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Get Shorty Discount.

March 25th, 2011 | Author: Brian

Get Shorty Discount.

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Amazon Price: $2.99

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Get Shorty Description:

Amazon Sales Rank: #11772 in Movie
Released on: 2010-01-14
Rating: R (Restricted)
Running time: 105 minutes

Customer Reviews:

Chili Palmer: Shylock, Movie Producer
A loan shark from Florida, who loves movies and winds up in Hollywood on a collection job, decides to take a shot at the movie business while he’s there, in “Get Shorty,” directed by Barry Sonnenfeld. Dark humor and richly textured characters drive this story of Chili Palmer (John Travolta), the shylock from Miami Beach who aspires to a life beyond keeping a book for thugs, in this faithful adaptation of the Elmore Leonard novel. When circumstances take him to Las Vegas to look for one Leo Devoe (David Paymer), a dry-cleaner in debt up to his eyeballs who blew town after an airline scam, Chili goes on to Hollywood to do a favor for the casino operator who tipped him off as to Leo’s whereabouts. The “favor” is contacting film director Harry Zimm (Gene Hackman) who has payment overdue on a note issued to him by the casino. Zimm has made a name for himself (at least in his own mind) by directing horror movies; but he’s not the sharpest tool in the shed. Ultimately, Chili gets involved with Zimm and actress Karen Flores (Rene Russo), who has starred in some of Zimm’s horror flicks, as well as with two time Academy Award nominee Martin Weir (Danny DeVito), the “shorty” of the title. Chili is finally in his element, but his Miami Beach days are not yet behind him; there’s still some settling up to do according to one Ray “Bones” Barboni (Dennis Farina), owner of the book kept by Chili in Florida. Travolta not only goes the distance here, but creates a definitive character in Chili; even as Sean Connery is James Bond, and Basil Rathbone is Sherlock Holmes, Travolta “is” Chili Palmer. With nuance and charisma, he does this guy from the inside out. He has the look and the mannerisms; he walks the walk and talks the talk. And nobody in the history of the cinema has used a cigarette as a prop better than he does in this movie. It’s a commanding, Oscar-worthy performance, every bit as good (possibly even better) than the role of Vincent he created in “Pulp Fiction.” His presence simply dominates the film, and he’s up against some stiff competition, because this movie is filled with great characters. Not only Hackman, who does a terrific job as Zimm, but Russo, who sizzles, and DeVito, who adds some real flair as the “Movie Star,” and Farina, whose toughness and lack of wit make him a memorable character. Also exceptional are Delroy Lindo, as Bo Catlett, a thug and wanna-be movie producer, James Gandolfini, as “Bear,” a stuntman who works with Catlett, and Jon Gries as Ronnie, a “Hollywood” style tough guy who also works with Catlett. Sonnenfeld did a great job of bringing this world of “Get Shorty” to life. The story is interesting and delivered with outstanding dialogue and plenty of action, all of which Sonnenfeld keeps moving at a perfect pace and with impeccable timing. This is one thoroughly enjoyable, funny movie that absolutely begs for a sequel. In recommending it, I have to borrow one of Chili Palmer’s best lines: “Look at me.” Because that says it all. This is one movie you don’t want to miss.

Witty, funny movie gets the “special” treatment
It takes a loan shark leading the way to make Hollywood honest. “Get Shorty” returns in a new 2 disc “Collector’s Edition” DVD just in time for the sequel “Too Cool” which will be premiering in theaters in March. Translating Elmore Leonard’s novels to the screen can be a tricky business luckily both screenwriter Scott Frank and director Barry Sonnenfeld are both up to the task with an inventive dark comedic film. Chili Palmer (John Travolta) heads west to collect a debt from down-and-out B-movie producer Harry Zimm (Gene Hackman). When Harry can’t pay, Chili opts to help him make a movie about, well, Chili Palmer. The catch is that Chili and Harry need a star to make their movie viable. Chili quickly finds that the film business shares a lot in common with the world of organized crime. Chili romances B-Movie queen Karen Flores (Rene Russo) an ex- of Harry’s and persuades film star Martin Weir (Danny DeVito) to star in the film but not before running into a Cadillac of very funny mishaps along the way. Featuring a great performances from Dennis Farina as the clueless Ray `Bones’ Barboni, Travolta, Hackman, Russo, DeVito and a pre-Sopranos James Gandolfini, “Get Shorty” positively sparkles with wit and energy.

Sporting a new high definition transfer “Get Shorty” looks simply marvelous. With a sharp looking transfer showing a minimum of digital artifacts and no analog flaws, “Get Shorty” deserves the deluxe treatment. The image has amazing depth and an image sharper than Chili’s aim. The colors practically leap out from the screen brighter than Harry Zimm’s blindingly white teeth from the moment the pink and blue titles pop up on the screen until the moment we hear “cut” at the end. With blacks richer and darker than Chili’s stolen coat, MGM has done a superb job of translating this modern classic to DVD. The crystal clear sound comes across with more presence than B-Movie queen Karen Flores’ screams.

Extras are exceptionally good in this “Special Edition”. It’s like having seconds of a terrific desert; while no one really needs it, it’s great to have just the same. We get a number of notable extras as part of this rich meal. The second disc has three featurettes on different aspects of the film, the deleted “Graveyard Scene”, outtakes, the “Get Shorty” party reel, a documentary from Bravo Channel on the making of the movie and a sneak peak at “Be Cool”. “Get Shorty: Look at Me” opens the book on how Elmore Leonard came up with the plot for “Get Shorty” and developed the idea. DeVito, Travolta, Hackman, Russo, Sonnenfeld and other key cast and crew participate in this featurette on the production of the film. Full of clips from the movie to illustrate the points made throughout the featurette, it’s a great summation of the greatness of this film. It’s a 30 minute love fest reminding fans why they love this movie so much. The 20 minute “Get Shorty: Wise Guys and Dolls” focuses on the fun, complex characters of the movie. “The Graveyard Scene” featurette allows Sonnenfeld to comment on the single deleted scene of the movie included the hilarious, well, graveyard scene. Featuring a funny cameo with Ben Stiller, Sonnenfeld clearly regretted cutting the scene but Sonnenfeld couldn’t find a place for sequence where it fit. The behind-the-scenes stuff and interviews last longer than the actual scene itself. “Going Again” features footage from outtakes and a discussion from Sonnenfeld about the technique of using long takes, pulling out the best bits and putting it together to make magic. The sneak peak for “Be Cool” promises that the sequel to “Get Shorty” promises to be as funny as the first film. Set in the music business, it may not be more than a promo piece for the film but it gives viewers enough of a taste to rope `em in.

