Associate Members Movie Reviews

The sets, the costumes and the dancing were indeed amazing. The singing was also quite good, but the singers (with the exception of Liu) did not seem very engaged in the story. The staging added to this impression. I believe the stage director was attempting to emulate Chinese theater by making the movement stylized, but I don't think that was a good idea with this opera. Turandot and Calaf are difficult to like under any conditions and in this production they didn't even seem human. This DVD is well worth seeing for the sets, the costumes, the dancing, and Liu's wonderful death scene, but if you only intend to own one version I recommend instead the version with Eva Marton as Turandot and Placido Domingo as Calaf. They almost make it seem that the main characters deserved their happy ending.

This is probably the most unique and most spectacular opera production of Puccini's "Turandot", plus being staged at the Forbidden City in Beijing, this also could be the most authentic "Turandot" ever produced. Zhang Yimou's stage direction has mingled large amount of Chinese traditional culture elements - Chinese martial art, Chinese dance, Peking Opera, Chinese calligraphy, dazzling Chinese ancient costumes (all hand-embroidered on silks and satins), Chinese drums, Jiaozi (Chinese sedan chair), even the young Chinese Buddhist monks played by dozens of young kids - to enrich its realism, although on the other hand, they somewhat sidetracked the essence of the story and weakened the characters. A bit of over-display by juxtaposing the Chinese tradition, one might feel, however, for Chinese culture novice, this is a very good demonstration. And again, Zhang didn't forget the moon, which seems to be his favor in any of his works.

The main cast, unfortunately, is hard to stand out in such a grand production and on such a huge stage, well maybe with Barbara Frittoli's Liu as an exception. She sings beautifully and wholeheartedly, and she acts. Sergej Larin has a brilliant voice, but his "Nessun dorma" lacks the intensity if compared to Pavarotti's. Turandot is portrayed by Italian soprano Ciovanna Casolla, who sings the character quite well, but hard to fit in the image of a Chinese princess. The three ministers, each of them holding a prop that's kind of confusing: a woman's handkerchief, a calabash (used as wine bottle in old China), and a Chinese abacus, are good to listen but not really nice to watch.

Although relatively highly priced, this DVD has loads of bonus material, including a nice quality PCM audio track of the entire production. After all, this is all about Puccini's music, and Zubin Mehta and the Orchestra & Chorus of Maggio Musicale Fiorentino have made it all the more worthwhile.

Though this may not be the best recording of Turandot ever released, it is arguably the best DVD of a live performance to date. The crew lensed the performance with careful attention to dramatic detail -- we are taken from the grand sweep of authentic Chinese spectacle to almost claustrophobic close-ups of soloists, then back again, all timed with excrutiating precision to the soundtrack. The widescreen presentation captures much of the grandeur of the original performance as I remember it (one of the few bonuses of my previous career was an ability to travel to events such as this) and the sound quality is superb. Sergej Larin's Calaf is competently respectable and Barbara Frittoli stands among the great Pings on record. The PCM Audio track is superb, though the enthusiast should be aware that it lacks some of the clarity of the audio CD on some of the larger numbers. Although conductor Mehta's sometimes heavy hand is apparent in the pomp of the production, it is in the backstage photos (over 100) and the "Making of" vignette that we see his disarming charm work to bring together not only the cast and crew, but the many Chinese officials attached to the project. This DVD is a genuine pleasure for any fan of live opera, and for the enthusiast, it beautifully records a unique moment in opera history when Italian composer Puccini's famed Turandot "came home" to China. David R. Bannon, Ph.D.; author "Race Against Evil."

This movie is definitely not for those who want to sit back and mindlessly consume a story. This brilliant movie is thought provoking, annoying, disturbing at times and quite bizarre. Those who have a knowledge of cinematography will appreciate this film, or anyone interested in the art of film making. The best way for me to truly discribe this surreal peice of work is to say, take your weirdest dream that made absolutely no sense to you upon waking - and you have the essence of Drowning by Numbers. Just when you think you understand what is happening, or going to happen, the story changes tact and you are hurled back into a state of confusion. I thoroughly enjoyed this film and could watch it again and again. I'm sure I would discover things I had missed during previous viewings. However, I was the only person out of approximately 20 people who didn't find the film either boring or stupid. My advice is to watch it atleast once and see if you can spot the numbers from 1-100. It's definitely an experience - whether you enjoy it or hate it.

SYNOPSIS: A woman, Cassie, decides to rid herself of her husband after she catches him cheating on her. Her two daughters, also named Cassie, follow suit by drowning their own husbands. All three of these women think they can get away with the crimes because they're friends with the local coroner, Madgett. Madgett, with plans of his own, rules all the deaths 'natural,' but blackmails the three women: trading his silence for their sexual favors. The three Cassie's, however, have a different idea. . .

