5 comments about Let's Do It Again.

1. Watch Video Here: http://www.amazon.com/review/R1G29JZ2DZMWMX



2. I used to watch this movie all the time as a little kid and have been searching for it for years! It's so excitibg to find it i DVD and in such great condition. Truly a wonderful buy!



3. This classic urban comedy features an all-star cast! Bill Cosby, Sidney Poitier, John Amos...
   
   Although it was made before my fiance and I were even born(1975), we were both in tears laughing throughout the whole movie. We were so happy to find it available to buy on Amazon!
   
   "Let's Do It Again" is the BEST and FUNNIEST of the three buddy comedies featuring Cosby and Poitier from the 1970's. "A Piece of the Action" and "Uptown Saturday Night" are funny as well, but "Let's Do It Again" is hilarious and has a great soundtrack!



4. Sit back relax and get ready to laugh your butt off. This movie is as funny and entertaining now as it was when it debuted. Family fun. Hats off to the seasoned stars of that era.



5. This was a great buy and a hard movie to find but I found it at Amazon.The picture was perfect and the movie was great.

5 comments about Million Dollar Baby (Two-Disc Widescreen Edition).

1. Million Dollar Baby was a film that actually desrved the honor of winning the Best Picture Oscar. It is gripping, real, and the acting is superior. Clint Eastwood, Hilary Swank, and Morgan Freeman blend together so well in this movie, and make it flow so perfectly.
   This is the second copy of the movie I purchased, I very rarely ever do that, but I wanted to see it on Blu-ray. The extra expense paid off, it's even better than it was on the 2 disc special edition I already owned.
   If you love this movie as much as I do, add the Blu-ray edition to your library.



2. The first thing I do when I read user reviews for a film is go to the opposite of my opinion. So in the case of Million Dollar Baby, I directly went to the area where people rated this film only 1 star and read their reviews. Interesting to say the least. I feel some people just miss the boat on this film and what type of story its trying to tell. It's a story of stubbornness and the will to do whatever it takes to be the best, and how all of that can be taken from you in a single moment. To cherish the opportunities we have in life and to leave everything we've got on the table. Yes, it's not a happy story, it's not sold as a feel good film! I'm not sure why people are confused by this. But the film ultimately is inspiring because Hilary Swank's character is selfless and does everything she can to achieve her dreams.
   
   Okay, another thing. This is NOT a pro-euthanasia movie. I hope that I haven't spoiled anything for someone reading this, but I had to say something regarding so many people writing this in the 1-star section. I'm sure if you loved someone you wouldn't want them suffering, especially in the sense that the character is in the movie.
   
   In the end, this is an obvious Best Picture winner. Expertly crafted like Clint always does, superbly acted, and has an excellent pace, this is a definite must-see, if not own. I highly recommend it, let alone just about anything Eastwood has directed because he just knows how to get it done.



3. Geeze this was a good movie, but I wish they would have let us know what happened to the evil German prostitute/boxer. Kind of left me feeling empty on that one big point.



4. As 2009 comes to a close I feel that I should share the few gems that I feel blessed enough to have seen during the last decade, and what better review to do that on than the one that gets my vote for #1 movie of the decade? Joe Dirt, Hearts in Atlantis, Vanilla Sky, Naqoyqatsi, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, the Passion of the Christ, the Motorcycle Diaries, Million Dollar Baby, Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room, Into the Wild, Terrorstorm, the Painted Veil, Endgame, the Money Masters, Gran Torino, and Rothschild's Choice. I probably forgot a few. So, and not counting the excellent documentaries made during the last decade, Million Dollar Baby gets my vote for movie of the decade. I feel that it is a powerful testament about the pain that is often found in this life, and also of the power that will be found within the human spirit of endurance, as it has always responded in the face of adversity. Congratulations Clint Eastwood, you've proven yourself a competent director while remaining the excellent actor that you have always been.



