Burt Lancaster - The Signature Collection (The Flame and the Arrow / Jim Thorpe All-American / His Majesty O'Keefe / South Sea Woman / Executive Action) (1950) Review

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(More customer reviews)The following is a description of the films in this Signature Collection dedicated to the talents of Burt Lancaster:
Flame and the Arrow (1950) - This is an enjoyable swashbuckling type of film set in the 12th century. For some reason, when the local overlord stole Dardo's (Lancaster's) wife he does nothing, but when his son is taken from him he finally decides to take action. This film is important for two reasons - a. because it is fun and full of action b. because it revived Lancaster's career after he had been type-cast for several years as less than bright villains in film noir films. Lancaster purchased and produced this film himself, and as a result of it we got to see him as Elmer Gantry and Sgt. Milton Warden later on.
Jim Thorpe - All American (1951) - This is a very good biopic and the best film in the set, in my opinion. Lancaster plays Thorpe, a Native American athlete who loses his Olympic gold medals when it is learned he played two seasons of minor league baseball prior to competing, thus violating his amateur status. This is a turning point in his life, and his marriage ends and he feels his dream of coaching as a career will never be. The film ends before the truly sad years in Thorpe's life begin, when he is truly broke.
South Sea Woman (1953) - Lancaster plays Marine Sergeant James O'Hearn who is being court martialed during World War II when he arrives in Pearl Harbor after the Japanese attack and has no excuse for his absence up to that point. He refuses to defend himself. A showgirl takes the stand in his defense and tells the court that O'Hearn is really just standing up for a buddy of his, one who is really guilty of the scandalous behavior.
His Majesty O'Keefe (1954) - Probably the weakest film in the set, but still above average. After a mutiny, ship captain O'Keefe (Lancaster) winds up on the island of Yap. There is a fortune to be made in cocoanut there, and meanwhile the local islanders have made O'Keefe their king based on a local legend and their mistaken belief in who he represents. O'Keefe has two problems - the islanders don't want to work at harvesting the cocoanut and the Germans already "own the rights" to the cocoanut trade there. Nice little action film with a charming performance by Lancaster.
Executive Action (1973) - Made about the time of Watergate as people began to be much less trustful of government, this is one of the first films to address the possibility that what the public was told about the Kennedy assassination might have been less than truthful. Much of what was in the film JFK is presented here, both rightly and wrongly, but the larger more complex conspiracy theory that was floated in JFK is not. That is probably because in 1973 people were just beginning to reevaluate this whole issue. At any rate, it is a very good film and worth revisiting.
I don't have any information on extra features other than that they will be "Oscar-nominated vintage shorts, vintage featurettes and classic cartoons." In other words, I am not expecting biographical material. One real question I have is why is "The Twilight's Last Gleaming" not included? Warner Home Video has the rights to it, and it is better than any picture in this set. Considering Burt Lancaster did his best-known work at other studios, you'd think they would bother to include it in a Signature Collection of the actor's better works. Thus I can only give this collection four stars. In fact, it is probably between 3.5 and 4 stars given the information I have and no knowledge if there will even be any commentary included on the films.

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Includes: The Flame and the Arrow (1950), Jim Thorpe All-American (1951), His Majesty O'Keefe (1954), South Sea Woman (1953), and Executive Action (1973).

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The Chorus (Les Choristes) Review

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(More customer reviews)Prisons are filled with people without hope; perhaps especially prisons which house young boys. Devoid of the normal pleasures of life in which boys delight, these ruffians lead desperate, bland, colorless lives of few joys, little change, and little love. Into this drab, dreary, and harsh enviornment arrives our lovable dreamer, Prefect Clement Mathieu.
A frustrated musician/composer, Mathieu has an idea: organize this rag-tag group of troublemakers into a boys choir. Like a wildflower in the field, this group springs into beautiful song and harmonies. It also upsets a few people along the way. No good deed goes unpunished, as Mark Twain said, and this one is no exception.
Mathieu is different than the other prefects and administrator/teachers, he loves the boys and in that lies the difference.
The Chorus is a sweet, gentle, moving film. Everything about it is exceptionaly well done. Remarkable acting, writing, filming, and storytelling make this a film which lingers sweetly in the mind of the viewer, long after the credits have scrolled by.

