A Rather English Marriage (1998) Review

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(More customer reviews)It's easy to see why this movie won several TV British Academy Awards (BAFTAs). The acting is superb from all the actors (even down to the bit players), the music is superb, and the writing and direction are first-rate. The ending is also the best in any movie I have ever seen, and comes round too soon. For me, the story is about the relationship between two heterosexual men following the death of their wives - and how they both come to terms with their bereavement. Tom Courtney's Southgate (which won him the Best Actor BAFTA award) grieves immediately after his wife dies. However, Albert Finney's multi-layered Sgt.Major (also nominated for the Best Actor BAFTA) takes longer to come to terms with his life and loss. If you want to see the Best of British, this movie is one of those surprising little gems that only come around so often.

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As seen on Masterpiece Theatre – Based on the novel by Angela Lambert
Winner of the BAFTA Award for Best Television Drama, this bittersweet tale of class and friendship stars Albert Finney and Tom Courtenay as two recently-widowed men coming to terms with the deaths of their wives. Skillfully adapted by Andrew Davies (Bridget Jones\'s Diary, Brideshead Revisited), this sharply-written drama is highlighted by the effortless chemistry of its outstanding ensemble cast.
After Reggie Conyngham-Jervis (Finney), a wealthy ex-fighter pilot, and Roy Southgate (Courtenay), a retired milkman, are both widowed on the same night, the "odd couple" decide to overlook their differences and move in together.At first the two become friends, until their unlikely relationship is threatened by the arrival of Liz Franks (Joanna Lumley), an alluring woman with a hidden agenda.

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The Tender Trap (1955) Review

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(More customer reviews)Boy, the reviewers here are pretty harsh on this movie. Calling it dated is like calling Snow White or Cinderella unrealistic. It's a frothy funny well-written & well-acted film with one of Sinatra's most engaging performances & some great support from Debbie Reynolds, David Wayne & Celeste Holm. Plus one hilarious set-piece scene about a hung-over morning after.
Directed by the mostly unsung Charles Walters who started off as a fine dancer & great choreographer. Well-worth watching.
By the way, Robert Preston starred in the original Broadway version the year before.

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The future is no mystery to Julie Gillis. She has her life mapped out in details that fall just shy of where the wedding portrait will hang and the number of goldfish swimming in the bowl. Julie even knows she’ll be married next March 12. She just doesn’t know to whom. But it’s a cinch he’ll have blue eyes. Frank Sinatra headlines this ring-a-ding-ding delight with the title tune that became a Sinatra standard. Debbie Reynolds plays Julie, who sets her marital sights on a Manhattan talent agent (Sinatra) dedicated to life, liberty and the happiness of pursuit. Love is indeed The Tender Trap. And with Sinatra, Reynolds and comedy experts Celeste Holm, David Wayne and Carolyn Jones on call, it’s an entertainment gotcha!

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Masterpiece Classic: Any Human Heart Review

