards, Spielberg has been able to create a stunning, unparalleled view of war as hell. We are at Omaha Beach as troops are slaughtered by Germans yet overcome the almost insurmountable odds.

A stalwart Tom Hanks plays Captain Miller, a soldier's soldier, who takes a small band of troops behind enemy lines to retrieve a private whose three brothers have recently been killed in action. It's a public relations move for the Army, but it has historical precedent dating back to the Civil War. Some critics of the film have labeled the central characters stereotypes. If that is so, this movie gives stereotypes a good name: Tom Sizemore as the deft sergeant, Edward Burns as the hotheaded Private Reiben, Barry Pepper as the religious sniper, Adam Goldberg as the lone Jew, Vin Diesel as the oversize Private Caparzo, Giovanni Ribisi as the soulful medic, and Jeremy Davies, who as a meek corporal gives the film its most memorable performance.

The movie is as heavy and realistic as Spielberg's Oscar-winning Schindler's List, but it's more kinetic. Spielberg and his ace technicians (the film won five Oscars: editing (Michael Kahn), cinematography (Janusz Kaminski), sound, sound effects, and directing) deliver battle sequences that wash over the eyes and hit the gut. The violence is extreme but never gratuitous. The final battle, a dizzying display of gusto, empathy, and chaos, leads to a profound repose. Saving Private Ryan touches us deeper than Schindler because it succinctly links the past with how we should feel today. It's the film Spielberg was destined to make. --Doug Thomas

Customer Reviews:

A very good movie.......2007-06-18

This movie show you went really went on in WWII.

Very bloody movie.......2007-06-09

This is a very bloody movie and thats why i like it!

63rd anniversary.......2007-06-07

It's the 63rd anniversary of the allied invasion of Normandy today so in honor of the fact, I watched this movie! Although I have seen it countless times and can speak every line from memory, this movie never ceases to amaze me. The only problem that I have is that the landing on Omaha beach, despite having some of the best special effects, still isn't accurate in terms of the gore (not that that matters anyway). You see, I watched this film with my mom's uncle who is a surviving veteran of the same opening scene on Omaha beach. He saw everything shown in the film 63 years ago and said that it does a great justice to the men who fought and died, but Spielberg got it all wrong. He was touched by the movie but told me that if I could only imagine it infinitely worse, the blood, gore, and death on a larger and more horrifying scale; I would barely be able to grasp what he had to go through. Nevertheless, I love this film.

Outstanding Movie.......2007-05-18

This movie starts with the D-Day landings and that ~20 minute scene reminds you that war is not a "splendid" idea...it's a horrific reality. Once that tone is set, the movie eases off a bit and lets you become enveloped in the concept of several people risking/sacrificing their lives for someone they've never met. That concept is very well developed throughout the movie. -- In addition, the CD includes an interview with Tom Hanks where he says (roughly), it's easy to get a picture of what it was like to be there...but there's no way a guy like me can ever know what it FEELS like to be there. -- As a diabetic who cannot serve in uniform, that accurate statement alone made the purchase worthwhile. -- I encourage people to watch this movie in order to remember what we can do when the chips are down.

Quite Possibly the Best Movie of all Time!.......2007-05-08

There is no doubt that Saving Private Ryan is one of my most favorite movies ever, if not the favorite. It's a great story set in the European theatre of WWII. Great plot. Great acting. Great effects. Great sound. Great emotion. This is just one heck of a film, and you're guaranteed to remember it if you see it. American military service at its finest, folks. My motto is, if a movie can make you cry, you know its really good. The first time I saw this, it made me tear. That's the honest to God truth.

The Adventures of Indiana Jones - The Complete DVD Movie Collection (Full Screen Edition)

Average customer rating:

The ride of your life
First class, all the way.
Indianna Jones colloction
The Adventures of Indiana Jones - The Complete DVD Movie Collection
EL SUPER CLASICO DE LA AVENTURA!!!!

The Adventures of Indiana Jones - The Complete DVD Movie Collection (Full Screen Edition)
Starring: Harrison Ford , and Steven Spielberg
Manufacturer: Paramount
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Action & Adventure | Genres | DVD | Video

( A ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video

Action & Adventure | Boxed Sets | Stores | DVD | Video

Back to the Future - The Complete Trilogy (Widescreen Edition)
Star Wars Trilogy (Widescreen Edition with Bonus Disc)
Star Wars - Episode I, The Phantom Menace (Widescreen Edition)
Pirates of the Caribbean - Dead Man's Chest (Two-Disc Collector's Edition)
Star Wars - Episode III, Revenge of the Sith (Widescreen Edition)

