Born on the Fourth of July
by Tom Cruise
Director: Oliver Stone
Average Customer Review:
DVD (31 October, 2000)
list price: $26.98
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Editorial Review

The second film in Oliver Stone's Vietnam trilogy moves from the brutality of war in Platoon to its equally traumatic aftermath. Based on the memoir of combat veteran Ron Kovic, the film stars Tom Cruise as Kovic, whose gunshot wound in Vietnam left him paralyzed from the chest down. He is deeply embittered by neglect in a veteran's hospital and by the shattering of his patriotic idealism because of the horror and futility of the Vietnam conflict. While painfully and awkwardly adjusting to his disability and a changing definition of masculinity, Kovic joins the burgeoning movement of antiwar protest, culminating in a climactic appearance at the 1976 Democratic national convention. A powerfully intimate portrait that unfolds on an epic scale, Born on the Fourth of July is arguably Stone's best film (if you can forgive its often strident tone), and Cruise's Oscar-nominated role is uncompromising in its depiction of one man's personal anguish and political awakening. --Jeff Shannon ... Read more

Features

• Color
• Closed-captioned
• Widescreen
• Dolby

Reviews (66)

This movie sucks
This is one of the most pointless movies that I have ever seen.I guess one of the points to the movie that I missed was that I was supposed to feel sorry for Ron throughout the movie.The only time I ever felt sorry for him was when he was stuck in the hospital and no one took care of him.With the exception of him becoming disabled and was in the hospital, I felt that he brought a lot ofhis troubles on himself.

Another point to this movie that I missed was that his being disabled and fighting in a terrible war gave him an excuse to do whatever he wanted.Rather than getting a job or doing something useful, he drank, told his sad story to anyone who wanted to listen, and cussed at his parents who take care of him.Oh yeah, he took a trip to Mexico to be touched by a hooker and fought with another disabled vet.

The third point that I missed was that Ron changed his view on the war because of everything that he suffered.Going back to point number one I felt that he brought a lot of the troubles on himself.Before he went on his trip to Mexico, his girlfriend rejectes him because he is disabled and doesn't agree with her views on the war.The movie also shows his brother arguing with him over the war.

The last point that I missed in the movie was that I am supposed to think that Ron found some kind of purpose in his life by speaking out against the war.So what?He does it because of point number three.Ron has only changed his views on the war but he is still the same selfish person that he was before the war.I'd be really impressed if he did something for someone else or thought about someone else.

So unless you agree with what the director is trying to say-don't watch this movie because it is pointless.

Limey Vision
Flint Westwood Here - its late here in Limey Land - the 51st State of the US of A.I am quite shattered at this stage.As for Mr Cruise, he ROCKED in this movie.The beard never suited him though, although, he looked much better with a beard in Collateral.This was his mistake, not getting his beard trimmed.I think he must have thought he was a hippy at the time.Led Zep all looked like extras from Catweasle around 1972.Whats Catweasle I hear you Yankees cry.Its a Brit show about a crazy looking wizard from the 13th Century.Cruise's beard looks just like Catweasle's.Perhaps Cruise should have been a time traveller like Dr Who.Never mind.

FLCW 9.2.2005

Welcome antidote
'Born On The 4th Of July' was originally supposed to have been made in the 1970's with Al Pacino playing Ron Kovic. However, after major financial backers pulled out of the project the film collapsed, but Stone made a solemn promise to his fellow Vietnam veteran that when he became more successful, he would try a 2nd shot at it.

We see the innocence of early 60's America in Cruise's eyes as well as a heavy dose of Polish Catholic guilt. 'Born On The Fourth Of July' acts as a useful antidote to hero worship. Cruise's performance is powerful and unrelenting and Stone manages to pull off something poigniant in his writing, (personal relationship dialogue has never been his strong point).

Although many seem to disparage the film on historical grounds, both Kovic and Stone are veterans of Vietnam, which in my mind lends the film a tinge of authenticity. Stone has chosen to be a popular film maker and popular film is always more emotional than intellectual. He has used Kovic's experience as a symbol of the U.S. experience of Vietnam in general. Stone himself has even admitted that there were inaccuracies in the film and that he has used 'generic' historical moments. But the fact that there were protests against the Vietnam war cannot be denied.

As a popular film-maker Stone knows that the majority of his audience do not read history books. If film can make history come alive more than books can and help drive the discussion about the war among a mainstream audience, then Stone has done his job. ... Read more

Asin: B00004Y7T6
Subjects:  1. Feature Film-drama   

Woodstock: Music from the Original Soundtrack and More
Average Customer Review:
Audio CD (20 May, 2003)
list price: $32.99 -- our price: $32.99
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Features

• Import
• Live
• Original recording remastered

Reviews (7)

OneOf The Best Live Albums
I use to open up the cover of this live album when I was 13,looking at the pictures,and imagine I was there while playing this fantastic record.You can never go back again,but it was a special time.Its a classic,and must have for your record collection." and its OneTwoThree,What are we fighting for.."Seems like were back again.

I remember the awe
I was in the seventh grade when my brother brought this album home from college.I listened to it until the grooves ran out,and some thirty odd years later I still listen to it...in awe.

Without question the best:
1. Santana
2. Joe Cocker
3. Sly and Family Stone
4. Richie Havens
5. Jimi Hendrix
6. Ten Years After
7. Balance of the set

I'm not sure if it was the event, the mass of people or realizing in the seventh grade that something like this could happen that hit me like a ton of bricks.Frankly, this is some of the finest live music that has been recorded at one of the greatest gatherings to ever take place.

Still a classic, overdubs and all
Back in 1970, there was no anticipated album release like the first Woodstock 3-LP set released on the Cotillion Records label. Everybody who was there (or wished they were there) finally got a chance to relive the experience in their homes with the release of the soundtrack album. At least they thought they were reliving the experience. As we all remember, the package came in an elaborate three-panel gatefold sleeve with that RED distorted photograph of the stage and the vast crowd. Those huge towers sure made it look like a city.Unfortunately, the rest of the liner photos were blurry, and the package was quite lame. As far as the music was concerned, the producers gave us quite a generous helping.... three records worth!! Things begin with John B. Sebastian doing "I Had a Dream" and Canned Heat doing "Going Up The Country." I always enjoyed listening to the stage announcements, and each side had a few, which gave the album a true-to-life documentary approach. Unfortunately, not everything on the album was exactly like that. Other tracks on the album are poorly edited (The Who's See Me Feel Me, and Jimi's SSB/Instrumental solo) Others suffer from layers of overdubs (Ten Years After-I'm Going Home; Arlo Guthrie-Coming Into L.A.) Producer Eric Blackstead was right when he wrote that the technical flaws are like scars in fine leather. This is still an amazing album. Sly Stone's I Want To take you Higher medley is Woodstock at its height of its legendary glory. Country Joe's FISH cheer is a hilarious protest bit. Santana put on an amazing performance with Soul Sacrafice. Jimi proved his guitar was the the best of them all. Despite the flaws, this is still the ultimate (and first) Woodstock audio collection. ... Read more

Asin: B00000AVW3
Sales Rank: 3678
Subjects:  1. Blues-Rock    2. British Blues    3. Hard Rock    4. Pop    5. Rock    6. Rock/Pop Collections    7. V/a Compilations   

JFK (Special Edition Director's Cut) - Oliver Stone Collection
by Kevin Costner Jack Lemmon Gary Oldman Sissy Spacek
Director: Oliver Stone
Average Customer Review:
DVD (06 January, 2001)
list price: $24.98
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Editorial Review

Director Oliver Stone added 17 minutes of previously unseen footage for the "director's cut" edition of his hypnotic courtroom epic about the investigation into the assassination of President John F. Kennedy in November 1963. That fateful day in Dallas set in motion a sequence of events that would only intensify the mystery behind Kennedy's death, causing New Orleans District Attorney Jim Garrison (Kevin Costner) to begin an investigation that would gradually become a personal obsession. Bravura filmmaking combined with controversial treatment of historical facts and audacious speculation, this breathtaking revision of history presents a mesmerizing parade of shady figures and conspiracy theories, unfolding like a classic mystery based on history's greatest unsolved crime. A technical triumph boasting Oscar-winning cinematography and editing, Stone's film is guaranteed to grab the viewer's attention with its daring take on the JFK controversy. The stellar supporting cast includes Tommy Lee Jones, Joe Pesci, Jack Lemmon, Donald Sutherland, Sissy Spacek, Kevin Bacon, and Gary Oldman as Lee Harvey Oswald. --Jeff Shannon ... Read more

Features

• Color
• Closed-captioned
• Widescreen
• Dolby

Reviews (243)

overblown junk from an over blown director!
When this movie came out everyone was talking about it.It was up for Best Picture against Silence of The Lambs, Bugsy, and Beauty And The Beast.Looking back at 1992's Oscars, JFK should never been in there.
The Acting, from great actors, is over the top like in so many of Stone's films.Not everything is supposed to be like a Greek tragedy!Too many cutaways, and too many half assed historical "facts".
Stone's best work will always be Platoon.That movie had it's over done scenes, but, it never went overboard like JFK, Nixon, Any Given Sunday . . . well, all his flicks since 1987's Wall Street.
For anyone foolish enough to still retain affects from the conspiracy talk . . . it'sjust a movie from a bad director.

