Amazon.co.uk Review
Maggie Smith is so witty and commanding in The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie that you might forget the script paints Jean Brodie as an ultimately self-deluding spinster. Dame Maggie won the first of her two Oscars for playing a teacher in 1930s Edinburgh more in thrall to her romantic notions of art and beauty than the real world (she exalts the Mona Lisa and Mussolini with equal fervour), a cultivator of worshipping "Brodie Girls". Smith's expert playing makes many of the brogue-heavy Brodie-isms worth memorising ("She seeks to intimidate me by the use of quarter-hours") and raises the picture above its generally theatrical style. Real-life husband Robert Stephens plays Jean's married lover; Celia Johnson excels as the hostile headmistress; and Pamela Franklin is the deadpan whistle-blower within Miss Brodie's coven. The dippy music of Rod McKuen helps mark the movie as more of a reflection of the 1960s than the 30s. --Robert Horton
Customer Reviews:
Forsooth! A great film.......2007-08-15
Normally I'd be cross with a film that takes such liberties with the novel it's based on, but for once I'll forgive Jay Presson Allen (who wrote the play and screenplay) since it can't have been an easy job. For what it's worth, what happens in the film doesn't really happen in the book. The characters are all mixed up, new bits are invented, and the ending is completely different.
But never mind. The new ending is dramatically effective, if not faithful.
Central to the movie is Maggie Smith's oscar-winning performance and it's everything it's cracked up to be. You'll soon wish you'd said half the things she says. You may even find yourself noticing people who bid you good morning with predestination in their smiles, or making disparaging comments about chrysanthemums.
For me, a problem with the movie is that I so enjoy Miss Brodie in her prime, that when she starts to move past her prime, it's a bit of a blow, so the ending is rather sad, though somewhat inevitable.
The film moves forward in time, and the girls do a great job of being both very little girls and quite mature girls. The whole cast does a terrific job.
It's a 1969 film, so not exactly progressive in its production, but there's a charm to the way the film is set and threaded together, though the school is too obviously for me a stage set.
The DVD has a few theatrical trailers and a commentary by the director and the actress who plays Sandy.
All in all, a very enjoyable film you can watch many times (as I have). Which makes it a great puzzle it's only available on region 1.
"Give me a girl at an impressionable age...".......2006-03-17
I rate this film as one of my top 10 all-time movies. Though quite different to the superb novel, for me it succeeds in all areas. Excellent acting & direction, and a very convincing recreation of 1930s Edinburgh despite practically all of it being filmed in a studio. I would also add a special mention for the haunting music. You end up feeling both charmed & saddened by the characters in equal measure. This U.S. dvd has very interesting commentaries (they are often very dull!) by the director & actress Pamela "Sandy" Franklin. It is just a shame that the sublime Ms Smith wasn't available.
"I am a teacher! First, last, always!".......2005-12-11
Maggie Smith won an Academy Award for her portrayal of Jean Brodie, an unconventional and outspoken teacher in a stuffy Edinburgh girls' school, who encourages her students to be just like herself. Miss Brodie proudly says she is "in her prime," and expounds on the glories of a life full of passion and commitment. Miss Brodie is, in reality, a spinster, still sadly attracted to her unscrupulous ex-lover and often living in the past. She has a small group of students she is especially close to, but two of the girls take her instruction too literally, and this leads to tragedy.
Maggie Smith was so young and beautiful when she made this movie! She dominates the screen with her charisma and power. She tosses off many funny and memorable lines of dialogue with her delightful Scottish brogue, and delivers them with righteous indignation and withering glances. Pamela Franklin is excellent as one of Jean's disciples, and Rod McKuen's music is lovely. This film is a must for fans of Maggie Smith.
Miss Brillient.......2005-05-24
I watch this film every night before I go to bed. and always think 'what a fantastic film this is' love it and carn't get enough.
The Excellence of Miss Jean Brodie.......2004-07-15
This film is simply the 'creme de la creme'. Maggie Smith is superb as the teacher who fascinates and enchants her inner circle of students, 'the Brodie Set', and has the screen presence and acting talent to evoke entirely convincingly the character who declares 'give me a girl at an impressionable age and she is mine for life'. The film is witty and entertaining, and although not entirely true to the book, the quality of the acting, by the young girls in particular, more than compensates. Celia Johnson (better known for her starring role in 'Brief Encounter') is also excellent as the Headmistress Miss Mackay, whose aim in life is to rid her conservative school of the radical Miss Brodie. Among the changes in the film, however, is the foregrounding of Miss Brodie's interest in fascism and the effect that this has on the least intelligent of her set, Mary McGregor. Without giving the story away- and I would advice that people read the book so as to discover the true fate of Mary- the film's portrayal of Miss Brodie's destructive influence is perhaps somewhat exaggerated and disturbing. Nevertheless, the film as a whole is just as bewitching as Miss Brodie and a must-see for Maggie Smith fans.
