Customer Reviews:
One of the best ever pieces of children's TV.......2007-08-07
Mr Benn is easily one of my favourite children's programmes, short and simple but also magical and truly unforgettable. I never realised that only 14 episodes were made though, maybe it is because time goes a lot slower as a child, that and the fact that by the time an episode was repeated, I must have thought it was a brand new episode but anyway, quality will always be more important than quantity plus it is proof that Mr Benn has great replay value.
Another great thing about Mr Benn is that every episode is almost identical up until the point where he changes into the costume and so I could watch any episode randomly and never be quite sure which costume it was going to be, very clever. AN ABSOLUTELY MAGICAL CHILDREN'S TV CLASSIC.
Brilliant........2007-07-28
Now this is what I'm talking about! Mr Benn: brilliant! Never mind this Harry bleedin' Potter nonsense. Mr Ben was visiting all manner of locations and getting into incredible twists on a daily basis long before Harry feakin' Potter showed up. He didn't even need to go to school at Hogg `bleedin' borts either. No Sir! He just nipped into the fancy bleedin' dress shop down the road, so he did. Brilliant stuff, brilliant stuff. Tell that to the kids of today and they won't believe you.
Instant hit!.......2007-01-30
For me, watching Mr. Benn was a trip down memory lane. For my wife and kids, however, this was a brand new experience because we live in America and they've never seen Mr. Benn before. The result? They loved it! I mean, really loved it! My kids saw it once and haven't stopped asking for it since. And my wife, who could be forgiven for not sharing my enthusiasm, says it's already one of her favourites. Add to that the fact that the menus and picture quality are far better than I was expecting and you've got the best kids' DVD £5 can buy!
Nostalgia at it's best.......2006-11-14
As soon as I heard that this had been released it brought memories of childhood flooding back to me. As one of my favourites growing up, I simply had to have it. Compared with modern animation it has a lot to live up to, but the stories and the imagination involved are just fantastic. Definitely one to have in the collection. The best thing is that because they are such short episodes you can watch it whenever, squeeze it in when you have a few spare minutes.
Absolute Classic - And kids still love it.......2006-07-18
Our oldest (almost 3 years) loves Mr Benn! She is re-enacting his adventures pretending to be a pirate or a dinosaur and loves it.
It is nostalgic watching all those episodes again, it amazes me how much I still remembered.
This is a no-frill Mr Benn DVD, all episodes ever made, no extras, but who needs them anyway?
Amazon.co.uk Review
A delightful undersea world unfolds in Pixar's animated adventure Finding Nemo. When his son Nemo is captured by a scuba diver, a nervous clownfish named Marlin (voiced by Albert Brooks) sets off into the vast--and astonishingly detailed--ocean to find him. Along the way he hooks up with a scatterbrained blue tang fish named Dory (Ellen DeGeneres), who's both a help and a hindrance, sometimes at the same time. Faced with sharks, deep-sea anglers, fields of poisonous jellyfish, sea turtles, pelicans and much more, Marlin rises above his neuroses in this wonderfully funny and thrilling ride--rarely do more than 10 minutes pass without a sequence appearing that's destined to become a theme-park attraction. Pixar continues its run of impeccable artistic and economic successes (Toy Story, A Bug's Life, Monsters, Inc). Supporting voices here include Willem Dafoe, Geoffrey Rush and Allison Janney. --Bret Fetzer
Customer Reviews:
Decent 2nd disc.......2007-10-30
This film is absolutely briliant for all ages and the additional disc actually has stuff on that you'd like to watch/use as appose to the usual rubbish/of no use to anyone that you find on all 2nd disc's. Whatever your age buy it!!!
I LOVE THIS FILM.......2007-08-19
One of the best animated films ever to see the grace of a movie screen, Finding Nemo is a classic piece of cinema that'll probably stick around for decades to come. The classic story of a kid looking for his father looking for his kid finds new life when re-located to the bottom of the ocean. Taking the manifestation of aquatic life, the movie confronts us with one of the most beautiful and miraculous secrets this Earth still has to offer. To balance it all up, Ellen DeGeneres's forgetful-yet-unforgettable Dory brings in the masses with her witty voice over, while the endless variety of colors and vivid imagination rolls in the rest.
Finding Nemo is one of those few films that'll make you want to laugh, to cry, and to embrace your loved ones over and over again.
Get the 2 disc collectors edition - NOW.......2007-07-19
There is not much to be said that has not already been covered in the reviews written but I would just like to add that this 2 disc collectors edition is amazing. It is really double the fun because there is so much more to watch and enjoy.
I guess I am already preaching to the converted if you are ready this but Nemo is a firm winner in our house.
I LOVE ITTTTTTTTTTTT!.......2007-07-15
Finding nemo....ahhhh what to say about Finding Nemo. Well one word comes to mind..."AMAZINGGGGGG". This film is sooo brilliant, god bless whoever came up with the idea! If you still have not seen Finding Nemo, you must of been on a different planets cause this movie is something you can not miss. However if you have not seen it...watch it NOWW!!!! You'll be thanking god every night for this gift. All true disney fans must have this movie, if you do not...your not a true fan! :)
best movie for ages!.......2007-04-28
Ah finding nemo! This is set in aussie, great holiday place! In the great barrier reef, which, as i've been there, has to be the most beatiful place on earth!
This movie is a true gem, it has funny bits, sad bits, scary bits, and sharks!