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(More customer reviews)As every review on Amazon for the PBS Masterpiece Classic presentation of "Any Human Heart" wants to challenge the editing of the film--I feel compelled to leap into the fray with the definitive answer. There is no denying that the show was broadcast for American audiences to fit the current format and timeslot of the network which resulted in unfortunate editing. However, what that has to do with the DVD release is absolutely nothing. Condemn PBS Broadcasting, if you must, for the televised end product--but any amount of investigation will confirm that the DVD offered for sale is absolutely intact with the full United Kingdom version. First, all you have to do is click on the DVD image above to read the bold print "Original UK Edition" and I have further confirmed the details through the PBS website. So, by all means, can we please just judge the full program and refrain from insinuating that this is a nefariously tampered with version?
Complete DVD specs:
Disc#1 - Episode 1 (RT: 1:17), and Episode (RT: 1:06)
Disc#2 - Episode 3 (RT: 1:10), and Episode 4 (RT: 1:07)
Bonus Content (approximately 48 minutes) includes)
(Interviews with actors, producers, directors, writer - all subtitled)
- In Oxford with Sam Clafin
- Matthew MacFayden on location in Spain
- Interview with Jim Broadbent
- Kim Cattral on "Gloria"
- Gillian Anderson and Tom Hollander on playing the Duke and Duchess of Windsor
- Hayley Atwell on "Freya"
- On the Set of "Any Human Heart"
- From Paper to Screen - William Boyd Discusses "Any Human Heart"
- Deleted Scenes (about 7 minutes of 11 clips - not subtitled)
This DVD is the original and unedited UK version
The following program contains mature content. Viewer discretion is advised.
This DVD features subtitles in English (SDH)Masterpiece Classic has certainly been serving up some sophisticated entertainment of late. This production headlined by an impressive international cast including Jim Broadbent, Matthew Macfadyen, Gillian Anderson, Tom Hollander, Kim Cattrall, Richard Schiff and Hayley Atwell seems, on the surface, to be one of its most promising entries. Following the recollections of author Logan Mountstuart as he tries to assimilate the pieces of his life, this biographical journey traverses approximately six decades with four actors of varying range portraying the novelist. It's an exciting idea and a fascinating trip with tales of success, stories of romance, bits of intrigue, and moments of struggle. This sometimes melancholy look at the vignettes that make up a life story is held together by Broadbent (as the eldest Mountstuart) while sorting through the memorabilia of the passing years.
While a child Mountstuart is featured in fantasy sequences, the tale really begins with the college aged version (Sam Claflin). Claflin is an appealing and engaging actor, and the youthful Mountstuart is depicted with energy and much humor. The bulk of the story is handled by the middle aged Mountstuart (MacFadyen)--this includes two marriages, infidelity, children, a foray into espionage, literary success, and waning literary success. And the late-in-life Mountstuart (Broadbent) is left to adapt to the ever changing world. MacFadyen, as I mentioned, carries much of the narrative and Mountstuart rubs elbows with everyone from Hemingway to Ian Fleming to the Duke and Duchess of Windsor (terrifically played by Hollander and Anderson). The film veers from slapstick to maudlin with little warning and its tone tends to be all over the place!
In truth, I didn't love "Any Human Heart" in the way I expected. I admired its effort, production values, and performances--but the film lacks a bit of heart. Mountstuart is never a particularly likable creation and, at various stages, he is displayed with a chilly emotional detachment. He all but abandons his first wife and child to start a family he dotes on--and never once does the screenplay challenge him to feel regret. Through infidelities, deception, and selfishness, the film never confronts the darker aspects of its own storytelling. I didn't mind the negative qualities that made Mountstuart whole--I just never felt there was a desire to portray him in totality. We're meant to like him at any cost. The end result was that I felt like I never got to know him very well--and since I spent a lifetime with him, that was a bit of an issue for me. Definitely recommended but it is one Masterpiece Classic I probably won't choose to revisit with frequency. KGHarris, 3/11.


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The Irish R.M. - Series 3 Review

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(More customer reviews)Early work, Very dry humor, with long set-ups but well worth the wait. A real classic. The video showes it's age but the comedy is timeless.

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Lost Empires (3 DVD Set) Review

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(More customer reviews)Granada Television's 1986 "Lost Empires" is a series that proves that the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. Starring a sullen young Colin Firth, this eight-hour, three DVD set has held a place in my heart for the last 16 years. It was with much anticipation then that I opened this package and watched it anew with my family. Would it stand the test of time? Was it as great as I recalled?
Based on the novel by JB Priestley, LE chronicles the adventures of young Richard Herncastle (Firth), an aspiring landscape painter, who in 1913 accepts an offer from his hard-nosed Uncle Nick (John Castle II) to join his magic act and tour the great `empire halls' on England.
Uncle Nick promises "I'll show you the world lad!" In the process young Richard gets more than he bargained for in the way of life adventures. . Firth's Herncastle finds himself thrown together with magicians, dwarfs, sad-sack comedians, flirty torch-song singers, suffragettes and aging Sir Lawrence Olivier. And he also quickly becomes the lightning rod that somehow touches all their lives.
The first half of LE, featuring Sir Lawrence Olivier as pathetic comedian Harry Barrard, Carmen du Sautoy as sultry Julie Blaine, John Castle's riveting Uncle Nick and Beattie Edney as love interest Nancy Ellis is where Lost Empires shines! We feel the whole world opening up for Richard as he is torn between Nancy and Julie. Every night this travelling company performs authentic song and dance numbers as we see World War I looming in the background.
Of special note is John Castle. Playing master illusionist "Ganga Dun" Castle's Nick Ollanton creates a character so vivid and steely that he virtually steals the DVD.
The second half of LE slows down a bit after young Richard has learned a few life lessons the hard way. The vibrant personalities of first half give way to more outrageous, less believable ones.
The DVD transfer is what you'd expect from most Granada product of the 80's: film grain is a bit much, but the colors are good, and I quickly "saw beyond" the grain of film. The sound is actually quite clear and vibrant with a large dynamic range. I frequently was "riding" the volume control to back off the volume when the director cut from quiet dialog scenes to the Empire performance scenes. There is no info booklet to speak of with the three discs which was a bit of a letdown (Brideshead Revisited ships with a rather informative booklet by contrast.) ...
If however you are looking for a group of clearly drawn characters desperate to hold onto a way of living, performing and loving as "The New World" is about to crush them under war and the onset of "talking movies" then LE is for you. If you've got the dough to spare, get it. If you're unsure, pick up Brideshead Revisited instead.
Me, I'm happy now that my "Masterpiece Theater" DVD shelf contains the three things I've always wanted: Brideshead, Prime Suspect and now Lost Empires.