Customer Reviews:
Dont f*ck with the baldies............2007-11-16
Yeh too many quotables from this movie...' I said leave the kid alone...' haha..very good movie ..would love to watch it again
one of the best.......2005-03-23
THE WANDERERS one of the best films ever made.
this film shows the hatred between new york gangs. the film is good from start to finish: turkey on the bridge and the wanderers and the blacks vs the ducky boys.
if you hav'nt seen this film i really sugest you do because you can't live a full life without seeing it. and lets face it the moden films can't compare to this.
BY THIS FILM ITS GREAT!!
Wanderers forever!.......2004-09-12
A real taste of the sixties...well the end of the fifties...the beginning of a new age. There is so much life in this film, and Bronx characters that stay with you for a long time. Teenage gangs, Italian businessmen calling the shots...and who's gonna forget the Forham Baldies? Great clothes...superb dialogue and a superb soundtrack...who could ask for more...I've always loved this film...and it doesn't lose it over time...this came out about the same time as the Warriors...but there's much more to it...Great great great film!
The wanderers.......2004-08-24
i was expecting something such as the warriors sort of film an i was sadly greated with a gang straight out of grease
there are a few fights but nothing special
overall this film just wasnst what i expected so if you want a gang film watch the warriors or if you want violence take a look at scum
Andy
Wanderers Forever.......2003-12-24
Based on the Richard Price book of self contained vignettes of his own youth in the Bronx, the film is a series of set pieces of killer dialogue, (just too many quotable lines), ensemble acting and truly disturbing violence. Although the plot doesn't hang together perfectly and we are asked to suspend belief in a couple of the fight scenes (especially Perry's introduction and the amazing materialising Ducky Boys at the football game), you just have to forgive this film for its faults.
There is so much to enjoy from the bravado of youth that is Turkey, to the pantomime that is Terror. The soundtrack that kicks in with "Walk Like a Man" is so apt, and gets better and funnier.
It is a feel good movie in that although there are bad people out there, and this film doesn't shirk from showing them, the overwhelming message is that if you stick with your friends you won't go far wrong.
Absolutely essential post pub viewing , cos, hey, I ain't no hard guy.
Amazon.co.uk Review
Luc Besson (The Fifth Element) made his American directorial debut with Leon, a stylised thriller about a French hit man (Jean Reno) who takes in an American girl (Natalie Portman) being pursued by a corrupt killer cop (Gary Oldman). Oldman is a little more unhinged than he should be, but there is something genuinely irresistible about the story line and the relationship between Reno and Portman. Rather than cave in to the cookie-cutter look and feel of American action pictures, Besson brings a bit of his glossy style from French hits La Femme Nikita and Subway to the production of The Professional, and the results are refreshing even if the bullets and explosions are awfully familiar.--Tom Keogh
Customer Reviews:
One of my fav movies of all time.......2008-02-15
1st saw this film when i was about 13 and loved it then, have since seen it at least another 40 times and it just never gets boring, the actors cast for the film were perfect for the roles, with a stunning performance from portman and gary oldman as brilliant as ever, jean reno steals it for me though as the pig loving italian hitman.
Yet another masterpiece from besson.
If you have not seen this film yet you are missing out on a real treat, dont think i have ever talked to anyone that hasn't at least said it is fantastic.
Powerhouse Movie that all others followed!!!.......2008-02-10
This is not a movie for the faint hearted as it is a real bloodbath that explores the corrupt and the innocent sides of the world in which Leon exists.
As a "cleaner" for hire he is ruthlessly efficient, however he is manipulated by his naive outlook on life as a loner who shuns everyone until he saves Natalie Portman's
character from death and becomes both her benefactor and teacher .
Absolutely recommended as a must see movie as it has so many layers that I discover each time I watch it.
If I met an assassin and he was like Leon..........2008-01-17
I don't usually rent movies about people who kill for a living, but one day, the cover of Leon happened to catch my eye; and from there, well, it's all old history.
The story sets off with an action-packed beginning in which the character of Leon, excellently played by Jean Reno, is first introduced. Of course, this is an action movie, and with those you kind of have to be careful because you could end up with something terribly dumb, something that takes away two hours of your life that can never be returned, something too macho or too ridiculous to even enjoy, something with a weak plot and no character development...or you could end up with something kind of like Leon. This isn't your standard mindless action film; it's got character development, heart, action, brutality, and an underlying message. And when I FINALLY saw it after passing it at the video store for years because I didn't feel like sitting through yet another bad and annoying action movie, I was glad I did.
After the slaying of her entire family, Mathilda (Natalie Portman proves her talent as the disillusioned girl even at such a young age), is taken in by Leon, the cleaner, who promises to teach her his trade. I think that the greatest element in this entire movie, the thing that makes it what it is and gives it that last powerful punch, is the character development. Mathilda is bitter and obviously confused about normal relationships, considering that her family life was a muddle of abuse, neglect, and drug trafficking. Gary Oldman plays Stansfield, the sick and twisted bad cop whose deranged and erratic behavior is so convincing in the film that I almost forgot he was playing a part in a movie. And then, there's Leon, my favorite, whose loneliness and distance from normal life tugs somewhere deep and makes you feel for him even though his profession involves taking the lives of others.