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An inspirational story in the rich tradition of MUSIC OF THE HEART and MR. HOLLAND'S OPUS, THE CHORUS has moved critics everywhere to declare it one of the year's very best films! When he takes a job teaching music at a school for troubled boys, Clément Mathieu is unprepared for its harsh discipline and depressing atmosphere. But with passion and unconventional teaching methods, he's able to spark his students' interest in music and bring them a newfound joy! It also puts him at odds with the school's overbearing headmaster, however, locking Mathieu in a battle between politics and the determination to change his pupils' lives!

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The Boy in the Striped Pajamas (2008) Review

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(More customer reviews)2008 was a very big year for films adapted from books, with several reaching the high acclaim of Academy Award nominations. One adapted film that didn't get much recognition, however, is The Boy in the Striped Pajamas, based on the novel by John Boyne.
The film opens with the following quote emblazoned on the screen: "Childhood is measured out by sounds and smells and sights, before the dark hour of reason grows." As the quote suggests, this is a sort of coming of age film, and over the course of 94 minutes,those in the audience slowly watch the innocence of children unravel before their eyes as the reality of what is taking place becomes more and more illuminated.
The Boy in the Striped Pajamas is the story of a family living in Berlin during World War II. The main character, an eight-year-old boy named Bruno (Asa Butterfield), spends his time in Berlin playing with his friends and reading adventure novels. His father, brilliantly played by David Thewlis (most will recognize him as Professor Lupin from the Harry Potter franchise), soon gets a promotion, however, and Bruno, his parents, and his sister move to the German countryside where his father will take up his new position. Unlike their time in Berlin, Bruno's parents are careful to keep their son close to home, and Bruno, an explorer and adventurer at heart, is confined to the small fenced area surrounding their house.
From his bedroom window, Bruno can see what he thinks is a strange farm off in the distance. He notices that the "farmers" act strangely and wear strange "pajamas" while they work. Later, he notices that the smokestacks on the farm give off an absolutely wretched stench when they are burning. By now, of course, the audience knows that what Bruno has seen is not a farm at all, and that his father's new position is Commandant of the nearby concentration camp.
The naive Bruno manages to escape from the grounds of his home and is finally free to explore the woods behind the house. Not paying much attention to where he is going, he happens upon a remote part of the camp where he meets another eight-year-old boy, Shmuel (Jack Scanlon), confined by a different kind of fence. The two become friends, and Bruno sneaks away every chance he gets to go and visit the only playmate he has found since moving away from Berlin.
This is an interesting film on many accounts, the most fascinating being the changes that each member of Bruno's family undergoes. His father, a seemingly reluctant, "political only" Nazi at the beginning, devolves into a hardened, harsh man. Bruno's sister Gretel (Amber Beattie), encouraged by a handsome lieutenant working with her father, falls victim to the Aryan propaganda so much that her room is soon filled with posters of the Fuhrer, much like young girls today would adorn their walls with images of the Jonas Brothers. Finally, there's Bruno's mother (Vera Farmiga), who is the antithesis to the growing Nazism in her family. At first she is happy for her husband and the success he has as a soldier in the German army. However, as she learns more about her husband's new charge, and the truth is revealed about the camp, she becomes bitter and angry.
And then there's Bruno. All the signs are there. Bruno comes across every hint he possibly could as to the truth behind the "farm" where his friend Shmuel lives and works. Yet he remains utterly oblivious. Caught between the two stages of "sounds and smells and sights" and "the dark hour of reason," the filmmakers show the great price of failing to deal with the world around us.
Much of the criticism that I've read regarding this film deals with the supposed overextension of innocence to both child characters. Many critics cannot grasp the idea of an eight-year-old child not understanding that the "farm" is really a horrible work camp, that the "pajamas" are prison clothes, that the mysterious disappearances that Shmuel tells of and the smoke from the chimneys are the results of the systematic slaughter of the camp's inhabitants. That may be a fair criticism, but I think it misses the greater point that the filmmakers seem to be making.
Bigger than a child's loss of innocence, Bruno seems to be a representation of Germany, perhaps even humanity, itself, and the failure to deal with the evil right before one's very eyes. So many Germans claimed the innocence that we see in Bruno, saying they had no knowledge of the Final Solution to the Jewish Problem that Hitler and his SS were carrying out across the European continent. Even today, despite all the existing evidence, there are still those that deny the Holocaust happened, not wanting to acknowledge the great evil of which humanity, perhaps even their neighbors and family members, is capable. More than anything else, this film shows the great price humanity pays for such utter naivete.
All in all, this is a very well done film. The story, though slow in the beginning, is engaging, thought-provoking, and, in the end, heart-wrenching. It is well-acted, especially in the performances of the young boys, and the bright colors and airy score provide a sort of bizarre juxtaposition to what is happening on screen.
The DVD includes the typical bonus features of deleted scenes and a feature-length commentary, as well as a featurette entitled "Friendship Beyond the Fence."