Bravo’s “Page to Screen” documentary featuring Peter Gallagher features plenty of interviews with critics, other writers and focuses as much on how Elmore Leonard comes up with the material in his books, writes them and, once again, takes us behind-the-scenes of the production of the movie. The real treat is hearing from the real Chili Palmer discussing the “reel” Chili Palmer and Leonard’s character. The “Party Reel” mainly consists of bits and piece of cut footage and behind-the-scenes stuff nothing earth shattering or all that funny. In addition to the “Get Shorty” theatrical trailer and we get two promos one for “Fargo” and one for “The Good, The Bad and The Ugly”. My only complaint is the MGM “promo” opener that they put on ALL of their DVDs. It’s annoying and, unfortunately, there’s no way to pass it by. It’s a pretty minor issue but the fact that it’s on all of their DVDs makes it a real pain.

A dry, witty commentary by Barry Sonnenfeld highlights this disc. The only drawback is the lack of participation of Travolta, Hackman, Russo and DeVito. I realize they have busy schedules but it would have been a real highlight and perfect addition to this DVD.

A hip, funny comedy that continues to deliver in spades, “Get Shorty” looks terrific, sounds great and has some terrific special features. This is an example of a re-release that’s worth upgrading. Definitely worth owing on DVD and purchasing a second time if you love the movie. This IS the version to own.

You Just Got to Get “Get Shorty”!
“Get Shorty ” in my opinion is one of the most hilarious send ups of the Hollywood movie industry ever put to film.Director, Barry Sonnenfeld and writer, Elmore Leonard have put their talents together to create a satirical film, which ‘takes no prisoners’ in its look at the underhanded ways, that folks wheel and deal to get movies made.The film centers on a charismatic mobster (John Travolta), who while on a trip to L.A., decides to switch careers. He wants to make movies!This is not as far fetched as it seems. Apparently being a movie producer isn’t that far of a jump from being a loan shark or racketeer! Along the way Chilly meets up with with a schlock movie producer, a scream queen, a L.A. hood and his henchman, another mobster from Miami and finally the ‘Shorty’ (a self-involved, superstar actor)of the film’s title. All of them underestimate Chilly and think he is just a dumb hood, who can be conned out of some major, illegal money waiting in a locker at the L.A. airport. But Chilly seems to know all the right moves and plays everyone at their own game.Writer, Elmore Leonard wrote this fast paced, witty story after experiencing a real life, frustrating job of trying to write a script for vertically challenged actor, Dustin Hoffman… Revenge must be sweet, because it inspired a great piece of comic writing.The cast of actors in this movie is wonderful. Normally, I’m not the biggest John Travolta fan, but his take on mobster, Chilly Palmer is electrifying. Travolta plays the character with a swagger, confindence, and a smile that is sheer perfection! Gene Hackman is also hilarious as the sleaziest of sleazy Hollywood producers. This guy would sell out his own mother if it ment getting a piece of the gross!.Finally, Danny DeVito just makes this movie with his send up of every spoiled rotten, self-indulgent Hollywood actor that could ever come to mind. Kudos should also go for great, comic supporting roles from James Gandolfini and Dennis Farina.For an evening of some very funny Hollywood satire, I recommend you to get…”Get Shorty”!

Posted in Videos On Demand | Tags: actor, actress, collector, Director, Queen | Comments Closed

Streaming West Side Story Online

March 24th, 2011 | Author: Brian

Streaming West Side Story Online.

Movie Title: West Side Story
Average customer review:

West Side Story is available for streaming or downloading.

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Wow. What a enormous DVD.

The one hour documentary featuring interviews with some of the cast, Robert Wise, Harold Prince, Sondheim, and some key crew members is completely bright. Home movie footage showing the filming of the movie is included. Examples of the techniques that the movie makers obsolete to film a musical are inviting. I was amazed that the knife scene, for example, is COMPLETELY counted out and the actor/dancers’ movements were choreographed down to the second (breath, two, three, four; stab, two three; scrutinize, two, three, four) . Fabulous! Rita Morena is particularly informative regarding the dubbing of her song “A Boy Like That”. The Robbins/Wise codirecting of the film is explained. And some of Natalie Wood’s unique vocals are included. The documentary is invaluable for fans of the film.

As for the film itself, it looks and sounds fantastic on my widescreen HDTV. The anamorphic transfer is very capable.

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The DVD is packaged very well. The book which accompanies the region is very cold, with a colossal introduction by screenwriter Ernest Lehman (who is one of my movie heros) .

I’m very impressed with this special edition of WEST SIDE Tale. The film is a classic, and deserves such treatment.

“West Side Record” is proof that the sum of its parts can not only be greater than the whole, but possibly be the greatest!

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Little known writer in Elizabethian England pens a drama about two star-crossed lovers. Flash ahead to the turbulent streets of Current York in the leisurely 1950s and early 60s. Turn feuding families to rival gangs. Add music, choreography, fabricate it significant. Then win a shiny director who knows what to exhibit, and eye as it takes home every Oscar it can.

We know the sage of this film but what’s distinguished for you to know about here are the extras you come by in this package that acquire it worth your while: The first disc is the film, preserved perfectly. And the second disc has your special features.