The characters aren't cardboard and one-sided as in most mindless action films. In fact, I am so impressed by the characterization and the actors' portrayal of their characters, that I wish both Jean Reno and Gary Oldman had been awarded for their performances. They definitely deserved it. No one could ever have pulled off Stansfield's disturbing character the way Gary Oldman did, and as for Jean Reno...no one else could ever be Leon.
My one complaint with the entire film is that sometimes the relationship between Leon and Mathilda feels a little bit uncomfortable due to her attitude toward him. But most often the awkward moments just come out funny. I am pretty sure that with her previous family life, she would be confused about her feelings. No one's ever really cared for her and when someone finally does, she gets turned around and misconstrues the meaning.
The rest of the film, from beginning to end, is just a flash-bang of fast-paced action, hope, violence, friendships, betrayals, kindness, and new beginnings. And the climax, the final showdown, is pretty great: explosions, SWAT team, the whole nine yards.
Leon-The Professional is an awesome action movie with an actual story; a very smart and original film not to be overlooked or forgotten. Luc Besson truly did well with this one.
A GRIPPING STORY.......2007-12-11
Luc Besson's movie Léon (The Professional) gives us an intense story which is maximized in potential by the casting of the movie done by Todd Thaler. Every aspect of the movie delivers to the audience and makes an impressive overall package. Jean Reno plays a character named Léon who has learned to repress his emotions in order to perform his job as a "cleaner", or hit-man. His secluded world is shattered by the young girl named Mathilda who lives on the same floor as he does in an apartment building. When she turns to him for help, he learns about living a normal life, even if the circumstances which unite them are far from normal.
The performance delivered by then twelve-year old Natalie Portman as Mathilda is nothing short of brilliant. Her ability to relate to others with body movement and facial gestures is matched by few, she really brings raw emotion and believability to a difficult role. Mathilda and Léon are unexpectedly thrown together, but learn to value life from their chance encounter, and how valuable a friendship can be.
Jean Reno as Léon gives us a solemn and calculated character who sets all of his energy on his assignments until her is given something else to care about. Mathilda gives him the daughter that he never had, while Léon serves as a father and friend to her. Gary Oldman, as the corrupt DEA Agent Norman Stansfield, offers the viewers an amazingly wired and electrical performance which pushes the envelope. He moves the story along by his actions. Oldman offers us a memorable portrait of a sadistically obsessed man who stops short of nothing to get what he wants.
The Professional is what movie-making is all about. Without the overuse of special effects, a large shooting location, or a commercially star studded cast, we are given all that could possibly be asked for in a movie. Portman, Oldman, and Reno, along with Danny Aiello as the hit-contractor Tony remind us that there is no substitute for great acting. There are elements of comedy, drama, and action, and great original music by Eric Serra adds to the energy the film already encapsulates. The most impressive thing about the movie is its story which is basic but is maximized by all the other elements which go into the making of the movie. Simply put, an intense and impressive movie.
Much more than the average!.......2007-09-23
A superb film, that explores friendship, love, revenge, letting go of the security of familiarity, and other issues.
I thought that Jean Reno's performance was excellence, adding that extra dimension to Leon, as a person, a contract killer and surrogate father.
Natalie Portman's performance was also excellent. For a child there is a little schmaltz, however it's just enough to add to the performance, rather than detract from it. Gary Oldman, as expected, plays the psychotic cop-gone-bad to the usual high standard.
A good film that builds on the characters, with lots of action and time to sensitively explore the characters. It has the wham bam and the hey ma'am (!) in perfect balance!
Customer Reviews:
The BBC at its' brilliant best.......2007-05-10
Superbly cast, accurately adapted from the novel and wonderfully acted, this production demontrates how good television drama can be. The BBC excels at these 5+ hour adaptations of the classics and this production of Dickens' "Martin Chuzzlewit" ranks alongside Austens'"Pride & Prejudice" as one of the best yet.
another classic from the BBC.......2006-01-04
I have waited quite a while for this to come out on dvd and it has been well worth the wait.
A rich mans family circle like vultures in the hope of financial reward.He,(the Martin Chuzzlewit of the title),is a grumpy old git and the family are Dickens usual suspects,hypocrites,wasters,stuck-up middle classes,honest as the day is long working class,pale and boring hero & heroine all glued together by a cracking story.
The plot is,as ever with the BBC,faithfully followed and is paced to perfection.
But it's the cast that make this such a success.Tom Wilkinson conveys breathtaking hypocrisy effortlessly,Keith Allen portrays OTT evil just the way Dickens liked it,(I cant help but feel he would make a spot on Bill Sykes),.Pete posslethwaite,Paul Schofield and all involved work their socks off to produce what is one of the finest 'classics'the telly has ever put out.
The picture quality is acceptable.Apparently its been remastered,its certainly not just a straight from video transfer.Sound is a little disapointing,stereo only,but at least its clear.
There are no extras and while this may seem mean I have to say that I bought this from Amazon on region 1 & the price was so cheap even without extras its still fantastic value for money.
If you are looking for superbly acted,paced and produced drama then I can't recommend this highly enough,buy it now!