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From Miramax Films, the studio that brought you the Academy Award winning Life is Beautiful (Best Foreign Language Film, 1998) comes The Boy in the Striped Pajamas. Based on the best selling novel by John Boyne, it's an unforgettable motion picture experience powerful and moving beyond words (Pete Hammond, Hollywood.com). Bored and restless in his new home, Bruno, an innocent and naive eight year old, ignores his mother and sets off on an adventure in the woods. Soon he meets a young boy, and a surprising friendship develops. Set during World War II, this remarkable and inspiring story about the power of the human spirit will capture your heart and engage your mind. Bonus Features include Deleted Scenes With Optional Commentary by Writer, Director Mark Herman and Author John Boyne, Friendship Beyond the Fence Featurette, Feature Commentary by Writer, Director Mark Herman and Author John Boyne

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Bully Review

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(More customer reviews)Bully may very well be one of the most controversial games of all time simply based on the fact that Rockstar made it. With only a name to their game, it was turning heads. People feared the worst. Mostly that the game would be as violent as Grand Theft Auto, but in a high school setting.
Let me set some minds at ease. There are no guns. The game doesn't even have any blood. Also, you can't kill anyone. Lastly, violence is rather discouraged.
You do not play the Bully. Instead you assume the role of Jimmy Hopkins, a boy trying to survive at Bullworth Academy. He's basically your run of the mill student. Your task inside the school is the same as they are for just about every student in high school. Pass your classes and stay out of trouble. Going to class actually is enforced for a time. Your classes are mini-games that you'll play. You're allowed to try and ditch class but there are consequences for not going. However, in this game you'll want to go to class just because participating in said class is actually fun, and can improve your skills. The mini games are fun and addictive. After a while it's no longer enforced, which I actually found rather sad. The aspect of going to class doesn't get nearly enough attention, but the mechanic works.
Outside of class, however, is where the game really begins to shine. If you're familiar with the gameplay of Grand Theft Auto, then you'll easily adapt to Bully. For starters, each and every student at Bullworth Academy has a unique personality. You'll make friends and you'll make enemies. The missions are fun and quite an experience. The game is original. Even better, the story sequences are filled to the brim with humor, quite simply it's one of the funniest games I've played.
In addition, you can also venture outside of the school. Jimmy can get a job to help him buy food and other things, and he's able to help people around town do some of their errands and chores as well. You'll also be able to date, go play some arcade games and plenty more. All the things most high school students do.
Jimmy isn't without a mischief. He's got a slingshot, a bat and a few other things he can use. Again, you can't kill anyone with these things, and eventually the objects will break anyway. Besides, if you beat up a kid, you have to serve detention. Part of the point of the game really is staying out of trouble.
The game also takes on a more realistic feel. There's a clock in the corner that shows you what time it is. If you're caught wandering around the school after hours there are consequences. If you stay out too late, you'll actually get tired and fall asleep.
The game looks and sounds brilliant. Fantastic voice acting really brings the story to life. The game also has some great visuals. The school and environments look astonishing.
Bully is a great game to be sure. It's almost like an interactive teenage drama come to life. A lot of the game is humorous and fun. But most importantly, it isn't Grand Theft Auto and it does stand on its own.

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MODEL- 27807VENDOR- TAKE-TWOFEATURES- Bully PS2 You are not going to take it anymore. From edgy publisherRockstar's Vancouver development team comes this dark comedy setin the most vile and sadistic setting yet in a Rockstar videogame:the schoolyard. As a troublesome schoolboy you will laugh and cringe as you stand up to bullies get picked on by teachers playpranks on malicious kids win or lose the girl and ultimatelylearn to navigate the obstacles of the fictitious reform school Bullworth Academy.-- SPECIFICATIONs ---------------------------------------ESRB Rating : T for TeenGenre/Category: Action/AdvetureSystem: Playstation 2Number of Players : 1On-Line Compatible: No

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