5. Frankie Dunn has trained and managed some incredible fighters during a lifetime spent in the ring. The most important lesson he teaches his boxers is the one that rules life: above all, always protect yourself. In the wake of a painful estrangement from his daughter, Frankie has been unwilling to let himself get close to anyone for a very long time. His only friend, Scrap, an ex-boxer who looks after Frankie's gym, knows that beneath his gruff exterior is a man who has been seeking, for the past 25 years, the forgiveness that somehow continues to elude him. Then Maggie Fitzgerald walks into his gym. "Million Dollar Baby" has great characters, but it doesn't glorify them. It has a wonderful story, but it never tries to impress you. The photography, score and direction is superb, but never distracting. What this movie has is passion. Passion for film-making, passion for storytelling, passion for its characters, passion for its actors, and passion for its story and the means at which it will go to tell it. Amazing.

5 comments about From Here to Eternity.

1. Sweeping Oscars in 1953, this war drama becomes truly war at the very end, when the two main characters - brave soldiers played by Burt Lancaster and Montgomery Clift - are along with their female darlings caught in the fire of 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor. One of the first US movies to deal with this blow dealt by Japan, "From Here to Eternity" nevertheless pushed forward the boundaries for various topics in film, having come not ahead of its time, but right at the nick of it. Frankness in intimate relationships, violence and army abuse are tackled with realism unheard-of before. The film has somehow got dated with time, but it still is carried on broad shoulders of Burt Lancaster, whose steaming beach encounter with Deborah Kerr (wife of his superior) remains among the most memorable love scenes ever put on the screen. Another main character, Robert E.Lee Prewitt (then bright young star Clift), is the centerpiece of the story. The talented boxer and bugle-man, who nevertheless has his own code of conduct, becomes an outcast of the army machinery despite his very desirable soldier qualities. The role of his friend Maggio brought a Best Supporting Oscar to Frank Sinatra, who allegedly got the role thanks to his underworld connections. Donna Reed (It's A Wonderful Life) won her Oscar for supporting actress as Prewitt's flame Alma, a luxurious prostitute whose only dream is to return home with the money and live a "decent" life. The film also got six more Academy Awards (total eight of 13 noms), including Best Picture and Best Director for Fred Zinnemann (High Noon, A Man for All Seasons).



2. I am spending some time on July 4th with American movie classics. Fred Zinnemann's film version of James Jones' novel about the last days before Pearl Harbour in an army outfit in a Hawaii barracks is great Hollywood.
   
   But really, Burt Lancaster and Deborah Kerr are not doing their stuff in the surf while the bombs are falling, as the DVD cover seems to suggest by mounting the surf tumble together with the bomber squad. That's annoying.
   Apart from the stupid DVD cover I have not much to complain about.
   Well, maybe one might observe that Frank Sinatra's part and his acting are not really all that great. As everyone knows from the Godfather, Sinatra got his part through connections... of course Puzo didn't really prove his claim, but it does sound plausible.
   
   The rest is bright shining honest star-based professional cinema. Clift, Lancaster, and the 2 girls Kerr and Reed are just too true to be good. Marvellous show. And Borgnine as the evil one.
   Hollywood rarely got much better.
   
   (The star deduction is for the DVD cover photo and for Sinatra's make believe performance.)



3. In hindsight, this 1953 classic doesn't seem as much a military drama as it does a highly charged soap opera, which shouldn't come as a surprise given that master filmmaker Fred Zinnemann (The Nun's Story) was at the helm. The veteran director upended the western genre just a year earlier with the Gary Cooper classic High Noon, and he places the same incendiary focus of character over action here, that is, until the inevitable climax which uses the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor as a catharsis for the characters' dilemmas now dwarfed by the coming world war.
   
   Based on James Jones' epic novel, screenwriter Daniel Taradash manages to reduce the complexity of the book's themes without trivializing them, and then-offbeat casting enhances the movie immeasurably. Set on a U.S. Army base in Hawaii in the months leading up to the attack, the focus is on two men, both dedicated to the military with no aspirations to become the officers they have grown to detest. One is Private Robert E. Prewitt, a talented boxer (and bugler) who refuses to fight on his regiment's team since blinding a sparring partner. The other is First Sergeant Milton Warden, a take-charge, professional soldier who earns the trust of his men even as he kowtows to his weak-willed commanding officer.
   