Amazon.co.uk Review
A starkly original film-going experience based on a true-life story, this film from New Zealand director Peter Jackson (Braindead, The Frighteners) is a stirring drama that offers up the unexpected. The story concerns two girls, outcasts who become best friends, whose bizarre fantasy life becomes more intense as their bond becomes increasingly more obsessive. When the mother of one of the girls tries to intervene and split the girls apart, they kill her and stand trial for murder in what is still to this day a celebrated and controversial case. Kate Winslet (Titanic) and Melanie Lynskey create two sympathetic and yet uncomfortably eerie characters, in riveting portrayals. Featuring some startling and unique moments of visual brilliance as well as a disturbing love story between the two girls, Heavenly Creatures is at once both unsettling and beautiful to behold. --Robert Lane
Customer Reviews:
How can these heavenly creatures be real?.......2007-04-29
"How can these heavenly creatures be real?" asks one of the characters in of "Heavenly Creatures," the exquisite and horrifying docudrama of a shocking, real-life murder. Famed director Peter Jackson uses spectacular special effects and great actors to show us how these heavenly creatures became monsters.
In 1952, Pauline Parker (Melanie Lynskey) is a loner at her proper New Zealand school, until the day Juliet Hulme (Kate Winslet) arrives -- an intelligent, witty, daring girl who appeals to Pauline. Soon the two of them are nearly inseparable; even Juliet's four month stint in the hospital doesn't separate the girls through their letters and shared fantasies.
But soon their parents becomes concerned that their close friendship is "unhealthy." It is, just not in the way he thinks. The two girls' emotional attachment has turned incredibly intense: they barely think of anyone but each other, and the fantasy stories begin to seep into reality. Now Juliet is being sent to South Africa, and there is no telling when she will see Pauline again. Unless they do something about their parents so that they can stay together... such as murder.
Peter Jackson starts the movie by emphasizing what a beautiful, peaceful country (via a cheesy 1950s documentary) New Zealand is. But beauty is not everything -- fairy tales can become nightmares. Jackson doesn't just show the audience what the two girls did, but showed why they did it. Even then, he doesn't make excuses.
At first the movie seems almost whimsical, with fairy tale figures coming to life, beautiful woodlands, and hillsides transforming into blooming gardens. Nobody except Peter Jackson could have pulled off the idea of including living clay figurines or four-foot-wide butterflies. Somehow it not only works, but adds to the surreality of the story.
But as the girls go deeper into infatuated madness, Jackson warps the whimsical world around them. Settings get darker and more distorted, and the line between fantasy and reality is completely wiped out. The scripting keeps that creepiness going ("Our main idea for the day was to murder Mother"), as do Richard Taylor's handling of CGI and prosthetics. (How DID they do the zoom through a sand castle?)
But the movie really centers around Melanie Lynskey and Kate Winslet, and these two carry the movie beautifully. Lynskey can switch in an instant from sullenness to smiles, naive girl to murderous woman. And the luminous Kate Winslet plays the devil-may-care Juliet, whose vivacity and charm overrule any of Pauline's reservations. "It's everyone else who's bonkers!" she says gleefully when Pauline casts doubt on her own sanity.
The most terrifying horror is the real kind -- the kind that is in the human heart. With its brilliant direction and equally good acting, "Heavenly Creatures" is destined to be a modern classic.
Not bad, but I've seen better.......2007-01-12
For Kate Winslet's debut film I'd had high expectations, not to say I was disappointed. I'm not a huge fan of biopics at the best of times, but since the content and climax of the story was so violent it was fascinating to see it dramatized in such a graphic way. For the most part and summing up I'd ask myself what did I expect from Peter Jackson? I'll admit I did not enjoy Lord Of The Rings, but this has restored my faith in the scruffiest director in the world. I'd recommend it, personally for fans. This is good raw talent from Jackson before Kate Winslet was made famous for being upstaged by sinking ships. As always I'd say rent it first (if it was rentable) but you'd really need to be either a fan of biopics or of Kate Winslet to really appreciate this movie
"Come with me...".......2006-06-23
"How can these heavenly creatures be real?" asks one of the characters in of "Heavenly Creatures," the exquisite and horrifying docudrama of a shocking, real-life murder. Famed director Peter Jackson uses spectacular special effects and great actors to show us how these heavenly creatures became monsters.
In 1952, Pauline Parker (Melanie Lynskey) is a loner at her proper New Zealand school, until the day Juliet Hulme (Kate Winslet) arrives -- an intelligent, witty, daring girl who appeals to Pauline. Soon the two of them are nearly inseparable; even Juliet's four month stint in the hospital doesn't separate the girls through their letters and shared fantasies.
But soon their parents becomes concerned that their close friendship is "unhealthy." It is, just not in the way he thinks. The two girls' emotional attachment has turned incredibly intense: they barely think of anyone but each other, and the fantasy stories begin to seep into reality. Now Juliet is being sent to South Africa, and there is no telling when she will see Pauline again. Unless they do something about their parents so that they can stay together... such as murder.
Peter Jackson starts the movie by emphasizing what a beautiful, peaceful country (via a cheesy 1950s documentary) New Zealand is. But beauty is not everything -- fairy tales can become nightmares. Jackson doesn't just show the audience what the two girls did, but showed why they did it. Even then, he doesn't make excuses.