ASIN: B00009ZPU6
Release Date: 2003-10-21

Amazon.com

As with Star Wars, the George Lucas-produced Indiana Jones trilogy was not just a plaything for kids but an act of nostalgic affection toward a lost phenomenon: the cliffhanging movie serials of the past. Episodic in structure and with fate hanging in the balance about every 10 minutes, the Jones features tapped into Lucas's extremely profitable Star Wars formula of modernizing the look and feel of an old, but popular, story model. Steven Spielberg directed all three films, which are set in the late 1930s and early '40s: the comic book-like Raiders of the Lost Ark, the spooky, Gunga Din-inspired Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, and the cautious but entertaining Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade. Fans and critics disagree over the order of preference, some even finding the middle movie nearly repugnant in its violence. (Pro-Temple of Doom people, on the other hand, believe that film to be the most disarmingly creative and emotionally effective of the trio.) One thing's for sure: Harrison Ford's swaggering, two-fisted, self-effacing performance worked like a charm, and the art of cracking bullwhips was probably never quite the iconic activity it soon became after Raiders. Supporting players and costars were very much a part of the series, too--Karen Allen, Sean Connery (as Indie's dad), Kate Capshaw, Ke Huy Quan, Amrish Puri, Denholm Elliot, River Phoenix, and John Rhys-Davies among them. Years have passed since the last film (another is supposedly in the works), but emerging film buffs can have the same fun their predecessors did picking out numerous references to Hollywood classics and B-movies of the past. --Tom Keogh

Customer Reviews:

The ride of your life.......2007-06-21

Steven Spielberg and George Lucas wanted to make a movie that was like the old action adventure movies and they succeeded. The movies grab you by the throat from the beginning and add suspense, quirky joke lines and fast-paced action.

Settle back with your favourite drink, grab a container of popcorn, dim the lights and get ready for the best entertainment night you have had for a long time.

First class, all the way........2007-06-14

I recently picked up this boxed set, and couldn't be happier. I loved these movies as a kid, and still enjoy them immensely as an adult. The digital remastering is gorgeous -- the colors are vivid and the picture crisp. The 4th disc of bonus material is also well done. I won't even comment on the films themselves -- quality material that stands the test of time. Classic, action-packed Spielberg. They don't make 'em like this anymore.

Indianna Jones colloction.......2007-06-08

These are three must haves.the movies are FANTASTIC and I enjoyed them
like I was back in the theater.I had a great time,so I extremely recommend
this set.Harrison For is an american icon.Enjoy!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!.Jose.

The Adventures of Indiana Jones - The Complete DVD Movie Collection .......2007-06-04

Old classics. Nothing like them. Nice job in rendering into DVD format.

EL SUPER CLASICO DE LA AVENTURA!!!!.......2007-05-19

Las peliculas de Indiana Jones filmadas durante la decada de los 80s, son de vision obligada para los amantes de las grandes aventuras.Al verlas, simplemente se quedan contigo para toda la vida.Harrison Ford esta perfecto como el carismatico arqueologo aventurero Henry jr. "Indiana" Jones y la musica es espectacular.Este set recoge la trilogia completa en su version remasterizada, con superior sonido y video excelente.Subtitulos y doblaje al castellano, incluidos.Los extras, la verdad, no son nada del otro jueves -no escenas editadas o alguna sorpresa de ese estilo- pero supongo que no se podra aspirar a conseguir algo mejor por ahora.El diseño del empaque es elegante y atractivo.Estas aventuras completas de Indiana Jones es de lo mejor que anda circulando por ahi en materia de clasicos modernos, asi que si no las has visto-poco probable- es mejor que vayas separando tu set, pues tienes que estar preparado para la cuarta pelicula, que esperemos este a la altura de sus ilustres predecesoras.

Average customer rating:

Lest We Forget
Spielberg clarifies on the DVD
Well done, but has flaws.
Speilberg made the movie he set out to make when he chose 'Vengeance'
Hindsight provides 20-20 vision

Munich (Widescreen Edition)
Starring: Eric Bana , Daniel Craig , Ciarán Hinds , Mathieu Kassovitz , and Hanns Zischler
Director: Steven Spielberg
Manufacturer: Universal Studios
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Action & Adventure | Genres | DVD | Video

General | Drama | Genres | DVD | Video

Period Piece | Drama | Genres | DVD | Video

Suspense | Mystery & Suspense | Genres | DVD | Video

Mystery | Mystery & Suspense | Genres | DVD | Video

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

( M ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video

Syriana (Widescreen Edition)
Good Night, and Good Luck (Widescreen Edition)
The Departed (Two-Disc Special Edition)
Capote [Region 99]
A History of Violence (New Line Platinum Series)