Blah, blah, blah , blah, blah, blah, blah
So, who do you believe???Whether you think Stone is Satan or the Messiah, it's impossible to deny the power of this film.I took the time to read all 243 previous reviews---that's how interested in this topic I am...I'm impressed with the passion that you've all shown on this subject.I'd love to tell you I was the second gunman on the grassy knoll, AND give you ALL irrefutable proof that it's the God's honest truth, but who would believe me?Anyone who cares has already made up their mind.What would it take (REALLY!) to get you to change your mind?Have any of you ever thought about that???I think that when I get to heaven, the first thing I'll ask is:"What really happened on 11-22-63???"But, for me, right now, in this life, I don't care any more about Oliver Stone than I do about Gerald Posner.In fact, I would add those two to a list that also includes Walter Cronkite, Jim Garrison, Peter Travers, Dan Rather, Jim Marrs, Robert Groden, Earl Warren, Lyndon Johnson, Cyril Wecht and a sh#@load of others (Peter Jennings gets a special FU#@ YOU for his DUNGHEAD comment during a 40th anniversary TV special in 11/03), NONE OF WHOM I'D PISS ON EVEN IF THEY WERE ON FIRE.How can you believe anyone at this point?There's enough information out there to build a case for (practically) any theory you want.I want the fu@#ing truth!!!I can't believe that after this much time has passed that we still aren't any closer than we were in 1964.The Warren Commission's investigation was a joke.So many leads not followed, so many witnesses not interviewed, so many questions NOT ASKED, so many directions not taken...Arlen Specter's work was pathetic.He should be ashamed of himself for being that stupid or that naive, whichever is the case.Humes burns the original draft of his autopsy notes (then later, gives a weak excuse for it), and nothing is done???LBJ gets the limo cleaned and the interior replaced (BEFORE it can be inspected and photographed--HE DESTROYED EVIDENCE!!!), and nothing is done!!!More than half the witnesses said they saw and/or heard shots from the grassy knoll/railroad area and the Warren Commission concentrates on those that said the shots came from the 6th floor window???ALL the Dallas doctors said that the wounds clearly showed the shots came FROM THE FRONT,but we're supposed to believe that they ALL MADE A MISTAKE and the monopoly on autopsy wisdom resides with the doctors at Bethesda???A pathologist is 'chosen' to lead the autopsy who had NO (AUTOPSY) EXPERIENCE WITH VICTIMS OF GUNSHOT WOUNDS, and NO ONE DOES OR SAYS ANYTHING!!!How the hell does something as important as the BRAIN get "lost"???All this and more makes it obvious (to me) that there is no simple explanation for what happened.Military/Industrial complex?Cuba/Castro?The Mob?The CIA?How 'bout the Secret Service?Russia/KGB?Oswald plus others?How the hell are we supposed to know???Reading everything that is out there just provides more suspects.The real crime here is for those of us who are critical thinkers.We know it's not a 'lone nut', but we're also skeptical of the myriad of other 'ideas' too.I'm still reserving judgment in the (naive, I know) hope that more TRUTH will come to light before I die.

American Fact, American Fiction
In 1969, New Orleans D.A. Jim Garrison brought noted New Orleans businessman Clay Shaw to trial for conspiracy to murder President John F. Kennedy. To date, this is the only trial of any individual in reference to the Kennedy assasination.This controversial 1991 film follows Garrison's investigation into the Kennedy assasination from the day of Kennedy's death to the conclusion of the trial--and it has prompted almost as much controversy as the assasination itself.

How much of this film are we to take as fact and how much of it are we take as fiction?Critics have noted that as a historian, Stone is a great filmmaker, and with JFK Stone creates a vision so extreme that even some conspiracy theorists have denounced it as completely impossible.But that may actually be part of the film's point: that we live in a society that typically subverts the truth, a world in which facts are hard to come by and in which speculation runs wild.

However you wish to take the film, there's no denying that it is exceptionally well done.Much of its power rests on visuals.JFK is presented on different film stocks with various grains and color qualities, and these scenes--some of them lasting only seconds--are combined like pieces of an jigsaw puzzle to create a slowly emerging picture of American politics at its worst. The script, largely based on Garrison's book ON THE TRAIL OF THE ASSASINS, works in much the same fashion, shifting rapidly from scene to scene and back and forth in time. In combination, cinematography and script have a cumulative power that is most impressive, and Williams' haunting score adds greatly to the effect.

The ensemble cast is easily one of the best I've ever seen. Kevin Costner is not, perhaps, ideally cast as Jim Garrison--but he plays in an extremely low-key manner completely devoid of any "star" trappings, and thus throws focus on the myriad of characters who swirl through the story. Gary Oldman is uncanny as Lee Harvey Oswald. His performance is such that you're often unsure if you watching Oldman or news footage of Oswald, and Brian Doyle-Murray achieves a similar effect with the smaller role of Jack Ruby.

But perhaps the most memorable are the host of actors who appear in unlikely roles and who aquit themselves exceptionally well. Joe Pesci gives a typically aggressive performance in the strange role of a right-wing paramilitary homosexual, Kevin Bacon is completely unexpected and flawless as a hard-bitten gay prostitute, and Tommy Lee Jones is impressive as the influential Clay Shaw. Other memorable performers include Ed Asner, Jack Lemmon, Sissy Spacek, Laurie Metcalf, Sally Kirkland, and Donald Sutherland--and in a wicked twist of irony Jim Garrison himself appears as Justice Earl Warren.

The package includes a number of extras, including an often interesting director's commentary, an interview with famous conspiracy theorist Prouty, and a documentary on certain intriguing records recently declassified by Congress as a direct result of this film's impact. Then there is the film itself, which includes several previously cut scenes and which is extremely well transferred to DVD.

Historians and theorists will probably wrangle over the JFK assasination for decades, perhaps centuries to come. But whether you buy into Oliver Stone's scenario in whole, in part, or not at all, film is both extremely well-done and provocative to the max. If you want to stir conversation, this will do it. Recommended.

GFT, Amazon Reviewer ... Read more

Asin: B0000542DJ
Subjects:  1. Feature Film-drama   

The Complete Monterey Pop Festival - Criterion Collection
Average Customer Review:
DVD (12 November, 2002)
list price: $79.95 -- our price: $71.96
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Editorial Review

The Monterey International Pop Festival, the three-day event staged in 1967 that has become one of rock music's most famous and in some ways greatest concerts, gets the royal treatment with this three-disc boxed set.

Material on two of the three discs has already been widely available. Monterey Pop, D.A. Pennebaker's 79-minute, 1968 film, effectively sets the scene for the festival, which took place during the fabled "Summer of Love," when the hippie ethos was in its fullest flower, especially on the West Coast. And while not all the featured performances are thrilling, those that are--principally by the Who, Jimi Hendrix, and the amazing Ravi Shankar--are worth the price of admission, especially in the high-definition digital transfer and new 5.1 mix seen and heard here. The same can be said for Jimi Plays Monterey and Shake! Otis at Monterey, which appear in the boxed set on a separate disc and provide a much fuller look at Hendrix's and Otis Redding's incendiary sets (literally, in the former case).

Those two discs are also loaded with bonus features, including audio commentary by Pennebaker, festival producer Lou Adler (on Monterey Pop), and author Peter Guralnick (Shake!); audio-only remarks by some of the performers; photos; trailers; and other material. There's also a substantial booklet, filled with essays and photos. But it's the third disc, "The Outtake Performances," comprising some two hours of music that didn't make the final film edit, that will be of most interest to many viewers. The disc supplies a taste of some of the artists who didn't appear in Monterey Pop at all (the Byrds, Buffalo Springfield, Quicksilver Messenger Service), and a more complete look at some who did (the Who, Simon and Garfunkel, the Mamas and the Papas). A nice addition to an already very impressive DVD collection. --Sam Graham ... Read more

Features

• Color
• Box set
• Dolby

Reviews (57)

An Old Man's View of the Future
Five Stars - because sadly it really is "the only game in town".
There just aren't any other film records of this event.

Essentially an aging filmakers personal view of what the future would look like. DA Pennebaker thought the future would idolize Tiny Tim and forget Janis, QMS, Buffalo Springfield etc etc etc....poor old fellow - what could he have been smoking?

But you still need to own this set if only to look at the crowd shots to see if you can remember your own face from 40 years ago. Hey, isn't that you over there buying a pipe made from a deer antler or maybe over there sitting around that first night campfire, right on the fairgrounds chanting and drumming until dawn while the cops looked on almost benevolently.