If you hadn't guessed, its about a fish called nemo, and his overprotective father, who makes his son annoyed, so he swims off on his own... well i can't tell you more, cause that would spoil the film!
watch out for the dentist...!!
Customer Reviews:
Top Quality Drama!.......2008-03-13
I love this adaptation of Bleak House. I was gripped by it when it was originally shown on BBC and now I happily own this DVD boxset! The acting is outstanding, every performance is excellent but some of the standouts for me are Gillian Anderson - heartbreaking as Lady Deadlock, Charles Dance - vile as Mr Tulkinghorn and Burn Gorman - wonderfully funny as Guppy! The series was broadcast in the style of a soap opera with episodes ending with a cliff hanger (of course the novel was also originally published in monthly installments)but I think the DVD is equally as gripping and I found myself up way past my usual bedtime watching another episode followed by another and then another and so on. This boxset dosent have many extras but it's good value for several hours worth of top quality drama!
Superior quality.......2008-02-21
BBC adaption at its best an all star cast - Gillian Anderson, Charles Dance who lead the way however its the younger cast one or two already famous who fit their characters as though they were born to play them!
Exceptional story, drama, intrigue, murder, suspense, humor & a star in the making from Burn Gorman as the hapless yet lovable Guppy who stole almost every scene he was in!
Overall the best the BBC has done in ages a period piece beyond measure & a cast to die for. They do not come any better than this and as already said some stars were made in the remaking! Well done to all.
Shame it had to end!.......2008-02-17
I watched this a while ago on DVD, I really enjoyed this BBC production. Watching one programme after another me and my husband were gripped!!! We would look at each other as if to ask, shall we just watch one more? The end of each episode left us hooked. We would have watched forever, but all good things must come to an end and we certainly weren't left disappointed. The acting was superb, the costumes amazing, and the casting remarkable. As period dramas go this is probably up there with BBC's Pride and Prejudice.
Bleak and you'll miss it.......2008-01-09
This is a production of immense detail and values; there is a great cast with even, in some cases, astonishing physical resemblances between the actors and their illustrations from the book. As with any TV adaptation compromises have to be made: I can forgive the brief episodes and the fact that the plot, which carefully unravels in the book, is spelt out with little subtlety in the very first episode. I can even forgive the liberties taken with some of the characterization: in the book Esther is no fool, but her manner and expressions are very much of that time, with much talking of kissing and her ' love ' for other female characters - in the wrong hands (you know who you are, Channel 4)this could be a very different adaptation indeed. So instead Esther becomes a very modern women with bang up to date sensibilities. NO, what got me was that the producers did not trust the viewer not to get bored unless there were flash camera angles, fast cut aways with portentous music as we cut to a scene of ...erh... people walking back from church. Sometimes it works. Often not. Every scene is introduced by wooshes and bleeps which will sound oddly familiar if you watch '24'. ("My name is Esther Bauer, special friend to Miss Ada Clare. Let me tell you about the 11th worst day of my life..Boom boom.. Boom Boom.. Bleeeep"). Others will enjoy this, hence the slightly reluctant 4 stars. I did not finish disc 3.
Compelling.......2007-10-27
I loved this series. I started watching them on DVD because I could never catch them in the right order on television. I thought, I'll just watch one episode and see what happens, and watched the whole thing in two marathon sittings. Awesome stuff. The cinematography was great, my only grumble being the jump cuts to show where the action was set was a bit too modern for me and my old eyes. Other than that I could not find fault. The cast was stunning in particular Gillian Anderson who I hadn't previously rated at all, and Denis Lawson, who is just brilliant. The writing was fantastic, making what is a great, though long winded book into a compelling, urgent drama, and the settings/props etc, wonderful. The greatest compliment I can give it, is that my husband, who loathes costume dramas, came in while I was half way through watching, sat down with his cup of tea and watched four episodes straight through before saying he wished he'd have watched them from the beginning. Fantastic stuff.
Amazon.co.uk Review
Perhaps the highest compliment you can pay to Edward Norton is that his Oscar-nominated performance in American History X nearly convinces you that there is a shred of logic in the tenets of white supremacy. If that statement doesn't horrify you, it should; Norton is so fully immersed in his role as a neo-Nazi skinhead that his character's eloquent defense of racism is disturbingly persuasive--at least on the surface. Looking lean and mean with a swastika tattoo and a mind full of hate, Derek Vinyard (Norton) has inherited racism from his father, and that learning has been intensified through his service to Cameron (Stacy Keach), a grown-up thug playing tyrant and teacher to a growing band of disenfranchised teens from Venice Beach, California, all hungry for an ideology that fuels their brooding alienation.
The film's basic message--that hate is learned and can be unlearned--is expressed through Derek's kid brother, Danny (Edward Furlong), whose sibling hero-worship increases after Derek is imprisoned (or, in Danny's mind, martyred) for the killing of two black men. Lacking Derek's gift of rebel rhetoric, Danny is easily swayed into the violent, hateful lifestyle that Derek disowns during his thoughtful time in prison. Once released, Derek struggles to save his brother from a violent fate, and American History X partially suffers from a mix of intense emotions, awkward sentiment and predictably inevitable plotting. And yet British director Tony Kaye (who would later protest against Norton's creative intervention during post-production) manages to juggle these qualities--and a compelling clash of visual styles--to considerable effect. No matter how strained their collaboration may have been, both Kaye and Norton can be proud to have created a film that addresses the issue of racism with dramatically forceful impact. --Jeff Shannon, Amazon.com
Customer Reviews:
Powerhouse performance by Ed Norton.......2008-03-04
American History X is a story based on extremist, racial violence in modern day America.