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First, you accept a large documentary on the making of the film. Titled “West Side Memories,” Principals like Sondheim, Moreno, Chakiris, Beymer and more sit before the cameras and clarify the process of preparing and executing what could be the finest example of the Hollywood Musical, ever. It’s a section that’s could have been a stand alone DVD, it’s so rich with insights.

You also net an though-provoking “Storyboard to Film” montage, where you inspect the artist’s renderings of the scenes, and how those shots looked when they appeared in the film. You obtain to explore these storyboards more carefully in several galleries on the disc. Lots of other goodies, like the theatrical trailers and photos galore… everything from Jerome Robbins’s cattle call for dancers to set shots during production!

And if that wasn’t enough, there’s a massive book that comes with the residence, that includes the complete script of the film, the fresh lobby brouchure that theater patrons who attended the film received, which has more photos and info, and the newspaper clippings lauding the film as it took its state in movie musical story.

It’s simply a valentine to a considerable film, and a extraordinary package, all the diagram around.

Highly recommended.
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Posted in West Side Story | Tags: actor, artist, Screenwriter, shiny director, Writer | Comments Closed

Watch Sesame Street: Vol. 2 – Old School Online

March 23rd, 2011 | Author: Brian

Watch Sesame Street: Vol. 2 – Old School Online.

Movie Title: Sesame Street: Vol. 2 – Old School
Average customer review:

Sesame Street: Vol. 2 – Old School is available for streaming or downloading.

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This DVD area, released on my 40th birthday, proved the appropriate gift!

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But let’s gain the negatives out of the draw first, to elaborate why I gave it four stars rather than five:

1) One reviewer for Volume 1 complained that there was too minute material extracted from a six-year period of broadcasts. Unfortunately, Volume 2 presents the same limits.

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2) If a Volume 3 is ever released, please omit the Falling Baker skit for the Number Two. With the modern two volumes, it’s been repeated to death. Give us more variety — at least treat us to that elusive Number One skit (Baker falling with a wedding cake) .

3) Same packaging is faded as in Volume 1, with two of the three discs annoying stacked on top of each other.

4) One Super-Grover skit appears to be needlessly edited with modern material.

5) That irritating disclaimer saying the DVDs may not be appropriate teaching material for today’s kids. (Might the lobster-trap segment be too un-PC? ) My 3-year-old nephew absolutely loves watching Volume 1, so I anticipate the same reception for Volume 2.

Nonetheless, this DVD location almost earned five stars from me for two main reasons:

1) The nostalgia execute was considerable enough to nearly override the negatives.

2) There’s one absolutely can’t-miss-feature in Disc One — the test pilot extinct to pitch the reveal to PBS! It’s one of the freakiest gems in this release, with a heavy and admirable “Soul Teach” bound running through the episode, an atypically grievous Mr. Hooper, no kids singing “Sunny Day” (it took a moment for me to leer the articulate), and precious lively skits that I wish had been included in Volume 1 (notably Triangle & Square) . And is that the actor that I deem it is, playing a FOURTH Gordon??!!

As with Volume 1, I nearly cried seeing some skits that jogged bittersweet memories out of my subconscious (horseback mailman delivering an remark of “The Listless Truth” in the outskirts of Kentucky), and some that I opinion I’d never explore again but which I’m grateful to say I occupy at last (cows being fed hay in winter) . Some material almost unsettled me as a kid but I now fetch hilarious (King Minus), while some is of fair downright laugh-out-loud quality (Grover’s show-and-tell with Maria’s head) .

You’ll also acquire the following: Telephone Rock, I’m a hard-working dog, surprisingly more of Roosevelt Franklin, Cookie Monster in flamboyant Elton-John wardrobe, the moment when Woof-Woof’s name was changed to Barkley (a change I voted against as a kid, but which I now can’t imagine having occurred otherwise), and one moment when Snuffy came so finish to being discovered by David. I could go on! But you’ll have to spy for yourselves.

I must admit my hope that, if there’s a Volume 3, it’s willing to go encourage and cloak more of ’69-’74.

Genius Products picks up the reigns for this second volume of nostalgic Sesame Street episodes aimed at adults who remember the series from their childhood.

The position contains five complete, hour-long episodes from the 6th through 10th seasons, 57 bonus segments, an unaired test pilot, a 12-page booklet with behind-the-scenes information and photos, and a special collectible animation cell from the classic inspiring segment “Pinball Number Count” featuring vocals by The Pointer Sisters.

Episode speak includes the first episode with Roscoe Orman, the actor who smooth plays Gordon today. Also the first appearance of Muppet characters Rodeo Rosie, Oscar’s trashman Bruno, the Two-Headed Monster and Barkley the Dog. Famed songs include “What’s the Name of that Song? ” and “A Song From Kermit” with celebrity appearances by Judy Collins, Henry Winkler (as the Fonze), Paul Simon, Lily Tomlin, Richard Pryor, Ray Charles and others.
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Posted in Sesame Street: Vol. 2 - Old School | Tags: actor, head, king, Ray Charles, spy for yourselves | Comments Closed

Stream The Sundowners Movie Online

March 23rd, 2011 | Author: Brian

Stream The Sundowners Movie Online.

Movie Title: The Sundowners
Average customer review:

The Sundowners is available for streaming or downloading.

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NOTE: Two years after I wrote this review, I am glad that a DVD version is finally available. Hopefully, this film will now receive the recognition and appreciation it clearly deserves. I have nothing to revise in the review which follows.

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I saw this film when it was first released in 1960 and saw it again recently, charmed as before by the sage line and the worthy acting under Fred Zinnemann’s shiny direction. Here’s the situation: Ida (Deborah Kerr) and Paddy (Robert Mitchum) Carmody and son Sean (Michael Anderson, Jr.) are sheep drovers in Australia in the 1920s, proceeding from one job to the next. Ida and son yearn to resolve down permanently somewhere (anywhere, really) whereas Paddy prefers itinerant roaming. Along the procedure, they encounter Rupert Venneker (Peter Ustinov), a used sea captain with aristocratic sensibilities. Most of the film focuses on their tenure on the Halstead ranch during which they become friends with Mrs. Firth (Glynis Johns), an innkeeper to whom Venneker is coyly attracted. During the course of the film, not mighty happens, really. Its grand charm is generated by the developing relationships between and among the lead characters.