Peace, love and keep on truckin'.....the BigBabyBoomer

I was there... I think...
This is a must have for the serious social and/or music historian or aficionado.Keep in mind the technology differences from the present day concerts.Notice the electrical cords coming from everything:mikes, instruments to amps, etc., the lack of ear piece monitor systems and also the fact that the music played is what you hear... there isn't a computerized mixing system in an 18 wheeler smoothing out the edges before the audience hears it. This is the real deal.Young artists performing before becoming superstars.A glimpse at the idealistic past where the slogan was make love not war, and the carefree children of the fifties were looking for a the last hoorah before relieving the watch in corporate America. Enjoy it! jv

good But Expensive
The movie is really short. Its a sin that ravi shankar was put on at all, let alone wasting 20 min on him, what a joke! Pennebaker said the Grateful Dead's song was 10 min and was to long to put in.It obviously wasnt a problem for Ravi Shankars set (terribly repetative) I just feel kind of jipped with this set as a whole. I got Woodstock Directors cut for $15 and it feels twice as long. There is hardly any crowd shots in this $70 dollar dvd set. Some of the few gems are Buffalo Spingfield and Simon and Garfunkle. Hendrix aint bad either. If you are just curious about the movie buy a used vhs off ebay for a tenth of the price, the audio isnt anything to scream about and vhs would suffice. ... Read more

Asin: B00006JU7P
Subjects:  1. Music Video - Pop/Rock   

One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (Two-Disc Special Edition)
by Jack Nicholson Louise Fletcher
Director: Milos Forman
Average Customer Review:
DVD (24 September, 2002)
list price: $26.99 -- our price: $20.24
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Editorial Review

One of the key movies of the 1970s, when exciting, groundbreaking, personal films were still being made in Hollywood, Milos Forman's One Flew over the Cuckoo's Nest emphasized the humanistic story at the heart of Ken Kesey's more hallucinogenic novel.Jack Nicholson was born to play the part of Randle Patrick McMurphy, the rebellious inmate of a psychiatric hospital who fights back against the authorities' cold attitudes of institutional superiority, as personified by Nurse Ratched (Louise Fletcher).It's the classic antiestablishment tale of one man asserting his individuality in the face of a repressive, conformist system--and it works on every level. Forman populates his film with memorably eccentric faces, and gets such freshly detailed and spontaneous work from his ensemble that the picture sometimes feels like a documentary.Unlike a lot of films pitched at the "youth culture" of the 1970s, One Flew over the Cuckoo's Nest really hasn't dated a bit, because the qualities of human nature that Forman captures--playfulness, courage, inspiration, pride, stubbornness--are universal and timeless.The film swept the Academy Awards for 1976, winning in all the major categories (picture, director, actor, actress, screenplay) for the first time since Frank Capra's It Happened One Night in 1931. --Jim Emerson ... Read more

Features

• Color
• Closed-captioned
• Widescreen
• Dolby

Reviews (224)

Number one on all-time list
Cukoo's Nest is the greatest movie ever made. First on my prestigeous Top Ten All-Time Movie List.

A Very Powerful and Moving Film
Milos Forman's adaptation of Ken Kesey's novel is a powerful film touching on individuality, institutional oppression, and the phenomenon of group-think.With a great cast of actors under Milos' experienced direction, the film is a classic sociological/psycological study of the human condition.

Randle Patrick McMurphy (Jack Nicholson) thinks he has outsmarted the judicial system by pleading insanity as his defense to his criminal trial.Although he feels he can easily keep his cool by spending his time in the looney farm instead of prison, Randle soon realizes that he's over his head in the cold and rigid order of psychiatric institutions. His antagonist is the cold and bureaucratic Nurse Ratched (Louise Fletcher)who sees caring for the mentally ill as nothing more than dropping pills in patients' mouths and supervising frontal lobotomies; Randle's questioning of her authority and qualifications does nothing but ruffle her feathers and she's just waiting to put him in his place like all of her other little patients. Despite his rebellious spirit, this is a fight that Randall can't win as he is, after all, officially crazy and who would listen to the appeals of madman either inside or outside the walls of a sanitarium?

This is an outstanding film where Milos Forman touches upon the subtle nuances of the human character and the strange wisdom fools often have despite their mental quirks.It is not surprising that this film won multiple Academy Awards for 1976: it is simply a very touching film about the human spirit.I strongly recommend it.

Crazy or just a little bit Cuckoo?
Jack Nicholson portrays a man who was arrested numerous times for burglery and attempted rape. He wants to beat the rap and pretends he's insane.He thinks it's funny that he can get out of jail and stay in an Insane Hospital for 68 days.
Only, he checks in and it turns out that the nurses there think he's a criminally insane!
The charactor, Randall, that Nicholson brilliantly portrays is a loudmouth cussin' rebel.He interacts with the other men in the looney bin and he is able to reach them on an interpersonal level that Nurse Ratchet and all the other Psych Doctors cannot.He encourages them to participate in games of basketball and he likes to tease them all by calling them insulting names.One day, he jumps the fence while the guards are distracted.He steals the bus that takes the pscych patients on their outings and they borrow a fishing boat.This leads to a wild day of successful fishing, boating and having sex with woman named Candy.By the time the USS Luney Boat pulls into the boat yard, the psych team is there to greet them.BOY - it's trouble.
Randall gets in trouble and next thing you know, they're arguing in group session with nurse Ratchet, who is an overbearing, awful nurse who is as theraputic as a guillatione.
She is just terrible with the clients - not respectful - not concerned about thier manhood or manly interests at all.
As a matter of fact, I doubt she has a man in her life at all.
One night, Randall plans his escape.He unlocks the metal bars in front of the windows and these two girls bring bags and bags of booze for them to drink as well as all the other clients.All the clients are mal-adjusted but I wouldn't really classify them as being crazy.They're all having trouble coping with life and they regress and loose their tempers real bad over little silly things, but they are not crazy.The gang gets boozed up and one of the boys gets a woman for the first time in his life.ALl this crazy action is actually the most theraputic activities that the creeps in the Insane Hospital have ever seen, and they all respond well to it.Now comes the awful ending - they deal with Randall as if he were criminally insane.They lobe him up and he's done for.....his friend, the Chief then leaves the looney bin.
It's such a well done movie and it is hilarious throughout!Jack uses language that is colorful and a bit offensive, which leads to the overall enjoyment of this particular film
This film is 30 years old and it is a classic film depicting mental illness and what it is and what it may not be.It is fun to see the old '45's spinning on the turntable and there is alot of visual reference to the way the world was in 1975.Jack Nicholson is a youthful 35 year old young man, and that in itself is worth the time seeting this old film.Cuckoo's Nest is a classic and all person studying modern Psych owe it to themselves to be conversant about this important film. ... Read more

Asin: B00006FDCP
Subjects:  1. Feature Film-drama   

In the Bedroom
by Tom Wilkinson Sissy Spacek
Director: Todd Field
Average Customer Review:
DVD (04 January, 2005)
list price: $14.99 -- our price: $13.49
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Editorial Review

When a film with such emotional resonance and visual poise as In the Bedroom makes it to the screen, it seems an unexpected gift meant to remind us of the medium's possibility for sensitivity and epiphany. First-time director Todd Field, who adapted the film from a story by Andre Dubus with screenwriter Rob Festinger, quietly observes the loss, rage, and inexorable desire for revenge that follows the murder of a 21-year-old son. The film opens with Frank (Nick Stahl), back from college for the summer, taking up with Natalie (Marisa Tomei), a slightly older, sexually alluring woman with two boys and an estranged husband prone to violence. It is the tender portrayal of love between Frank and his parents, even as Frank and Natalie's relationship reveals the prejudices of all involved, that makes the subsequent anguish of the film so acute. Matt and Ruth Fowler (Tom Wilkinson and Sissy Spacek), middle-class denizens of a Maine lobster town where everyone knows each other, toil through weeks of devastation and blame following Frank's murder before their outrage obliterates all else. Field's exact handling of jealousy, class division, and grief is abetted by career-highlight performances from Wilkinson and Spacek. In the Bedroom is, along with You Can Count On Me, one of the best American dramas to grace the new millennium so far. --Fionn Meade ... Read more

Features

• Color
• Closed-captioned
• Widescreen
• Dolby

Reviews (240)

A predictable family melodrama reminiscent of network TV
These types of films are programmed to press the emotional buttons located inside the brains of middle-aged, middle-class American women. This film is not recommended for other brains, particularly male brains. I tried this film for thirty minutes, then suffered an adverse reaction and had to press Stop. I had my fill of these growing up, on network TV, which probably caused brain damage that I have only been able to reverse by watching such movies as "Master and Commander," "Pulp Fiction," and "Kill Bill".

Yet another quintessential chick flick. I gave it a spin because I fondly remembered Sissy Spacek from other movies, and thought Marisa Tomei was not bad looking. (In this movie, her hair could provide nesting space for a family of birds.)

The New York Times gave this a rave review, which decides the question of whether I am going to subscribe to that newspaper.

One of 2001's Best Films
It is fairly unusual for an independent film to be the victim of a misleading ad campaign, but "In The Bedroom" may be such a rarity. More than a few people I told about this film said that they were not interested because it appears to be a revenge sort of film. The guy kills the son who is dating his ex-wife and then goes on a vendetta against the rest of the family. If this is also your opinion, after watching the ads, let me just say that the ads are a little misleading. Although there are elements of revenge within the film, "In The Bedroom" is one of the best films released in 2001.