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This extraordinary Masterpiece Theatre featured production based on the novel by JB Priestley, and featuring one of the last performances of Sir Laurence Olivier, takes you to the last days of Britain's innocence and the glamorous, magical world of the great music halls - which once brought entertainment to millions.In 1913, young Richard Herncastle, played by Colin Firth, escapes from a stuffy, provincial English background into the glitter and excitement of the theatre world.Funny, sad, and nostalgic, Lost Empires, follows Richard from his naïve, country upbringing to join his uncle Nick Ollanton, a famous music hall illusionist - known as the Indian Magician, Ganga Dun.The mystery of illusions, on and off the stage, is eventually shattered for Richard, whose dream of becoming a famous painter becomes sidetracked while he contends with men gone nearly insane, the lusts of countless women, and a murder that hangs over his head.As Lost Empires opens, looming on the horizon is World War I, which will destroy so much of Britain's tradition, including the great era of the Empire music hall.Soon the cinema will replace the eccentric and colorful performers whose home is the world of variety.

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Eccentricities of a Nightingale (Broadway Theatre Archive) (1976) Review

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(More customer reviews)Thank Heaven for Broadway Theatre Archive. For the past few years, the company has been releasing older television productions of great stage works, as well as a select number of theatrically staged videos (such as the Shakespeare-in-the-Park productions of "King Lear" with James Earl Jones and "The Pirates of Penzance" with Kevin Kline and Linda Ronstadt). Some of these television productions are truly legendary: Jason Robards in "The Iceman Cometh," and Robards and Colleen Dewhurst in the landmark production of "A Moon for the Misbegotten." The present DVD edition of Tennessee Williams' "Eccentricities of a Nightingale" deserves to join their ranks.
"Nightingale" is Williams' revision of 1948's "Summer and Smoke" (my favorite Williams play, incidentally). It tells essentially the same story of the spinsterish minister's daughter whose consuming love for her next-door neighbor remains unreciprocated. "Nightingale" is less allegorical than its predecessor and more tightly focused on the fascinating central character of Alma Winemiller, who Williams once claimed was his favorite character of all those that he had written.
All the roles in this production are in eminently capable hands, with particular pride of place among the supporting players going to Louise Latham as the mentally unbalanced Mrs. Winemiller, Tim O'Connor as Alma's well-intentioned but misguided father, and Neva Patterson as the two-faced Mrs. Buchanan, oozing both Southern charm and venom. As the object of Alma's affections, Frank Langella plays the most warm and romantic John Buchanan I have ever seen. Other Johns have seemed cocky or cold, but Langella seems to genuinely care about Alma rather than merely tolerating her. Played like this, it is quite easy to see how Alma could fall in love with him.
However, this is Alma's show, and in that role Blythe Danner is a raw, exposed nerve-ending, alternating between lyric melancholy and barely concealed hysteria. It is an exquisitely shaded performance, full of rich colors and nuance, and it is on a par with the sublime Geraldine Page's performance of the same role in the film version of "Summer and Smoke." Both actresses capture the character's need to burst forth from her own skin, of being strait-jacketed by the social mores of the period, and of being on the precipice of a dangerous emotional drop-off point. If Page owned the role of Alma in "Summer and Smoke," Danner clearly owns the Alma of "Eccentricities." She is simply stunning.
Don't expect stunning picture quality -- the production was filmed in 1976 on video, so it is roughly akin to watching a mid-1970's soap opera. However, the performances are what matter here, and they truly deliver. If you love Tennessee Williams, Blythe Danner, or if you simply enjoy great drama, don't let this one pass you by.

