Customer Reviews:
A small request!!!!.......2006-07-23
I watched it on BBC TV. I think it's excellent! The theme "The very thought of you" from the film always remind me of The Cazalets. Like the previous reviwer, I am still looking for Region 2 DVD for this drama series. Hopefully, they will release the DVDs for the European Audience. We've been waiting for this long enough!
What about us Europeans??.......2006-06-13
I watched the series and loved it; bought all the books (from Amazon, naturally) and wait in vain for the DVD to be available to Region 2 viewers. Of course the series is inferior to the books - it's inevitably the case - but superb central performances from the snooty Lesley Manville and the understated Hugh Bonneville breathe life into the Cazalet family.
PLEASE can we have a playable version in this country? They just don't make 'em like this any more.
Dissapointed inthe ending.......2005-07-27
I have read all the books in this series more than once and loved the saga. The DVD is very good, but the ending leaves you hanging short of one whole book.
Amazon.co.uk Review
You Can Count on Me starts with a terrible car crash that instantly orphans a little boy and his older sister. At film's end, that boy, now a grown-up nomad and ne'er-do-well, takes off by Greyhound bus after a brief reunion with his sister, who lives at permanent anchor in their unspoiled hometown. The sibling saga that unreels between wrenching collision and bittersweet separation celebrates the idiosyncratic ways wounded folk like Terry (Mark Ruffalo) and Sammy (Laura Linney) put one foot in front of the other, both energised and hamstrung by the knowledge that nothing is ever certain in the road-movie of life. During his visit, Terry roils Sammy's becalmed existence, mostly by "fathering"--for good and ill--her overprotected eight-year-old (Rory Culkin), sneaking him out to play empowering bar pool, later introducing him to the weaselly dad he's fantasised into a superhero. Sammy starts a torrid affair with her married boss at the bank (Matthew Broderick gives delicious bureaucratic smarm) and considers marrying her sometime suitor (Jon Tenney), sweetly dull yet dependable.
The narrative peaks here are human-sized, elevated by gentle humour and clear-eyed faith in the existential importance of these intersecting small-town lives. Linney is simply superb as Sammy, wild girl gone good, involuntarily "mothering" every man in her life. An authentic original, newcomer Ruffalo gives his modern-day Huck Finn a drawling, James Dean delivery tuned somewhere between a screwup's whine and the twang of pothead wisdom. (Hard to think of another recent film that so deftly nails down the rich dynamics of everyday conversation--the starts and stops, circumlocutions, clichés, sudden veers into revelation and eloquence.) This is that rarity, an action movie of the heart: no explosions or epiphanies, yet everything evolves through the catalysts of character and experience. --Kathleen Murphy, Amazon.com
Customer Reviews:
Brothers and Sisters.......2007-11-11
I was moved by this sincere glimpse of the love and psychological complexities of a brother and a sister who cherish each other fully, yet view, confront, and live their life choices quite differently.
All the actors do a great job in sketching the emotions, discernments, and frustrations in this particular story. The music enhances the depth and richness of both the narrative and the actors' performances.
Anyone who is in an multi-layered, stormy, and loving brother/sister pairing will feel very much engaged with this film.
There is humour here too.......2007-09-09
Buried in this film's generally tranquil progress are episodes of humour which are more effective for being understated. Sammy's manager is the very model of a modern young manager who wants to make a mark at the very rural branch of his bank. He is always polite to the point of absurdity but still makes no concessions to the fact that Sammy is a single mother and has to pick up her son from school. She is repeatedly hauled into his office, on one occasion to be instructed to tell everyone to get rid of their customised colour schemes on their computer screens, which he considers garish and "inappropriate" for a bank. Sammy becomes increasingly angry at his pettifogging attitude and lack of care for his staff, especially herself. Despite the fact that his unpleasant wife is pregnant, Sammy seduces him. Normally Sammy is the slightly fraught junior executive or even more fraught mother and sister but here uses her unexpected sexual powers to neuter him - in a metaphorical sense.
When Sammy gets increasingly despondent about her brother's behaviour in regard to her son, she thinks it is time to get the priest in. Terry is confronted at their house, without warning, by the priest with Sammy in close support. The absurdity of this situation is amplified by the 'theological' discussion that then follows. Terry is an atheist but the priest is a modern sort of chap and takes up positions which eventually strip Christianity out of what is said. Giving Terry all this rope does not make the priest's mission any more effective.