Matt and Ruth Fowler (Tom Wilkinson and Sissy Spacek) are a middle-aged couple living in a small town in Massachusetts (I think). Their son, Frank, is back from college for the summer and working on his lobster boat. He also falls in love with Natalie Strout (Marisa Tomei), a divorced mom with two kids. Matt and Ruth are shaken a bit by their son's new lover, but they accept her, to a degree, when they see how much her son loves her. Richard Strout (William Mapother), the ex-husband, isn't taking too well to the break-up or the new lover and his violent tendencies increase.

"In The Bedroom", the first film directed by Todd Field (an actor who has appeared in various films, including "Eyes Wide Shut"), is a quiet, accomplished, powerful film exploring the fabric of a family's life. Field thrusts us into the story very quickly. The first scene depicts Frank and Natalie running through a field. Then we watch them at a family picnic. My point is that the relationship has already begun and they have already developed a certain amount of history. Both of her kids are already attached to Frank. This is a highly effective way of quickly and abruptly thrusting us into the story, ramping up our involvement in their lives. As we realize that these characters are already "together" that forces us to have an investment in their relationship. Field also depicts certain things in a tableau form. Brief shots of various characters sitting quietly contemplating or moving woodenly through their day, communicate far more than a highly theatrical scene of someone yelling or screaming. This method of depicting certain things, and leaving other things to our imaginations, also helps to ground the film in realism. "In The Bedroom" is a remarkably accomplished first film and makes me anticipate his next film even more.

Field's accomplished direction is further enhanced by the fine performances by his cast. Sissy Spacek creates one of the most memorable characters I have ever seen in a film. Her portrayal of Ruth, the mother, is mesmerizing. Throughout the first half of the film you get a sense of her deepening disquiet and wonder what, besides her disapproval of her son's relationship, might be lurking underneath. In the second half of the film, her anger makes itself known, but without the showy theatrics associated with many similar types of performances. For a leading role, Spacek remains quiet through many scenes, yet effectively communicates her feelings through her face and body language. I really believed she was in this marriage and Frank's mother and had a history with this family.

Tom Wilkinson, probably best remembered for his role as General Cornwallis in "The Patriot", is equally remarkable as Matt Fowler. For the first half of the film, he quietly gives in to his son at every turn, and in fact, Frank turns to him when his mother disapproves. He has a medical practice, but leaves most days at lunch, to either fish with his son, or spend some time with him. He also brings a note of jealousy to the character, indicating that perhaps Matt is jealous of his son. In the second half of the film, his character makes many changes as well, but they are also believable and compelling.

The supporting cast is equally memorable. Nick Stahl brings a refreshing sense of enthusiasm and bravery to the role of Frank. You really get a sense that Frank is in love with Natalie, cares for her kids and loves his life. As he made various decisions throughout the film, I found myself compelled to shout to him to do something different. Of course, I didn't, but the fact that I considered this proves the power of his performance. I have never really been a fan of Marisa Tomei, but her performance as Natalie is very strong and believable. Natalie is a woman that is trying to have a happy life, a strong life and an independent life. In the film, we get a sense that she has finally reached that point, except for the influence of her ex-husband. There is a scene between Natalie and Ruth that is fairly brief, but very memorable.

"In The Bedroom" is a great, memorable film containing some of the best performances of 2001.

not quite compelling enough
I will watch anything starring Tom Wilkinson, and he does not disappoint here. Unfortunately almost everything else does disappoint, perhaps because this film had been praised and lauded to such a high degree that by the time I watched it, my expectations had soared to a greater level than could be met. I don't care for Sissy Spacek's grieving mother histrionics and finger-pointing, although that kind of performance is to be expected. I also don't like Marisa Tomei at all, so her presence is not much validation for this film. On the other hand, the brief performance of Nick Stahl as the ill-fated younger man in the older woman-younger man relationship seems predictive of potentially excellent performances in Stahl's future (not to mention his impressive resume to date in various productions like Man without a Face, Carnivale, and The Thin Red Line). Also the blood-curdling performance of William Mapother as the jealous ex-husband was worthwhile. Nevertheless, I still felt as though there was something missing from this film. Perhaps it was supposed to convey tension and an explosive situation boiling to the surface. Tensions DID exist before tragic consequences occurred, but after the tragedy, when the tensions did boil over, somehow nothing about this story seemed to actively capture interest. ... Read more

Asin: B000067J3S
Subjects:  1. Feature Film-drama   

By George : The Autobiography of George Foreman
Average Customer Review:
Paperback (11 October, 2000)
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Reviews (14)

A Little Dissapointing
COnsidering that George seems to have such a tremendous life story, I found this book to be somewhat dissapointing.It really did not have much about comeback.It also had a lot of boring detailed information on his ex wives and other subjects.And you could pretty much tell that George was concealing a lot of information--this book is definitely not a "tell all" type.Overall, I would say that I was pleased with the earlier parts of the book, but overall it did not leave me as satisfied as I would have liked.

My undisputed favorite biography.
Whether it's for his knockouts in the ring, or his grills that knockout the fat, just about everyone in the civilized world knows the name George Foreman. While most sports fans know that Foreman wasn't always the oversized teddy bear that he is now, the stories relayed in the first half of his autobiography, BY GEORGE, will amaze you.

Throughout the book, Foreman not only outlines the rise of his boxing career from the Olympics to the professional ranks and the heavyweight championship (twice), but he also delves into his personal life in a detailed manner that provides the reader with an in-depth look into the George Foreman that many never knew existed.

The somewhat underlying story in this book is his relationship with God. In the first half of the book, Foreman tells of how, when he was young, he thought that religion was for the weak and it wasn't something he needed in his life. More amazing is that Foreman, now a Baptist minister, nearly became a Muslim before his legendary fight with Muhammad Ali in 1974. Following his bout with Jimmy Young in 1997, his final fight before his 10 year layoff, Foreman had a 'religious experience' in his locker room, found the Lord, and started to become the George Foreman that the world knows and loves today. In the second half of the book, the reader truly begins to see Foreman's love for God, and how God influences every aspect of his life.

While many know the ups and downs of his boxing career, it's very interesting to relive those moments through the eyes of the man who was there. His mentality change between his first and second boxing careers is astonishing. As a Christian, this book has added meaning for me due to the issues mentioned above. Simply put, this is a book that is an inspiration to one and all.

This book has everything!
This book was awesome! I got it back when I was 19, probably just so I could read about some good fights. But it had so much more. Like how George was a fighter as a kid. He talked about how he played high school football and the coach who carried around the wooden paddle! I thought it was neat the way he talked about his experience in the Job Corps. Even then he struggled with his temper, and talked about how there was one special lady who always loved him. The cafeteria lady, Mrs. Moon, who eventually invited him over for dinner.

I loved the way he described his fights, some of them in awesome detail. He still recalls losing 2 fights against a man named Clay Hodges, but then going to the Olympics and winning the gold against Russian, Ionas Chepulis. He vividly tells about what he was thinking in his first fight with Smokin' Joe Frazier. He tells about fighting Ken Norton. I admire the fact that George takes the good with the bad, and talks about his defeat to Muhammed Ali.

But the most awesome thing is about how George became a pastor. He truly is an amazing man, with the grace of God. This shows the awesome power of an awesome man, led now by an awesome God! ... Read more

Isbn: 0743201124
Sales Rank: 226900
Subjects:  1. 1949-    2. Biography    3. Biography & Autobiography    4. Biography / Autobiography    5. Biography/Autobiography    6. Boxers (Sports)    7. Boxing    8. Foreman, George,    9. Sports - General    10. United States    11. Biography & Autobiography / General    12. Foreman, George   

Who: Thirty Years of Maximum R&B Live
by Who The Who
Average Customer Review:
VHS Tape (05 July, 1994)
list price: $19.95
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• Color
• NTSC

Reviews (21)

If you can find it, GET IT.
This was available in DVD a few years ago, but seems to have gone out of print. The piece is a good companion to The Kids Are Alright, as its concert clips don't overlap TKAA at all, and in fact the two complement each other nicely in some cases. It brings the published concert clips up to 1989, the last Who tour before the 30th anniversary mark, and includes some nice Kenney Jones clips.

The major omission, in my opinion, is the surviving clips from Live Aid. Sure they sounded rough that day. Sure they hated being in the same arena together. Sure John blew up the preamp in his main bass seconds before going on, and can be heard tuning his backup bass during My Generation. Wouldn't that be fun to see/hear? I think it would...

In any case, if you can find the 30 Years DVD, get it by any means necessary. Same goes for the VHS version. You won't regret it.

THE WHO LIVE !!!
This DVD was fantastic, a great trip throu THE WHO'S great carer.
There is yust some bad things I have to say, I think there shuld have been more WHO with Keith Moon and not so much without him, becaus the real WHO was with Moon I think and thats what I whant to see. And when you see all this great shows you will understand ther must be very much stuff unrelised, so why in Haven and hell dont they give out more of this great stuff????
I whant more WHO so I realy hope they will relise much more WHO DVDs wery soon.