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ECCENTRICITIES OF A NIGHTINGALE - DVD Movie

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Cinema Paradiso (Two-Disc Deluxe Edition) (1990) Review

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(More customer reviews)Cinema Paradiso is one of my favorite movies.I finally found the new version available for rent through Netflix when I couldn't find it in any Blockbuster.
For those who have already seen Cinema Paradiso it needs no introduction. For everybody else, it won the Academy Award for Foreign Language Film in 1989 and features one of the most nostalgic treatments of the role of movies in people's lives. Ennio Morricone's theme song has also been recycled in countless commercials and movie montages and trailers.
What's good about the Director's Cut or "New Version" DVD is that one can view the director's cut with added scenes on one DVD side and the originally released version on the other.
For those of us who wanted some kind of closure to Toto and Elena's relationship, the Director's Cut has it-- there's about an hour more of footage of their relationship. The new version also more footage of Toto's military service and his adulthood. The added scenes somewhat mute the focus of the movie, so I could see why they were originally cut out. But, at the same time, the added scenes fill in the blanks that originally made a lot of us think, "Hey-- What about...?" And although Toto's childhood scenes are, as far as I can tell, unchanged from the original version, we also find out more about Alfredo.
After finishing the New Version I appreciated the original version better. I highly recommend the new version not because it makes Cinema Paradiso more of a masterpiece, but because it adds more characterization to what, arguably, is a masterpiece. The added scenes can be a bit superfluous, but they show how important editorial decisions are to shaping the structure and momentum of a movie.

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A famous film director returns home to a Sicilian village for the first time after almost 30 years.He reminisces about his childhood at the Cinema Paradiso here Alfredo, the projectionist, first brought about his love of films.He is also reminded of his lost teenage love, Elena, ho he had to leave before he left for Rome. Cinema Paradiso is one of the most beloved Foreign films of all time!Winner ofthe 1990 Oscar for Best Foreign Film!

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Summer's Lease (1989) Review

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(More customer reviews)I caught this mini-series on PBS in the 80's and I have never forgotten it. I have, in fact, longed to see it again so much that for years I searched the internet for copies of it and hassled the people at Scarecrow Video. At last, I saw that it was available and snatched it up as soon as I could. Not only was I NOT disappointed with the show, I was even more intrigued and enchanted by the mystery and the wit and of course the lucious scenery of the Tuscan villa and surrounding landscape. Its a wonderful blend of Italian and English sentiment and character. While waiting for this to be available I read the Mortimer novel on which it was based and even that paled in comparison to this production!

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A family vacation in Tuscany leads to intrigue and mystery in a Masterpiece Theatre presentation written by John Mortimer (Rumpole of the Bailey) and starring Sir John Gielgud in an Emmy Award(r)-winning role. The minute she sets eyes on it, Molly Pargeter (Susan Fleetwood) knows that the Tuscan villa she has found to lease is perfect for her family's summer holiday. She is powerfully drawn to its rustic beauty and to the enigma of its absentee landlord. Never mind that her husband and teenaged daughter are vocally unenthusiastic and that her outrageously extroverted father (Sir John Gielgud) tricks them into taking him along. As the family goes sightseeing and gathers for candlelit dinners on the terrace, Molly becomes increasingly obsessed with unraveling the secrets of the villa's owner and of the British expatriates and locals they encounter. Her father lends a hand with the sleuthing while remaining on the prowl, zeroing in on a certain rich widow with whom he shares a romantic past.

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Mystery Science Theater 3000: Shorts/Angels Revenge/Complimentary Boxer Shorts (VHS 2-Pack) (1988) Review

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(More customer reviews)Some of the Best Brains' finest work was in the short-subject films, and the ones collected in 'Shorts' are some of their very best. I've commented on 'Shorts' and 'Angels' Revenge' on the individual videos' own pages. I can't comment on the boxer shorts: I haven't seen them, and anyway, I would never talk about underwear in public.
You'll have to decide for yourself how badly you want this combination. 'Shorts' is definitely worth purchasing on its own merits, but I've never considered 'Angel's Revenge' one of MST's best. On the other hand, how else are you going to get the boxers?