Sammy also visits the priest to confess her adultery with her boss. He refuses to declare it a sin, much to Sammy's consternation. She wanted to be declared a sinner and then be given the means to extirpate it. Being offered psychological explanations is the last thing she wants to hear.
I agree with the majority of the other reviews. There are aspects of this film which are only half-revealed, or rather not emphasised, and this low key approach is part of the charm of the film.
Absolute gem about fraught sister brother relationship .......2006-07-02
This is a truly great film about siblings from writer/director Kenneth Lonergan.
Brother and sister Samantha "Sammy" (Laura Linney) and Terry Prescott (Mark Ruffalo) are orphaned when very young and form a very close relationship.
We meet them in their thirties by when Sammy has been through a disastrous marriage and is bringing up her eight year old son Rudy (fine child actor performance from Rory Culkin). An up tight woman she shies away from genuine relationships but finds release in a casual affair with her manager at the bank, then is driven by guilt to confess to the minister of her church and is disappointed when he does not condemn her.
Terry is her opposite, a drifter that gets into trouble and spent some time in jail for violence, nevertheless he is a caring person that is always short of money. He believes Terry is stifling her son's development and this conflict between Sammy's extremely cautious upbringing of her son and Terry's belief in excessive freedom is a key element in the film.
A wonderfully written, directed and acted film (one can believe Ruffalo when he says in an interview "we became brother and sister during the shooting of the film"), also a great mixture of classical and country music.
A perfect example of the genre.......2004-10-03
Before his play 'This Is Our Youth' became famous in the UK for attracting everyone from Jake Gyllenhall, Hayden Christensen, Matt Damon, Summer Phoenix etc to star, Kenneth Lonergan had written and directed this small town drama in 2000.
To give you an idea of what to expect, the most recent comparable would the similarly paced 'The Station Agent' (which I also recommend you buy)and, to a less good natured level, 'The Sweet Hereafter'. So, if your idea of drama is Nicolas Cage screeching about "having a bad day", then this is patently not for you.
The plot has been explained on this page, so it's best if I just recommend you the consistently excellent Laura Linney as Sammy, burdened with the expectation of the older sister (especially as an elder orphan) to provide stability for her child borne, as the screenplay hints, of a wilder less restrained time in her life; and the career making performance from Mark Ruffalo as Terry, Sammy's younger brother, still equipped with a moral compass but constantly straining away from the restrictions of his family history and the, to him, suffocating nature of the small town of his birth. Essentially, the film centres around the unsettling effect Terry has on Sammy and her son, Rudy Jr, during one of his inconsistent and sudden stays.
Brought together by essentially a group of friends and admirers of Lonergan, the intimate nature of the cast shows in the fantastically natural performances (although seeing Lonergan's name in the pre credits as an actor throws you while constantly trying to guess who he is - he's the priest).
Like all the best screenplays, you aren't led directly to reasons for actions, and motives aren't explained step by step. The viewer is allowed to consider the whats and whys of the plot, which makes it all the more enjoyable.
You're not getting guns or CGI, but if you like a character driven plot, beautifully written dialogue and excellent performances from stage 'veterans', this is for you.
Minor key movie........2003-02-12
You Can Count on Me was Oscar nominated & critically feted- watching it, it's hard to see what the fuss was all about. Sure, it's nicely acted, but is ultimately extremely inconsiquential.
The film is more TV melodrama than anything, the dramatic elements isn't particularly gripping & the comedy was lacking (granted, a few amusing scenes). I was reminded a little of the book The Corrections, regarding the sibling relationship between Sammy & Terry. There are some nice scenes with rain in, but nothing really happens- the film nicely cuts from scene to scene, leaving out the typical cliches. But the denoument, as such, is a bit pointless- Sammy having broken off with her boss (superbly played by Matthew Broderick- also great in Election)& not committing to Bob, still in the same job, in the same town etc.
The performances are the best thing about this film, along with the charming pastoral setting; You Can Count on Me is comfort viewing. It's a film in minor key, which is no bad thing- as this would rank it with such films as The Lisbon Story, Jerry Maguire & The Straight Story. It's a refreshing, likeable film- Laura Linney (The Truman Show, Tales of the City) is particularly wonderful as Sammy- her appearance is my current definition of the ideal female (if Renee Zellweger drops out of Bridget Jones II, perhaps the producers ought to contact Ms Linney). Marc Ruffalo & Rory Culkin are also good- it's just a pity that nothing much really happens. You Can Count on Me is still a charming film, reminding me a little of characters in films like Broadcast News & As Good as it Gets. The ideal film to watch after viewing something heavy like Requiem for a Dream, Salo or Breaking the Waves...