Others have praised this film for apt reasons of their contain. Here are mine. First, there is huge and authentic human interest in the differences between Ida’s and Paddy’s contradictory definitions of “home.” For lack of better terms, between settling down and arresting on. Also, in collaboration with Zinnemann, Jack Hildyard enriches the development of the yarn with cinematography which is compellingly, indeed exquisitely appropriate to that time and set. Finally, all of the lead actors seem perfectly matched with the roles they play…especially Mitchum.

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Briefly, I now portion some thoughts about him, first because he invests Paddy with a wholesome appeal which was for me unexpected, given the Mitchum persona as in Night of the Hunter (1955) and Home from the Hill (also 1960) and then, years later, in his portrayals of Raymond Chandler’s Philip Marlowe in Farewell, My Handsome (1975) and The Titanic Sleep (1978) . His understated, highly-disciplined portrayal of Paddy is comparable with Jack Nicholson’s portrayal of Warren Schmidt. Although Kerr and Johns received an Academy Award nomination, Mitchum did not. I have always plan he was under-appreciated as an actor.

Set in the 1920s and about a family of Irish itinerant sheepherders, this film has panoramic views of Australia (cinematography by Jack Hildyard), a suited script, and a diverse and absorbing cast; the sheep also are terrific, and there are many glimpses of kangaroos, koalas and more, all spot to an upbeat get by Dimitri Tiomkin. The film also shows the backbreaking labor of shearing the sheep, and the hard life and hard drinking of the people who do it.
It has its fraction of drama, poignancy, and humor, the latter usually thanks to Peter Ustinov, who puts in another memorable performance as a British wanderer who is always able to extricate himself from romantic entanglements.
Deborah Kerr shines as Ida, the tough but sensitive wife who stands by her man through thick and thin (mostly thin) . Robert Mitchum is beneficial as her irresponsible husband, as is Michael Anderson Jr. as their son, and Glynis Johns adds her irrepressible charm as a pub owner.

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Though not quite on the level of director Fred Zinnemann’s best work (like “High Noon”, “A Man for all Seasons”, and “Day of the Jackal”), it serene has his masterful touch, and is a lovely film, well worth viewing.
It was nominated for Best Actress, Represent, Director, Adapted Screenplay, and Supporting Actress (Johns), losing out to Elizabeth Taylor in the first category, and “The Apartment” and “Elmer Gantry” in the rest.
“The Sundowners” is solid entertainment from one of the gigantic directors of the 20th century, and total running time is 133 minutes.
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Posted in The Sundowners | Tags: actor, actress, Australia, Director, Hunter | Comments Closed

1776 Streaming

March 23rd, 2011 | Author: Brian

1776 Streaming.

Movie Title: 1776
Average customer review:

1776 is available for streaming or downloading.

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Every 4th of July I peruse “1776,” the musical that has our Founding Fathers singing and dancing their arrangement to Independency, and every time John and Abagail Adams order goodbye to each other (“Till Then” and “Yours, Yours, Yours”), I glean choked up. William Daniels has his role of a lifetime as John Adams, the wrong and disliked Massachusetts delegate to the Continental Congress who is the most interested advocate of independence (“Piddle, Twiddle and Settle”) . Virginia Vestoff plays his wife Abigail, and their exchanges are based on the “Dearest Friend” correspondences they wrote to each other during the crucial summer of 1776. However, the most unforgettable performance in “1776″ comes from Howard Da Silva as Dr. Benjamin Franklin. The actor, who played movie villains for years, manages to whisper not only Franklin’s wit but also his firm concept in the current accelerate of “Americans.” Ken Howard plays Thomas Jefferson and joins with Adams and Franklin in the show’s two cutest numbers, “But, Mr. Adams” and “The Egg.” I have never cottoned “The Lees of Ancient Virginia,” the song sung by Richard Henry Lee (Ron Holgate) and where every lyric line ends with “LY,” but at the other slay of the spectrum is the chilling “Molasses to Rum to Slaves,” the song about the Triangle Trade sung by South Carolina’s Edward Rutledge (John Cullum) . The ensemble cast brings the Second Continental Congress alive, with Roy Poole as Stephen Hopkins, David Ford as John Hancock and William Hansen as Caesar Rodney standing out. Most of the cast members were in the Tony Award winning fresh Broadway cast, although Blythe Danner replaces Betty Buckley as Martha Jefferson (“He Plays the Violin”) .

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Peter Stone’s book is remarkably lawful in relating the historical events; the biggest error a historian would point to is that John Dickinson (Donald Enrage), did not reveal up the day of the crucial vote so that Pennsylvania would not extinguish Independence. But Broadway and Hollywood must be allowed to gain things more dramatic. What makes “1776″ so astounding is how it teaches history while being so attractive. The opening of the film, where the tirade by Mr. Adams against the do nothing Continental Congress is interrupted by the collective Founding Fathers jumping up and singing “Sit Down, John,” sets the tone and Peter H. Hunt’s film delivers throughout. The show’s best moment comes in “Is Anybody There? ” when John Adams, all alone in the still chamber, dreams of the pomp and pageantry of a free America.

I also have the laserdisc version, which runs 176 minutes and includes 35 minutes of material originally crop from the film, including the song “Icy, Considerate Men” and alternative shots in several sequences. While the quality of the additional material is in very shaded shape, fans of “1776″ will hold what they can obtain. Hopefully the complete film can be restored before we procure to the DVD version (hint, hint, hint) . Granted, the concept of a musical about the Declaration of Independence seems bizarre; I once blew off a chance to search for “1776″ on stage because I concept the view was unimaginative. But this is a satisfactory musical that makes the time and issues reach alive, so that even belief we obviously know the outcome, we are enthralled because it looks like Mr. Adams will never bag his Declaration adopted. If you are looking for a film to search for each 4th of July, “1776″ is the one.

