Customer Reviews:
No Life Is Meaningless.......2007-10-06
This is an exploration of what really matters and that no ones life is meaningless.
This movie is well done in all categories. It is about Eddie played by Jon Voight who we watch spend his last hours on earth in his usually way, maintaining the Ruby Pier amusement park rides. But something goes wrong, and Edie dies on his birthday while trying to save a little girl.
In heaven Eddie meets five people who help him realize what his life meant. We follow his story with flashbacks from the present to the 1920's, eight decades of a life explained in a way that will move and comfort you.
Drama Of The Highest Calibre.......2005-03-21
An extremely well filmed and well acted adaptation of the New York Times best seller by Mitch Albom.
John Voigt stars wonderfully as Eddie whose life has just ended and also just begun.
Dealing very compassionately with the delicate subject of death, this film is an absolute joy to watch.
Two main comments...
1. I defy anyone to watch this film without feeling either a lump in your throat or a tear in your eye.
2. I guarantee that after watching this film, you will find yourself wondering whom YOU will meet in the afterlife should your time come soon.
Enjoy!
Customer Reviews:
Interesting.......2007-08-06
The technical quality of this film was not great though I wondered if this was linked with the DVD itself. However, I got the impression that it was filmed longer ago than 2004. That said, I enjoyed the film - I agree with a previous review that the grandmother's role was inspiring. It would have been good if her role had been capitalised on a bit more. In many ways it was quite a sad film, though not quite of the 'tragic lesbian' stereotype we have seen in other films. I liked the slow pace as it allowed the relationship between the two main characters to develop as you would expect - first as childhood friends, then as teenagers/young adults and blossoming into an intimate relationship. The developing relationship was often heartwarming and you obtained a real insight into the cultural difficulties that then overshadowed their relationship and the attitudes of others, particulalry their respective families.
Romantic and unusual.......2007-06-12
I was wary of hiring this but needn't have been, it's very sweet. As it's a subtitled film, I thought I'd struggle as it can be wearing trying to keep up with the dialogue whilst following the action. The gentle pace of the film helps make this easier to accomplish though. I enjoyed the scenery and cinematography, forgiving the occasional poor quality editing and visible editing marks as it seemed to add a quaint and old-fashioned air to the film.
This is culturally very disturbing territory for me as I don't understand unwilling marriage nor condone homophobia. However, the story was simple, and elegantly told with wonderful flashes of tolerance from the grandmother character.
A credible story, well-cast and visually satisfying.
Customer Reviews:
The aspiring Ralph.....Billy Elliot.................2007-07-15
Young lad aspires to perform a miracle by running in and winning an important race in Boston, his sheer belief and determination win over the 'ba humbugs'........
Very much an American Billy Elliot, with slightly tweaked variations on a theme. Lacks the calibre of actors, music and production that made our Billy Elliot such a smash, but it's a different film and by its own merit fairly enjoyable, has the feelgood factor.
The dvd is reasonably priced.
Amazon.co.uk Review
The Last Samurai gives epic sweep to an intimate story of cultures at a crossroads as Japan undergoes tumultuous transition to a more Westernised society in 1876-77. In America, tormented Civil War veteran Captain Nathan Algren (Tom Cruise) is coerced by a mercenary officer (Tony Goldwyn) to train the Japanese Emperor's troops in the use of modern weaponry. Opposing this "progress" is a rebellion of samurai warriors, holding fast to their traditions of honour despite strategic disadvantage. As a captive of the samurai leader (Ken Watanabe), Algren learns, appreciates, and adopts the Samurai code, switching sides for a climactic battle that will put everyone's honour to the ultimate test.
All of which makes director Edward Zwick's noble epic eminently worthwhile, even if its Hollywood trappings (including an all-too-conventional ending) prevent it from being the masterpiece that Zwick and screenwriter John Logan clearly wanted it to be. Instead, The Last Samurai is an elegant mainstream adventure, impressive in all aspects of its production. It may not engage the emotions as effectively as Logan's script for Gladiator, but like Cruise's character, it finds its own quality of honour. --Jeff Shannon
Customer Reviews:
Superb Epic.......2008-02-08
For the first hour and forty minutes this is a near faultless film which examines the very heart of the human soul. Cruise plays a brilliant US army soldier, Captain Algren who has seen one too many battles and is haunted by the horrific injustices dealt to the American Indians by himself and his fellow US soldiers.