At first the movie seems almost whimsical, with fairy tale figures coming to life, beautiful woodlands, and hillsides transforming into blooming gardens. Nobody except Peter Jackson could have pulled off the idea of including living clay figurines or four-foot-wide butterflies. Somehow it not only works, but adds to the surreality of the story.
But as the girls go deeper into infatuated madness, Jackson warps the whimsical world around them. Settings get darker and more distorted, and the line between fantasy and reality is completely wiped out. The scripting keeps that creepiness going ("Our main idea for the day was to murder Mother"), as do Richard Taylor's handling of CGI and prosthetics. (How DID they do the zoom through a sand castle?)
But the movie really centers around Melanie Lynskey and Kate Winslet, and these two carry the movie beautifully. Lynskey can switch in an instant from sullenness to smiles, naive girl to murderous woman. And the luminous Kate Winslet plays the somewhat devil-may-care Juliet, whose vivacity and charm overrule any of Pauline's reservations. "It's everyone else who's bonkers!" she says gleefully when Pauline casts doubt on her own sanity.
The most terrifying horror is the real kind -- the kind that is in the human heart. With its brilliant direction and equally good acting, "Heavenly Creatures" is destined to be a modern classic.
Peter Jackson's captivating murder story with no villains.......2005-03-10
For those who wondered how the director of "Bad Taste" and "Brain Dead" got to direct "The Lord of the Rings," this 1994 film from director Peter Jackson supplies the answer. In 1954 two teenage girls brutally murdered one of the their mothers in what must be the most sensational murder in New Zealand history. "Heavenly Creatures" tells the strange story of these two girls and their unique relationship. If you think this is just a reality based splatter flick, then you are going to be much more than surprised and impressed by what Jackson has accomplished.
Pauline Rieper (Melanie Lynskey) is a simple and rather dull young girl who is totally dazzled when Juliet Hulme (Kate Winslet) enters her life. Juliet is impressed as well, because Pauline has a scar on her leg from an operation. Juliet declares that: "All the best people have had chest and bone disease! It's all frightfully romantic!" Eventually both the romance and the frightfullness of it all reaches a tragic conclusion. In their all consuming friendship Juliet and Pauline create a "Fourth World," better than heaven (because it has no Christians), inhabited by the clay figures they have fashioned to represents their friends and where the music of Mario Lanza, the greatest tenor on earth, is always in the air.
Jackson brings this fantasy world alive, which allows him to explore the pivotal theme of juxtaposition throughout the film. This comes into play most notably at the beginning and ending of "Heavenly Clouds." Jackson begins with a 1950s newsreel about Christchurch, New Zealand, which is interrupted by the appearance of the two screaming and bloodied girls, thereby symbolizing the way this sensational case shocked the nation. Even more effective is the film's conclusion, where the murder is inter-cut with what the girls think will happen if they do not find this way of saving themselves.
With any film based on historical events there are omissions, alterations, substitutions, and the like, and "Heavenly Creatures" is no different. On the plus side of the ledger Jackson attempted an almost morbid verisimilitude. Almost all of the locations used for filming were the real locations where events occurred, including the tea shop where Honora Parker ate her last meal, which was torn down a few days after the shooting ended. However, the cast and crew found the actual murder scene uncomfortable and moved further down the path. All of the journal voice-overs come directly from Pauline's diary, as are the characters in the girls' make-believe world. However, since the two filled up fifteen notebooks and hundreds of letters devoted to their fantasies, the movie actually underplays these elements.
However, having familiarized myself somewhat with the actual "facts" of the case, and the recollections of the woman one of the girls grew up to be, the key point of dispute is the motive. But if Jackson is guilty of becoming fixated on the idea that these two young girl committed a murder because they could not bear to be separated and have their fantasy world unravel, then he can be hardly faulted for finding that a fascinating interpretation of the evidence (the girls never testified or were examined in court, but Pauline's diary was seen as providing all the answers). More importantly, Jackson does not seem guilty of taking liberties, merely with offering a valid interpretation of the evidence. For example, the murder sequence greatly reduces the number of blows, but the effect is still horrific, so it seems trivial to complain about any inaccuracy.
From an artistic standpoint his interpretation is more than justified, especially at the end. In addition to the information we receive between the final scene and the closing credits that tells what happened to Pauline and Juliet, Marzio Lanza sings "You'll Never Walk Alone," which is as perfect a choice of a song to play at the end of a film as you will ever hear, forcefully underscoring the film's thesis. Jackson says this is "a murder story about love, a murder story with no villains," and it is hard to argue with this idea after watching his film.
"Heavenly Creatures" received an Oscar nomination for Best Writing, Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen for Jackson and Frances Walsh. The film won every award for which it was nominated in the New Zealand Film and TV Awards, including Best Actress for Lynskey and Best Foreign Performer for Winslet (both of whom were perfectly suited for those roles), and earned film festival awards in Venice and Toronto. This is a striking and unforgettable film, both creative and thoughtful. Those who are drawn to it because it was directed by Peter Jackson might be shocked by the subject matter, but they will not be disappointed with the results.