Norton plays buffed up, neo-nazi skinhead, Derek Vinyard. After his father is gunned down while tackling a fire in a black neighbourhood, Vinyard turns into a black hearted, agressive foot soldier, fighting for white supremacy, and starts seeing his country as plagued by illegal immigrants.
This film has one of the best casts in cinema history. Although youll see films with star after star, such as Pulp Fiction, Sin City and The Departed, the acting ranks among the best performances you will ever see. Besides Ed Norton, the next biggest name in this is Edward Furlong. In this film you will see how he has evolved and matured from Terminator 2's John Connor. Aside these is a great supporting cast consisting of Beverly D'Angelo, Ethan Suplee and Avery Brooks. Standing out is Ethan Suplee, who plays Dereks overweight, brute of a friend, Seth. The reason this performance sticks out is because of the performance he puts on in Remember the Titans. Although American History X was released first, those fortunate enough to have seen both films will appreciate what an under-rated, versitile actor Suplee is. Every actor is this film puts on a performance so unique, that the film could revolve around any of them actually being the main character.
Although this film is very violent, and at one point will leave you cringing and maybe even looking away, it is not glorified with over the top gore, like so many films these days are. It doesnt need gore to shock people into the brutality that is being shown. The acting takes care of that. The thing that shocked me most about this film was the scene in the car park, in which an enraged Vinyard is giving a talk that hits you in the face, leaving you with two black eyes and a broken nose. The talk is primarily about illegal immigrants "ruining" the country. Although I am not a racist, everything Norton says in that scene gave me chills. Anybody, not racist, but observant, should see why he is saying what he is saying, and how it can sway the minds of people who are looking for someone to blame for their bad luck.
Although this film is mainly about violence and racial intolerance, its story of family can be applied to anything. The importance of setting a good example to younger siblings and the strong ties of family bonds, strengthen this films impact. Although extreme, dedicated family men can relate to Vinyards character. It shows how easily good people can be influenced by monsters of the world. This picture portrays it as a vicious, never-ending circle, until the inevitable, tragic ending.
Watching this film will make a vast majority of people reflect on their prospective of tolerance to other races. One of the best films you will ever see. A must watch. The only negative of this film is that Ed Norton was only nominated for the oscar. Unfortunately he didnt win it.
BASED ON A TRUE STORY.......2007-12-11
Not many people know this, but Ed Norton's character, Derek, is based on an actual person -- a guy that went to my high school a few years before I did. He comes to speak every year at an anti-hate assembly. They show us clips of the movie (in my case, my English teacher let us watch the whole thing) and then he comes out and speaks. It's bizarre, to see him because he sounds exactly like Derek does after he gets out of prison. He's genuinely remorseful and what most people don't realize, is what a life-change that really is. Most Neo-Nazis and extreme racists are practically brainwashed in their points of view. It can take years, even lifetimes before they can be broken out of these harmful, violent mindsets. The movie seems slightly unrealistic in that way, that someone as intelligent and seemingly brainwashed as Norton's character, could make such a change from a short stint in prison. Well as I can firsthand tell you, it is possible, and the transformation did really happen. I can't remember the guy's name to save my life, but having that knowledge of the film and the people it's based on has made me appreciate this movie even more.
On a whole other side level, yet another amazing performance by Ed Norton. This man never ceases to shock and amaze me with his range and ability to adapt physically to any role thrown at him. I'm sure he wasn't the first choice for this role, I can think of plenty of other All-American looking actors that would seemingly fit better, even Furlong seems better fit to the Neo-Nazi role than the Norton we all know. However with a beefed-up physique and a well-written film to back him up, Norton shines in this role.
One of the Best Ever Films about Racism.......2007-11-26
American History X goes where few films ever attempt to go, and it does it perfectly.
Edward Norton gives his strongest dramatic performance, playing a very believable, supremacist older brother reformed by experiences in prison. His character is one of the many in this movie that are brutally convincing and real. Edward Furlong plays an equally realistic, impressionable younger brother.
If you can see past the swearing and violence, which is SUPPOSED to leave you feeling dirty, then you can see the real message of this fantastic film. I cannot stress enough how important this movie is to modern day soceity.
Thought provoking.......2007-06-22
Having just brought American History X and watched it on DVD, I was surprised at what a good film it was. Starring Edward Norton and Edward Furlong, it is a thoughtful, provoking film that in no way glamorises racial hatred, but offers a brutal, lingering, shocking and unflinching look at racism.
The story focuses on Derek Vinyard (Norton) and his kid brother, Danny. (Furlong - still baby faced from Terminator 2) Derek has been released from prison, following a stretch for the murder of two black youths who were trying to steal his car. Derek's hatred and neo-nazi attitude are fuelled by his father's murder and racist teachings. A prominant figure in neo-nazi circles, Derek is released a changed man and has no intention of reprising his old ways, much to the disgust of his neo nazi friends, and girlfriend.
Derek's redemption in prison comes after he is brutally attacked by other neo-nazis in prison, who didn't approve of his friendship with a black inmate. A shattered Vinyard is left to realise the error of his ways and turn his life around. He is dismayed to realise his brother has started copying him, and tries to get his brother to change his ways too.
Norton and Furlong are surprisingly well cast. Norton has immense screen presence, managing to convey the story of a man who has realised the error of his ways, and wants to put his life back on track.