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The Producers (Special Edition) (1968) Review

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(More customer reviews)
This is it! The source, THE PRODUCERS, the 1968 release with screenplay and direction by Mel Brooks, juicy parts by Zero Mostel, Gene Wilder, Kenneth Mars and others, and a well-deserved reputation as one of the funniest movie comedies ever. Filmed on a pittance (less than $1 million, cheap even by Sixties standards), THE PRODUCERS almost died unrecognized until it became a cult hit in New York, L.A., Chicago and then, everywhere.
SPOILER GRAF: The plot is brilliantly diabolical: a corrupt Broadway producer (Zero Mostel) and his nebbishy accountant assistant (Gene Wilder) deliberately oversell a play with the design to create a flop and keep the proceeds. They hire the worst possible playwright, director, and choreographer and deliberately insult the drama critics. But the play is so hilariously awful it becomes awfully hilarious. The essence of 1960s camp: It's good because it's so bad.
It's hard to overstate just how good Mel Brooks' first movie is. The low budget forced a lot of outside shooting in New York City, and as a result the movie looks fresh, not cosmetized. The premise of a play about "Adolf and Eva in a gay romp at Berchtesgaden" was, if anything, more offensive just 23 years after the end of the Second World War than it is today. A big gamble on Brooks' part, but it played.
This edition is well worth the extra couple of dollars over the "movie only" version. It includes a second CD, apparently put together about the time of the 2001 Broadway musical, and contains stills, bios, and an engaging documentary about the film's making and reception. The last is especially fun since all the principals involved (except the late Zero Mostel) are alive and active and possessed of strong memories of that "kooky" classic-in-the-making.
The 2005 movie with Broadway vets Nathan Lane and Matthew Broderick is proving a disappointment to those who remember the original movie or the 2001 Broadway smash. The new movie took the Broadway book and set it in an imagined-and expensive--"indeterminate past" full of late 1950s cars and fashions. Unfortunately, what works on the stage doesn't always translate on film, and despite all the talent and money involved, the new movie comes across as stagey, self-absorbed and at times a bit labored. And LONG: half again as long as this original, which clocks in right at an hour and a half.
The verdict: All versions of THE PRODUCERS are funny, but the 1968 movie is the one to start with. Enjoy it now at a great price.

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Mel Brooks's directorial debut remains both a career high point and a classic show business farce. Hinging on a crafty plot premise, which in turn unleashes a joyously insane onstage spoof, "The Producers" is powered by a clutch of over-the-top performances, capped by the odd couple pairing of the late Zero Mostel and Gene Wilder, making his screen debut.\nMostel is Max Bialystock, a gone-to-seed Broadway producer who spends his days wheedling checks from his "investors," elderly women for whom Bialystock is only too willing to provide company.When wide-eyed auditor Leo Bloom (Wilder) comes to check the books, he unwittingly inspires the wild-eyed Max to hatch a sure-fire plan: sell 25,000 percent of his next show, produce a deliberate flop, then abscond with the proceeds. Unfortunately for the producers (but fortunately for us), their candidate for failure is "Springtime for Hitler", a Brooksian conceit that envisions what Goebbels might have accomplished with a little help from Busby Berkeley.\nTruly startling during its original 1968 release, "The Producers" does show signs of age in some peripheral scenes that make merry at the expense of gays and women. But the show's nifty cast (notably including the late Dick Shawn as LSD, the space cadet that snags the musical's title role, and Kenneth Mars as the helmeted playwright) clicks throughout, and the sight of Mostel fleecing his marks is irresistibly funny. Add Wilder's literally hysterical Bloom, and it's easy to understand the film's exalted status among late-'60s comedies. "--Sam Sutherland"

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Nina Foxx's Marrying Up (2009) Review

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(More customer reviews)This DVD was actually pretty good. I feel as though the movie was worth the price. Good plot and good laughs.