First, let me say that I’m not a tremendous fan of movie musicals. However, I’ve always made an exception for 1776. I swear it’s my abiding interest in history, and in the common presentation of history, that keeps me coming befriend to this film. For the uninitiated, 1776 is the anecdote of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, and was first presented on Broadway in the leisurely 1960s. Plot in Philadelphia in June and early July of 1776, the action centers around John Adams’s attempt to pick up a reluctant Continental Congress to exclaim the 13 colonies independent of Tremendous Britain. Adams, and his allies (including Ben Franklin and Thomas Jefferson), is opposed at every step by the conservatives in Congress, led by John Dickinson of Pennsylvania. Although we know the ending, it is to scriptwriter Peter Stone’s credit that we realize things may have turned out rather differently.

My first recorded version of this movie was taped off of a local television area that had drastically edited it for length and inform. When I finally got around to buying the VHS version of 1776, I was amazed at what had been left out, particularly when it came to the earthier dialogue. Imagine my reaction to the unusual DVD director’s carve edition of this musical; it was like watching a completely unique movie. Bridging scenes that had been edited out now provide a nearly seamless account traipse, and the musical number “Frosty, Considerate Men” has been restored, providing for greater balance between the conservatives and radicals in Congress.

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The cast, a number of whom reprise their roles from the Broadway production, is nearly flawless. William Daniels IS John Adams, hard-headed, driven, passionate, “putrid and disliked”. Howard da Silva is equally effective as Benjamin Franklin, elder statesman and earthy man-of-the-world, while the rest of the actors do very well by their characters. Of necessity, the film’s emphasis is on Congress, and therefore on the male of the species; women are puny to two roles–Martha Jefferson, played by Blythe Danner, and Abigail Adams, played by Virginia Vestoff. Of Danner’s role, there is runt to say beyond the fact that the actress is a intellectual veil presence. Vestoff, on the other hand, has a rather more big role as John Adams’s wife, confidant, and sounding board. The film effectively portrays the correspondence between John and Abigail, a partnership that was, in many ways, distinguished in American history.

Director Peter Hunt keeps things animated along at a moving trail, propelled by the music of Sherman Edwards, who also wrote the lyrics. It’s hard to grasp a approved song, but two stand out in my mind–the chilling “Molasses to Rum to Slaves” and the poignant “Mamma, Explore Entertaining”. The faded underlines the flawed nature of the American Experiment–that a unique nation established on the principle that “all men are created equal” would also retain hundreds of thousands of people in chains. The latter song brings home the fact that while Congress engages in endless debates, men (and boys) are dying on the field of battle.

I could dwell at some length on the historical inaccuracies embodied in this movie–the character of Believe Wilson, for one, and that of Richard Henry Lee, for another. However, purism aside, what 1776 makes determined is objective what a finish hurry thing independence really was, that there was, indeed, a valuable proportion of Americans (and their representatives) who wished to remain true to the British crown. Better yet, the Founding Fathers are portrayed mot as marble men, but as the passionate, flawed, flesh-and-blood individuals they were.
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Posted in 1776 | Tags: actor, actress, Director, scriptwriter, unusual DVD director | Comments Closed

Stage Beauty Streaming

March 22nd, 2011 | Author: Brian

Stage Beauty Streaming.

Movie Title: Stage Beauty
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Stage Beauty is available for streaming or downloading.

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Perhaps concept patterns are changing and prejudices against pleased characters are indeed abating. At least hearing the audience delight after viewing STAGE BEAUTY makes a case for more mainstream male actors to shed the apprehension of taking on roles that feature gender and sexuality variations: Russell Crowe, Colin Farrell, Tom Hanks, Matt Damon, Antonio Banderas, Javier Bardem, Rodrigo Santoro, Gael Garcia Bernal, et al have all performed sensitively as glad men despite their macho image – the once little list is now respectably astronomical. And now add Billy Crudup and Ben Chaplin to that ever-growing list. Bravo to that change.

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STAGE BEAUTY (in the screenplay version of his beget play ‘The Compleat Female Stage Beauty’ by Jeffrey Hatcher) is plot in the mid 17th century with all the frills and foibles of British dandies and ladies visually intact. This is the time when female roles were assumed by male actors (the theater was simply no spot for ladies to participate) and we are introduced to Mr. Kynaston (in a quick-witted, multifaceted performance by Billy Crudup!) as he portrays Desdemona in Shakespeare’s ‘Othello’. He is attended by a dresser Maria Hughes (Claire Danes, another superlative acting achievement) who longs to act and steals away after performances in the theater bustle by actor Betterton (Tom Wilkinson) to a tavern where she assumes the memorized roles Kynaston performs on the royally popular stage.

Kynaston has been raised to report women on stage (and indeed in life) and responds to men as a woman (his lover is the Duke of Buckingham – Ben Chaplin) . King Charles II (a thorough-going hilarious scuttle for the gifted Rupert Everett) is convinced by his tart du jour to allow women to play women’s roles on the stage, thus dethroning Kynaston as the actress of the time, driving him into tawdry masquerades in pubs after a severe beating from thugs beckoned by the bloated Sir Charles Sedley (Richard Griffiths) . Maria Hughes thus becomes the first ‘compleat female actress’ and this transition between Kynaston and Maria results in desperate tutoring lessons before Maria can play Desdemona for the King. For the first time in his life Kynaston must request his occupy sexuality and his successful final curtain after playing Othello to Maria’s Desdemona gratefully leaves that choice up in the air.