Furlong, displays the arrogance he inherits from his brother's former days of neo-nazi activities and like his brother is humbled as he learns that life is too short to spend it filled with hate. (A fact which is later underlined for Furlong and his family.)
The film is very stylised. Flashbacks are shot in slow motion black and white, and are full of impact and can be very shocking. The film pulls no punches, and is brutal throughout, especially when the film reaches its bloody, tragic climax.
All in all, a well thought out, provoking film that is certainly worth watching - if you can cope with the brutality it meets out to everyone involved, and the bad language throughout.
One of the greatest contemporary tragedies ever commited to film........2007-06-18
Few true tragedes are made these days, at least not in Hollywood, and such a well produced and acted spectacle as American History X is a rare delight. While not strictly an "Aristotlean" tragedy, where the protagonist, while being an admirable character, eventually falls victim to his own fatal flaw, it is certainly tragic, and as such is as beautiful as any formulaic tragedy could be.
Derek Vinyard is not an admirable character, albeit a powerful speaker and inspiational screen prescence, and it is not, eventually, himself who falls victim to his flaw, which is his beleif in his cause.
The directoral style is essentially journalistic, an unbiased exposé from the perspectives of Derek and his younger brother Daniel, but their change of heart makes it much more intimate, much more real. It is as beautiful, then, as it is staunch in all its gritty realism. Indeed, the gunshot scene at the climax of the film is brutal, slowed down for maximum impact. Its objectivity, however, is not tarnished by this. Its power is such that if the director had told us it was a true sory, it would have been beleived, and yet its emotonal power is astonishing. Not least due to its sense of dramatic irony, the final scenes are so much more powerful because Derek is not the one who suffers for his mistakes, and his knowledge that it is his fault, and our empathy of that, makes the conclusion as Daniel's essay is read like a last will, all the more beautiful.
Customer Reviews:
Blinkin fix your boobs man, you look like a bleedin' Picasso!.......2008-02-18
I have just ordered this DVD because I have had the film on VHS for about 10 years now and I want a more future-proof version of the film to keep as it is a classic!
As a 10 year old, myself and my younger brother absolutely loved this film! We used to play it over and over again and to this day know almost every line!
What I have started to learn over the very recent years is all the adult humour that goes on throughout the film which as a child I did not understand, but as I say I still loved this film from a children's point of view and the adult humour is subtle that kids won't notice it.
I would recommend this film for people of all ages! It caters for everyone!
If you like acting daft and having a laugh then you will enjoy this DVD.
It is great fun to watch!
BUY IT! :)
"Unlike other Robin Hoods, I have a proper English accent.".......2008-02-01
Remember all these lines from classic Mel Brooks films - "A black sheriff?" "It's good to be king!" etc.? Well now you don't have to. Just watch Robin Hood: Men in Tights, Brooks' second visit to Sherwood Forest, Ca. after his short-lived - and, if memory serves, much funnier - seventies sitcom When Things Were Rotten.
The feeling of being in a malfunctioning timewarp carries through to the casting. You expect Cary Elwes to imitate Errol Flynn, but what you don't expect is the rest of the cast to imitate members of the Mel Brooks stock company - Amy Yasbeck imitates a young Madeline Kahn, Mark Blankfield imitates Marty Feldman, Roger Rees almost avoids imitating Harvey Korman, Dave Chappelle imitates Cleavon Little, Tracey Ullman imitates Cloris Leachman, Richard Lewis does Gene Wilder as Prince John and Brooks imitates Dom De Luise, which is especially odd as Dom De Luise turns up imitating Marlon Brando with a sidekick who's imitating Clint Eastwood (Lord only knows who the Scottish-accented Patrick Stewart is supposed to be imitating as Richard the Lionheart). Weren't any of those people still talking to him?
When the hangman from Blazing Saddles turns up, camper than ever, it's less of an in-joke than a sign of desperation. Brooks is too funny for it to be entirely redundant and it's certainly better than Dracula, Dead and Loving It, but the good moments are few and far between and amount to no more than a movie trailer's worth. The film could certainly have done with being a good 15 minutes shorter and a straighter face would have helped. With Brooks' audio commentary recorded for the laserdisc conspicuous by its absence, this is for completists only.
Customer Reviews:
They keep coming and going and going and coming, and always too soon..........2007-11-14
Films by Mel Brooks are guaranteed to court controversy amongst the easily outraged. This film may not be a timeless classic, but in a world of political correctness gone mad, it is perfect escapism. In this age, where everything is offensive to someone, this fixes that by being offensive to pretty much everyone.
You know you're in for a treat when you hear the sheriff ride in shouting "What in the Wide Wide World of Sports is going on here?". Cleavon Little puts in a great turn in the only performance of his I have ever seen. Gene Wilder sails through his alcoholic gun-toting cowboy, and Dom De Luise has a great little camp cameo at the end when it all goes really silly.
Don't be offended by this, life is far too short.
Stood the test of time well!.......2007-11-05
Blazing Saddles is the funniest film I have ever seen and is in my opinion the best Mel Brooks film by far! Cleavon Little and Gene Wilder give some fantastic performances in this movie. However there might be some people though who don't approve of Blazing Saddles or frown upon the dialogue and content like the political-correctness brigade who would deem this sort of film as racist in this day and age. Just look at how the PC brigade criticised Love Thy Neighbour as being racist but it was never racist at all. That's the problem with political correctness in society, it clouds people's judgement and alters their way of thinking.
