Collecting Movie Reviews

I never heard of this film and probably never would have except for a connection I made with another Amazon.com reviewer (hannah12). I suppose as many other people do, I found that hannah12 reviewed several books, movies and BBC series that I enjoyed, so I began reading her other reviews. That's how I was introduced to "I Know Where I'm Going", and I was not disappointed.

The plot is thin, but appealing. It's the gorgeous scenery, even in black and white, that makes this movie a standout-it was filmed on location in Scotland. And being a dog-lover, the scenes that include beautiful Scottish Deerhounds are particularly special to me. Wendy Hiller is terrific as the headstrong young lady bound and determined to marry a very rich older man and Roger Livesey perfect as the low-key local laird with lots of breeding, but little money.

This is a movie with tons of atmosphere. It's a great way to escape from our everyday lives here in the good old USA.

The first ten minutes are very dated, but keep watching, the romance is as inevitable and gratifying as the cavalry showing up in an old western. Wendy Hiller is as beautiful as she was in Pygmalian and Livesy gives the performance of a lifetime. The DVD extras are excellent. Scotland is ravishingly beautiful. A couples movie if ever there were one.

This is the first DVD I have reviewed. I do it because this is the most memorable film I have seen in years. It totally absorbed me. It is as good as other Dame Wendy Hiller films such as "Pygmalion". The DVD enhancement commentary, through the British Film Institute and a New Yorker film critic, and the location revisits are simply outstanding.

The fact that "Hearts and Minds" won an Oscar for best documentary speaks volumes about what the Hollywood establishment thought of Nixon's war in Vietnam and Cambodia by the early 1970s. It was an important film, a benchmark granddaddy to Michael Moore's documentaries "Roger and Me" and "Bowling for Coumbine."

The passage of thirty years exposes the film as an effective, but skewed propaganda film. No one is around to speak the Administration's position, unless you count the bullet-headed Westmoreland, whose banal comment that "the Vietnamese just don't value human life the way we do" is immediately skewered by scenes of a grieving Vietnamese mother trying to crawl into the grave of her dead son. The North Vietnamese are portrayed sympathetically, while American GIs come off as stoned-out waste cases.

I suppose, after years and years of being lied to by our government, we needed "Hearts and Minds" as an antidote, and the directors and producers of the movie were right to push the pendulum far to the left. It definitely is a valuable historical record of the war, and more importantly, the intellectual revulsion and rage against the war. The movie makes several sociological points, including the scene of the insane Midwestern high school football coach egging on and beating his rabid players. (This concept was later picked up in the opening high-school wresting scenes in the anti-war movie "Born on the Fourth of July" starring Tom Cruise.) .

Parents: The graphic real bordello scenes with acne-pocked American soldiers earned the "R"rating.

"Hearts and Minds" is not an objective work of history. The best historical documentary on the Indochina conflict from 1945 through 1975 is an out-of-print VHS series (available in a lot of libraries), Stanley Karnow's "Vietnam: The 10,000 Day War."

Peter Davis's 1974 documentary about the causes and effects of America's Vietnam War has been digitized and reissued after 25 years, and it is an invaluable touchstone for each of us.

Using war footage, newsreels, clips from Hollywood films, and interviews with officials, soldiers and Vietnamese, ex-CBS journalist Peter Davis and his team present a sobering view of American arrogance, misguided policy and dishonest government. (Sound like anything you've heard lately?)

Some of the most memorable scenes for me are: General Westmoreland's comment that the "Orientals" don't value life the same way we do, right after we see a Vietnamese boy mourning at his father's funeral; a Vietnamese coffin maker hammering nails into a child's coffin; Daniel Ellsberg, on trial at the time for releasing the Pentagon Papers, listing the lies told to the American people by five presidents -- Truman, Eisenhower, Kennedy, Johnson and Nixon; Charlie and Jerry, bored Air Force men cruising Saigon for entertainment; fitting prosthetic limbs onto veterans; Clark Clifford, Secretary of Defense from 1968-69, discussing the interviews that suddenly made him realize that the war could not be won; a father talking about how his son died for a worthwhile cause as his wife looks on. Shocking, also, is the revelation that the US offered France TWO ATOMIC BOMBS to use in their war with Indochina (later Vietnam)!! This film is heartbreaking and poignant, capturing the tragedy of lives caught up in madness.