   Life in the barracks is fraught with adversarial personalities, chief among them Private Angelo Maggio, Prewitt's loudmouthed best friend, and Staff Sergeant "Fatso" Judson, the sadistic stockade warden. Both Prewitt and Warden meet women who seek to change their lives. Prewitt finds cynical nightclub "hostess" Lorene at a brothel masquerading as a social club, while Warden embarks on a passionate affair with his commanding officer's wayward wife Karen. Burt Lancaster is well cast as Warden, and he brings surprising nuance to his character's clandestine encounters with Karen. However, it's Montgomery Clift - despite looking too slight to be genuinely believable as a boxer - who transcends his loner role by playing off his innately sensitive nature to portray a man who will never sacrifice his honor despite how dire the consequences. Well within his comfort zone, Frank Sinatra's turn as Maggio is small but impactful.
   
   Still two years away from Marty, Ernest Borgnine makes Judson's malevolence palpable in just a few scenes. Deborah Kerr submerges her Scottish accent and previous lady-like demeanor to reveal the embittered, sexually assertive side of Karen without sacrificing any of the character's vulnerability. The legendary, much-parodied beach scene with Lancaster still sizzles after all these years. Similarly, Donna Reed foregoes her good-girl image (epitomized by her memorable turn as Mary Bailey in It's a Wonderful Life) to play the sultry, delusional Lorene. The 2003 DVD comes with a small set of extras - a three-minute making-of retrospective short, a nine-minute collection of on-set footage and interviews from a documentary entitled "Fred Zinnemann: As I See It", and the original theatrical trailer. The best extra is the commentary track from Tim Zinnemann (the director's son) and screenwriter Alvin Sargent (Spider-Man 2), who had a small role in the movie.



4. .....I know my review will be in the minority but I think this is an overrated movie more famous as the "movie" that saved Frank Sinatra's career than for it's dramatic content.
   
   .....The only acting performances that deserved to be praised were turned in by Burt Lancaster and Debra Kerr but in typical perverse Hollywood tradition Sinatra and Reed walked away with Oscars.
   
   .....This was Sinatra's first big dramatic part and it showed. Although, in time, he learned to act and to develop an on-screen personna, in this movie he was just plain awful, as bad as another non-actor, Elvis Presely was in his first movie Love Me Tender. Sinatra got the part due to the clout of his paramour Ava Gardner and was, at that time, at the nadir of his career, deserted by his fans for divorcing his childhood sweetheart for Gardner. Fans were still sensitive to such things in those days. Hollywood, anxious to restore Sinatra to box office dynamite rewarded him with an Oscar for his deer-in-the-headlights on screen mugging.
   
   .....Donna Reed (Mary Bailey in Wonderful Life and star of the Donna Reed Show) sacrificed her good girl image to play a cynical hard bitten prostitute and was totally unbelievable in the part. But Hollywod has a habit of giving Oscars to actresses who are willing to debase themselves with unsavory parts (Shirley Jones in Elmer Gantry) and so Reed joined the club.
   
   .....Montgomery Cliff, who always seemed to be a watered down version of Marlon Brando in his mumbling performances was suited for this role but was hard to believe as a boxing champion in the worn out theme of a boxer who quits the ring because he killed an opponent with his fists. Cliff looked much too slight, more like a lightweight than a middleweight to have such a lethal punch. John Wayne was much more believable in "The Quiet Man". Montgomery Cliffs popularity was hard to fathom because with the exception of this movie and his role with Elizabeth Taylor in "A Place in the Sun", he seemed miscast in most of his roles, especially with John Wayne in "Red River", a part that much more suited for Jack Beutel of "Outlaw" fame.
   
   .....Ernest Borgnine turned in a fine performance as the sadistic Stockade guard.
   