BRILLIANT FILM !!.......2007-07-17
Having been introduced to this film by my parents I have now lost count of the amount of times I have watched this film and can probably tell you the film word for word. It is the funniest film I have ever seen and a must watch for all generations. The comedy in this film is timeless. Spaceballs is not quite as good but still an excellent watch. Buy it!!
Timeless Genius!!.......2007-01-01
Just to say that I could watch this film seven days a week and I could never tire of it! It is is just simply a piece of cinematic genius in its own way and will hopefully live on forever despite people like Mr Hutton getting rather carried away in his review and taking the film to be literal in it's "racism" etc! May I suggest that he needs a long calming holiday and to get an open mind and a sense of humour. Everyone else I know that has seen this film,both BLACK and WHITE has understood the intended controversial humour and irony.Quite simply a must have for anyones dvd collection!!
Still great.......2006-08-21
This is my favourite film ever, and I have never grown tired of it despite having watched it over 20 times.
Tremendous.
Amazon.co.uk Review
For all of its conventional plotting about an obsessive-compulsive curmudgeon (Jack Nicholson) who improves his personality at the urging of his gay neighboor (Greg Kinnear) and a waitress (Helen Hunt), who inspires his best behaviour, As Good As It Gets is one of the sharpest Hollywood comedies of the 1990s. Nicholson could play his role in his sleep (the Oscar he won should have gone to Robert Duvall for The Apostle) but his mischievous persona is precisely necessary to give heart to his seemingly heartless character, who is of all things a successful romance novelist. As a single mom with a chronically asthmatic young son, Hunt gives the film its conscience and integrity (along with plenty of wry humoor)and she also won an Oscar for her wonderful performance. Greg Kinnear had to settle for an Oscar nomination (while cowriter-director James L. Brooks was inexplicably snubbed by Oscar that year) but his work was also singled out in the film's near-unanimous chorus of critical praise. It's questionable whether a romance between Hunt and the much older Nicholson is entirely believable but this movie's smart enough--and charmingly funny enough--to make it seem endearingly possible. --Jeff Shannon
Customer Reviews:
'I should have danced with you'...........2008-02-14
This is one of my favourite movies of all time. I harass as many of my friends as possible into watching it (preferably with me so I can have my fix!).
Most American comedies rely on people doing silly/stupid things for their humour as opposed to being witty. 'As good as it gets' aims to address this in my opinion. Most of the humour comes from Jack Nicholson being the scathing, disinhibited (and hence) friendless Melvin.His OCD means he visits the same diner every morning for breakfast where Helen Hunt is a waitress. She is also the only person who will put up with him, always quite happy to tell him to watch it and/or shut it she is Melvin's secret love.
The robbery and assault of Melvin's neighbour serves as the catalyst for change in his life which includes trying to win Carol's affections with some funny faux pas as a result.
This is an utterly brilliant movie. The romance subtle as is some of the humour. There are many layers to what is happening making it more than just a romantic comedy. Defintely deserving of the oscars garnered.
Don't believe the hype!!!.......2008-01-19
If you take the meaning to be positive(As good as it gets) then you'll be in for something which eluded me??? My take is that it was As good as it gets(in the negative)...I like Nicholson and the premise...but it did nothing for me...totally over-rated.....
It does what is says on the wrapper........2007-11-22
A really well executed feel good romantic comedy with excellent performances from the three main characters played by Helen Hunt, Jack Nicholson and Greg Kinnear. The redemption of the loveless Nicholson character is well done from obsessive asocial loner to lovelorn social incompetent. Kinnear is pitch perfect but the Hunt character is my favourite because of the dignity in adversary, and the wet tee shirt scene didn't hurt either.
Well worth the trouble; buy it so you can watch it again.
Quite simply 'as good as it gets'.......2007-10-16
This is a wickedly funny movie, dealing with an illness often reduced to the butt of jokes. It is fitting then that Jack Nicholson's portrayal of Melvin an obsessive compulsive is tragically genuine, yet wonderfully funny in its demonstration of the complete irrationality typical of the disease. Nicholson neither plays the character as a martyr, nor as a completely inhuman being. Rather the facets of his character develop as his love firstly for a dog and then for a woman compromise his insular and restricted lifestyle. The developing relationship between Nicholson and Helen Hunt's Carol is lovely to watch, particularly the growingly evident fact that Melvin the obsessive and Carol the neurotic have more in common with each other than they realise. Furthermore it is a joy to watch the chemistry between Melvin and the dog Verdal. Most evidently this is a movie that demonstrates the important and healing effect human relationships can have on people. It is not dependent on special effects, gimmicks or even conventionally good looking actors, rather it simply relies on an absolutely fantastic, flawless script. Nicholson delivers his lines like no other actor could, enunicating his deliciously shocking reproaches with his own personal charisma. This is probably why the film gets away with some of Melvin's more bigoted attitudes. Also because Melvin insults just about everyone he comes into contact with it is difficult to take his straight talking attitude personally. Rather it should simply be viewed as symptomatic of his illness, and ultimately the joke is on Melvin who can't walk on the cracks in the pavement, or eat with the restaurant cutlery. I can return to this film time and time again and it never fails to make me laugh out loud. It has real heart and depicts a subtle, unusual and genuine romance, that draws out the humanity behind Nicholson's anti-social and critical Melvin. Melvin's character development from his this is 'as good as it gets' attitude, to his realisation that Carol 'makes him want to be a better man', poignantly demonstrates his desire to overcome his illness in order to truely live his life. Jack Nicholson throughly deserved his oscar for his portrayal of the truelly one-off Melvin.