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Puss in Boots (1988) Review

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(More customer reviews)Well, my favorite anyway. The legendary performer brings a classic French fairy tale to life in the Cannon Movie Tale, "Puss In Boots." The sole inheritance of a poor miller's son, Puss (Walken) leads the young man from sudden homelessness to the lap of luxury by using his cat-skill and wit and a pair of boots that make him appear human to all those around him. Together, Puss and his master deceive the king and confront a man-eating ogre in an effort to win the heart of a princess and the title of Marquis of Carabass!
"Puss In Boots" sits among the best of the nine wonderful Cannon Movie Tales, which are among the best live-action fairy tale films available to date. Sticking more closely to the original stories than the usual fare, "Puss In Boots" and the other Cannon tales mix in simple but fun-filled songs with fantastic casts and writing that blends realism and fantasy seamlessly. "Puss In Boots" may be less fairy and more tale than the others, but the clever story and magical and magnificent performance of Christopher Walken as the singing and dancing cat make it a must see! It's so terrific that these childhood favorites many of us remember from the Disney Channel's 1980's and early 90's glory are finally available on DVD (most of them at least). The DVDs include trailers (not sure if these films ran anywhere theatrically), and most (including Puss) are presented in fullscreen format. The Cannon Movie Tales are mostly family fun, though be warned that some can have their scary moments (for example, "Red Riding Hood," my favorite, is done as a werewolf story that at times may be a bit frightening). The other Cannon Movie Tales, all of which I highly recommend, are: Rumpelstiltskin, The Emperor's New Clothes, Red Riding Hood, Snow White, Hansel and Gretel, Beauty and the Beast, The Frog Prince, and Sleeping Beauty. Those last two have not yet been released to DVD, and I have yet to see Rumpelstiltskin at any retail stores, though Amazon seems to carry it. I wish to get them all, but currently only own my favorites: Red Riding Hood, Snow White, Puss In Boots, and Hansel and Gretel. Fairy tale fanatics should own all these films, and I also highly recommend my top favorites, the Disney animated versions. Also, for a scarier version of Snow White, pick up the outstanding, "Snow White: A Tale of Terror," starring the beautiful Monica Keena. More recommendations: Shelley Duvall's Faerie Tale Theatre collection (also best known from the Disney Channel airings), Shrek and Shrek 2, The Slipper and the Rose (for a live-action Cinderella), Ever After (another live-action Cinderella), The Adventures of Pinocchio (1996), Peter Pan (2003), The Wizard of Oz, Return to Oz, and Rodger's and Hammerstein's Cinderella (1965) among others!


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Before he was a swash buckling sensation in Shrek 2, Puss in Boots was already one of the most popular storybook characters of all time, thanks to his sly schemes and fearless bravado. Screen legend Christopher Walken (Catch Me If You Can) steps into the wily feline's magical boots in this exciting live-action version of the classic Brothers Grimm fairy tale, complete with singing, dancing and acrobatics! A dying mill owner divides his meager wealth among his sons, leaving only his beloved cat, Puss (Walken), to his youngest son Corin (Jason Connery). Initially disappointed with his four-legged bounty, Corin soon discovers that Puss is no average kitty. In fact, the cat's a brilliant strategist who concocts a daring plan to win both the king's favorand the princess' heart for his new master!

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The Theatre of Tadeusz Kantor (1991) Review

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(More customer reviews)This is an eye openner for anyone interested in serious theatre. Get it right now, you wont be disappointed.

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The innovative work of the late Tadeusz Kantor, one of the true geniuses of 20th century theatre, comes alive in this one-of-a-kind documentary experience. Filmmaker Denis Bablet traces Kantor's roots as an artist in Poland and explores his unique methods of stagecraft in which "living sculptures" dominate his productions. THE THEATRE OF TADEUSZ KANTOR examines the methods and creative process of this visionary of the theater and includes rare footage of Kantor at work with the dedicated actors of his acting troupe, Cricot 2. The great director conducts his actors like a symphony conductor leads a talented orchestra. Extensive segments from some of Kantor's most famous plays are also featured, including WIELOPOLE, WIELOPOLE and THE DEAD CLASS.

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Masterpiece Theater: Oliver Twist (2000) Review