He is offered a large sum of money to train the Japanese army so that it can fight the last of the rebel Samurai tribes. In the opening battle he is captured by the Samurai and it is then that he can see the parallel with the Indians and eventually switches sides. All this is beautifully filmed and some of the scenes in the Samurai village, when Captain Algren is gradually adapting to the Samurai way of life reminded me of Kevin Costners Dances with Wolves.
I am not especially a fan of Tom Cruise but he is good in this. However it is Ken Watanabe as the Samurai leader Katsumoto who shines throughout the film. In supporting roles Billy Connelly and Timothy Spall are both
very good.
Sadly in the last half hour the film lost a lot of credibility for me, hence I have only given it four stars. Without giving away the ending I can't be specific in my criticism of this part, but suffice to say I wish the writers had come up with something better and more believable!
Overall though its a very good film, which I think will improve on 2nd and 3rd viewings.
Like watching paint dry.......2008-01-11
Do say I was bored during this film is a gross understatement, it was a horrible Cruise Ego fest whilst more capable actors played second fiddle to "this most honorable man". Some of the scenes were painful to watch and were insulting to a noble ancient culture.
Bushido "The Warrior Code".......2007-10-05
The story follows a disillusioned American Civil War hero, Captain Nathan Algren, played by Tom Cruise, as he goes to Tokyo to train the Japanese army, who are embroiled in a battle with the remaining traditional Samurai. The Americans are there for the money, and that money is provided by the Emperor's Westernized advisors who want the Samurai out of the picture so that they may continue be the power behind the Emperor and increases their own wealth. In an early battle however, Algren is captured by the Samurai and held by them for the winter. During this time he learns the way of the Samurai and eventually ends up fighting alongside them - breaking his allegiance to the country he once fought for.
Ken Watanabe in his performance as the samurai leader Katsumoto dominates the screen. Through Watanabe we see that the samurai are noble and intelligent. Hiroyuki Sanada was impressive as Ujio, the tough, brutal, yet loyal and disciplined Samurai.
This film has amazing sets and battles. The sword fights are well rehearsed and the cinematography is well orchestrated. The costumes were striking and good replicas for a period movie. This film reminded me of Dances with wolves, which I also liked. Its not about which culture is more superior, it is about our mutual willingness to listen and learn from each other.
Top quality hollywood film........2007-02-03
This is essentially a version of Dances with Wolves set in Japan, and that is no bad thing. It actually shows what a strong movie Dances would have been with some judicious pruning.
As someone who has long been fascinated by mystical Japanese history and the Samurai legend this is nothing less than a real treat. I am not always a fan of Mr. Cruise however it is clear this is a film that most likely would not have been made without his involvement, and for that reason he should be patted on the back just a little.
This is not an historically accurate film, as it bears little actual relation to the real Boshin war in Japan. It is a film about fighting for the freedom of your own soul, what else is worth dying for?
Where The Last Samurai really excels is in its communication of its theme, basically that if you lose a sense of your history and tradition then you lose a part of your soul and your culture is greatly diminished by it. As a Scot I found this particularly moving.
Tom is fine in his part, and his role in the (justified) criticism of America's conduct in the genocide of the native Americans is commendable. The standout performance is Ken Watanabe who is an absolute star, and one of the drawbacks of this being a Tom Cruise movie is that his part is curtailed. If it had been made in Japan it would have been about his character and the film would have been that much stronger. Think what one of the great Japanese film-makers would have done with this story.
As it is I do not agree that the Samurai take on Algren as their leader, he simply becomes a military advisor to Watanabe, and an important one as the Samurai army would most likely have been slaughtered straight away by the big guns, and what kind of ending would that have been?
All together this is as good as Hollywood gets and it should not be thought of as some historical document. This is superb entertainment with all departments doing superb work, acting, script, costumes, music and a fantastic Ninja fight. What true movie fan could ask for more!!!
very entertaining.......2006-10-05
There are many who dislike a film that tom cruise is in simply because tom cruise is in the film,i have always enjoyed the majority of tom cruise vechiles and this is no exception.