The Best Who Video
If you want to watch the Who performing, this is the video to have. The Tanglewood Music Shed performance is SUPERB!!!, then the Isle Of Wight, Holland 1972, the Charlton concert 1974 is AWESOME !!!, the excerpt from the unrealesed movie "Who Are You" is very interesting, The Chicago Ampiteather concert in 1979 is excellent. A MUST-HAVE for WHO FANS and ROCK fans. The greatest live band ever, and here's their testimony. Nice interviews between set of songs too. PERFECT compilation of WHO live history.

Nancy from CA, don't be so funny please. One Star 'cos you couldn't watch the video 'cos they sold it to you in bad shape??? what's that please. Such was the need to type a review? Don't Do It if you couldn't see it. Plain and simple.
We don't care your stupid story. Watch the video and then talk :-) ... Read more

Asin: 6303158587
Sales Rank: 12294
Subjects:  1. Music Video - Pop/Rock   

The Martin Luther King, Jr. Tapes
Average Customer Review:
Audio CD (23 March, 1995)
list price: $16.98 -- our price: $14.99
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Reviews (3)

An excellent compilation!!!
This package is well worth the price. If you love to hear great speeches from great people like Dr. King, then this is definitely a must have. There's no point in talking about the speeches because I dont want to spoil them. The JFK speeches are exceptionally good as well.

One of the Better King Speech Collections
This is an excellent collection of King Speeches. It begins with the 1963 Detroit Speech, where "I Have a Dream" was first heard. This is filled with raw, barbed humor that most people don't presently associate with Dr. King. Next is the March on Washington Speech, which has the better knonw version of "I Have a Dream". Much of that is quite stiff before he gets to the Dream segement. Then we have the "Mountaintop" speech of 1968, which is all the more remarkable when you consider this was done without any notes. It conclues rather fittingly with Bobby Kennedy's eulogy of Dr. King, which is made all the more poignant since Bobby Kennedy was also killed just a few weeks later. Overall great listening and great history.

I Wish There Were More Speeches
The title is somewhat misleading, as only three of the speeches featureKing, while the last is a speech by Robert Kennedy following King'sassassination.There are only four speeches total in this volume, so onehopes there will be more to come. At least the celebrated "I Have aDream" speech of 1963 is featured in its entirety.The speech stillgives me the chills after all these years and remains the standard by whichall speeches should be judged.It is the greatest speech of the 20thcentury, and for anybody to include it complete deserves at least threestars for including it. ... Read more

Asin: B000001C0G
Sales Rank: 30758
Subjects:  1. Pop    2. Speeches    3. Spoken / Comedy / Radio Shows   

Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice
by Natalie Wood Robert Culp Elliott Gould Dyan Cannon
Director: Paul Mazursky
Average Customer Review:
VHS Tape (15 September, 1994)
list price: $9.95
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Editorial Review

While its particulars remain rooted in the sexual revolution of the late 1960s, Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice is remarkably timeless as a classic comedy of manners. Making an impressive, high-profile directorial debut after success as a screenwriter, Paul Mazursky took the pulse of California society better than anyone, especially with this well-cast, sharply observant comedy that begins when sophisticated couple Bob and Carol (Robert Culp, Natalie Wood) attend a weekend retreat that opens their eyes to the possibilities of open marriage and mutual acceptance of extramarital affairs. When they reveal their newfound liberties to straightlaced couple Ted and Alice (Elliott Gould, Dyan Cannon), the subtle, behavioral richness of the largely improvisational screenplay (by Mazursky and Larry Tucker) rises to the surface, conveyed through the kind of natural rhythms and pauses that were dramatically in vogue in the fast-changing Hollywood of 1969. The film hasn't lost any of its punch, perhaps because American sexual politics have returned to the conservatism that existed before Bob and Carol emerged as the signature comedy of the swinging sixties. The absence of the late Natalie Wood is the only drawback to the DVD's excellent commentary, which reunites Mazursky, Culp, Gould, and Cannon in a casual atmosphere of humorous reminiscence. --Jeff Shannon ... Read more

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• NTSC

Reviews (9)

WHY!!!???
Why are Paul Mazursky's BEST films NOT on DVD!!!??? I am referring to:

Tempest (1982)
Willie and Phil (1980)
Unmarried Woman, An (1978)
Next Stop, Greenwich Village (1976)
Harry and Tonto (1974)
Blume in Love (1973)

I am waiting and will buy all of them, particularly Tempest and An Unmarried Woman, if they ever become available on DVD.

Gratuitous Indulgences Of The Idle Rich
Mazursky scores a bullseye in this scathing satire of the Mid-60s sexual liberation movement as documented by Gay Telese in 'Thy Neighbors Wife' as well as the burgeoning primal screaming, reflexive listening that would eventually degenerate into the 70's cults (EST - satirized in 'Big Fix' with Richard Dreyfuss as BEST) that would be a substitute for many for ACTUAL therapy.What is so hilarious is how straight all the roles are played.I couldn't stop laughing when Elliot Gould, still green about matters touchy/feely painfully tries to extricate himself from beneath Robert Culp and Natalie Wood as they, during a dinner get together with friends, begin making love on the couch on top of him!
Only someone with the cash to afford all the retreats, books, lectures, therapists, and most importantly, the TIME to indulge to their heart's content the nit picking of micro-managed conversation with grandiose assumptions of their and everyone else's motives before smothering it all beneath a sanitized shroud of complete moral neutrality.
About 40 minutes in the movies various themes all coalesque around this ONE area: extramarital relations - and this is where Mazursky takes the film completely over the top.
Culp, in his quest for complete OPENNESS confesses an affair he had the previous weekend to wife Natalie Wood.With a headful of mountain top retreat indoctrination she loves him all the more for it.She feels compelled with her own quest for absolute transparency to share this news with the couple's friends Ted and Alice (Gould and Cannon).Cannon is driven berserk and Bob's infidelity which taps into her own issues leading to a exasperating all night rap session with hubby Ted.
When Ted ruminates over his own lack of extramarital affairs he's not sure if he has a CLEAN slate or an empty one!!
And it's all downhill (or uphill depending) from there to a nearly complete (to me) incomprehensible ending.
Great ensemble acting all around!

Contemporary Psychobabble Dates Badly
BOB AND CAROL AND TED AND ALICE starts off as if a stoned hippie with an 8mm cam began to film cinema verite and did not wish to infringe on the rights of an equally stoned cast to get the scene right in the first take.Somewhere in this turgid bloated mess of a psychodrama are some unpleasant truths about the way married couples confront personal and sexual disconnections, but this relevant set of subtexts is hidden under an annoying coating of a 60s mentality of free love, beads, primal scream therapy, and groupsex, all of which date what otherwise have been some eternal truisms.

Robert Culp is Bob, a 40 something successful businessman who is less a fully-fleshed individual than a stereotyped hippie weekend wannabe who wants the freedom to have affairs but is unwilling to give his wife Carol (Natalie Wood) the same right.Bob is not just a man in search of himself.He comes across as an annoying pest who likes to think of himself as a new age guru who believes that he personifies the adage of Do Your Own Thing.Naturally, anyone who dares to show conventional middle class moral objections to his philandering is dismissed as a fuddy duddy out of touch with his own feelings.Carol is even less of a believable person as she skates through life with her feet barely touching the moral ground of life.Director Paul Mazursky allows the viewer to get an idea of how and why Bob and Carol think and act.At the start of the film, they attend a group interaction session led by a therapist who exhorts his patients to engage in some questionable methods: they scream, beat pillows, gawk about the room, and stare into one another's eyes as if to connect on a visual level.

Ted (Eliot Gould) and Alice (Dyan Cannon) are more open with their vulnerabilities, and hence engage us more.Both are disgusted at first with the open fooling around of Bob and Carol. Ted wants more frequent sex with Alice but does not know how to handle her rejection of him. Despite his geekiness, Ted comes across as a reasonably moral man whose own limits are soon to be tested first by a wife whose burgeoning sexuality snaps to attention then later by his own crumbling wall of marital fidelity.

The second half of the film is more interesting than that of the first.The cloying irritability that dominates the first half is replaced by several humorous, yet revealing vignettes that culminate with all four in bed and not knowing or daring what to do.The hesitant expressions on their faces suggest that morality is not a blanket to be donned or doffed at will.BOB AND CAROL AND TED AND ALICE is a potent, if misguided moral fairy tale that warns us that the freedom to be superficially open may in fact be nothing more than a license to hide behind that blanket of openness. ... Read more

Asin: 6303257194
Subjects:  1. Feature Film-comedy   

Electric Ladyland
Average Customer Review:
Audio CD (22 April, 1997)
list price: $13.98 -- our price: $9.99
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Editorial Review

Bursting with ideas and energy, Jimi Hendrix's second album release of 1968 (following Axis: Bold as Love) was a double-LP set that showcased virtually everything the guitar genius had to offer: blistering blues ("Voodoo Chile"), galaxy-patrolling space jams ("1983... A Merman I Should Turn to Be"), psychedelic soul ("Crosstown Traffic"), and skyscraping rock ("Voodoo Child (Slight Return)"). In the midst of all this was even a hit song--Hendrix's remarkable reading of Bob Dylan's "All Along the Watchtower," featuring a series of baton-passing guitar solos, all distinct and brilliant. Seemingly diffuse when first released; in hindsight, kaleidoscopically eclectic. --Billy Altman ... Read more

Reviews (199)

This is the masterpiece of masterpieces
Hendrix had few (if any) equals.This was his third official album, and it is quite simply one of the greatest works of art of the last 40 years.If you have little exposure to Hendrix and want to start with material that will dazzle you, move you, thrill you, etc. this is the place to start.