Davis used interviews from people who supported or fought in the war; some later came to oppose the action while others continued to support it. A wonderful extra feature would have been to talk to those same interviewees today; instead, the only dvd extra is the director's commentary, but it is terrific. You hear what Davis's thoughts were in making the documentary and how his own perceptions changed over the years, the material he did get and the material he wasn't allowed to use, experiences he had during filming and the problems he had getting it released.

If you have this film on vhs or remember seeing it, you will love this crisp new print and enjoy Davis's insightful comments. If you have never seen it, you simply must. While this documentary doesn't have the benefit of hindsight, it does have the advantage of immediacy, being shot and released while the war was still being fought. The message: no one wins a war.

i came of age in the US during VietNam on the evening news. I had a favorite and influential uncle who spent 3 years fighting there. I was unprepared for how deeply the documentary effected me.

just get it and watch it.
and hopefully iraq does not become vietnam.

I really like the way the Yoga Zone is laid out. The instructor is very good and I can swear he sees my mistakes and corrects me sometimes. He's very intuitive. My only complaint is that I outgrew these DVD's rather quickly and I'm looking for something more challenging.

I am new to yoga and was hoping to start with a DVD set rather than one DVD because I tend to get bored very quickly with workout videos. This set is perfect. I have done each one and love how gently the instructor walks you through each series of exercises. He takes care to remind you about breathing, when each exhilation and inhalation should be occurring with each part of the exercise. He also makes note of why each exercise is beneficial to the body and mind. At the end of each video, he takes you through a meditation to relax and silence the mind after the body has been exercised thoroughly. I think I'm on the right track with yoga and this series helped me get there!

I've wasted a lot of money on tapes that were too hard to follow with pretentious instructors that make yoga out to be something only "special" people can understand. I love the tapes with Alan Finger. I do not agree that his accent is hard to understand at all.I find his voice and manner very soothing without boring me, and I bore easily.I am 43 and spent the last 20 years at home raising kids. I find that I feel great after these workouts and my ability to concentrate is MUCH better. This is great for people like me who live in the wilds of Michigan where there are no instructors.

Director Luis Bunuel is often described as a surrealist, but the word misapplied in reference to his later works; rather than present the viewer with an odd visual display, he prefers to first create a plausible reality and then progressively undercut it with an increasingly implausible series of events. Such is the case with the Academy Award-winning THE DISCREET CHARM OF THE BOURGEOISIE, which begins with four friends who arrive at their hosts' home only to discover they have arrived on the wrong night--a plausible situation. But before the film has run its course, Bunuel unravels his tale of a meal that never quite happens in the most unexpected ways imaginable.

The film works on several levels, mocking social conventions, the church, and eventually spilling its action into a series of overlapping nightmares in which various attempts to dine are frustrated by everything from the corpse of a restaurant manager in a nearby room to military manouvers. On one memorable occasion, the friends are invited to dine and are seated around an elegant table--when a curtain suddenly rises behind them and reveals them to be seated on a stage before a hostile audience!

The cast (which features Fernando Rey, Delphine Seyrig, Paul Frankeur, Bulle Ogier, Stephane Audran and Jean-Pierre Cassel as the constantly frustrated diners) plays with considerable aplomb, performing the most irrational scenes with a magnificent realism. When combined with Bunuel's absurdist story, the result is a disquieting yet often very funny discourse on frustrated appetites both real and imagined, and with many layers of incidental meaning along the way.

The DVD package is very nice, with the film in near-pristine condition and a host of interesting and often amusing extras, and Bunuel fans will consider it more than worth the rather hefty price-tag attached. But a word of caution to the uninitiated: Bunuel is not for those who seek a tidy plot line with clear-cut meanings. If you are not already a fan, you should probably begin with his equally complex but somewhat more accessible and considerably more subtle BELLE DE JOUR before diving off into DISCREET CHARM.

--GFT (Amazon reviewer)--

A scathing satire that's funny as well as satirical. Bunuel has a varied career, and it was wonderful to see him have sucess later in life with several of his last films. A great film by truly one of the world's great directors.