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The script is a delight, the actors are all first rate, especially the wholly immersed Crudup and Danes who could well be fraction of the Royal Shakespeare Company, so stunning is their British sound, demeanor, and Shakespeare! The supporting cast is a kaleidoscope of jewel-like performances from Everett, Wilkinson, Edward Fox, Hugh Bonneville among others. The mood is appropriately British – all dim, candlelit stagecraft and foggy marsh vistas – and the music matches the overall describe. Richard Eyre has directed a film that deserves many kudos, but the main glory should shine on his ability to discover the spectrum of gender and sexuality with dignity, intelligence, and grand sensitivity. A welcome delight!

I saw this film the evening after seeing Being Julia and thoroughly enjoyed both. Remarkable of Stage Beauty is based on historical material which Helen Wilcox examines in Women in Literature in Britain, 1500-1700. Jeffrey Hatcher’s screenplay is based on his gain Compleat Female Stage Beauty, a play first performed in 1999. We know that Edward (Ned) Kynaston (1640-1706) was among the last and reputedly the best of the male actors of female parts in dramas performed prior to the Restoration period. Following his coronation, King Charles II decreed that females would be permitted to appear on stage in roles previously performed only by males. For many male actors, the subsequent transition was very, very difficult. There are sure parallels with the difficulties that stars such as John Gilbert had during the transition from mute films to “the talkies.”

What we have in Stage Beauty is a toothsome presentation of that age and, more specifically, of Kynaston’s struggles (brilliantly presented by Billy Crudup) to get his career in juxtaposition with those of his dresser Maria (Claire Danes), an unskilled but aspiring actress, who seeks Ned’s tutelage to approach her acquire career. Frankly, I did not immediately gawk the always-superb Rupert Everett in the role of Charles II. Others in the supporting cast include Ben Chaplin (as George Villars, Duke of Buckingham) and Tom Wilkinson (as Thomas Betterton) . Historically, Betterton was once highly praised for his performance in Shakespeare’s Othello…in the role of Ophelia. In Stage Beauty, Kynaston plays Ophelia to Betterton’s Moor of Venice. After Kynaston rejects the advances of the lecherous Sir Charles Sedley (Richard Griffiths), Sedley hires thugs to beat Kynaston so severely that he can no longer create until his wounds have healed. Maria sees an opportunity, organizes what I guess could be called an “underground” performance of the play, and assumes the role of Ophelia herself. After seeing her performance, Charles II issues his proclamation and then….

Credit director Richard Eyre with obtaining expedient results from his talented cast and crew. Simulating London in the 1660′s was indeed a major task, achieved brilliantly by cinematographer Andrew Dunn, production designer Jim Play, and art directors Keith Slote and Jan Spoczynski. Of course, many of the humorous devices in both Hatcher’s play and in this film can be traced succor to classical Greek and Roman comedies, with the female roles in all of which performed by males. For example, all manner of mischief is achieved through erroneous identity, role and gender reversals, double entrendres, interpret disguises, no sequitors, etc. The highly literate screenplay invests the nimble anecdote with style and grace as Ned and Maria move to the inevitable, indeed obligatory resolution. Broad fun! Those who fraction my high regard for this film are urged to check out Victor/Victoria and Tootsie (in 1982) as well as Shakespeare in Cherish (1998) .

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Eastern Promises Sale-$2.99!

March 21st, 2011 | Author: Brian

Eastern Promises Sale-$2.99!

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Eastern Promises Description:

Amazon Sales Rank: #3692 in Movie
Released on: 2009-07-01
Rating: R (Restricted)
Running time: 102 minutes

Customer Reviews:

Intriquing, well-acted, ADULT-THEMED thriller!
I emphasized the “ADULT-THEMED” idea in my title because one of the best things about seeing a film like EASTERN PROMISES is that it is so adult, so uncompromised. Cronenberg gets to make the movies he wants to, and it doesn’t have to be watered down or dumbed-down to make it sell to a broad audience. We get a brutal, sometimes squirm-inducing look at a underworld we haven’t seen like this before…and there’s no gloss, no pandering to a teen audience, no sappy ending, etc. etc. The ending is SATISFYING…but it isn’t easy or “Hollywood.”

First of all, the script is outstanding. From the creator of another stunning film about London’s “seamy underbelly,” DIRTY PRETTY THINGS…the plot makes sense, the threads all come together and the characters are simply but sharply delineated. Yet at no time do I feel the themes are being spoon-fed. Also, some of the acts that are perpetrated on Viggo Mortensen’s character near the end of the film are acts of amazing betrayal…yet if you haven’t been paying attention, you might miss that. It’s not a super-complex plot…but it doesn’t grab you by the hand and lead you from place to place.

Speaking of Mortensen…this is his best performance ever. Granted, Aragon is crown-jewel, and he handled it well…but those films were events, such spectacle that often what he simply needed to do was wear his costume, ride his horse and look great. In EASTERN PROMISES, he has to make us care about a very nasty piece of work indeed. He’s also very stony-faced…so much of what we learn about him, especially early on, comes from very subtle work. Again, each word of the script is perfectly chosen, and Mortensen digs deep here. He’s not always my favorite actor…I actually wasn’t nuts about him in A HISTORY OF VIOLENCE (A film I otherwise greatly admired)…but he’s perfectly cast here. And of course, he’s amazing to watch in the now infamous nude fight scene. It’s a little bit distracting being aware of male full-frontal nudity flashing around…almost enough to take one out of the scene…but the scene is so well staged that the sheer PAIN of it soon wipes out any feeling of “hey, we get to see ALL of Viggo Mortensen.”

Armin Mueller-Stahl plays the older patriarch of the Russian mafia family, and he’s the best of this type of character I’ve seen in awhile. You know the one…the old gangster who is so sweet and loving to the youngsters in his family, so polite and full of grace and manners. Picture Brando in the wedding scenes of THE GODFATHER or even Paul Newman in early scenes of ROAD TO PERDITION. Stahl is even better…his eyes twinkle with charm. But boy, when the mask drops and we see the real guy…still soft-spoken and considered…he’s stunningly evil. I really enjoyed seeing him again…it seems like it’s been awhile since he was in a film.