The most noteworthy tracks are in my opinion - Voodoo Chile, Rainy Day Dream Away, 1983 (A merman I should turn to be), Moon turn the tides ...gently gently away, All Along the Watchtower, Burning of the Midnight Lamp, Voodoo Child (slight return), and the title cut Electric Ladyland.

There was a period in my life (1991) where I basically listened to nothing but this album for about 6 months.I still go back to it often and experience the same sense of awe that I had when I first heard it.Despite the fact that I can anticipate every subtlety, I still gape at the beauty every time.May it be so for you as well...Jimi we miss you.

Highly Recommended Hendrix!
"Electric Ladyland", the last Jimi Hendrix Experience album, is usually regarded as the trio's definite masterpiece; and the record do contain some of the greatest and most influental music to come out of the late 1960's. I can't help feeling that Hendrix'use of harmony vocals must have influenced artists like T.Rex, David Bowie and Mott the Hoople. Hendrix' guitar-playing is innovative, and at the same time catchy and melodic. There are many highlights on the album; the best known track on the album is probably their terrific cover of Bob Dylan's "All Along the Watchtower" - the ultimate version of that song, which also made it to the top 20 singles-charts. Songs like "Burning of the Midnight Lamp" and "Voodoo Chile" were also single-hits. The intro of "Burning of the Midnight Lamp" is simply great.

Released in 1968 as a double album, the record contains some tracks with extensive playing time. Some of these may appear somewhat too long-drawn-out.

For me the long version of "Voodoo Chile" and "1983" are examples of this.

On the original vinyl version I never really got into "Side C"; so here on the CD version it's nice to be able to hear the tracks in new playing orders. I can recommend to trythe shuffle/random feature. This made recognize the qualities of the more experimental tracks like "Rainy Day" and "1983".

Conclusion: This album is highly recommended for anyone interested in the history of rock music.
 
 

Flawed but great anyway: Hendrix's "Sgt. Pepper"
Much of this album was made on (the then-new technology) 8 track, 12 track and even 16 track machines for the first time..giving Jimi the space to do more with his artistic vision. He's able to layer phased echo effects over the music, overdub replacements for Noel Redding's bass parts when he didn't think they had enough fire, and make mini-"choirs" of his own vocals. It's the first time he acts as his own producer and it becomes at once an advantage (he'll keep going until he gets the sound he wants) and a liability (artists seldom have the discipline to realize when a "jam" runs too long..resulting in the 15 minute "Voodoo Chile". The song should ALWAYS come first, rather than "look at what I can do!" guitar pyrotechnics, economy is always better...put only the parts there that NEED to be there.)

This also was a double album and, as with most of them, there's plenty of filler material. Coming as it did in the wake of the Beatles "Sgt. Pepper", it's easy to view this as Hendrix's artistic reaction to that landmark album.

HIGHLIGHTS:
Kazoo and guitar propel the classic "Crosstown Traffic", a fluid funky bass riff keeps "Gypsy Eyes" on track, the "guitar as harpsichord" tone Hendrix gets on "Burning of the Midnight Lamp" makes it seem like something that slipped through a hole in time. "House Burning Down" is either Jimi's generic reaction to riots..or perhaps inspired by the ones that happened in Newark, NJ in July of 1967. ("Well someone stepped from the crowd/He was 19 miles high/He shouts 'We're tired and disgusted, so we paint red through the sky'/I say 'The truth is straight ahead, so don't burn yourself! Instead, try to learn instead of burn'")"All Along the Watchtower" is absolutely amazing and clearly one of the best rock songs ever performed. It travels from strength to strength culminating in the ecstasy of its bridge at 2:00 that incorporates doubletracking, wah-wah effects, panning, and finally some propulsive rhythm work to take it back to the verse. It's not difficult to see why Dylan began to model his own song on Hendrix's version in live performances after this rendition was unleashed upon the world. The shorter "Voodoo Child (Slight Return)" distills its mythos into just over 5 minutes and is all the stronger for it.

LOWS:
"Voodoo Chile" continues on long past the point at which it's still interesting. While the seagull and boat bell effects of "1983..(A Merman I Should Turn to Be)" are startling, Hendrix seems bent on making this track merely to show how many effects he can create and use within the track and it sinks it. The repetitive echoed and slowing down vocal is cool once, but after about 5 usages it loses something.

BOTTOM LINE:
There's too many weak spots for me to consider this "5 star" material ["Are you Experienced?" gets that nod...clearly a better collection of songs..] but it's nonetheless a high water mark in rock music and as such should be owned by anyone with an interest in rock music and certainly any Hendrix fan. To get more out of the album, I'd suggest you read a companion book from John Perry along with it (ASIN 0826415717) to get a better gauge of where Jimi's head was at while this was being recorded. I will gripe a bit about noise on the CD..there's a TON of hiss on opener "....And the Gods made love" (probably from the extensive overdubbing that was done) but it's not as noticeable on most other tracks. ... Read more

Asin: B000002P5U
Subjects:  1. Pop    2. Rock   

Ball Four
Average Customer Review:
Paperback (12 July, 1990)
list price: $15.95 -- our price: $10.85
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Editorial Review

As a player, former hurler Jim Bouton did nothing half-way; he threw so hard he'd lose his cap on almost every pitch. In the early '70s, he tossed off one of the funniest, most revealing, insider's takes on baseball life in Ball Four, his diary of the season he tried to pitch his way back from oblivion on the strength of a knuckler. The real curve, though, is Bouton's honesty. He carves humans out of heroes, and shines a light into the game's corners. A quarter century later, Bouton's unique baseball voice can still bring the heat. ... Read more

Reviews (77)

Ball Four: Required Reading for Ball Fans
Bouton's diary-style take on professional baseball in the late 1960s makes for a very funny book that ought to be required reading for any sports fan.

Bouton spent a large part of his career pitching his knuckleball for a variety of big-league teams, including for the Yankees in the 1964 World Series. In Ball Four, Bouton goes from the minors to the Seattle Pilots, then to Houston, over the course of the 1969 season. The book really captures a bygone era of baseball. Salaries were low, bus rides were long, and a lot of big names were still in the game.

The book has a reputation for being funny, and it is. Bouton has a wry sense of humor and a keen eye for human foibles.

A few subjects felt burned, but in this day of athletes accused of drug abuse and criminal behavior, some of the antics that Bouton writes about seem very tame, almost quaint. It's a little hard to see what the fuss was about if you're planted firmly in 2005.

Bouton's observations are fascinating, capturing an era in baseball (and more broadly, in our nation) that has all but disappeared. These were the days before million-dollar contracts and when the length of their hair and sideburns sometimes held the key to a player's future.

Bouton brings the moments alive, so the reader can feel the nerves of a pitcher blowing a game, the joy of running across a big-league field, the frustration of trying to get Gatorade, the speechlessness of finding one's shoes nailed to the clubhouse floor.

Readers should be grateful that someone with a clear, ironic eye had the foresight to take notes and write this book. As Bouton himself says, so many of the funny details would have been lost forever.

For baseball fans, young and old, put this at the top of your summer reading list.

Okay, Mr. Bouton
All I can say is that Jim Bouton should keep us updated periodically: about his life, and about what is happening in baseball and culture generally. I say that because this edition, with its new epilogue, is excellent reading.

What shines through is an intelligent, funny, very likeable, and exceedingly sane -- partially by virtue of his craziness -- person. I think we should be hearing and seeing much more of him than we do: just providing a reasonable voice and open, honest critique of current events. Bouton's voice gives hope somehow.

Keep on keeping on, Mr. Bouton!