I won't bother suggesting any interpretations of this film; it is just too rich in meaning. My favorite things about this film are the deliberate artificiality of the sets (even in the allegedly realistic scenes); notice, too, the pervasive use of fleshtones and neutrals juxtaposed with a shocking flash of red on a wine bottle, a vase of flowers, the shutters of a house, or a barn door; finally, anyone who tries to take this film too seriously must realize that it is essentially a string of gags (as Bunuel himself described his method) that relies on a sense of irony and subtlety.

There is hardly a single element of the film that is conventional; this is part of the work Bunuel is doing on the audience. If you're looking for another rehash of all the familiar movie cliches, you WILL be dissapointed. If, however, you're looking for something creative and fresh, you will enjoy the non-linear narrative, the use of sound effects to convey meaning, artful camera work, and Bunuel's refusal to tie up the ending in a nice little bow.

The Criterion DVD transfer of this film is PHENOMENAL. The sound has no background noise and the menu graphics are top-notch. The 'Speaking of Bunuel' documentary on the second disc is very well done and worth watching more than once. The liner notes are impressive: glossy and colorful, yeah! There is no dissapointment involved with this DVD--no details were overlooked; now when is Criterion going to take over the out-of-print 'Belle de Jour' DVD??

My general comment is that this is a grand and beautiful movie. It is very entertaining. There have been some wonderful dance sequences in the movies, but none have surpassed "The Red Shoes Ballet" within this movie.

The rest of this review is rather esoteric, and I apologize for that, but it may be useful to those interested in Dance.

This is a must-have for anyone interested in Ballet History. While it is not a true story, Boris Lermontov is clearly based on Serge Diaghilev, down to the funny white streak in his hair. Moira Shearer playes the lead ballerina Victoria Page. Shearer, of Sadler's Wells, exhibits her geniune and compelling technique. The Lermontov/Page relationship echos that of Diaghilev and Nijinsky or perhaps Mr. B. and his girls. The crazy genius choreographer and dancer Leonide Massine has a wonderful part, and there is a little cameo appearance of Marie Rambert in the Mercury Theatre. See this movie and watch for other interesting parallels and tidbits!

The Red Shoes was inspired by the dark fairy tale of Hans Christian Anderson. Anderson's story involved a doomed heroine who puts on red shoes and dances against her will until she collapses and dies. This melodramatic tale is taken to 1940's London where Victoria Page (played by ballerina/actress Moira Sheer) meets with the perfectionist and successful impresario of a famous ballet company, Lentmontov. Victoria Page's rise to stardom is a must see for ballet fans. First in the corps de ballet (or chorus line) she meets with Lentmontov's approval and becomes an accomplished prima ballerina. The film is shot in various European locales- such as the Paris Opera in Paris where numerous ballets are performed, as well as the sunny coast of Monte Carlo. The rest of the film deals with Victoria's romance with the composer and orchestra conductor Julian. She is deeply in love with him, but torn between her desire for perfection in her own career (forced upon her by the demanding Lentmontov) and by her heart. Tragically, Victoria's fate is like the titular heroine in Anderson's fairy tale "The Red Shoes" and before our very eyes we are witness to her demise through dance. She literally dances to her death.

Highlights in the film include the various scenes from ballets such as Giselle, Swan Lake and Coppelia, but this film is mot famous for the captivating original ballet "The Red Shoes". Amidst dizzying neon lights and foreboding landscapes, Victoria Page dances with the red shoes until she dies and a funeral procession breaks out. But this, in the context of the film, is merely a metaphor. The Red Shoes represent the ballet, and most directly, Victoria Page's situation. She loves the ballet but she does not want to give up her true love with Julian. According to Lentmontov, one cannot be distracted by love. All that matters is the ballet. Victoria's indecision ultimately costs her life. This film is well made, beautiful to look at and provides us with excellent melodrama. Moira Sheer has appeared in other Powell and Pressburger films such as their version of "Tales Of Hoffman" in early 1950's. Five stars and a must see for ballet fans or just cinema fans interested in classic masterpieces that are not as acknowledged.