ASIN: B000F1IQN2
Release Date: 2006-05-09

Amazon.com

At its core, Munich is a straightforward thriller. Based on the book Vengeance: The True Story of an Israeli Counter-Terrorist Team by George Jonas, it's built on a relatively stock movie premise, the revenge plot: innocent people are killed, the bad guys got away with it, and someone has to make them pay. But director Steven Spielberg uses that as a starting point to delve into complex ethical questions about the cyclic nature of revenge and the moral price of violence. The movie starts with a rush. The opening portrays the kidnapping and murder of Israeli athletes by PLO terrorists at the 1972 Olympics with scenes as heart-stopping and terrifying as the best of any horror movie. After the tragic incident is over and several of the terrorists have gone free, the Israeli government of Golda Meir recruits Avner (Eric Bana) to lead a team of paid-off-the-book agents to hunt down those responsible throughout Europe, and eliminate them one-by-one (in reality, there were several teams). It's physically and emotionally messy work, and conflicts between Avner and his team's handler, Ephraim (Geoffrey Rush), over information Avner doesn't want to provide only make things harder. Soon the work starts to take its toll on Avner, and the deeper moral questions of right and wrong come into play, especially as it becomes clear that Avner is being hunted in return, and that his family's safety may be in jeopardy.

By all rights, Munich should be an unqualified success--it has gripping subject matter relevant to current events; it was co-written by one of America's greatest living playwrights (Tony Kushner, Angels in America) and an accomplished screenwriter (Eric Roth); it stars an appealing and likeable actor in Eric Bana; and it was helmed by Steven Spielberg, of all people. While it certainly is a great movie, it falls just short of the immense heights such talent should propel it to. This is due more to some questionable plot devices than anything else (such as the contrived use of a family of French informants to locate the terrorists). But while certain aspects ring hollow, the movie as a whole is a profound accomplishment, despite being only "inspired by true events," and not factually based on them. From the ferocious beginning to the unforgettable closing shot, Munich works on a visceral level while making a poignant plea for peace, and issuing an unmistakable warning about the destructive cycle of terror and revenge. As one of the characters intones, "There is no peace at the end of this." --Daniel Vancini

Customer Reviews:

Lest We Forget.......2007-06-05

"They're all gone," intones sportscaster Jim McKay. McKay and other ABC news folks of 1972 have their TV footage mixed with a quick montage of violent filmed movie scenes of the '72 Olympics where 11 Israeli Olympians were massacred by the Arab Black September group.

Five men led by a young Israeli named Avner are assembled to revenge the massacre of the Munich Olympians. The Munich Avengers hook up with a family that has been in private intelligence since the Vichy Government ran France during World War Two. Lebel (Michael Lonsdale) is its patriarch. He becomes a sage to the Five. "Never work for any government" he warns. Well, its a little late to change that just now. At first everything goes swimmingly. The movie looks like other well made thrillers. These 'pros' who have never exactly done this kind of work in their lives 'seem' very successful.

Thriller afficionados will remember Michael Lonsdale as the French inspector who traced assassin Edward Fox across France in the Day of the Jackal 33 years ago. Older and heavier, Lonsdale is right at home as patriarch of the French family aiding the Israeli assassins in targeting their victims.

The Israelis find themselves sharing a room in Athens with five Arab Assassins but arrange a truce by convincing the Arabs they are part of the German Beider-Meinhof gang. Avner discusses middle east morality and politics with the Arab gang leader. Avner is seen by the audience as losing that argument. Later the forger has to 'fix' a foiled murder attempt in a hotel room. He is wounded. Several of the Arabs Avner's crew boarded with are killed in a gunfight outside. Carl (Cirian Hands) is murdered in bed later by a comely prostitute after Avner has turned the woman down. The Israeli avengers trace her to a Brussels houseboat where each fires a shot into her as she vainly attempts a seductive but grotesque striptease to save her life. An attempt to kill the architect of the Munich Murders is foiled when five Brits, posing as drunks, interfere. Avner's men are now aware they are being followed and watched. Who do the five Brits work for, the CIA or Britain's MI-6? The hunters are now the hunted.

The foiled Assassination perplexes and demoralizes. Their Israeli handler Ephraim calls Avner home to tell him their work is splendid. Not to them it isn't. Avner doesn't want to continue. He suspects they have killed Arabs not involved in Munich and balks at giving names and addresses of contacts to Ephraim. They discover the CIA has protection deals with some of their targets. The remaining Four don't know who is after them or for what. Two more die and a demoralized Avner and Steve(Daniel Craig) split up.