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(More customer reviews)The poor reviews this movie has received (in both the DVD and VHS formats) I feel are totally unwarranted. This is my favorite put-to-film Dickens novel (except for the various "A Christmas Carol's" out there), and I am ecstatic that this version is finally available on DVD.
Now, in this adaption, I believe the prequel works very well. I think it makes this a much more comprehensive movie and gives the characters involved (especially Monks) much more depth. And, because of the length of this version that I am reviewing, it allows the viewer to get to know each character much deeper than the other filmed versions available. We get to know Oliver's parents and Aunt Rose up close, although it is done through liberties taken by the producer and not necessarily Dickens himself. I do feel, however, the great novelist would not particularly mind in this case.
The acting is as good, if not better, than pretty much most period epics I have seen. The actors play off of each other well - they match their roles perfectly. The costumes and sets are excellent. They have captured the early Victorian period so well - both the good and the bad - it's almost as if the viewer is peering through a looking glass into the past.
As for the story following Dickens' original novel...well, I have yet to see any movie follow a novel to a "T." It just doesn't happen, unfortunately, with virtually any put-to-film novel. But this follows the original, as a whole, much much closer than the other versions I have seen - definitely more than "Oliver," and infinitely more than the Disney version with Richard Dreyfuss, which was made into a totally different story than what Dickens had intended.
Don't let the nearly 6 hour length scare you off - there is no time during this whole version where one is bored (unless they are a child - definitely not a children's movie!). Being a fan of epic period movies, I found this to be as enticing as any other epic novels put to the screen.
Bravo to all involved!

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In this extraordinary production, storyteller Alan Bleasdale broadens the scope of Charles Dickens' classic tale of an orphan in 19th century England and the characters who influence his destiny.Oliver Twist is a drama of dark comedy, astonishing vivacity and soaring imagination, but ultimately, a story that celebrates the resilience and triumph of a little boy's spirit.

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Othello (2002) Review

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(More customer reviews)Unlike many Shakespeare enthusiasts, I adore modern adaptations and staging of Shakespeare's works. One of the reasons his plays have endured is that they have a timeless quality that is understood generation after generation. His stories capture something essential about human nature that cannot be confined to a historical period.
Some modern versions of Shakespeare use original dialogue with updated settings, costumes, and character relationships. This sometimes works very well, as in Ethan Hawke's Hamlet or the Julie Taymor's Titus (my favorite). In this version of Othello, however, the dialogue has been modernized to match the setting.
I thoroughly enjoyed this movie. I saw it in a class on Shakespeare's Tragedies at Syracuse University which was taught by a reknowned Shakespeare scholar. This was her choice as the best film version of Othello to show us. Othello is a story which translates particularly well into a modern version because it deals with issues such as racism, jealousy, and insecurity that make it applicable to a variety of situations. The acting in this movie is excellent - very believable and powerful. I highly recommend this movie to anyone, whether or not you have previous experience with Othello.


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Faerie Tale Theatre - Beauty and the Beast (1982) Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)FAERIE TALE THEATRE's production of BEAUTY AND THE BEAST makes for dazzling family entertainment, with strong performances from lead actors Susan Sarandon and Klaus Kinski in the title roles.
Beauty's merchant father steals a white rose from the castle of the Beast (Klaus Kinski). As punishment, the Beast orders that the merchant return to the castle in 3 days, or else one of his daughters must go in his place. Youngest daughter Beauty (Susan Sarandon) selflessly sacrifices her own freedom to release her father.
Once in the castle, Beauty slowly begins to win the friendship and trust of the Beast, who hides a gentle and kind heart beneath his frightening exterior.
Directed by Roger Vadim and co-starring Anjelica Huston and Nancy Lenehan as Beauty's jealous sisters, this version of BEAUTY AND THE BEAST is based on Jean Cocteau's celebrated French movie classic. Highly-recommended.

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Sakura Wars - The Movie (2003) Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)This is a pretty cute show. It has excellent animation, a good story, and good music. My beef with it is that the show ends after a couple of episodes--it just stops.
This is an OVA, and the Sakura Wars TV series comes after it. And both come after the game.
I think I should have had a little knowledge of the games before I watched this, since it just picked up with the Demons. It didn't give ANY background on the Demons at all, which had me lost for the first episode or two. But as it went along I stopped worrying about how and why the Demons existed/were there and focused on the show itself.
The dubbing in both versions is top notch. I personally prefer the English version. Since the girls are from various countries, not just Japan, they cannot be expected to speak Japanese all that well, and without an accent.But in the English, we get to hear the girls in their "native" tongues and with "native" accents. What I mean is this: The French girl *sounds* French (and she even speaks in French when we first meet her). The Russian Maria has a definitive Russian accent, which comes across very well even though we never get to hear her speak in Russian. And the Chinese teenager talks with a Chinese accent, and also speaks in Chinese.
So, watch this. You won't regret doing so, but you might want to watch the TV series just to get a little better idea of what is going on. Or get (or at least see) the games.

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