Customer Reviews:
Parker's descent.......2006-08-27
Lynne Stopkewich's second film, 'Suspicious River', like her first, 'Kissed', is built around a remarkable performance by the utterly fearless Molly Parker.
Parker's character 'Leila' is a bored, emotionally detached hotel clerk who prostitutes herself to guests passing through the desultory backwater town of Suspicious River. Leila is disconnected from her husband but strikes up a rapport with a young local girl. The two watch a pair of swans on the river, the birds' awaited migration filling them with some dread.
Leila is drawn to Gary, a 'client' (chillingly played by Callum Keith Rennie) who alternates between abusiveness and tenderness, therby tightening the sado-erotic knot between them.
From then on its a downward spiral as Leila falls prey to Gary's mind games, leading to a disturbing outcome that also reveals the (fairly obvious) link between Leila and the young girl.
This is a difficult, subtly sordid film, but rewarding nonetheless if you're not averse to the dark and transgressive. Additionally Parker's coldly impressive performance is unmissable.
Amazon.co.uk Review
At the Height of Summer is a film by Vietnam's most prominent director, Tran Anh Hung. It's the story of three sisters in present-day Hanoi: the youngest is just discovering sexuality, the middle one is about to have a baby but suspects her husband is having an affair, and the oldest discovers her husband has a child by a woman who lives in the country. In the course of preparing an elaborate meal on the anniversary of their mother's death, the three women discuss their lives and problems.
This is a film of great beauty and sensitivity, immaculately shot and owing nothing to stereotyped Western images of Vietnam. The radiant Tran Nu Yen Khe, star of Tran's first two films, The Scent of Green Papaya and Cyclo offers another great performance. One of the director's trademarks is a virtual obsession with food and its preparation. If you aren't hungry when you start this film, you will be at the end. --Ed Buscombe
Customer Reviews:
LUSH LOOKING.......2007-12-09
In Tran Anh Hung's lovely tone poem The Vertical Ray of the Sun, three sisters Lien (Tran Nu Yên-Khê), Suong (Nhu Quynh Nguyen), and Khanh (Le Lhanh) on the eve of memorial dinners for their departed parents reveal previously hidden details to each other about their marital infidelity. It is the end of summer in Hanoi and the atmosphere is languid. These are not the mean streets of Saigon in Tran's Cyclo but the elegant abode of Hanoi's artists and intellectuals, devoid of urban decay, intimately bathed in color and pastoral beauty. The opening scene sets the mood. The youngest sister, 19-year old Lien slowly awakens in the apartment she shares with her brother Hai (Quang Hai Ngo). As Hai does push-ups, lien stretches, her graceful Tai Chi movements beautifully choreographed to the rhythm of The Velvet Underground.
They joke about the fact that outsiders see them as a couple as they walk hand-in-hand through the markets, but Lien does nothing to discourage this perception and is shown crawling into bed with her brother each night. The sisters operate a café and the conversation is as steamy as is the food they are preparing for the annual memorial dinner for their departed mother. Cinematographer Mark Lee Ping-Bin who filmed Flowers of Shanghai and In the Mood for Love washes the scene in a glow of different shades of green as they joke and tell stories about their longing to fry the male anatomy in garlic. The discussion veers to a discussion of their mother's possible infidelity with a fellow student but they are reluctant to admit that their parent's relationship may have been less than ideal.
Gradually we also learn about the sisters' marital problems. Suong is married to Quoc (Chu Hung), a botanical photographer. Since they had a miscarriage four years prior, he has had a secret life with another woman in the remote Bay of Halong. In one meditative scene in a boat with an old fisherman, Quoc sums up the meaning of the film, "One should live where one's soul is in harmony, where it is in accord with its surroundings". When he is away on trips visiting his second family, Suong carries on an affair with Tuan (Le Tuen Anh) out of a need to feel loved and wanted. Khanh's husband is Kien (Tran Manh Cuong), a writer who is working on finishing his first novel.
After finding out that his wife is pregnant, he almost betrays her in a Saigon hotel, but remains faithful. Lien, meanwhile, naive about sexuality, has a boyfriend and thinks she is pregnant simply because she had sex one time. The family deals with these problems together, viewing them as an opportunity for forgiveness and growth rather than confrontation. Vertical Ray of the Sun is a sensual experience that unfolds in its own time, a pace geared to an Asian timetable not a Western one. It is a film of ineffable beauty but can be confusing on first viewing with multiple characters, frequent jump cuts, and time discontinuity.