   .....This movie was not shown on Military Bases when it was released because the Military did not like to show how its disciplined structure could be corrupted and used to persecute men by their superior officers. The theme was too close to the reality for the Brass.
   
   .....This is a good movie but not as great as its hype. If you like good acting, it is worth the price for the performances of Lancaster and Kerr.



5. The Bottom Line:
   
   Somehow adapted from a novel which was considered rather anti-establishment, From Here to Eternity is a hopelessly-square movie, with lifeless performances by its leads, an overabundance of melodramatic moments and sequences, and a concluding sequence involving the Pearl Harbor attack which feels ridiculously tacked-on; half a century this film may have been deemed 1953's best film, but time has not been kind to it.
   
   2/4

5 comments about Bronson (Widescreen Edition) [Blu-ray].

1. Let me clear the air by saying I don't agree that this movies story was 5 or 4 star for that matter. I made the mistake of not waiting for more reviewers or opinions. Without going into details I have to say this movie was boring and so predictable. What prompted me to drop the review to one star is the quality of the DVD on Blu-ray. If you going to buy this movie please rent it first! If your expecting HD quality buy the regular DVD, its the same quality as the blu-ray. I have both top of the lines Panny 1080p 50" and a blu-ray player with HDMI connections. I have 50 blu-ray movies and about 400 standard DVD movies and this by far is one of the worst pictures I have ever seen. Please rent this one before you buy it and save your money. If your a movie buff like I am I hope this helped!



2. i thought this was a great movie read his book/books for more detail i like this guy and the system has not treated him properly hes not a bad guy funny insightful smart and oh yes hes a mad man and i love it he needs a fair shake like i said watch the movie if you like it read some of his books especially the book this movie is based on p.s. Tom Hardy does a great job in this movie



3. It's very difficult to describe Bronson, and even harder to pigeon hole it into a specific category or genre. Hailed a new "Clockwork Orange" is a bit misleading, as it doesn't really deal with an overall dystopian view of wild indoctrinated youth, more so one individuals sad spiral into mental self awareness of an inner voice. Although highly stylized, it's also overall, quite a sad depiction of infamous British criminal Michael Peterson, (renamed Charlie Bronson by his bare knuckle fight promoter boss and former inmate Lenny McLean)
   
   For me, it's extremely easy to relate to growing up in 70's England, as a young man with few options (they were hard times all round, with high employment, and a nation still suffering under the machinations of the government of the day). The filming locations and set designs are authentic, and the sense of poverty and misdirection almost tangible.
   What follows is "based" on a true story, a more accurate description would be to say it's based upon Petersons own biographies and books written while incarcerated, and then polished with a lot of poetic license by director Nicolas Wefn.
   A boy from a lower middle class but nonetheless stable background, Peterson displayed violent tendencies from a young age, and a slow burn feel of inevitability that he would become the nihilistic man of the title.
   However, from a criminal point of view, Bronson was far more of a criminal inside prison than out. A bungled hold up at a post office brought him a 7 year term, he never actually killed anyone (as he states quite clearly during the movie), and from there begins the immergence of the inner man. After the torment of his first sentence he is freed, even falls in love, and bounces around between his eccentric uncles 70's style opium den (much red lights and heavy drapes inside a projects style apartment high rise) and bare knuckle brawling against men and even dogs!
   Still searching for an unknown ambition, "I only ever wanted to be famous" voices actor Tom Hardy in the title role, and like so many people of his generation his aspirations were common for men of his age, although they did not know exactly how or what they would become famous for.
   Knowing his true place is back inside he quickly recommits and returns to prison, and sets about countless hostage taking, and guard beating episodes, each one gaining him more notoriety.
   He now begins to believe, his chance at glory lies in infamy, on the inside as a feared convict. His achievements were realized when he was labeled by the British press (and other sources) as "Britain's most Violent criminal"
   