Afraid now, Avner flees to his wife and baby in Brooklyn. But unknown agents follow and scare him. Avener fears for his wife and child. He attacks a bureaucrat in the Israeli Mossad office in Manhattan. He is desperate now. Ephraim meets with him and admits some of the six killed were not Black September but old Israeli scores being settled. Avner won't cooperate with Israel now. And Ephraim won't help him if Avner doesn't agree to continue.

Except for a nightmare-freighted, overdone sexual episode between Avner and his wife, the film is effectively over. Spielberg and screenwriter Tony Kushner have carved this thriller into a political morality tale. The Israelis cannot assume the higher moral ground if they are as murderous as Black September. Every act of revenge sews the seeds of more violence and death. What is the point of that, ask the Authors? An Arab character argues with Avner that the Jews in Israel are outnumbered by the Arab populations that are all around them and growing in numbers much faster than the Israelis. The Authors are saying the Israelis will never win, that time is on the side of the Arabs. Israel will not win and will not survive.

I agree with them. The American War in Iraq will not succeed either. Americans and Israelis will both lose because the Arabs are fighting for their homeland. The Americans, and the Israelis who claim THEY are fighting for their homeland, cannot succeed.

Spielberg and Kushner have loaded the dice too heavily here. Avner and his four henchmen have an underlying innocence about international terrorism calculated to buttress this story and its moral. But would the Israelis really have chosen such a bunch of innocent plebes to carry out a mission as cynical, dangerous and important as this one? Its a great story but it won't play in Bagdhad, Tel Aviv or Peoria not to mention on the big screen.

Spielberg clarifies on the DVD.......2007-06-04

What I watched was the single-disc widescreen edition which contained no DVD extras but for a short intro by the director Steven Spielberg. If you haven't seen the movie before, I recommend you leave the intro for after you've finished watching the film.

In his piece, Spielberg emphasizes that the movie is neither attacking Israel nor arguing for non-response. He says that in the context of responding to terror today, we have to "try and ensure that the results we produce are the ones we really intend." I think he was successful in getting that point across in this movie.

I usually prefer knowing as little as possible about the background of a film's story, so that I can enjoy it in its "pure" form. But I think I benefited from having seen One Day in September, the documentary about what happened during the 1972 Olympics. I recommend you see it before this film. (Makes chronological sense that way...)

Spielberg acknowledges taking the indisputable facts (11 targets, decision by Golda Meir...) from George Jonas's book Vengeance, published in 1984 and recently re-issued. The details are of course unknowable and it's those gaps in knowledge that made possible the effective dramatization of the material.

Well done, but has flaws........2007-05-30

I was very curious to see this chapter of history. The story of the 11 Israeli athletes getting killed by Palestinian terrorists and the story that followed. I feel the actors chosen to play the characters couldn't have been better and the movie itself was incredible. However I feel the message that was sent to the movie going public was the incorrect one. (Caution: when I say incorrect I don't mean untrue)

Right now we are living in a very controversial time where the situation in the Middle East is a very sensitive subject. I am one who wants to see peace, but with the violence escalating every day we are far from reaching that goal. What people need to understand is that only one side wants peace and unfortunately `Munich' did not elaborate on that enough. The Israeli task force is depicted to be just as uncaring as the Palestinian extremist groups in this movie. (Never do they show actual Palastinans that truly want peace). In the beginning the message is to kill the plotters of the Munich murders and in the end the Israelis are leaving bodies uncovered in shame and the main character gives up his love for his homeland. The scene where Eric Bana's character sees himself fighting along side the terrorists is an absolute disgrace. The pieces of the movie that should have been elaborated more were the people they were killing. These were Palestinian officials high in power living far away from the Palestinian hostage camps in lavish mansions and accepting money from all different governments just to keep the violence going. Those are actual living breathing people in the P.L.O. that are still alive today. The should have made it more clear that the mission was to kill the terrorists and not to hurt the innocent Palestinians like the women and children as well as Palestinian men that had nothing to do with assassinating Jewish people.

Is this movie good...yes it is a brilliant film worthy of its credit. Will is be nominated for awards...absolutely. I don't think that Spielberg displayed anything untrue in this movie. He did however show more sympathy towards the wrong side. I believe his message was to say he wants peace and the only way to show that was that both sides shedding blood constantly would only make it worse and there never will be peace. I feel there is nothing wrong with showing there are two sides fighting and only one side wants peace. If the world can understand that there are certain people (not a nation) that don't then the true evils in this world will be wiped out and there finally will be peace.