Definitely recommended - very funny, very touching.......2007-09-01
This is a film which could be defined by what it's not. Yes its a rom com, but its far too edgy for that to fit. Its not a chick flick , its an everybody movie. Its a Jack Nicholson film, but its not Jack Nicholson acting by numbers, its Jack Nicholson genuinely giving a complex and compelling performance. The central relationship between Nicholson and the stunningly good Helen Hunt is of course the touching heart of the film, but for me the relationship between Melvin (Nicholson) and his gay neighbour Simon (Greg Kinnear) provides the laugh out loud moments. The chinese soup scene is an absolute killer. Should be part of everybody's DVD collection.
Customer Reviews:
Funniest Comedy Ever Made.......2007-08-17
Some of this is so funny you will laugh so hard that it will give you aching ribs after watching. It is filmed as if it is a fly on the wall documentary, following real life Hollywood script-writer Larry David as he fails in his attempts to get through each day without messing up. No matter how hard he tries, things go wrong. Very wrong. He is also extremely unconventional in social situations, leading to many farcical scenes. At times very rude, and never dull. This is surely one of the best shows ever made for TV.
Surely one of the most outspoken comedy characters ever.......2007-07-04
Seeing as Seinfeld is and always will be one of my favourite sitcoms of all time it was impossible for me to ignore this. I always get the feeling that Larry David is one of those rare people that only wants to be part of something if he is 100% sure that it will go down in history as something special and he has definitely succeeded again with this.
Like Seinfeld I only saw the odd episode of this when it was first shown on BBC2 but kept on missing it and wanted to watch it from the beginning in the correct order so I waited for the DVD releases. It was a gamble because I didn't know for sure how funny it was at the time and I only knew Larry David because of Seinfeld, but the gamble paid off big time. One of the things I have always liked about this programme is that I am never sure if Larry is going to come out of each episode smiling or not, it keeps me guessing till the very end. Another great thing is I have mixed feelings about his outspoken opinions as in most of the time I agree with what he says and sympathise with him in awkward situations that he gets himself into and then he will get into another awkward situation where I think he only has himself to blame. Either way it is laugh out loud funny. The only bad thing I can say is that there is only ten episodes a series, but quality will always be better than quantity and when you add them all up there will be at least fifty to laugh at over and over again.
So if you have still not seen this wonderful programme yet and you are not easily offended (as a lot of bad language and difficult subject matters), then you are extremely spoilt as you can watch all five series (if you can afford to buy them or borrow them) all at once, you lucky people.
Hi-Larry-ious (groan).......2007-04-16
Whilst I do not own this box set, I do have all the series' individually. I bought the first series in blind faith through a recommendation of a friend, and I wasn't disappointed.
The problem with CYE is trying to describe it to people who don't watch it. Countless times I have recounted particular episodes to people who haven't watched them, and even as I'm saying it, I know it's not working. But talk in the same way about the same scene with someone who has already seen it, and you will both be in hysterics.
This program is one of the funniest things I have ever had the pleasure to watch, but I can see that it won't appeal to everyone. To find this funny, you have to be comfortable with the subject nature at hand, which almost always consists of very bad language (c-word is used, surprisingly for an american show!). A lot of the episodes touch on areas such as Racism/Sexism/Anti-Semitism, and in such a realistic, crass way, that some people may be offended by it.
The funniest thing about this though is the embarassment factor. Like Alan Partridge, you spend most of your time cringing at the embarassing nature of the main character, and you're practically shouting at the TV "Don't say it!" because you know it's wrong. But what makes this superior to Partridge, is that it's semi-scripted and uses a lot of improv, and the fact the Larry David is playing not only himself, but playing himself in a negative light.
I would recommend this to everyone, but try and watch a few episodes before you buy it as the style of humour might not be for you. I know it works for me, and I love it!
Life with all its problems and distractions.......2007-01-19
I had never heard of Larry David until someone lent me the DVDs of series 4. In no time at all I was hooked and watched 4 episodes one night and 4 the next.
There is something fascinating in watching Larry David amble through his life, encountering every possible sort of social or relationship problem along the way, and dealing with it totally incompetently, compounding the issue until the viewer is squirming in embarrassment.
The cast of characters is broad - his agent and his wife, friends, colleagues, and business partners - including Ted Danson (who plays himself of course) and Ted Danson's wife. It is this strange mixture of real life and fiction which makes this series unique - Larry is playing his real self (the creator of Seinfield), but at the same time has a mixture of real-life and fictional people around him.
While some of the dialogue may be scripted, much of it is ad-libbed. Strangely, this works, and gives the impression of documentary rather fiction.
Jack Dee uses this format in Lead Baloon and having seen the Dee series before the David series, it became clear very early on where Dee got his inspiration from. Even the wives have a similar approach to life, being gently observational and mocking, rather than continually being angry at the pathetic messes their husbands get into.
I would recommend this series to anyone who enjoys a dry, slow-moving comedy, laid back in the extreme. It is not for those who prefer more obvious jokes and set-pieces.
Brilliantly consistent adult comedy .......2006-09-23
Absolutely , without doubt , unequivocally the best comedy series of the last ten years "Curb Your Enthusiasm" could be viewed as a master class in preening narcissism if it's star Larry David -playing himself - wasn't the butt of most of the jokes and horrendous twists of fate . Here is a man who on the surface has everything, an attractive loving wife, a great career, loads of money and yet he is never truly comfortable in his own skin and is not so much a the glass is half empty kind of guy but the glass will probably shatter and cut my wrist open and I will bleed slowly to death. Larry has opinions like the rest of us but where we in social situations can defer to societal niceties and keep them to our self's, Larry cannot. If something irks him he complains....and keeps complaining h e is a human limpet in that he cannot let go .He is also a man who exudes surface charm but is a seething bag of neuroses and constantly tries to bend the world to his will only for it to snap back and smack him in the face. It's invariably bad for him and often those around him but it's unceasingly hilarious for the rest of us.