Amazing stuff.......2004-07-19
I don't know whether there'll be any extras on the DVD or what they'll be like, but this film is long overdue for a UK DVD release. I bought a secondhand VHS copy after becoming interesting in Peter Jackson through Lord of the Rings, and I was not disappointed.
Even if you are familiar with Jackson's earlier work such as Braindead or Bad Taste, this takes a whole new direction from his comic gore and shows him taking a step towards the serious and powerful director we saw at work in Lord of the Rings. The work of Richard Taylor, the leader of the Weta team who provided the special effects, costume and makeup for LotR, is also clear to see in Heavenly Creatures - especially in an ingenious sequence involving clay models.
I couldn't recommend this film enough. Powerful and very well written, directed and performed.
Customer Reviews:
a brilliant film.......2007-04-12
i am a big fan of the old films and gregory peck is one of my favorite actors and i love this film, i taped it off the t.v the tape is getting old now and want to buy the dvd only its not available in europe so i have to get the region 1 encoding but thats ok as i have a multi regional dvd player. i watched this film with my son who is ten and he loved it but he did cry at the end, though he told me he had something in his eye. this film is a timeless classic and should be available to the european market
unforgettable.......2004-06-26
I first saw this film as a boy in the 1960s. It is truely an unforgettable masterpiece. I am buying it for my son. He is 6.
It rates alongside Shane. ( I will also get this one. ) If you are under 40 you probably have no idea what I am talking about.
They dont make'em like they used to.
Customer Reviews:
A brilliantly mad little film.......2007-05-04
The Czech New Wave bloomed out of nowhere and was brutally suppressed just as suddenly. After Daisies, Chytilova directed a number of films which were duly banned indefinitely before, tragically, kow-towing to her government's ridiculous censors and softening her approach. That she never left her country as many of her contemporaries did (perhaps most famously Milos Foreman) is both inspiring and sad.
Daisies is a mad little film. It's about two young women who take it in turns to go on dates with rich men. The other then invites herself along also and they proceed to wreak cheeky, anarchistic havoc wherever they go. The uninhibited, slap-dash, try-everything invigoration of Chytilova's direction surpasses anything from Godard or Truffaut. I didn't even know there was a Czech New Wave until I found this. It was a wonderful revelation. The film ends with the girls spectacularly trashing a lavish banquet before swinging maniacally from the chandelier. It's allegorical potency need not be specific: I read it as a simple, wonderful freedom. It deserves to become an instigative tag-line:
"Daisies?"
"Daisies." Cue havoc and hilarity.
I don't know anyone else who's seen this. It deserves more attention. I know the French New Wave was hugely significant and seminal (Chytilova was obviously familiar with it) but many other film movements (the Polish New Wave, for example (See Wajda)) seem neglected by the masses. I wonder how this favouriting of the French movement become as total as it did.
Customer Reviews:
Right On! Government Sucks! Oh Wait, Poo?.......2007-07-16
Dusan Makavejev's 1974 film Sweet Movie is an indictment toward all forms of authority and convention. It does not obviously or even wittingly perhaps come from an honest political standard itself, but it instead exists to attack all that rules us. It skewers capitalism, communism, and absolutely everything in between. Perhaps it is a call specifically for some sort of Anarcho-Primitivism? Perhaps Sweet Movie is simply a celebration of life in its own sick and twisted way?
Sweet Movie follows two different stories and both feature a female protagonist. The first follows a contestant of the 1984 Miss Monde pageant. She wins and her prize is her marriage to some big corporate dude. She is shocked by how he degrades her in their first meeting and she runs away. Her rejection is met with displeasure by his cronies and she ends up getting pretty severely humiliated and then stuffed into a suitcase and shipped off to France. After that she gets stuck to some Latin guy and enters a commune and some pretty wacky things happen. This story operates as a criticism toward capitalism and consumerism at the beginning and the conclusion, while it seems to attack communism in the middle. The second story follows a young woman who is leading a boat down a river. The boat is full of candy and has a statue of Karl Marx on it. She seduces all who encounter her with sex, candy and propaganda. Then she kills them. Obviously it is a direct attack on communism.
There are some pretty shocking things in Sweet Movie but that shouldn't be a surprise when taking into account the time period and some of the subversive and surreal counterculture names involved in the film (e.g. Otto Muehl, Roland Topor and George Melly). The film captures a cultural movement in some respects and the significance is there but overall Sweet Movie was too obscure to have an impact. Only now does it resonate but for very different reasons. It stands out for its visual shock alone.
There is a very strong emphasis on bodily functions in Sweet Movie, more so than anything I've ever seen or even want to see again for that matter. I can't pinpoint why but it's more than likely Dusan Makavejev's attempt to compel us to revolt against all of our societal institutions by directly desensitizing us to his perspective that we are all just gassy and disgusting animals. Spend a few days resisting your normal cognitive functions or spend some time with dementia patients and you'll get a good smell of what Makavejev is trying to get at here...I think? I'm not sure I agree with him in those sorts of details, but in spirit I like where he is going with Sweet Movie. We all could use a good smack away from the restraints of everyday society.