How to explain magic? Some movies have it but most don't. When I first saw this film long ago at the Hamilton Theater on the South Side of Chicago, I felt its enchantment almost from the first scene until the tragic conclusion. Frankly, at that age, I really didn't fully understand (much less appreciate) what I had just seen but I knew it was something quite special. And so it remains decades later. To some extent based on one of Hans Christian Andersen's tales, this film examines the brief and tragic career of a young ballerina, Victoria Page (Moira Shearer), who becomes an international celebrity following her performance of The Red Shoes while a member of the Lermontov Ballet Company. Shearer's performance is most credible when she dances, of course, but at least adequate when delivering her lines. The strongest performances are those of Marius Goring (Craster) and Anton Walbrook (Lermontov) who portray men in love with the same woman. The plot is really insignificant to the music and especially to the dancing. I also enjoy the exterior shots in London and Paris in the late-1940s. For me, the 15-minute ballet sequence is among the most enjoyable audiovisual experiences on film and was perhaps an inspiration for the extended dream sequence in An American in Paris three years later.

One final comment. Perhaps I have been spoiled by the quality of other DVDs (sound/image quality and/or special features) but nonetheless share the disappointment of others with the production quality of this DVD. The glitches are minor but a distraction.

This is a good film but the DVD leaves a LOT to be desired. English subtitles would help a lot. Bob Hoskins' accent is virtually incomprehensible to my American ears. Much of the dialogue in fact might as well have been in German (which I understand as well as I understand the language spoken in this movie).

The English actors playing the parts of Americans are rather amusing. They don't quite get the accents right. Hoskins' scene at the end when he lectures the Americans is particularly funny, because no American would actually have any idea what he was saying. It all seems like a skit on Saturday Night Live. Worth watching this movie just for that scene.

For the Americans unfamiliar with cockney slang:

grass: (n.) informant, snitch; (v.) to inform, to snitch
agro: agravation, trouble
bottle: nerve
boozer: bar/pub
wanker: masturbator
gob: (as a verb) to spit
nancy boy: homosexual

Non-slang:
abattoir: meat-packing plant
Special Branch: governmental unit responsible for dealing specifically with (among other things) "the Irish problem."

There are a bunch of other Cockney words as well and lots of glottal stops, but for the most part you're able to understand the dialogue that really matters. Yes, subtitles would probably help. It's an unfamiliar dialect and you need to tune your ear. (Actually, compared to real Cockney, it's pretty easily understood.) In fact, when I watched it again last night, I specifically paid attention to how much of the dialogue I understood and realized I was missing 1/3 to 1/2. And I could still figure out what was going on.

And this is definitely a film worth watching over and over and over again. The plot is, well, "twisty" only begins to describe it. In fact, this is one of those films in which you're put very much in the position of the hero. Little facts are revealed to you in seemingly inconsequential order. Like a jigsaw puzzle, it starts by working around the edges, and then working its way to the center. Because you generally know only what our hero, Harold Shand (Bob Hoskins in a masterfully controlled performance) knows, you are as astonished as he is when the truth is finally revealed. (In fact, The Long Good Friday presages much of what you experience in Memento, but it's the better film.)

What all this means is that you have to be patient with it. In the beginning, you're shown a series of apparently random scenes. Then, gradually, the whole comes together and the previous scenes suddenly make sense. It may be this gradual development of the story that makes this film so much fun to watch over and over again. I've now seen it twice in the past week and will probably sit down and watch it again in the next few days.

Yes, it's tough, it's violent, it's very, very complicated. Which is, of course, what makes it so much fun. (And let's not forget the brilliantly jangling musical score, reminiscent of The Third Man's famous zither.) If you're looking for arty capers like The Thomas Crowne Affair (either version), or witty elegant capers like To Catch a Thief or How to Steal a Million, look elsewhere. But if you like, say, The Killing, or the Godfather trilogy, this one might be right up your alley. Just don't go down it alone.

Bob Hoskins at his pre-famous best in this highly original film. With an outstanding cast (watch for a very young Pierce Brosnan) and supported by the enormously talented Helen Mirren. Definitely not for children.

I will say it up front. I have a "personal problem" with "boxed sets", which I liken to being stuck on a roadtrip with nothing to listen to but the driver's collection of homemade "awesome mix tapes". Perhaps a better analogy would be those wonderful package "choices" your local cable company gives you, where you inevitably end up paying for 63 home and garden channels you'll never watch just to get the 3 premium movie channels you REALLY want. Let's be honest, is the same Woody Allen fan who enjoys the gut-busting, 5-star laff-a-thons like "Bananas" and "Sleeper" going to stumble over "Annie Hall" and "Manhattan" (Allen at his peak) in his rush to get to the derivative, pretentious snore-fests "Interiors" and "Stardust Memories"? (I rest my case.) My vote is for "a-la-carte"...freedom of choice!