Hilarious and Unprecedented
Ball Four is a great book about life in the Major Leagues. You must read it. ... Read more

Isbn: 0020306652
Subjects:  1. Baseball    2. Baseball - General    3. Baseball players    4. Biography    5. Biography/Autobiography    6. Bouton, Jim    7. Coaching - Baseball    8. General    9. Personal Memoirs    10. Sports & Recreation    11. United States    12. Biography: sport    13. Sports & Recreation / Baseball / Essays & Writings    14. USA   

The Doors (Special Edition)
by Val Kilmer Meg Ryan
Director: Oliver Stone
Average Customer Review:
DVD (18 March, 2003)
list price: $14.98 -- our price: $11.98
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Editorial Review

Thanks in large part to its meticulous re-creation of the late 1960s and early '70s rock scene and the uncannily authentic performance by Val Kilmer as legendary Doors front man Jim Morrison, Oliver Stone's hypnotic film biography is standing the test of time. Capturing the carefree mood of the Age of Aquarius, the film charts the meteoric rise of the Doors on the California club circuit (including a memorable scene showing the creation of the hit "Light My Fire"), and chronicles the band's exploits with hallucinogenics and Morrison's battles against charges of public indecency on stage. Kilmer's performance is hauntingly perfect, and performances by Meg Ryan, Kathleen Quinlan, and Kyle MacLachlan are similarly impressive. The movie doesn't fully probe the depths of Morrison's character, but as a portrait of excess it is vividly true to the spirit of the self-destructive poet known to his fans as "The Lizard King." --Jeff Shannon ... Read more

Features

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• Closed-captioned
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Reviews (167)

Incoherent, negative, and not really about THE DOORS...
I saw this movie when it first came out (March 1, 1991).I was 21 years old, and a huge DOORS fan.I liked it okay back then, but upon seeing it now, it's boring, and makes it appear that the other members did little or nothing to contribute to the band and its success (Robby Krieger, the guitar player, WROTE 'LIGHT MY FIRE').I think Val Kilmer does an Oscar-caliber job as Jim, but the others are only there to react to things Jim says and does.They have no other purpose except to fill in those roles-most anyone could have done that.I don't think a lot of people realize that Jim Morrison was many things, BUT HE WASN'T A MUSICIAN.HE DIDN'T PLAY AN INSTRUMENT, and he wasn't THAT great a singer (though I will say that he was damn good when he was good).THE DOORS were a great band, but that was a long time ago.As far as the studio albums go, the first two were great, the second two were mediocre (though 'STRANGE DAYS' has a couple of decent tracks), and the last two were hit and miss.I wasn't there, so I don't know about how they were live (videos and live CDs are NOT THE SAME as being there).Another reviewer said that Meg Ryan was a poor choice to play Pam.I agree.Listening to Stone talk about it on disc 2 tells us why.Ryan sounds like she was/is unable to comprehend the type of behavior that Pam/Jim engaged in, i.e. drugs, rebellion, etc.Stone said the same thing about Darryl Hannah regarding her failed attempt to play Darian in WALL STREET (a far superior movie to this one by the way).I don't understand why Stone would choose to have someone play a role like this when they obviously were unable to 'find and be' the character they were supposed to be portraying.Stone should have chosen more wisely.I think Stone's obsession with Jim is the reason this movie is really all about Jim.Of the many problems in it, the one that probably bothers me the most is that the movie acts like Jim is the center of the universe, as the camera is almost always on him.But Oliver Stone's Jim Morrison is juvenile, destructive, obnoxious, and often, pointless.He hardly comes off as a genius, poetic or otherwise.He suddenly has star status, but the movie doesn't show why-we're supposed to know why.Yet, why should we care??? The character is despicable, at least that's the way he's written here.I couldn't even finish the film-I simply didn't care that he was headed for a youthful demise.When I read 'Riders on the Storm' and 'No One Here Gets Out Alive', I found myself caring about the people involved-not here though.Moreover, the photography was irritating, to say the least.I wanted to know about THE DOORS, instead, I got an MTV-type drug trip with DOORS music behind it.As a big studio movie, I think this fails on all levels except one-Val Kilmer's performance.As another reviewer noted, this is the best acting he's ever done.It's too bad that the movie/script he had to work with was/is over-hyped junk.

Boo, Hiss - Fake Widescreen
The movie is interesting and I think Val Kilmer did a good job.I rate this so low because Artisanjust put big black bars on top and bottom and then calls it widescreen.This is FAKE widescreen and is a bad, bad, bad thing.

negative "one," really
be serious: Val Kimler playing Jim Morrison? Oh, be real.Oliver must've been WAY stoned.But instead of being so negative, here's an idea:how 'bout a "two CD-set" of...um...say, "Helter Skelter" with Pee Wee Herman portraying Charles Manson?And then you could drag out J Lo to play Squeaky Fromme, and keep the "reality" in high gear, eh? ... Read more

Asin: B00005NB8K
Subjects:  1. Feature Film-drama   

The Graduate (Special Edition)
by Anne Bancroft Dustin Hoffman
Director: Mike Nichols
Average Customer Review:
DVD (08 June, 2004)
list price: $14.95 -- our price: $11.21
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Editorial Review

Few films have defined a generation as The Graduate did. The alienation, the nonconformity, the intergenerational romance, the blissful Simon and Garfunkel soundtrack--they all served to lob a cultural grenade smack into the middle of 1967 America, ultimately making the film the third most profitable up to that time. Seen from a later perspective, its radical chicness has dimmed a bit, yet it's still a joy to see Dustin Hoffman's bemused Benjamin and Anne Bancroft's deliciously decadent, sardonic Mrs. Robinson. The script by Buck Henry and Calder Willingham is still offbeat and dryly funny, and Mike Nichols, who won an Oscar for his direction, has just the right, light touch. --Anne Hurley ... Read more

Features

• Color
• Closed-captioned
• Widescreen

Reviews (146)

Great movie, bad DVD
I won't do a movie review, since that has been done by many others, but I do want to comment on the DVD.I did not get the 25th anniversary edition (no booklet or commentary), but I did get the wide-screen version.I had the video version, but could not bear to watch it because of the full-screen aspect and the things you missed.I have seen the movie before, in a theater.

Saying that, I was really dismayed and disturbed by the lack of quality of the transfer to the DVD.The sound quality was the worst, with background noises completely drowning out the conversation (and I am careful not to include the scenes where that was intentional--there were a number of scenes on the DVD where you literally could not hear the dialogue because of wind noise, door slams, ice clinking, etc.).There were times when the sound just blared at you, and other times you had to strain to hear, sometimes in the same scene.Again, I know when a director is intentionally using sound to set up a scene, and I have seen this movie before, so I know what it is supposed to sound like.

The quality of the picture was lacking at times as well, but the biggest gripe is the sound.It really distracted me from the movie, and is a reason I am giving the DVD away.I want to have the movie in my collection, just not this DVD.

Mike Nichols Classic Film
I must say when i first saw this movie i fell in love with the story. Yet it does become repetitious towards the end. This is the movie "i am certain of" that made Dustin Hoffman what he is now.




"Are You Trying to Seduce me Mrs. Robinson?"

not bad, but it doesn't speak to my generation
I was very excited to finally watch "The Graduate," and indeed I found it engaging, well-paced, and well-acted...until the last half-hour.I found this last part, starting from where Ben goes to look for Elaine at Berkeley, contrived and a real disappointment.It's almost like two different films put together.

Think about it:Ben suddenly starts obsessing over this girl with whom he's had a total of *one* date with, then starts exhibiting stalker-like behavior toward her.Implausibly, this actually works on Elaine, and she starts showing interest in him.But instead of working on things like, say, getting to know her first, he instead starts pestering her about getting married immediately!What's his deal?I found him very creepy and unromantic during all this, and less in love with Elaine than unhealthily obsessed with her.As for her, she's still in college and hardly knows him.What's she thinking?

I guess all that setup is necessary for the generational showdown at the film's climax, when Ben drags off his love from her wedding ceremony with another man.So it looks like the young people win the battle of the generations, but what is the message there?Is it:you older people can try to stop me, but I'll just take whatever I want anyway?Ben strikes me as less of an non-conforming rebel and more of a self-centered and immature brat (no baby boomer jokes here, please).

Now to be really sacrilegious:I love the songs of Simon and Garfunkel, but except for a few places, they don't really fit the directing style nor the content of this film.And do we really need to hear "Sound of Silence" three times?

There are some great things about "The Graduate":the directing and editing are excellent, Bancroft is amazing (the film needs her in the third act!), Hoffman is also very good, and their scenes together are the best parts of the film.It's also very funny in a dry, British-style of humor.It's too bad the film's final act had to ruin it for me.