Speilberg made the movie he set out to make when he chose 'Vengeance'.......2007-05-27

Steven Spielberg took a lot of flack for "Munich," which he admits is neither pro-Israeli nor pro-Palestinian. From Spielberg, I suppose many expected - or wanted - something more ardently Zionist. But Spielberg cast the die when he decided on George Jonas' Vengeance: The True Story of an Israeli Counter-Terrorist Team as his source material. Vengeance's point of view - and its tortuous history - is predicated on the moral ambivalence of 'Avner,' the pseudonym of the team leader, as played on-screen here by an excellent Eric Bana. I read "Vengeance" a couple of months prior to seeing the film, and my feeling is that Spielberg accurately captured Avner's feelings as well as his metamorphosis. The one thing that got left out was Avner's complex relationship with his Dad, who - in the book - essentially foretells Avner's denouement at the outset.

Jonas' book is controversial. There are ongoing disputes over its inherent accuracy to the point where people doubt the essence of the story or whether an 'Avner' actually existed. In the most recent release - coinciding with the film - Richard Ben Cramer writes a nice new introduction with a pithy comment that the debate has evolved to the point where the essence of the argument is people now saying "Hey, my part in the movie wasn't big enough."

There are some nice surprises in the film including a pre-Bond breakout appearance by Daniel Craig as part of Avner's team, as well as appearances by first-rate Israeli Arab actors Makram Khoury and Hiam Abbass. It goes without saying that their roles here are all too brief (it belabors the point to mention why). I suggest you see The Syrian Bride to see these two talented professionals in top form. There's also the inclusion of a way-inside joke of encountering future Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak - dressed in very unconvincing drag - prior to a raid in Lebanon.

Hindsight provides 20-20 vision.......2007-05-23

Munich is a rather interesting film based on the book "Vengeance: The True Story of an Israeli Counter-Terrorist Team," which was written by George Jonas. The author is a Hungarian born, Canadian writer.

Out of 14 books he has written, Vengeance is the story of an Israeli operation to assassinate the terrorists responsible for the massacre that took place during the 1972 Olympic games.

Steven Spielberg directs the film and the DVD provides a rare interview in which Mr. Spielberg discusses that his movie is not anti-Israel and or pro-Palestinian. This got me curious... and as I researched the background, the interview is intended to dispel the protests of the author, who complained that Munich was a distorted interpretation of his original work.

In essence, Jonas said that scriptwriter Tony Kushner, a Jew who has referred to the formation of Israel as a mistake, failed to make a moral distinction between terrorism and legitimate military action.

Critics of the book said that Jonas's source for the book; New York security consultant Jubal Aviv had fabricated the story. Reading all these details got us rather curious about the film, which we obtained and finally watched.

The production is a thrilling recount of details that were unknown to us. The revenge plot puts forward the fact that when we set out to pay back for sins of the past, innocent people sometimes pay the price. The movie therefore, delves into complex issues of guilt, violence, murder, love, family... honor, and the defense of the right of the people of Israel to have a place they can call home.

The reliving of the events that lead and transpired during the kidnapping and murder of the athletes is... horrifying to say the least. Golda Meir is represented in this movie and she has a monologue where she weighs the actions and consequences of what they are about to do that is simply priceless soul-searching view of what any leader must go through as they guide a people or a nation towards survival.

The technology used to eliminate those responsible is interesting, the methods are at times careless and dangerous, the people that reveal the whereabouts of those to be killed are interesting, but mercenary and it is with great horror that we realize they provide information to both sides... at a high price, of course, gaining great wealth from all the violence that ensues.

From beginning to end, we found ourselves riveted on the screen, learning a lot and feeling that hindsight provides 20-20 vision on rather complex issues that while we are living them... leaves us all blind due to lack of total awareness of the powers at play. Don't miss it!

Saving Private Ryan (Widescreen Two-Disc Special Edition)

Average customer rating:

A very good movie
Very bloody movie
63rd anniversary
Outstanding Movie
Quite Possibly the Best Movie of all Time!

Saving Private Ryan (Widescreen Two-Disc Special Edition)
Starring: Tom Hanks , Tom Sizemore , Edward Burns , Barry Pepper , and Adam Goldberg
Director: Steven Spielberg
Manufacturer: Dreamworks Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Action & Adventure | Genres | DVD | Video

General | Drama | Genres | DVD | Video

Drama | Military & War | Genres | DVD | Video

World War II | Military & War | Genres | DVD | Video

War Epics | Military & War | Genres | DVD | Video

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

( S ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video

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

Band of Brothers
Black Hawk Down [Region 99]
Braveheart
We Were Soldiers (Widescreen Edition)
Schindler's List (Widescreen Edition)

ASIN: B0001NBLVI
Release Date: 2004-05-25

Amazon.com essential video

Customer Reviews:

A very good movie.......2007-06-18

This movie show you went really went on in WWII.