Keep in mind; it is virtually impossible to get anything out of Sweet Movie if you take it too literally. It is designed to surprise the viewer and club them over the head with shock. The problem with that is Sweet Movie was so shocking for its time that it was hardly even seen. People were not ready then, but maybe the world has grown sicker since. Criterion may have picked a more accessible release date for Sweet Movie than Makavejev did. Asking ourselves the questions that this film might produce may be more important now than ever.
Customer Reviews:
Underated.......2006-04-15
At its time of release this movie was rated behind such "faves" as Porkys. The fact is, the marketing person who pitched "Virgin" in the same sphere made a big mistake and undercut their director badly. This film is a message film from the 80"s and the message got lost by the idea that just because Diane Franklin showed her breasts, we can pitch it as a teen comedy.
Ignore that, catch the film appreciate the superb soundtrack and get the message. Oh, and Diane's breasts are not bad too!
Who is" the Last American Virgin"?.......2004-03-02
Until last year I had heard about this film many times; everybody admired it and I was so interested how a teen movie which is due to 20 years ago can still be popular among the young. I could not find the tape because it was out of order until Sep 2003, when it released on DVD.
The tile was so interesting, who is the last American?
Although I had watched many teen comedy movies before, jokes seem new and very funny. Hair styles and excellent soundtrack remind you 80s, boys and girls relationship are neither as romantic as old days, nor as modern as the third millennium. By passing the time, you will find out the film is not only a comedy to laugh, but also a meaningful point of view about a boy in love. And the most important thing is until the last minute of the film you will not be able to predict the end of the story.
DVD:
- The Standard Deviants: Geometry, Part 2 [1999] (REGION 1) (NTSC)
- Too Late for Tears [1949]
- Under the Gun [1995] (REGION 1) (NTSC)
- Warlock [1989]
- What About Your Friends: Weekend Get-Away [2002] (REGION 1) (NTSC)
- White Panty Chronicles 4
- Windy City Heat [2003] (REGION 1) (NTSC)
- Women Behind Bars [1975]
- Woody Allen Collection Vol. 1 - Bananas/Everything You Always Wanted To Know About Sex But Were Afraid To Ask/Sleeper/Love And Death/Annie Hall
- Word of Mouth [1999] (REGION 1) (NTSC)
DVD List
DVD
![The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie [1969] (REGION 1) (NTSC)](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/21KBT5VVT7L.jpg)
All Drama
|
Drama
|
Categories
|
DVD
|
Video
![The Millionairess [1972] (REGION 1) (NTSC)](http://images-eu.amazon.com/images/P/B000E8JNQU.01.THUMBZZZ.jpg)
The Millionairess [1972] (REGION 1) (NTSC)
![The Lonely Passion Of Judith Hearne [1988]](http://images-eu.amazon.com/images/P/B000MZGWC8.01.THUMBZZZ.jpg)
The Lonely Passion Of Judith Hearne [1988]
The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie (Penguin Modern Classics)
York Notes on Muriel Spark's "Prime of Miss Jean Brodie" (York Notes)
![Lily In Love [1985]](http://images-eu.amazon.com/images/P/B00006BT8G.01.THUMBZZZ.jpg)
Lily In Love [1985]
![The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie [1969] (REGION 1) (NTSC)](http://www.bill88.com/buy.gif)
![The Wanderers [1979] (REGION 1) (NTSC)](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/21GZ1X8NFVL.jpg)
![The Warriors [1979]](http://images-eu.amazon.com/images/P/B000059H1Z.01.THUMBZZZ.jpg)
![The Warriors: Ultimate Director's Cut [1979]](http://images-eu.amazon.com/images/P/B000ATJKH0.01.THUMBZZZ.jpg)
![Quadrophenia [1979]](http://images-eu.amazon.com/images/P/B00004R95F.01.THUMBZZZ.jpg)
![Leon: The Professional [1995] (REGION 1) (NTSC)](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/21NNZ2KK5PL.jpg)
![Nikita [1990]](http://images-eu.amazon.com/images/P/B000087I27.01.THUMBZZZ.jpg)
![Ronin [1998]](http://images-eu.amazon.com/images/P/B00004CYL5.01.THUMBZZZ.jpg)
![Twelve Monkeys [1996]](http://images-eu.amazon.com/images/P/B00004R78L.01.THUMBZZZ.jpg)
![The Usual Suspects (2 Disc Special Edition) [1995]](http://images-eu.amazon.com/images/P/B000063BM9.01.THUMBZZZ.jpg)