Hannah and Her Sisters. What is a Woody Allen collection without this amazing film? I just don't get it.

this is a great collection of movies-- a must have for fans of woody allen!

At the time of this writing, there was only one one-star review amidst the 5 and 4-star accolades. I'm writing this in support of the one who had the courage to stand alone against the cinematic intelligentsia who find powerful meaning and artistic beauty in this film.
After reading such superlatives as, "one of the most influencial films of all time", I had to check it out. I'll admit that I'm not a fan of foreign film in general and my exposure to older European cinema consists of "Metropolis","Night and Fog","The Seventh Seal" and "The Pasion of Joan of Arc", but I can appreciate each of them for their artistry and contribution to cinema. "Hiroshima Mon Amour" was to me, a failed experiment.
On the surface, it seems to be a story about a self-absorbed French nymphomaniac, Elle, slowly loosing her mind as she reveals her past to a casual sex partner, Lui, that she's just met in Hiroshima. They're both "happily married", which in 1959 apparently meant that all adulterous encounters were limited to one-night stands. In spite of their powerful connection, they both know that a lasting relationship is out of the question. As she pours her heart out to him in a bar, sometimes she talks about the past as if it were the present, other times she doesn't. She describes a forbiddden love affair with a German soldier (during WWII) and how she was tortured by her family because of it; someone shaves her head and confines her in a cellar. She talks to Lui as if she is reliving her past and he is the German soldier. So what does Lui ask her after hearing this? He wants to know if it ever rained. She replies, "Along the walls". What have these people been smoking? Director Resnais fails utterly to make any of this understandable. I've read that this story is about memory and how without it, we can't know that we exist. If you suddenly woke up with your memory wiped clean, you'd be mightily confused, but you'd know that you exist; "I think, therefore I am". In the film, Lui says to Elle, "In a few years when I have forgotten you...I'll remember you as the symbol of love's forgetfulness". I'll remember when I've forgotten?? You're a symbol of love's forgetfulness...whom I remember?? Yeah, OK, now if I can just remember to forget this film.

Forget the remarks of the idiot below. If you fall into the general camp of obvious lame brains such as that piffling specimen (who obviously 'missed the point') then yes, indeed, steer clear. I happened to think it is one of the most remarkable films I've seen. Watch the DVD, listen to the commentary and read the accompanying booklet for further elucidation- and expose the turnip head below for what he is.

Hiroshima mon amour is a unique film. This is the grafting of cinema technique with literature. In a unique collaboration between director Alain Resnais and novelist Margaurite Duras one of the truly landmark films of the 20th Century was born.

This is a story about beginnings and endings about rebirth following tragedy. Moreover this is a story about memory. Fifteen years after the atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima a film crew arrives to make a film about peace. The actress in this film meets and has an intense affair with a Japanese man she meets in a bar on the night before she is to return to France.

In a startling series of flashbacks we learn of her love for a German soldier that left her ostracized in her native Nevers, France. The story, which all takes place in a twenty four hour period is striking because of its emotional impact. The atomic bomb destroyed Hiroshima and the WWII romance destroyed the womans life. Now is the time to grow and to be reborn. Rebirth takes place through a confrontation with our memories of the past. A facing of the things that made us what we are. This is the sense the viewer takes from this film.

The Criterion DVD has an excellent transfer of the print which is presented in its original monural sound. The extras on the disc deserve a look. There is an excellent commentary by film historian Peter Cowie that helps to explain the marriage of film and literature between Resnais and Duras while offering some anecdotal technical information. Also included are vintage interviews with Alain Resnais and star Emmanuelle Reve. A 2003 interview with Reve is a highlight of the disc and should not be missed. The annotated selections of the script are also worth a brief look.

Anyone interested in the history of film should do themselves a favor and view this important film classic.

After five minutes of watching this DVD, you'll have an idea of how the rest of the DVD is. There is no story in any of the films. If I see another film about string, it'll be too soon. This DVD should have a rating of 0 stars, unless you like films about pocket lint.