Very bloody movie.......2007-06-09

This is a very bloody movie and thats why i like it!

63rd anniversary.......2007-06-07

Outstanding Movie.......2007-05-18

Quite Possibly the Best Movie of all Time!.......2007-05-08

Average customer rating:

Always
Starring: Richard Dreyfuss , Holly Hunter , Brad Johnson (II) , John Goodman , and Audrey Hepburn
Director: Steven Spielberg
Manufacturer: Universal Studios
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Drama | Genres | DVD | Video

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

( A ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video

Forever Young
Somewhere in Time (Collector's Edition)
Ghost (Special Collector's Edition)
The Goodbye Girl
Heart and Souls

ASIN: B00000IQW5
Release Date: 1999-07-20

Amazon.com

Considered by many to represent a low point in Steven Spielberg's career, 1990's Always did suggest something of a temporary drift in the director's sensibility. A remake of the classic Spencer Tracy film A Guy Named Joe, Always stars Richard Dreyfuss as a Forest Service pilot who takes great risks with his own life to douse wildfires from a plane. After promising his frightened fiancée (Holly Hunter) to keep his feet on the ground and go into teaching, Dreyfuss's character is killed during one last flight. But his spirit wanders restlessly, hopelessly attached to and possessive of Hunter, who can't see or hear him. Then the real conflict begins: a trainee pilot (Brad Johnson), a likable doofus, begins wooing a not-unappreciative Hunter--and it becomes Dreyfuss's heavenly mandate to accept, and even assist in, their budding romance. The trouble with the film is a certain airlessness, a hyper-inventiveness in every scene and sequence that screams of Spielberg's self-education in Hollywood classicism. Unlike the masters he is constantly quoting and emulating in Always, he forgets to back off and let the movie breathe on its own sometimes, which would better serve his clockwork orchestration of suspense and comedy elsewhere. Still, there are lovely passages in this film, such as the unforgettable look on Dreyfuss's face a half-second before fate claims him. John Goodman contributes good supporting work, and Audrey Hepburn makes her final screen appearance as an angel. --Tom Keogh

E.T. - The Extra-Terrestrial (Widescreen Edition)

Average customer rating:

E.T. - The Extra-Terrestrial (Widescreen Edition)
Starring: Henry Thomas , Dee Wallace (II) , Robert MacNaughton , Drew Barrymore , and Peter Coyote
Director: Steven Spielberg
Manufacturer: Universal Studios Home Entertainment
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Kids & Family | Genres | DVD | Video

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

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

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

( E ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video

Close Encounters of the Third Kind (Two-Disc Collector's Edition) [Region 99]
Jaws (30th Anniversary Edition)
The Wizard of Oz (Two-Disc Special Edition)
Back to the Future - The Complete Trilogy (Widescreen Edition)
2001 - A Space Odyssey

ASIN: B000A2IPP0
Release Date: 2005-08-23

Product Description

Director Steven Spielberg s heartwarming masterpiece is one of the brightest stars in motion picture history. Filled with unparalleled magic and imagination, E.T. follows the moving story of a lost little alien who befriends 10-year-old, Elliot. Experience all the mystery and fun of their unforgettable adventure in the beloved movie that captivated audiences around the world.

System Requirements:
Starring: Henry Thomas, Drew Barrymore, Dee Wallace, Peter Coyote
Directed By: Steven Spielberg
Running Time: 121 Min.
Copyright Universal Studios Home Entertainment 2005

Format: DVD MOVIE

Amazon.com essential video

Steven Spielberg's 1982 hit about a stranded alien and his loving relationship with a fatherless boy (Henry Thomas) struck a chord with audiences everywhere, and it furthered Spielberg's reputation as a director of equally strong commercial sensibilities and classical leanings. Henry Thomas gives a strong, emotional performance as E.T.'s young friend, Robert MacNaughton and Drew Barrymore make a solid impression as his siblings, and Dee Wallace is lively as the kids' mother. The special effects almost look a bit quaint now with all the computer advancements that have occurred since, but they also have more heart behind them than a lot of what we see today. --Tom Keogh

Average customer rating:

GOOD MOVIE FOR FAMILY
Heart-warming
embarrassing
A Fun and Amusing Continuation of a Wonderful Tale!
Everbody Loves Hook!