I wasn't a fan of Sienfeld, it, like a lot of American comedy, exuded a smugness that I found irksome though I could acknowledge it was very well written. But after that finished David turning down mega-bucks from other Networks stayed with HBO craving the artistic freedom it allowed him. HBO specialise in shows aimed at adults so be warned there is a lot of profanity and allusions to sex and deviancy. Personally I like it- "The Grand Opening" with the chef with Tourettes is profanity at it's most effectively comical and with the simple but ribald premise that Larry has one of his wife's hairs( from a rather personal place) stuck in his throat it leads to the sort of escalating mayhem that this show excels at.
Essentially a comedy of manners CYE is partly improvised which gives the comedy a raw pragmatic edge that eschews the rapid fire slickness of much TV comedy. Every episode, rather like "Fawlty Towers" used to do, is a hypnotically paced intensification from some minor comment or action often done in good faith by Larry, which leads to some sublime fait accompli. "The Doll" from season 2 is an absolute master class in this as Larry frantically tries to extricate himself from a problem of his own making. But really just about any of the 50 episodes here will suffice in that regard. The show is helped considerably by the excellent supporting cast. Cheryl Hines as Larry's long suffering wife is a believable mixture of incredulity at some of Larry's gaffes and support when the fates turn against him. She is also very sexy. Jeff Garlin as Larry's manager Jeff Greene is also affably wonderful. Susan Essman as Jeff's wife Susie is superbly foul mouthed and always intensifies any scene she is in. Wanda Sykes plays Cheryl's best fiend and is at the centre of the sublime episode in season 3- "Krayzee-Eyez Killa" where she has become engaged to an unfaithful gangster rapper. Comedian Richard Lewis playing himself pops in numerous episodes as does Ted Danson while various other luminaries appear in supporting roles including Michael York, Gina Gershon, Paul Reiser, Martin Short, ex Sienfled stars Jason Alexander and Julie Anne Dreyfus and even Martin Scorsese. Season Four which concentrates on Larry's Broadway role as Max Bialystock in "The Producers" has notable roles for Ben Stiller, David Schwimmer and Mel Brooks.
CYE may be too bleak, too dark, too profane for some .The jokes are not always signposted, indeed sometimes there aren't many actual jokes and some episodes take a little time to warm up. But the quality of the acting is a constant joy and the pay off is always there and sometimes is not what you expect. Larry David , in essentially playing himself , all be it with knobs on , has created a character that sits along side Steve Coogans "Alan Partridge" and Ricky Gervias,s "David Brent" . Somebody out of step with nearly everyone else around them, a closet misanthrope leaving a ploughed up furrow of chaos in their wake. But it's fantastic fun following behind seeing the worms squirm in the churned up earth. Long may he blunder blindly on?
Amazon.co.uk Review
Cast Away reunites star Tom Hanks and director Robert Zemeckis in their first collaboration since the heavy-handed sentimentality of Forrest Gump. Thankfully, this time their film's life-affirming message is delivered with more subtlety, attributable both to an extraordinarily committed, physically demanding central performance from Hanks and to Zemeckis' technically masterful but carefully understated direction. It's also a film with three distinct "acts" or, to be old-fashioned about it, a proper beginning, middle and end. The story follows schedule-obsessed but fulfilled FedEx supervisor Chuck Noland (Act 1) on a personal journey into the bleakest, most solitary despair (Act 2), before Helen Hunt, in the thankless role of ex-girlfriend, unwittingly allows him to glimpse an optimistic future full of untapped possibilities (Act 3).
Hanks' sojourn on the island is the centrepiece, but this is no tropical island idyll: following a terrifying plane crash (the one sequence in the film where Zemeckis shows off his uncanny ability to choreograph action), life on the island is seen to be a depressing and bitter experience filled with disappointment, danger and suicidal despair. Having lost all hope of rescue, ultimately Noland's greatest test is not to survive, but to find a reason to survive. He has no Man Friday for company, just a volleyball named "Wilson" that is both a narrative device allowing Hanks to deliver dialogue and an intriguingly pagan personification of the island's spirit under whose protection Noland is finally able to summon fire (significantly, and heartbreakingly, Wilson leaves him as he regains contact with the world). In an era of MTV-style film editing, Zemeckis and Hanks fearlessly take their time establishing with total conviction the grim realities of Noland's situation, his devastating loss of hope and the means by which he achieves his escape. Like Contact before it, Cast Away is a refreshingly thoughtful piece of mainstream cinema that explores weighty existential issues but retains a warm human intimacy.