Individual scenes stand out in memory: Khanh singing a traditional Vietnamese song alone in the garden and Kien's loving discovery of her secret (how gratifying it is to see a romantic scene between married couples); Lien's slow dance in her apartment to The Velvet Underground, her long black hair glistening in the sun; and Lien's playful seduction of Hai interrupted by his request for boiled sweet potatoes. Though concerned with extra marital affairs, the film is not about infidelity but the intrusive effects of modern society on Asian family life. In Vertical Ray of the Sun, he has created an antidote -- an aesthetic picture of a Vietnam unsullied by the memory of war, a culture of nature and tradition, encompassing the Buddhist value of compassion and the Confucian ideal of harmony. It may exist, however, only in his vision.
A beautiful film on human relations.......2006-09-03
A wonderful film by master director Tran Anh Hung who gave us a series of equally well directed productions.
This film is all about human relations blend with wonderful music and an exceptional photography.
The actors took up their roles in a balanced way with each one able to show his/her best while at the same time to complement each other in a harmony of acting.
The music is spectacular combining well-chosen western music and Vietnamese.
It is of a particular importance to notice the sound of this film. Background sounds and effects strengthened by splendid photography make the viewer to feel the heat of the tropics, the rain and humidity and the coolness of the garden of the backyard.
But the most important aspect is the human relation, all presented for what they are in real life. While able to strengthen the virtues of fidelity does not condemn infidelity, while praising family ties and values does not shy away from questioning believes.
The photography is superb with the director of photography able to capture the sun, the bight areas and combine them perfectly with shades.
The contrast of the clean spotless dresses in bright colours with the run down walls of a city in the tropics is something one can notice and appreciate.
The collection of small details of the daily life that could have gone unnoticed become through the photography part of the beauty of this film.
The music is acting also as a tool of symbolism and one must pay attention to the beautiful group singing.
A Sensual Masterpiece.......2003-05-30
Tran Anh Hung has given us a distinct impression of Vietnam through his films, and that impression is one of sensuality and beauty. Wheras in "The Scent of Green Papaya," the main focus was on nature, here Tran has turned his camera loose on human sensuality, in all its glorious incarnations. It is a dish seasoned with all the right spices, giving us a richly flavored and mystery filled dining experience.
The story revolves around three beautiful sisters of various ages, living together as a family unit. Two sisters are married and one of those has a child. Together with a younger brother, an extended and supportive family unit is formed in Hanoi. As Tran captures the beauty outside of their home, however, he begins to focus on what lies beneath the surface, and what begins as a tiny sprinkle, becomes a steady rain of sensuality.
The outward happiness and tranquility of this extended family belies what Tran shows us, pulling back the curtain slowly to reveal deep secrets and shocking deceptions. Always present, is the sisters' search for the truth regarding the romance of their parents, which is shrouded in mystery.
Ravishingly beautiful Tran Nu Yen Khe portrays the single sister, Lien. She and her 'big brother' have a flirtatious and teasingly erotic relationship that causes many on the streets of Hanoi to believe they are a couple. Only in the final moments of this film will we come to understand a sensual family history is repeating itself.
The lush foilage of Vietnam and the lovely city of Hanoi are wonderfully brought to life by Tran, and an excellent sountrack enhances the unique atmosphere of another impressionistic rendering of a place and its people by one of the great directors. Perhaps Tran's greatest achievement here, however, is a feeling of sensuality you can almost touch. Once again he has turned a movie into a film, and that film into art.
You can not go wrong purchasing this Vietnamese delicacy. The Vertical Ray of the Sun is shining straight down on the human heart.
UK DVD:
- The Doom Generation [1998] (REGION 1) (NTSC)
- The Firm: Bootcamp - Maximum Calorie Burn [2006] (REGION 1) (NTSC)
- The Five People You Meet in Heaven [2004] (REGION 1) (NTSC)
- The Hole [2003] (REGION 1) (NTSC)
- The Hunger [1983]
- The Incredibly True Adventure of 2 Girls in Love [1996] (REGION 1) (NTSC)
- The Killing of Sister George
- The Killing of Sister George [1968] (REGION 1) (NTSC)
- The Lost Room [2007] (REGION 1) (NTSC)
- The L Word: Season Two [2004] (REGION 1) (NTSC)
UK DVD List
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