Hook
Starring: Dustin Hoffman , Robin Williams , Julia Roberts , Bob Hoskins , and Maggie Smith
Director: Steven Spielberg
Manufacturer: Sony Pictures Home Ent
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Action & Adventure | Genres | DVD | Video

General | Comedy | Genres | DVD | Video

General | Kids & Family | Genres | DVD | Video

Adventure | Kids & Family | Genres | DVD | Video

7-9 Years | Kids & Family | Genres | DVD | Video

10-12 Years | Kids & Family | Genres | DVD | Video

Family Films | Kids & Family | Genres | DVD | Video

Fantasy | Kids & Family | Genres | DVD | Video

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

( H ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video

Peter Pan (Widescreen Edition)
Peter Pan (2-Disc Platinum Edition)
Popeye
Jumanji (Collector's Series)
Robin Hood - Prince of Thieves

ASIN: 0767836324
Release Date: 2000-03-21

Amazon.com

Steven Spielberg's deeply flawed but sporadically fun and moving update of the Peter Pan legend stars Robin Williams as the grown-up Pan, a corporate-takeover type who must embrace his old identity in order to save his kids from Captain Hook (Dustin Hoffman). The stars put on a good show, including Hoffman's read of Hook's hysterical personality, Julia Roberts mini-turn as a tiny Tinker Bell, and Maggie Smith's touching performance as the aged Wendy. The visual contrast between the adult Pan's bustling outside world and the insulated fantasy of Neverland is striking, but Spielberg's ideas about the Lost Boys--politically correct in their ethnic diversity, energetic on skateboards--are contrived and cheapening. On the plus side, the story's theme about adults finding their innocence again through their children is very touching (though some people have found it cloying). If you can look beyond the glaring problems, there's plenty to like here. --Tom Keogh

Product Description

Customer Reviews:

GOOD MOVIE FOR FAMILY.......2007-06-18

My 5 years old son love to watch this movie. He also watch Disney Peter Pan(anime) but after few months I bought Hook and peter pan(no anime) then he liked it very much because he know the story from Peter Pan animation so it is easy to understand.

Heart-warming.......2007-03-03

This film warms my heart, makes me laugh, provides some good points for teaching and sermon illustrations. I am surrounded by people who have forgotten who they are. Tinkerbell's push to help Peter remember has deeper meaning than perhaps it's meant to have, but it's true nonetheless.

embarrassing.......2007-02-28

Seldom has so much talent (and MONEY!) been wasted on such unentertaining silliness.

Robin Williams, Dustin Hoffman, Maggie Smith, Julia Roberts, Bob Hoskins--it is painful to watch them cope with the bad writing, overemoting, over-elaborate (and dull) sets, and just general aimlessness of this picture.

Everybody works REALLY hard, and the strain shows.

The fun seems forced, the situations pointless, the message ham-handed, and the music--oh, my goodness--the music is the most syruppy mess this side of "Pearl Harbor."

Even the special effects are less than special.

All in all, very uncomfortable to sit through.

A Fun and Amusing Continuation of a Wonderful Tale!.......2007-02-18

Peter Pan left Neverland and grew up. He married Wendy's granddaughter and had two kids. He is a succesful lawyer and makes almost no time for family. That's where Hook picks up. Steven Spielberg has created another wonderful film that is very entertaining and has an all-star cast, including Dustin Hoffman (Hook), Robin Williams (Peter Banning/Pan), Julia Roberts (Tinkerbell), and Maggie Smith (Wendy). The story begins when the an adult Peter Pan visits Wendy in London. His company is giving a wing in the local hospital to help Wendy adopt and care for orphans. Peter, his wife Moira, and Wendy go to a special ceremony, and when they return they discover that Peter's two kids have been kidnapped by Captain Hook. Peter must join up once again with Tinkerbell, and go back to Neverland to save his kids. In doing so, he must get training from the Lost Boys, who have a new leader, Rufio. They must teach him to fly, fight, and crow in order to save his kids.
This movie has a fun plot and a meaningful message. It teaches lessons about family and friendship, and it for sure will leave you in a better mood then you were in.

Everbody Loves Hook!.......2007-01-04

If you need to buy a gift for a kid from ages 3-93, Hook is a good movie to purchase. It was great seeing Robin Williams and Dustin Hoffman battling it out in NeverLand.

Average customer rating:

The Color Purple
Starring: Danny Glover , Whoopi Goldberg , Margaret Avery , Oprah Winfrey , and Willard E. Pugh
Director: Steven Spielberg
Manufacturer: Warner Home Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Drama | Genres | DVD | Video

Period Piece | Drama | Genres | DVD | Video

Drama | African American Cinema | Genres | DVD | Video

General | African American Cinema | Genres | DVD | Video

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

( C ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video

The Color Purple
The Women of Brewster Place
Beloved
Malcolm X
What's Love Got To Do With It?