Vincent Cassel plays Stahl’s hot-headed son…another gangster cliche…the kid who is supposed to take over the business, but is actually a bit of a moron and troublemaker. But again, the character has surprises up its sleeve. Also, Naomi Watts plays the nurse who brings a motherless baby unwittingly into this underworld…and she is reliably good. Her character doesn’t get to have all the dramatic flourishes…but Watts gives another patented, fully committed, honest performance. I believe she may be our most under-rated actress, even though she has been nominated for awards and starred in many films…I think she’s still undervalued. EASTERN PROMISES won’t win her new fans or an Oscar…but she is still very good.

Notice I didn’t talk much about the plot. Others have done it better, and to be honest, I’d love it if you just went to see the film having little idea of what you were about to experience. It’s a brutal journey…but it is full of unexpected turns…not just of plot but of character. I’ll bet come year end, this will still be one of my favorites of the year! Highly, highly recommended for ADULT audiences!!

Could EASILY win best picture
Cronenberg is a fascinating director. Even when he “just made horror films” he produced veritable masterpieces of mood and unnerving atmosphere, almost all incorporating his very unique “body horror,” such as the now-classic Scanners, Videodrome, The Brood and Shivers. Fans of such films accused him of “selling out” when he made History of Violence. The main problem with this claim is that History of Violence was astounding. Well, he’s done it again. Eastern Promises is EASILY his best film. Here Cronenberg proves he’s a master. Promises is a beautifully simple film, so well-made and nearly perfect that other modern directors would do well if they could only emulate his style and class. The film is chocked full of nuance and subtlety. The performances are grand and the soundtrack is gorgeous. I would not be surprised if Viggo wins best actor, Cronenberg best director or if Promises wins best picture. Yes, it’s that good. (On a side note, watch out for the bathhouse knife fight. It’s the most realistic and visceral fight scene in a film since Friedkin’s The Hunted.)

‘Eastern Promises’ Delivers!
EASTERN PROMISES as written by Steven Knight and directed by David Cronenberg is one of the grittiest, insightful, and well-acted films of the year. Maintaining his keen eye for the dark side of life and the people who dwell in its shadows, Cronenberg has once again brought us characters so strongly etched on film that they will be remembered for many years.

The setting is London where lives the enigmatic Russian-born Nikolai Luzhin (Viggo Mortensen in an Oscar caliber performance) who serves as a driver for a cloaked mysterious Russian family, members of the Russian mafia called the Vory V Zakone, a bizarre brotherhood populated with men whose lives of crime are told in tattooed stories on their bodies. The head of the family is the elegant restaurateur Semyon (Armin Mueller-Stahl) whose son Kirill (Vincent Cassel) carries on the crime aspects of the family but shows no role of leadership in his dissipated life style. As the film opens we observe the birth of a little girl to a drug-addled mother Tatiana (Sarah-Jeanne Labrosse): she dies during childbirth having been delivered by a midwife Anna (Naomi Watts) who herself has a history of a stillborn child. Anna finds a diary in Tatiana’s purse, saves it, and takes it to her uncle to translate it form the Russian. Opening the diary opens dark secrets for Semyon and Kirill: Tatiana was apparently one of the many illegal Russian prostitutes imported by the Vory V Zakone crime syndication and was raped by Semyon whose daughter was born as Tatiana died. Anna’s investigation as to the baby’s heritage includes the invaluable help of Nikolai who despite his past has a soft spot for Anna and her plight and it is the manner in which the interplay of Anna, Semyon, Kirill and Nikolai works out that brings the film to its conclusion.

The acting is impeccable with Mortensen, Watts, Cassell, and Mueller-Stahl at peak form. Cameo roles by Sinéad Cusack and Jerzy Skolimowski, among others, are fully fleshed. The accents are believable and the multiple tattoos on Mortensen’s body (seen fully in the much ballyhooed bathhouse scene, more about killing than about voyeurism) match the dark, dank atmosphere well captured by the cinematographer Peter Suschitzky and echoed with the musical score by Howard Shore. This is a tough movie for the squeamish to watch, but the story is superb and the film is Cronenberg at his best. Grady Harp, December 07

Posted in Videos On Demand | Tags: actor, Director, driver, favorite actor, nurse | Comments Closed

Watch The History Boys Movie Online

March 21st, 2011 | Author: Brian

Watch The History Boys Movie Online.

Movie Title: The History Boys
Average customer review:

The History Boys is available for streaming or downloading.

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I did the “Oxbridge term” at exactly the same time as “The History Boys,” the topple of 1983. I chose instead to accumulate a scholarship to an American university that I won halfway through the Oxbridge term. I’ve lived in America ever since, but my first 19 years was in England, and I can describe to this movie.

Some explanations are in order, because some cultural things are hard on American audiences. Someone once famously observed that we’re two nations divided by a celebrated language.

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“The History Boys” is not position at a boarding school; it’s a grammar school, and it’s a second-tier grammar school. In the pecking order aid then, you’d have had your British public (but actually private) schools, then your grammar schools led (as the movie mentions) by the likes of Manchester Grammar. Then you’d have the grammar schools like the one in the movie and it would, for these boys, have been a heck of an opportunity (if you acquire into the whole Oxford & Cambridge thing, which obviously I didn’t) and a bit of a approach. They’d be at a disadvantage for some of the reasons given in the movie (fewer opportunities than kids at more high-falutin’ schools) and for the reason of simple English snobbery and the class system at the time.

Second, the class represented here is not, as one reviewer suggested, a mythical location where students care, teachers care and debate thrives. This is an dependable position, very mighty how generous English schools were, especially in the last year of ‘A’-Levels and the Oxbridge term. It’s very well-portrayed here. When I came to the USA, where I attended a delicate public university, I never recovered from my disappointment that there wasn’t the same level of debate and class discussion. Frankly — and I like this country, but this was my experience — no class I took in six years at a first-rate university here ever challenged me as the ‘A’-Level and Oxbridge classes had. I contemplate maybe Britain’s a exiguous like Japan in having very high standards at the extinguish of high school (and corresponding student stress) that then fades in university.