VERDICT: Peter Greenaway is certainly one of the more decadent filmmakers and he spares no expense in getting even the smallest of things to work. More concerned with 'art' than narrative, Greenaway always comes up with very interesting characters and somehow creates films that seem to defy critique (because of this, he is not for everyone.) His masterpiece, The Cook, The Thief, His Wife, And Her Lover, is a better place to start if you haven't seen any of his films, but Drowning by Numbers isn't bad either ( I found it to be more entertaining than Cook/Thief/Wife/Lover.)

This film is shot and designed beautifully with meticulous sets that take the viewer someplace else -- where this 'someplace else' is exactly, I can't really say. The film is also quite funny (the closer you pay attention, the more humorous it is.) On top of this is a great score by composer Michael Nyman.

If you are a Greenaway fan, pick this one up. If you haven't seen any Greenaway films you probably shouldn't buy this; rent it first instead (or perhaps Cook/Thief/Wife/Lover.) But Greenaway is someone every serious cinephile should explore, and if you come out a fan, your exploration will be worthwhile and Greenaway's vision hard to equal.

I never met anyone who was lukewarm about a Peter Greenaway film--you either love them or hate them. Obviously, since I gave "Drowning By Numbers" 5 stars, I am a fan.

"Drowning By Numbers" is a complex film about three women all named Cissie who each decide--for a variety of reasons--to drown their husbands. One husband is unfaithful; another is cruel, inattentive, and sexually inadequate, and the third is a boring physical and intellectual inferior. Death may seem an extreme solution to these husbandly inadequacies, but this is, after all, a Greenaway film, and that means you can expect excess, death and destructive passion.

Each woman is aided and abetted in her crime by Madgett (Bernard Hill) the local coroner--a chocolate pudding-addicted dyspeptic who does "favours" (turns a blind eye to murder) in the vain hope that the women will reward him with sexual favours.

Smut (Jason Edwards) is Madgett's son, and he too is obsessed with death. He numbers the road kill he finds daily with different coloured paints--yellow on Tuesdays, and red on Saturdays, for example, and he lets off fireworks as a sort of celebration of death. Madgett and Smut even go as far as researching deaths caused by cricket balls--with Smut playing the famous cricketeers killed. Madgett marks the "wounds" in each case with tape and then photographs Smut as they recreate each cricketing death, and Madgett solemnly announces that "games are dangerous." Smut is in love with the daughter of the local prostitute who jumps rope and counts the stars.

Smut and Madgett are also both obsessed with games, and Smut acts as a voice-over explaining the rules of various games--Dead Man's Catch, Hangman's Cricket, Dawn Card Castles, Flights of Fancy or Reverse Strip Jump. Games are played in the film by various characters. Numbers also play a large role in this film, and they appear throughout the film, sometimes the characters or objects are marked with numbers--not in every scene-- until the end which brings us to one hundred.

Another of Greenway's favourite themes--the supernatural power of women--is not neglected in this film. The women often seem to appear in rooms without actually entering them, and of course, in this film, men are dispensable and superfluous. Also women use the force of nature to gain their desires--specifically in this film, the Cissies use water as a means of power and destruction of their enemies.

Greenway is considered a somewhat controversial and experimental British Renaissance film director, and he makes the most complex, and the most beautiful films I have ever seen--displacedhuman--Amazon reviewer

We have both Animal Numbers and the Animal Alphabet (which is the better of the two) and enjoy both. Time Life put these out and they do have some fantastic animal footage that is both entertaining and educational. Our 4 year old absolutely loves both DVDs to the point of exhaustion. Our 2 year old gets a little bored because they are a little too advanced for him. Both videos use animals to express the concepts of numbers or letters. Through repetition and humor, the child learns sequencing in this video. Although I recommend the Alphabet Numbers DVD, IMHO the Animal Alphabet is far superior and would be an asset to any child's DVD collection.

It's an interesting approach at what people will do for money. Still, I hated it. John Travolta was terrible [as usual]. Lisa Kudrow, who was the reason I watched this, was so incredibly unlike her role on "Friends" as she was a murderous goldigging nympho-biatch who made you mad every time she was on screen. I was very disappointed with her performance. I can't believe this hilarious comedic actress went for such a ... part. The other supporting actors were no good either with the exception of Bill Pullman, who was pretty funny as the "I could give a damn about it" cop. The best thing about this movie though, is the cute, gullible waitress named Wendy who's only on screen about five minutes throughout the entire film. Anyway, skip this one. It was just plain awful.