Set in japan during the 19th century it is about a civil war which is marshalled by american troops,tom cruise plays an american soldier who fought alongside colonel custer and although now a drunken wreck he is still asked to teach japanese soldiers western ways of fighting.
The film deals with moments of soul searching,moments of clarity,and most of all honour,the battle scenes are strong and violent and there is clearly a message involved.
Tom cruise is great here as a man that loses his way and finds it again by learning about the way of the samurai and as a result finds himself by fighting his demons,the ending is pretty cheesy but i guess its the ultimate show of respect to offer what cruise offers to the emperor,i wont reveal what here of course,but in terms of a film that will excite and educate then this does the job.
Customer Reviews:
A revolutionary's incubator.......2006-01-01
THE MOTORCYCLE DIARIES has an Argentine medical student and his biochemist pal on a backpacking road trip. There'd be nothing remarkable about the story except that it's ostensibly true and the student eventually matured into Che Guevara, that revolutionary whose memory is revered by dissidents and the politically correct everywhere.
Gael Garcia Bernal is Ernesto Guevara, who, with one year of med school remaining, is off with Alberto Granado (Rodrigo de la Serna) on a 12,000+ kilometer lark through Argentina, Chile, Peru and points north on the latter's decrepit motorcycle in search of adventure, self discovery, and babes. As the bike gives up it's ghost at about the film's midpoint, the title THE MOTORCYCLE DIARIES may be misleading. But, you get the picture. In any case, whether they're walking or riding, Granado is the bon vivant, while Guevara is the serious, upper middle class, young man, whose conscience is troubled by the amount of social stratification and capitalist oppression of the masses that he observes along the way. By the film's conclusion, Ernesto is beginning to evolve into the "Che" that ultimately entered history as Fidel Castro's lieutenant in the Cuban Revolution.
The film is notable for the lush scenery and spectacular locations of South America, and which include the Incan ruins of Machu Picchu and a riverside leper colony, where the boys donate their volunteer services. Machu Picchu was real; I can't vouch for the authenticity of the leprosarium. (Indeed, I was impressed with the apparent authenticity of the lepers' afflictions. Were they actually people stricken with Mycobacterium leprae, or just actors with strategically applied body make-up?) The movie also has it's humorous moments, especially during the first half when our heroes stuttering progression across the landscape comprises a series of road mishaps on the motorcycle. Here, that's what constitutes male bonding.
During the ending credits, Guevara's death is attributed to the evil Central Intelligence Agency, which had Che murdered when he sought to export The Glorious Revolution to the South American mainland. Oooh, there's the Machiavellian CIA, again! However, since Che's efforts helped make Cuba into a Third World armpit for these past five decades, perhaps the American taxpayer, since unable to buy his Havanas at the corner cigar shop, got his money's worth in the end.
I would've liked THE MOTORCYCLE DIARIES more without the political message that's been long since discredited. But, that's just me, an unreconstructed Cold War Neanderthal. As is, it's a good road story that reminds the viewer of the exuberance of youth and the adventures to be found if one has the stamina for it.
Fine Film.......2005-11-04
A fine effort of a film. And of course better than the dross Hollywood will ever give you. Ironically though its down to the possible cashing in to a wider market due to the up turn of popularity in films from south of Hollywood which takes away the emotive aura which creeps through on many South American movies. This leaves you feeling a little dissapointed with the end product... That's if you're tastes are removed from the US film industry, if not, you'll be happy.
Also, it's more a film on the physical adventures of the two heros, which is fine, but we never truley understand the psychology of Che and how his views were turned so dramatically (even counting the night with the economic migrant family) to one of rebel. An insight on the young Che and his personal epiphony? No.
I enjoyed the film, and its a 4 star, but the subject matter is not matched by what should of been possible in film making... from South America that is.