ASIN: 0790729717
Release Date: 1997-03-26

Product Description

Based on Alice Walkers Pulitzer Prize-winning novel, The Color Purple is the richly textured, decades-spanning story of Celie, an uneducated woman living in the rural American south. Forced to marry a brutal man she calls "Mr.," Celie turns inward and shares her grief only with God. But she is transformed by the friendship of two remarkable women, acquiring self-worth... and the strength to forgive.Starring: Danny Glover, Whoopi Goldberg, Margaret Avery, Oprah Winfrey, Rae Dawn ChongDirector: Steven SpielbergProduced by Steven Spielberg, Kathleen Ken; written by Menno Meyjes; Running time of 154 minutes; Closed Captioned. Copyright: 1985, Warner Bros.

System Requirements:
Production Notes, Theatrical Trailer, Cast/Crew Bios, Interactive Menus Video Format: Widescreen 1.85:1 aspect ratio Enhanced for 16x9 TVs Subtitles: French, Spanish, and English English: Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround French: Dolby Digital Surround

Format: DVD MOVIE

Amazon.com

Steven Spielberg, proving he's one of the few modern filmmakers who has the visual fluency to be capable of making a great silent film, took a melodramatic, D.W. Griffith-inspired approach to filming Alice Walker's novel. His tactics made the film controversial, but also a popular hit. You can argue with the appropriateness of Spielberg's decision, but his astonishing facility with images is undeniable--from the exhilarating and eye-popping opening shots of children playing in paradisiacal purple fields to the way he conveys the brutality of a rape by showing hanging leather belts banging against the head of the shaking bed. In a way it's a shame that Whoopi Goldberg, a stage monologist who made her screen debut in this movie, went on to become so famous, because it was, in part, her unfamiliarity that made her understated performance as Celie so effective. (This may be the first and last time that the adjective understated can be applied to Goldberg.) Nominated for 11 Academy Awards, including best picture and actress (supporting players Oprah Winfrey and Margaret Avery were also nominated), it was quite a scandal--and a crushing blow to Spielberg--when it won none. The digital video disc requires flipping to play the whole movie. --Jim Emerson

Jurassic Park (Widescreen Collector's Edition)

Average customer rating:

Jurassic Park (Widescreen Collector's Edition)
Starring: Sam Neill , Laura Dern , Jeff Goldblum , Richard Attenborough , and Bob Peck
Director: Steven Spielberg
Manufacturer: Universal Studios
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Action & Adventure | Genres | DVD | Video

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

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

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

( J ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video

The Lost World - Jurassic Park (Widescreen Collector's Edition)
Jurassic Park III (Widescreen Collector's Edition)
Independence Day (Limited Edition)
Jaws (30th Anniversary Edition)
Twister

Accessories:

Jurassic Park (Widescreen Edition)
Jurassic Park: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack

ASIN: B00003CXAT
Release Date: 2000-10-10

Amazon.com essential video

Steven Spielberg's 1993 mega-hit rivals Jaws as the most intense and frightening film he'd ever made prior to Schindler's List, but it was also among his weakest stories. Based on Michael Crichton's novel about an island amusement park populated by cloned dinosaurs, the film works best as a thrill ride with none of the interesting human dynamics of Spielberg's Jaws. That lapse proves unfortunate, but there's no shortage of raw terror as a rampaging T-rex and nasty raptors try to make fast food out of the cast. The effects are still astonishing (despite the fact that the computer-generated technology has since been improved upon) and at times primeval, such as the sight of a herd of whatever-they-are scampering through a valley. --Tom Keogh

Product Description

Multimillionaire John Hammond (Richard Attenborough) has a plan for a spectacular new theme park: a secluded island where visitors can observe actual dinosaurs. With the latest development in DNA technology, scientists can clone brachiosaurs, tricerotops, velociraptors, and a Tyrannosaurus Rex, using the blood preserved in amber from insects that bit the dinosaurs long ago. Paleontologist Dr. Alan Grant (Sam Neill), Dr. Ellie Sattler (Laura Dern), and Dr. Ian Malcolm (Jeff Goldblum) are duly impressed with the living results during an advance visit. But when a devious employee tampers with the sophisticated security system, the dinosaurs escape, forcing the visitors to fight for their very survival.

System Requirements:
Starring: Jeff Goldblum, Sam Neill, Laura Dern, Richard Attenborough, Joseph Mazzello, Ariana Richards, Wayne Knight, and Samuel L. Jackson.
Directed By: Steven Spielberg.
Running Time: 127 Min., Color.
This film is presented in "Widescreen" format.
Copyright 2000 Universal Distribution Corp.

Format: DVD MOVIE

Director:

Director

Director