"What was he thinking?" was all I could think while watching this ... This is, without a doubt, John Travolta's worst movie since 1978's Moment by Moment with Lily Tomlin. The script is [weak] and the performances are lackluster. Lisa Kudrow, as in every role she plays, is downright annoying with her ever present snarling lip. Travolta is too talented an actor to waste his time on [stuff]like this. It's more suited to a ...comic like Rob Schneider or Adam Sandler. Director Nora Ephron also loses some credibility for having anything to do with this film. ...

Not only was the movie set in Harrisburg, most of it was filmed in Harrisburg, as well as the suburbs(Palmyra, Hampden Township and Wormleysburg) and is loosely based on the Real Lottery scam in Pennsylvania on April 24, 1980 when the Daily Pick 3 game was rigged by the station announcer in Pittsburgh (the Late Nick Perry, who I had the pleasure of growing up watching do various bowling programs. In Pittsburgh, "Bowling for dollars aired immediately after the drawing on Channel 4, WTAE.) Just like in the movies all but the #4 and #6 balls were injected with paint, and 6-6-6 came up. The drawings were moved to WHP-TV (channel 21) the next day, where State Officials kept a better eye on things. Nick and the stage hands at channel 4 went to Jail (here in Camp Hill).

So the story was as advertised, amusing, not great; and it was great to see big time celebreties visit town. Especially Ed O'neill. Those of us who lived in Harrisburg for a long time will get the inside jokes, and geographic references. My wife yelled at me, when I was over-commenting, finding bloopers, and trying to pick out the local scenery, most of which had buildings remodeled, and again shot outside of Harrisburg in the suburbs. So some of the local bloopers showed Russ trying to drive the truck down Route 22 and Devonshire Road (in Downtown Colonial Park, where I live), and it wrecked. Was he trying to get to I-81 or I-83? Not the way to get to Colorado from Harrisburg. Eighteen wheelers don't go down Devonshire Road (winding and hilly and two-laned)too well, and Rt. 22 at that intersection is a 6-lane divided highway. There is actually an auto dealer at that corner, but was not used in the filming.

Like I said us locals caught some of the inside jokes (like the Perry County School Teacher who locked the student in the broom closet, and the mobster from Linglestown), which made the movie more enjoyable than the critics gave it credit for.

For those who don't know although there is no channel 6 in Harrisburg, there is (sort of) well, was really WTPA-TV. WTPA-Radio is still on the air. New owners years ago changed the call letters to WHTM, and is actually channel 27. Keeping that in mind, Al Bundy, er, Dick Simmons comments on real-life then WTPA now WHTM weatherman Chuck Rhoades, who has a breif cameo in the movie, and on whom Travolta's character is loosely based (Actually Bill Murray's wheaterman in Groundhog Day is closer to the real Chuck Rhoades, a thirty year fixture on local TV). To me, Chuck is the big star in the movie, even though he is eeen from a distance for a few seconds. Chuck's best acting job to date. And he wasn't acting! That clip is from 1988 when the movie was set, when Harrisburg had one of its biggest heatwaves ever. Anothe Harrisburg weatherman, Don Rooney has a cameo scene at the TV station.

When the movie was filmed out here, it was the biggest deal to hit Harrisburg , since the Three Mile Island accident. Yes, Harrisburg is really like that-- and Denny's is the Classiest Bistro in Town, at least the one in Hampden Township (US Rte. 11--where JT is seen jaywalking to the Evergreen (actually Hampden) Diner.

All in all an enjoyable movie for us in Harrisburg.

sandra bullock has plugged into a hollywood formula, apparently cashing in......a schlocky script, her angst driven role to out-do the men around her- while she is distant, obsessed, lonely, (with moments of nigh unto tenderness), indulging in shallow sexual encounters and close to a bottle of beer or scotch.
think about it, as far as anybody knows, Bullock in real life is a 37 or 38 single woman, without children, and hey, not bad looking, (she does get a lot mileage with those big brown eyes),
and running her own production company. I don't see the positive role models for young women in Bullock's roles.
How stupid was the script for Miss Congeniality? And again, out to prove that the boys are wrong. Sure, she kicks some male butt in the movies, shows herself exceptionally brainy, but carries huge amounts of emotional baggage. And there is always the confrontational scene when she is given the low-down on
why she is such an annoyance. She rebounds and wins the day.

Yaawwwwwwwwwwwnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn, Sandra.

I tend to shy away from movies, but the acting performances here, along with the plot itself, changed my mind! Sandra Bullock does an excellent job portraying an out-of-character damaged detective. She and her partner spar throughout the film, all which creates exchanges of acting genius.

The overly psychological aspects of the film are what make it such an excellent presentation. From two suburban boys of varying personalities, to investigators in the same predicament, Murder by Numbers is chillingly entrancing. It offers an escape to a sinister world of corruption, greed, and selfishness, with bits of action intertwined. The movie will keep you awake, and you'll be grateful, for you'll be able to pick out the many hidden nuances peppered through-out the two hours.