   Still in prison today, he has spent more than 30 years in solitary confinement for his continuous violent behavior.
   I'll stop here to add that Tom Hardy is amazing in what must have been a difficult role. Far removed from Praetor Shinzon in Star Trek Nemesis - now appearing much older physically, he has matured, and certainly beefed up for the role. But the strength of the performance lies in the depth of the portrayal.
   The monosyllabic narration scenes that seem to join sections of the story together draw you in and keep you compelled to watch and you believe the story. Hardy exudes an almost palpable menace, as he flicks from deep thought and introspective silence, even sadness to a violent boiling rage in the blink of an eye, truly scary.
   The violent scenes are unflinching and brutal, though not overdone or gratuitous. They are also unwavering in how they portray the futility of Bronson's actions, reinforcing his inner turmoil.
   Quite short at 92 minutes, it is nonetheless a powerful biopic, regardless of how accurate the material.
   I felt great sympathy for the character (which probably sounds misplaced for someone who attacked, injured and brutalized many prison guards) but the Director (and Hardy) elevate the story to a level above just violence.
   The scenes where he returns to his parents new smaller home now replete of his childhood belongings show an undercurrent of helpless, almost childlike loss and sadness for example.
   The film flicks between the narration and story scenes to Hardy playing out his life on a make believe music hall stage to a willing audience, giving a dreamy quality that probably prompted the comparisons to Kubrick, and Clockwork Orange.
   Accomplished author, artist and sculpture on the one hand, vicious psychotic thug on the other, that never lets you know when he will flick from one to the other makes for memorable (if not always easy) viewing. 4 stars.



4. To say that lead actor Tom Hardy is gonzo-brilliant is nearly as understating as the complete overlooking of his performance throughout award season. Director Refn's approach here is as viscerally punctuated and artistically daring as anything in his excellent "Pusher Trilogy."



5. This is not a Hollywood movie. This is a theatrical interpretation of a man who stuck to his guns. No beginning, no end, just a chunk of this man's life layed out in a blur of violence and awkward moments. If you collect eccentric cinema as opposed to collector's editions of Hollywood Blockbusters then you may want to check this out. It's not the sharpest Blu-Ray image in town but this isn't one of those movies where that is important. Tom Hardy is amazing and creates a atmosphere where you're unsure of whether he is Bronson or re-telling the tale of Bronson. This is a Macho (which doesn't mean females shouldn't watch it) movie but even more so because these are events that took place as opposed to the Bourne Trilogy, which is good, but come on, this is what really happens when you go around beating everyone up; you go to jail.

5 comments about On the Waterfront (Special Edition).

1. Marlon Brando starred in one of his least pretentious roles in this film about a dock worker in NYC who decides to fight the corrupt officials who run the docks. Eva Marie Saint plays the young woman whose brother is murdered by them. Of course, Marlon who had something to do with the brother's murder, and Eva Marie fall in love but Karl Malden as the priest keeps it on a higher plane. The moral struggle against corrupt gangs who intimidate and murder to influence the community and the struggle to live a moral life is a classic tale which carries a powerful whop!



2. This is a movie about pidgins, both literally and figuratively. Local priest (Karl Malden) goes up against cabal.
   
   This might be entertainment for some and was a type of movie art that came and passed. This presentation is a good variant of the genre. People that enjoy "Citizen Kane" will enjoy this film. The acting is touted as great, however everyone acted the same as it is a 1954 style; if it is so good out of its time and place there would be movies like this today. I suggest that a better variant is "Funeral in Berlin".
   
   For people that look at other film dimensions the music is over the top heavy handed. The one plus is that the music (Leonard Bernstein) usually does not compete with the dialog. Unfortunately the one exception is the "I coulda had class. I coulda been a contender." statement where all the violins break out next the rush of horns and whatnot.
   
   I will not go into detail on the movie as there is just the chance you have only heard about this movie and haven't seen it yet, but be prepared for stool pigeons and dead pigeons.
   
   After 50 plus years the film is sort of out of place. So to gain a good perspective on why it is so popular you will need to watch the commentaries and other DVD extras. Then re-watch the movie.
   