One of the best films from 2004.......2005-07-13
"The Motorcycle Diaries" is one of those rare films that one should see on the big screen. Having just watched the film on dvd, I wished that I did take the time to see the film in the theatre last year. The film is based on a road trip that the late Communist/Latino revolutionary Ernesto `Che' Guevara took with his best friend Alberto Granado in South America. The two friends wanted to explore South America as they have never seen it. Gael Garcia Bernal from "Y Tu Mama Tambien", and "Bad Education" plays the young Ernesto `Che' Guevara and Rodrigo de la Serna as Alberto Granado. The first half of the film begins as a road flick where two friends decides on a whim to travel the country by motorcycle but during the second half, the viewer sees the nature of the film turn serious as Ernesto and Alberto starts encountering various locals who are impoverished and are suffering under the tyranny of their local government. Gael Garcia Bernal's performance as a young Che Guevara was truly impressive. There is a quiet intensity about him as an actor that made me believe that he was Che Guevara. Rodrigo de la Serna was a delight to watch as Che's womanizing, playful companion and was just as much fun to watch as Gael Garcia was as Che. The scenery was breathtaking. I truly felt like I was in South America personally. Throughout the first half of the film I always wondered where on earth the two friends found gas for the motorcycle because all I saw was them driving in desolated areas of the country where there is no gas stations. The Latin-tinged film score was excellent. It complimented each scene. Nothing loud and bombastic like in American films where the music almost overwhelms the scenes. The second hour of the film is easily the strongest moments of the film. Seeing Che and Alberto interact with the patients of a leper colony was deeply moving. I especially liked the interaction between Che and a young woman who refused to have surgery. Another great scene was when Che and Alberto arrived at the colony and shook hands with a couple of the residents without gloves as a symbolic gesture. All in all I loved the film. The performances by Gael Garcia Bernal and Rodrigo de la Serna were excellent and were a joy to watch. The bonus features were far from disappointing. Lots of bonus goodies. I really enjoyed the making of the film and the conversation with Alberto Granado.
The journey of a lifetime ..........2005-02-18
This movie tells us the story of two young men, and the adventure that would change the way they saw the world. The travellers, medical student Ernesto Guevara and biochemist Alberto Granado, decide to start a journey across South America. In January 1952 they begin their quest in an old motorcycle, without too much money but eager to visit new countries in order to learn more about South America and its inhabitants. As minutes go by, you will start to feel part of their journey, and absorb the different scenes, events and people that end up making an indelible impression on them.
Gael García Bernal plays a believable Ernesto Guevara, the person that would later be known as "Che". Rodrigo de la Serna is just as convincing as Alberto Granado, and he makes us laugh from time to time with his antics. However, the main characters aren't them, but the people they encounter in their travels, and that add up to represent people of all South America who suffered from differents kinds of injustice. We aren't shown the people that were well-off, although we get a glimpse of their lives when Ernesto visits his girlfriend before he starts his journey. Rather, we are faced with the problems of those who lived in less fortunate circumstances, for example aborigines that had been expelled of their lands, or poor people that couldn't find a job and had to travel looking for one. The spectator is also shown people who helped those in need, for example in the hospital for leprosy patients that Ernesto and Alberto visited with the purpose of learning more about the disease...
"The Motorcycle Diaries" is based on the two books that Guevara and Granados wrote about their travel: "The Motorcycle Diaries" by Guevara and "With Che Through Latin America" by Alberto Granado. It is highly likely that those books helped Brazilian director Walter Salles to make a film that sounds so true, but he obviously also contributed, and a lot, to make a film that is far from the banal, and that appeals to those who watch it. I think that it is also worthwhile to point out that the director avoided any kind of ideological preaching, something that could have been tiresome. Salles stresses, instead, that the journey was an occasion for self-discovery...
All in all, I think that you won't regret watching "The Motorcycle Diaries". It isn't an eulogy about "Che" Guevara but rather a film that gives us the chance of learning what kind of experiences molded the way in which he viewed things. If you aren't interested in that, you can just consider this movie an opportunity to appreciate the scenery of some really beautiful places in South America, and to enjoy the adventures of two young men that embarked on the journey of a lifetime...
Belen Alcat
Customer Reviews:
I am David.......2005-09-26
It is the extraordinary family adventure which is recommendable for children.
UK DVD:
- 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)
- The Object of My Affection [1998] (REGION 1) (NTSC)
- The Pest [1996] (REGION 1) (NTSC)
- Touch of Pink [2003] (REGION 1) (NTSC)
UK DVD List
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