On the DVD: The luminous anamorphic print with vivid Dolby 5.1 soundtrack is accompanied on the first disc by a technical commentary from Zemeckis and key crew personnel. It's plenty insightful for budding filmmakers, although for pure listening pleasure one might have preferred a more relaxed piece with just the director and Tom Hanks. The second disc includes a 30-minute making-of documentary in which the director sums up the moral of the movie--"Surviving is easy but living is difficult". This draws on material from the three other mini-documentaries about survival skills, Wilson the volleyball and the Fijian island location of Monu Riki respectively. There's also a section on the sometimes surprising use of CGI effects and a storyboard-to-film comparison sequence. Tom Hanks chats with American TV host Charlie Rose about this movie and his career in the extensive 50-minute interview. Trailers, artwork and stills round out a valuable two-disc set. --Mark Walker
Customer Reviews:
Moving..........2007-08-02
This film obviously seems to cause controversy in viewers. Some love it for it's sentimentality, some hate it for it's so-called tedium. Although both sides put forward some very good points... i have to say that i side with the lovers.
People who disagree with me fail to remember that Tom Hanks, a stunningly good actor, is basically acting towards a football for three-quarters of the film. I think you also forget how hard it is to have no other actors to bounce dialogue off. Tom Hanks' ability to keep the audience completely encapsulated still astounds me. Although there are long expanses of time in which there is no dialogue, I found myself watching the character's every move with increased enthusiasm as he battled, physically and mentally, with nature. The long silences, with only the rushing waves as a sound barrier, seem to accentuate his loneliness... and truly made me empathise with the character that you grow to love as the film progresses.
The film follows a man marooned on a desert island alone, having survived a plane crash that killed the pilots. He must slowly learn to survive and stay sane in conditions that are alien to him. This film truly makes you think about how you would cope in his situation, and provides a reallistic outlook on the effect of solitude on a man. The ending is bitter-sweet, reallistic... yet it left me with a feeling of satisfaction that no other film can induce...
Uhhh! ......No, my head's so numb from this horrendessly dire non-movie that I know I'm going to struggle for interesting words.......2007-08-01
God, Hanks makes this film seem to last about 2 years, not 2 hours. The sheerest and utterest tedium imaginable, it is. Nothing has a real point to it, the film itself wasn't exactly needed, there've been plenty other marooned on an island movies in the past, but good ones have been hard to come by. This film adds nothing at all new to an overworked genre, and doesn't attempt to give a differently angled view of the theme. It is a straight conventional filming of a man's struggle for survival, (as if we hadn't seen that before) using a character we have little sympathy for, even after sharing much of the tedium of his plight. I was begging for a giant crab to escape the set of a more interesting movie and come and put him out of our misery. When the most talked about role in a movie is played by a football, then you should know that something is wrong with a film. Excruciatingly pointless and tedious experience. What a waste of expensive film.
Before Lost and after Robinson Crusoe.......2007-04-15
I've always been intrigued with Daniel Defoe's "Robinson Crusoe", particularly the importance of the items that Crusoe salvaged from the shipwreck, items that Crusoe could not have made himself and which make his survival and the relative elegance of the life he built for himself quite plausible. The real-life inspiration for Crusoe was one Alexander Selkirk who, in 1704, choose to remain on one of the Juan Fernandez islands - four hundred miles from the Chilean coast - rather than continue on a voyage with a captain and on a ship he did not trust. Selkirk was left with bedding, a firelock rifle, some powder, bullets, tobacco, a hatchet, a knife, a kettle, a Bible, his mathematical instruments, and some books. Selkirk's four years on his own were a bit more austere than Crusoe's fictional life, in large measure because of his relatively meager stock of good quality tools. Selkirk also lost a lot of his social skills.
I was interested to see how Cast Away was going to solve the tool issues and how they would deal with a person living on his own for a long period of time. The solutions were simply marvelous: ice skates, volleyball, etc. Tom Hanks is superb in the role.
And as a bonus, the castaway's return home is a fascinating part of the story. The driveway scene between Hanks and Helen Hunt is very powerful and reminds me of the great Emma Thompson/Anthony Hopkins 'book' scene from "Remains of the Day". Highly recommended.
Laughably bad.......2007-03-04
An utterly ludicrous film in which Tom Hanks is comprehensively out-acted by a deflated football. Stranded on an island, the useless & inept Hanks' character (who would never have survived a week) muddles around for four years until he escapes. More wooden than the palm trees, Hanks talks to the football. Two hours of completely pointless dross.
it's so sad!.......2007-02-06
The movie gets off to a slow start, and to be honest nothing much happens but at the same time it's so not boring. the character's connections with his only 'friend' - Wilson the ball - are creepy at first but you come to understand and see the ball as a person yourself and it's just so sad. i cried and cried. the ending was also tear-jerking, but it's a story of survival and i think it's one that was told pretty well :)
Amazon.co.uk Review
Quentin Tarantino came out of nowhere (i.e. a video store in Manhattan Beach, California) and turned Hollywood on its ear in 1992 with his explosive first feature, Reservoir Dogs. Like Tarantino's mainstream breakthrough Pulp Fiction, Reservoir Dogs has an unconventional structure, cleverly shuffling back and forth in time to reveal details about the characters, experienced criminals who know next to nothing about each other. Joe (Lawrence Tierney) has assembled them to pull off a simple heist, and has gruffly assigned them colour-coded aliases (Mr Orange, Mr Pink, Mr White) to conceal their identities even from each other. But something has gone wrong, and the plan has blown up in their faces. One by one, the surviving robbers find their way back to their prearranged warehouse hideout. There, they try to piece together the chronology of this bloody fiasco--and to identify the traitor among them who tipped off the police. Pressure mounts, blood flows, accusations and bullets fly. In the combustible atmosphere these men are forced to confront life-and-death questions of trust, loyalty, professionalism, deception and betrayal.
As many critics have observed, it is a movie about "honor among thieves" (just as Pulp Fiction is about redemption, and Jackie Brown is about
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