DON'T drink + drive and watch this GREAT astonishing piece of ART.

'natch that's what it is .... never seen this before eh?

SO, just obServe the works of Tim Burton and Mr. David Lynch .....

hmmmm.......

'le rue de krokodil' is just one xmpl.

SPLENDID! SPLENDID and MORE Splendid - Luis Bunel and Mr. Dali would applaud[e] with their hearbeats!

Warning! People who have been brought up on western pop culture i.e. coka-cola, budweiser, disney, hollywood, CNN, or any other vestiges of the more than dead North American imperial structure, will generally lack the wit necessary to enjoy these films. The depth of criticism credited to our 'one star reviewers' section, thus far, stops at the word 'wierd'. These people understand nothing about the power of visual imagery wether in motion or hanging on the wall(unless it has a Gap logo attached to it). The same people probably hate anything creative or visionary much prefering the overt violent rush and stupidity of a Bruce Willis movie. On the other hand, anyone who has in some way or another managed to break out of the general cycle of mickey mouse brainwashing will find these films to be a stunning aesthetic experience. The tales are profound, dealing with the harsh alienation of a post industrial world. These films are perhaps part of the trajectory of 'isolationist' art wich include the great writers Kafka, Dostoievski and Melleville. These short stories warn us of the dangers of power, the writers of history, misanthropy, 'civilization'. every piece is critical and beautiful. don't be fooled by people who want fast food culture!

Grumpy Old Men is probably one of the best movies of both Jack Lemmon and Walter Matthau and the DVD for this funny, delightful movie should also be available in the original aspect ratio in wide-screen not just in the edited full-screen. There are movies that are really bad that have wide-screen DVDs but a great movie like this doesn't and that's just not right! The 1 star is for the crummy DVD not the movie!

I just love this movie, it is really funny. Watch this movie you will not be disappointed. From the opening to the outtakes during the credits this movie will have you laughing out load.

In 1993 Jack Lemmon and Walter Matthau played their best roles in this movie together. This movie, "Grumpy Old Men" is a MASTERPIECE! It's funny, joyfull, and heartwarming. These two were the perfect match for an EXCELLENT movie like this. The plot of the movie is great. The setting of cold and snowy Wabasha, MN was a the perfect setting.

The movie starts out on a snowy morning with two rivaling neighbors John Gustufson (Lemmon) and Max Goldman (Matthau). These two have been at each other's throats since they were kids. They always insult each other like calling each other a putz, a moron, or even a schmuck and other rude names. Whatever the two do they compete against each other to be better. One of those things they compete against is they both ice fish everyday and Max always ends up with more fish than John. So one day after they finish fishing, Max has half a dozen fish and John only has two. So Max of course picks on him and John throws one of his dead fishes into Max's car which causes a terrible stench.

That night John is watching the lottery and Max has the same T.V. remote so while John's watching the numbers Max over in the next window switches the channel. Then John switches it back then Max does it again and again. Finally John finds out it's Max and Max's son Jake (Pollak) opens the window to make him apologize and when Max goes to the window, John sprays his garden hose at him. Will these two ever stop fighting?

Then the rivalry takes another step up when a beautiful new neighbor Ariel (Ann-Margret) moves in and catches the attention of Max and John. Ariel is a lovely, warm-hearted, spirited woman who Max and John start fighting over. Max takes her ice fishing where she catches a 3-foot fish that she actually THROWS BACK before Max can take a picture of it. Then John and Ariel have dinner together and then go snowmobiling together and eventually sleep together. MAX IS FURIOUS!!!

Now Max and John are out fishing and Max is thinking of how to seek revenge. So John is in his shanty when it starts moving. He looks out the window and Max is moving it with his car heading straight for THIN ICE. John jumps out and his shanty is sunk. Of course Max is in his car chanting, "Yeah!" The two finally have a brawl and John is convinced that Max deserves Ariel more than he does because John can't support her because his house is about to be taken away from the IRS.

Will John get her or will Max? This movie is a great comedy everyone can enjoy. It's very touching and loving and is full of laughs. Your comedy collection is not complete without "Grumpy Old Men." This is a 5-Star MASTERPIECE!