A clarification on the lives the boys go on to lead. They would destroy up, for the most share, in radiant houses (explore reviews below) . That’s the whole point. Attending either Oxford or Cambridge (while there are no guarantees) did dazzling great region people for life if they approached it aiming for that. I’ve seen that from afar in the lives of my contemporaries who went there. That’s why the stakes are so high in the fable and success so smart.

And a final clarification on the aspect of the movie one reviewer called “morally suspect.” Maybe so, but the culture of sexuality in Britain is different from the culture of sexuality here in the States. Britain legalized glad marriage, after all, more than a year ago, with minimal fuss, and even The Times of London now lists same-sex unions without fanfare along with the heterosexual ones. The whole protest of homosexuality is different, including the assumption over there that sexual orientation is not necessarily consistent for life. And same-sex experimentation is notorious in largely male or all-male British schools. So that aspect of the movie ought to be judged as great as possible in the context of the movie and probably not in an American context which — no offense intended — seems more inclined to censure and prudishness.

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All that said, and record quality aside, this is an outstanding movie and a vast portrayal of 1983 in England, down to the cars and the music. The only thing I remember that’s completely missing here is aroused political debate. Britain was four years into Margaret Thatcher in 1983, and politics and social clashes were very worthy on people’s minds, including students like these, and Alan Bennett completely omits that.

But that’s my only criticism. Richard Griffiths, who is a extinct British actor whose face would be instantly recognisable to any Brit seeing the movie, is amazing, on a “Goodbye Mr. Chips” level and better than “Wearisome Poets Society.” Indeed, “History Boys” beats “Boring Poets” simply because it’s not Hollywood-ized, it’s a considerable more accurate movie.

It’s got gargantuan bullseye detail, too, like the church service at the beginning where the robed priest ministers to a congregation of three, which is the region of the Church of England, Britain almost completely lacking American-style religion at this point, a very secular area despite the lack of division between church and site.

Dominic Cooper as Dakin, Samuel Barnett as Posner and Russell Tovey as Rudge stood out for me, but all the boys are titanic, and all of the types felt very great familiar to my memories.

The movie is often silly, the dialog amazing, the method the boys are and the classroom scenes perfectly pitched. The critical scene is the one where Griffiths tutors Barnett one-on-one, and it’s principal because it tells us exactly why Griffiths’ character is a titanic teacher, which has to be established.

The ending doesn’t bother me. This is Alan Bennett: This is about ideas. The ending furthers the ideas.

This is the same playwright who brought us “40 Years On,” yet a great different play and a mighty different notion of a distinguished changed Britain — and that’s why Bennett has endured, because he’s changed with the culture.

This is a large movie if you’re not offended by frank discussion (and ambiguity) about late-teen and adult sexuality, if you’re a bit of an Anglophile, and if you’re willing to sit encourage for something that’s really a long conversation rather than an action movie. All of which is why it’ll have exiguous success this side of the mammoth pond.

(3.5 stars) Region in the 1980s in a boarding school in the north of England, this newly released film adaptation of Alan Bennett’s play (which won six Tony Awards during its 2006 Unique York accelerate), follows eight young “sixth-formers” who are preparing for the history entrance examinations for Oxford or Cambridge. To attend the students prepare for the exams, the headmaster hires a young teacher, Irwin (Stephen Campbell Moore), to improve the students’ “presentation” so that they will stand out from the crowd. Irwin’s goal is to swear the students to reflect “outside the box”–not to be dull–when they acknowledge examiners’ questions.

His mission conflicts with the goals of the English and History teachers. Hector, the motor-cycle-riding English teacher (Richard Griffiths), has taught the students reams of poetry, along with the French subjunctive (though it is not his subject), having students practice their French by pretending to negotiate at a brothel. He takes the long plan and values education for its possess sake. The History teacher, Dorothy Lintott (Frances de la Tour), has taught the facts: “Plainly stated and properly organized facts need no presentation, surely,” she remarks to the headmaster. The students’ efforts to be approved at Oxford drive the action.

The film features many of the same actors who appeared in the stage play, notably the intellectual Griffiths as Hector, the sensitive Moore as Irwin, the tough-talking, heart-of-gold de la Tour as Dorothy Lintott, and the same eight students, joking, bantering with their teachers, and pursuing their celebrated subject–sex. The film, however, is very different in tone from the play. In the play the conflict between the teachers and their views of education unites the action and gives depth and universality to strong themes. In the film, this conflict is distinguished less certain, with the themes largely subordinated to questions about sexual orientation by various students and their possible abuse by a teacher. Some characters (especially the headmaster, Clive Merrison) are caricatures, a startling disagreement to the more realistically presented students.

In some ways the film is better than the play. The film shows the students within the context of a spacious school, and film close-ups execute their emotional conflicts an intimate experience. Hector (Griffiths) is a far more sympathetic character in the film, due in colossal allotment to the close-ups, and Irwin has a more fully developed role. Unfortunately (and I’m not definite how universal this plight is), the film I saw (in a major theater chain), was fuzzy, with vertical dusky lines showing throughout the entire film, making it appear more like an 8 mm home movie than a major studio production. The film tries to retract advantage of the broader possibilities of film vs. stage, but as the context broadens, the film becomes less unified, and the drama loses some of its punch. n Mary Whipple

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Posted in The History Boys | Tags: actor, headmaster, priest, teacher, titanic teacher | Comments Closed

Get Shorty-Retail —-! Sale Only $2.99!

March 20th, 2011 | Author: Brian

Get Shorty-Retail —-! Sale Only $2.99!

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Get Shorty Description:

Amazon Sales Rank: #11772 in Movie
Released on: 2010-01-14
Rating: R (Restricted)
Running time: 105 minutes