I can see how this this film was embraced by an entire generation, but as a child of the 80s, not the 60s, it doesn't really speak deeply to me.A comparably cherished film from my generation might be "The Breakfast Club."Perhaps in 20 years, my kid will watch that film and have the same reaction that I had to "The Graduate"! ... Read more

Asin: B00000K0DS
Subjects:  1. Feature Film-comedy   

Ali
by Will Smith
Director: Michael Mann
Average Customer Review:
DVD (07 October, 2003)
list price: $14.94 -- our price: $13.45
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Editorial Review

Ali is a rush of charm, violence, and well-crafted mythmaking sure to enthrall. From the unforgettable surge of the opening--a 10-minute montage of sheer brilliance where formative scenes from the early life of Cassius Clay float along on the rapture of a live performance by Sam Cooke in a Harlem nightclub--through to Muhammad Ali's departure for Zaire to fight George Foreman, Michael Mann's homage is mostly crisp and fleet-footed. As Clay/Ali, Will Smith acquits himself marvelously due in large part to his uncanny re-creation of Ali's most famous weapon, his mesmerizing voice. Indeed, the best scenes throughout showcase Ali's verbal rather than pugilistic sparring; whether with his entourage (notably Jamie Foxx), Howard Cosell (Jon Voight), or Don King (Mykelti Williamson), Michael Mann's Ali has the same authoritative wit and ability to surprise that so disarmed the public. The news conferences and behind-the-scenes banter are exquisitely re-created; not so Ali's flaws. Mann's attempt to depict Ali's womanizing, his dubious affiliation with the Nation of Islam, and his insatiable need for the spotlight seems halfhearted and laborious in comparison to the film's enlivened adoration of its subject. As the sluggish second half of the film betrays, Ali is at its impressionistic best when it's in awe rather than when it explains. --Fionn Meade ... Read more

Features

• Color
• Closed-captioned
• Widescreen
• Dolby

Reviews (152)

To great of a story for a movie
Will Smith sure did try hard but you just can not make a movie about Ali.It's way to hard.He's had such a busy and great life that you cannot fit everything into a movie.But it was a great effort.I preferred the documentary 'When We Were Kings'.
I bought this movie though and it is a excellent dvd.I recommend buying only if you like boxing movies a whole bunch.

i only looked at this because i wanted to see Jamie Foxx!
will smith did a good job in this movie but i really think the reason why he did not get the academy award was probally because there have been movies made on Muhummed Ali already, it just was not unique enough. but i really looked at this movie because i wanted to see My Jamie Foxx. He did a really good job on this film too. actually both Jamie and Will did an excellent job in their characters. i noticed the both of them had to get beefed up for this one. i would love to see them in a remake of a real good movie, like "Some Like it Hot" or "The Fortune Cookie" or maybe an urban flavor version of "The Odd Couple".

Did you see when we were kings?
Ok Ali was one of the greatest of all times and Will smith is a good actor.Excuse me but,I would like to remind that religous freak that this is a movie review, not an open forum for you to preach to other people how rightous your beliefs are.It's a movie about sports don't take it so seriously. The problem is Ali is the exact same movie as when we were king's. The footage is similar the plot line is similar and instead of will smith it's real life footage of the champ himself.If you haven't seen the documentary when we were kings, youre missing out. It actually one the oscar in 97 for best documentary and it is a far wuperior film than ali. Thanks ... Read more

Asin: B00005JKMQ
Subjects:  1. Feature Film-drama   

Four Way Street
Average Customer Review:
Audio CD (23 June, 1992)
list price: $27.98 -- our price: $24.99
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Editorial Review

This is one of those albums where you'll want to cherry-pick favorites. Recorded live when the supergroup was at its commercial zenith, it's sloppy in spots where precision is called for. And the hyperbolic counterculture rants sound a bit silly these days (Bellows Stills: "Jesus Christ was the first nonviolent revolutionary! Ah, dig it, dig it!"). On the other hand, the electric jams are enlivened by some charged guitar skirmishes between Stills and Young. Those who owned the original 2-record set will be pleased by the additional Graham Nash song ("King Midas in Reverse") and Young's acoustic "The Loner"/"Cinnamon Girl"/"Down by the River" medley.--Steven Stolder ... Read more

Features

• Live

Reviews (56)

Flaccid Rock
21 tracks, 6 by Neil Young. Two of those are live retreads of tunes you should - if you're reading this - have elsewhere. Three of them are acoustic takes of solo tunes (one is a medley) and the last is an old Buffalo Springfield tune.

The only other high point is Crosby's intro to Triad, wherein he basically says, "Hey, man. Once I was nailing two chicks at the same time. I wrote a song about it, and stuff." But you can here all of that on the sample provided here, and Triad is now available as a bonus track on Notorious Byrd Brothers, which - if you're reading this - you should have elsewhere.

So, 4 worthwhile tracks out of 21, that's less than 20%. Sounds like 1 star to me.

CSNY- Sharp,Separate,and atrocious
Stephen Stills was right in his assessment of this-atrocious.Although,when I first bought this in 1971,I would pick and choose which cuts to listen to.30 seconds of Suite:Judy Blue Eyes??Come on.David Crosby's The Lee Shore, is nicely done. Same with Graham's Right Between The Eyes.Also, Neil's On The Way Home.In 1971,I did think that Stephen's 49 Bye Bye's/America's Children spoke to what those of us thought about The Establishment.Even though it was kind of sloppy,and according to some accounts,he was high on whatever.The electric side is junk,with the exception of Ohio.This would have been rated lower, except for the remastered version, that has excellent cuts that Graham selected.This was recorded at their Chicago concert, as well as Los Angeles.I'm glad I missed that one.I saw them a year earlier at The Greek Theatre in LA,they were focused,together, and wonderful tight harmonies.

The original unplugged, CSN and sometimes Y live,
The major disappointment for me is the 1st 30 seconds of the cd which is actually the last 30 seconds of "Suite Judy Blue Eyes"....but other than that, this is an excellent live release with great music, nice harmony, and a bit of humor.The addition of Neil Young provides some raw moments and he is truly one of the highlights on this cd.Nothing else is missing here, you get the "live" performance as it is/was and you will enjoy it. ... Read more

Asin: B000002ITW
Subjects:  1. Album Rock    2. Folk-Rock    3. Pop    4. Pop/Rock    5. Rock    6. Singer/Songwriter   

American Graffiti (Collector's Edition) (High School Reunion Collection)
by Richard Dreyfuss Ron Howard
Director: George Lucas
Average Customer Review:
DVD (31 May, 2005)
list price: $19.98 -- our price: $14.99
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Editorial Review

Here's how critic Roger Ebert described the unique and lasting value of George Lucas's 1973 box-office hit, American Graffiti: "[It's] not only a great movie but a brilliant work of historical fiction; no sociological treatise could duplicate the movie's success in remembering exactly how it was to be alive at that cultural instant." The time to which Ebert and the film refers is the summer of 1962, and American Graffiti captures the look, feel, and sound of that era by chronicling one memorable night in the lives of several young Californians on the cusp of adulthood. (In essence, Lucas was making a semiautobiographical tribute to his own days as a hot-rod cruiser, and the film's phenomenal success paved the way for Star Wars.) The action is propelled by the music of Wolfman Jack's rock & roll radio show--a soundtrack of pop hits that would become as popular as the film itself. As Lucas develops several character subplots, American Graffiti becomes a flawless time capsule of meticulously re-created memory, as authentic as a documentary and vividly realized through innovative use of cinematography and sound. The once-in-a-lifetime ensemble cast members inhabit their roles so fully that they don't seem like actors at all, comprising a who's who of performers--some of whom went on to stellar careers--including Ron Howard, Richard Dreyfuss, Harrison Ford, Cindy Williams, Mackenzie Phillips, Charles Martin Smith, Candy Clark, and Paul Le Mat. A true American classic, the film ranks No. 77 on the American Film Institute's list of all-time greatest American movies. --Jeff Shannon ... Read more

Features

• Color
• Closed-captioned
• Dolby
• Widescreen

Reviews (106)

BEST MOVIE EVER!! MADE!
Yes, the BEST movie of all time for me and always will be!I had the true pleasure of seeing this film 10 times in the first year of release on the silver screen.This movie was held over for more than a year at the Westport Cine' in St. Louis, MO.I'm sure that has to be a record for any movie ever shown at the same theater without interuption.

This is a real, feel good movie.Great fun and makes me wish I was about eighteen years older and living in that town with George Lucas as a teenager.All the cruisin' and boozin' and teenage pranks and making out and the car-hop and school hop and a gang whose membership involves doing something very wrong.All this and a soundtrack that simply is classic rock of the late 50's and early 60's played for you from the town's own mysterious DJ (played by Wolfman Jack).

No one should pass through life without seeing this one of a kind classic.Don't debate, just buy this!And do it now!

A Portal Back To 1962! .... A Winning Film (& DVD To Match)!
I think you'll find that the cash you'll fork over for this DVD Collector's Edition of 1973's "American Graffiti" will be money very wisely spent.Because the outstanding, in-depth, 78-minute documentary feature, "The Making Of American Graffiti", is worth the cost all by itself.

Every single one of the film's major cast members takes part in the documentary program. Director George Lucas and Producer Francis Ford Coppola (plus other members of the production staff and crew) also participate in this fascinating behind-the-scenes "Making Of" feature, which is one of the best documentaries I've ever come across on a DVD.

Mr. Lucas talks openly and extensively about the making of "Graffiti" and guides the viewer, step-by-step, through the many aspects of creating this unique film -- from the difficulty in getting a studio interested in the project, to the movie's filming on the streets of two small California towns, and through to the release of the picture in theaters (the movie opened on August 11, 1973).

Many interesting tidbits of information are revealed in the documentary, including Harrison Ford's recollection of his "cowboy hat". It seems that Harrison was opposed to getting one of those awful '60s-style haircuts (as were others in the cast). So Ford talked Director Lucas into letting him wear a cowboy hat instead. And then there's Charlie Martin Smith ("Toad"), who had some problems parking his motor scooter in the film's very first scene. But Charlie's gaffe was left in the fina