First off, this is one of the few movies in which all the characters are acted out to perfection. Ryan Gosling and Michael Pitt play manipulator and victim, respectively. Gosling is so good in this movie, you are disturbed yet awed by the fact that an innocent-looking guy like Gosling can entice, humiliate, and commit someone to murder. This movie is so psychological; there are many different nuances that are so fun to pick out. You can be repulsed by what the boys have done, and by the scenes that show their violence, but you can't help getting drawn into their world and feeling sorry for at least Michael Pitt's character when they face the consequences of their actions.

As for Sandra Bullock's portrayl of emotionally damaged Cassie Mayweather - I thought she did an excellent job. Sandra is America's Sweetheart, and yet she plays Cassie so perfectly - with her subtle humor and aggressive personality. One of the reasons the movie is so well done is because it can at once make you chuckle, cringe, gasp, or cheer, and make you feel a thousand other emotions you won't be able to put your finger on. The people who gave this movie bad reviews did not look into the movie deep enough, and could not appreciate the psychological elements that give the movie its power. The only complaint I can make is that there are not enough extras. I was hoping for at least deleted scenes, but no. Oh well, this review is for the movie only anyway.

sandra bullock has plugged into a hollywood formula, apparently cashing in......a schlocky script, her angst driven role to out-do the men around her- while she is distant, obsessed, lonely, (with moments of nigh unto tenderness), indulging in shallow sexual encounters and close to a bottle of beer or scotch.
think about it, as far as anybody knows, Bullock in real life is a 37 or 38 single woman, without children, and hey, not bad looking, (she does get a lot mileage with those big brown eyes),
and running her own production company. I don't see the positive role models for young women in Bullock's roles.
How stupid was the script for Miss Congeniality? And again, out to prove that the boys are wrong. Sure, she kicks some male butt in the movies, shows herself exceptionally brainy, but carries huge amounts of emotional baggage. And there is always the confrontational scene when she is given the low-down on
why she is such an annoyance. She rebounds and wins the day.

Yaawwwwwwwwwwwnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn, Sandra.

I tend to shy away from movies, but the acting performances here, along with the plot itself, changed my mind! Sandra Bullock does an excellent job portraying an out-of-character damaged detective. She and her partner spar throughout the film, all which creates exchanges of acting genius.

The overly psychological aspects of the film are what make it such an excellent presentation. From two suburban boys of varying personalities, to investigators in the same predicament, Murder by Numbers is chillingly entrancing. It offers an escape to a sinister world of corruption, greed, and selfishness, with bits of action intertwined. The movie will keep you awake, and you'll be grateful, for you'll be able to pick out the many hidden nuances peppered through-out the two hours.

First off, this is one of the few movies in which all the characters are acted out to perfection. Ryan Gosling and Michael Pitt play manipulator and victim, respectively. Gosling is so good in this movie, you are disturbed yet awed by the fact that an innocent-looking guy like Gosling can entice, humiliate, and commit someone to murder. This movie is so psychological; there are many different nuances that are so fun to pick out. You can be repulsed by what the boys have done, and by the scenes that show their violence, but you can't help getting drawn into their world and feeling sorry for at least Michael Pitt's character when they face the consequences of their actions.

As for Sandra Bullock's portrayl of emotionally damaged Cassie Mayweather - I thought she did an excellent job. Sandra is America's Sweetheart, and yet she plays Cassie so perfectly - with her subtle humor and aggressive personality. One of the reasons the movie is so well done is because it can at once make you chuckle, cringe, gasp, or cheer, and make you feel a thousand other emotions you won't be able to put your finger on. The people who gave this movie bad reviews did not look into the movie deep enough, and could not appreciate the psychological elements that give the movie its power. The only complaint I can make is that there are not enough extras. I was hoping for at least deleted scenes, but no. Oh well, this review is for the movie only anyway.

Totally lame! Not only am I bored, but so is my 21 month old son. We got this video in a set with "Do the Alphabet" and he loves that one, but won't even sit through 2 minutes of this one. Don't waste your money.

This is the first Sesame Street Dvd that our 16 month old actively dislikes. A series of older sesame street cartoons are strung together very loosely by Telly, Elmo and two kids on a computer generated background. There is really little action from the characters themselves - no real dialogue or singing or anything which is what my son really enjoys. So, this one was a loser in our household. If you child prefers the cartoons to the actual characters, it could be the perfect dvd for you though...

I was disapointed with the alphabet jungle, but was glad to see more of Elmo in this one & characters in this one, plus it's pretty catchy. My child loves the Sesame street t.v. show, and I was hoping that this video, would be more like it, but overall I'm fairly please with this one.