![Seven - 2 Disc Set [1995]](http://images-eu.amazon.com/images/P/B00004WZW8.01.THUMBZZZ.jpg)
![Martin Chuzzlewit [1994] (REGION 1) (NTSC)](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/21S6VDA2QYL.jpg)
![Our Mutual Friend [1998] (REGION 1) (NTSC)](http://images-eu.amazon.com/images/P/B0009PVZM8.01.THUMBZZZ.jpg)
![The Pickwick Papers [1985] (REGION 1) (NTSC)](http://images-eu.amazon.com/images/P/B000FQIRYA.01.THUMBZZZ.jpg)
![Dombey and Son [1983] (REGION 1) (NTSC)](http://images-eu.amazon.com/images/P/B000FQIRY0.01.THUMBZZZ.jpg)
![Bleak House [1985] (REGION 1) (NTSC)](http://images-eu.amazon.com/images/P/B0009PVZIW.01.THUMBZZZ.jpg)
![The Old Curiosity Shop [1994] (REGION 1) (NTSC)](http://images-eu.amazon.com/images/P/B0009ETCY2.01.THUMBZZZ.jpg)
![Heavenly Creatures [1995] (REGION 1) (NTSC)](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/21F37ANS76L.jpg)
![Holy Smoke [2000]](http://images-eu.amazon.com/images/P/B00004WZW4.01.THUMBZZZ.jpg)
![Meet the Feebles [1989]](http://images-eu.amazon.com/images/P/B000065FS6.01.THUMBZZZ.jpg)
![Amour de Femme [2001] (REGION 1) (NTSC)](http://images-eu.amazon.com/images/P/B0002MFG7S.01.THUMBZZZ.jpg)
![Sister My Sister [1995] (REGION 1) (NTSC)](http://images-eu.amazon.com/images/P/B0001I54RK.01.THUMBZZZ.jpg)
![Hideous Kinky [1999]](http://images-eu.amazon.com/images/P/B00004R82O.01.THUMBZZZ.jpg)
![Boy's Choir [2000] (REGION 1) (NTSC)](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/31N0CC93PDL.jpg)
![Slight Fever of a 20 Year Old [1993] (REGION 1) (NTSC)](http://images-eu.amazon.com/images/P/B000BCE9EA.01.THUMBZZZ.jpg)
![Bathhouse [2005] (REGION 1) (NTSC)](http://images-eu.amazon.com/images/P/B000MGUZFW.01.THUMBZZZ.jpg)
![Class Trip [1999] (REGION 1) (NTSC)](http://images-eu.amazon.com/images/P/B0000UHG0M.01.THUMBZZZ.jpg)
![Life After All [2004] (REGION 1) (NTSC)](http://images-eu.amazon.com/images/P/B00020X8PC.01.THUMBZZZ.jpg)
![The Dream Catcher [1999] (REGION 1) (NTSC)](http://images-eu.amazon.com/images/P/B00015YV2W.01.THUMBZZZ.jpg)
![The Yearling [1946] (REGION 1) (NTSC)](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/21797XQKV6L.jpg)
![The Matchmaker [1958] (REGION 1) (NTSC)](http://images-eu.amazon.com/images/P/B0006FO8O8.01.THUMBZZZ.jpg)
![The Proud Rebel [1958] (REGION 1) (NTSC)](http://images-eu.amazon.com/images/P/B00005UM3V.01.THUMBZZZ.jpg)
![Criss Cross [1948] (REGION 1) (NTSC)](http://images-eu.amazon.com/images/P/B00023P4GA.01.THUMBZZZ.jpg)
![Town Without Pity [1961] (REGION 1) (NTSC)](http://images-eu.amazon.com/images/P/B00005S8KS.01.THUMBZZZ.jpg)
![Daisies [1967] (REGION 1) (NTSC)](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/21RF50SEQNL.jpg)
![Fruit of Paradise [1969]](http://images-eu.amazon.com/images/P/B0009OUBME.01.THUMBZZZ.jpg)
![Pearls of the Deep [1965]](http://images-eu.amazon.com/images/P/B0007LBLZU.01.THUMBZZZ.jpg)
![Valerie And Her Week Of Wonders (Subtitled) (DVD) [1970]](http://images-eu.amazon.com/images/P/B0002CH7BQ.01.THUMBZZZ.jpg)
![Witches' Hammer [1969] (REGION 1) (NTSC)](http://images-eu.amazon.com/images/P/B00019JRAO.01.THUMBZZZ.jpg)
![WR: Mysteries of the Organism [1971] (REGION 1) (NTSC)](http://images-eu.amazon.com/images/P/B000OPPAEC.01.THUMBZZZ.jpg)
![Sweet Movie [1974] (REGION 1) (NTSC)](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/31Kp2MxvstL.jpg)
![Summer Affair [1979]](http://images-eu.amazon.com/images/P/B0002HOE7G.01.THUMBZZZ.jpg)
![Scene of the Crime [1986] (REGION 1) (NTSC)](http://images-eu.amazon.com/images/P/B000SIWHB4.01.THUMBZZZ.jpg)
![Refinements in Love [1971]](http://images-eu.amazon.com/images/P/B000NJL00W.01.THUMBZZZ.jpg)
![Bacchanales Sexuelles [1974] (REGION 1) (NTSC)](http://images-eu.amazon.com/images/P/B00006LPGC.01.THUMBZZZ.jpg)
![The Last American Virgin [1982] (REGION 1) (NTSC)](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/21T4MMS6HCL.jpg)
![Just One of the Guys [1985] (REGION 1) (NTSC)](http://images-eu.amazon.com/images/P/B00013WWT8.01.THUMBZZZ.jpg)
![Summer School [1987] (REGION 1) (NTSC)](http://images-eu.amazon.com/images/P/B000NA21Y0.01.THUMBZZZ.jpg)
![Better Off Dead [1985]](http://images-eu.amazon.com/images/P/B0000C88KA.01.THUMBZZZ.jpg)