   The Teahouse Of The August Moon (DVD) Marlon Brando, Glenn Ford
   
   Absence of Malice ~ Paul Newman



3. After a recent walk through the world of Kazan, reading T.Williams' plays, plus his memoirs, plus Kazan's memoirs, and then watching some of the Williams movies, not all by Kazan, and some of Kazan's other films, after non-Williams texts, I had, for unclear reasons, postponed watching the Waterfront until now. (Maybe just because nobody in this house wanted to watch it with me. Despite Brando. Which is surprising, as all other inhabitants here are female, in homo sapiens as well as in house cat species.)
   
   The Kazan experience prior to the Waterfront exposure was mixed. I am not sure I think Kazan was such a great director. His scenes are frequently awkward, his actors often move like zombies, his pathos is most of the time over the board. Sometimes he was lucky: the Streetcar movie is great, because it is a great play and he was lucky with the cast. Brando was at home there. Malden was ridiculous as usual, but it did not do much damage there.
   I watched Kazan's fiasco with East of Eden, which, to me, is one of the worst Oscar winners that I ever watched. Unbearably ridiculous. James Dean was unbelievably unbelievable. (The book is useless, but the movie is endlessly worse. I say this as a Steinbeck fan.)
   
   Now I found myself `alone at home' and decided to watch the Waterfront. Let me come up with my version of the truth right away: this is not in line with my idea of great cinema. It is cheap melodrama with a completely over-acting Brando and a ridiculous Malden. Cobb is ok as mobster boss, but those roles are easy. Eve Sainte Marie is actually quite good as pure Irish maiden, she is coming close to saving the film for me, but not quite, after all.
   
   Another complaint: Bernstein's music is totally indequate for the subject! This whole thing is kitsch!
   
   Apart from that, one needs to see the questionable role of the film in the political scenery of the time. After all, Kazan himself had just `talked', so it was in his interest to portrait `talking' in a positive light. The enemy in the film is the trade union, which has been usurped by the Irish mob. I am quite sure, or rather, I will readily believe, that this kind of situation has happened in real life, but I am not willing to accept a stereotypical satanification of the unions as just `social drama'. This is also political propaganda, and it works on the antenna of the audience. Unions equal mob. Not seeing that dimension of the reality of the film would be naive.



4. On the Waterfront is a real classic film. The interwoven story between the shipyards workers and the Union held by a group of exploiting mafioso bosses is at the heart of the movie. It deals with questions of conscience, of right and wrong, of retribution and seeks to get the viewer involved actively. It represents an era of great difficulty for the masses and the impossibility to extricate oneself from the mafia's stranglehold on workers. It takes an accident to start unrolling the entanglement in which all were.



5. Presents many great stars in the prime of their careers--Brando, Karl Malden and Eva Marie Saint (in her first starring role.) Yet, in the context of contemporary standards. the plotline is clearly dated, and the acting somewhat histrionic and stereotypical. As a result, the viewing experience is just not as good as one might expect given this film's classic status.

5 comments about Billy Elliot.

1. I did not like the language, the 'f' word being highly over used and inappropriate. I was disappointed that there was no professional ballet shown, only the lessons. The story itself is moving and entertaining.



2. I was curious about the movie, not knowing what to expect. I purchased it, and started it with an open mind. I was pulled in right away! It was a tale of a boy in a gritty, tough, motherless household, with rather strong father and older brother influences. Billy is a real kid, trying to survive, trying to win dad and big brothers attention, and realizes he just isn't going to do it.
   I was really impressed with the story around Billy....his family, the strike, school, all the things going on in his life. He was trying to be a boxer to please his dad. He wasn't into it, and wasn't good.
   When he found ballet, he approached it from a very powerful, athletic view, and didn't seem the boy one would typically place in a "ballet boy" box. While he is not overly handsome, he is believable. He is caring and attractive, sensitive and wants to please, but can't. He wants to understand his dad and brother, but doesn't. He wants them to understand him, and they can't.
   The friendship with a gay classmate is wonderful. He really care about the boy, isn't actively pursuing him. He portrays a boy, being a boy, who also happens to be a good dancer.
   I guess, if you are looking for a young boy love story, this is not really it. If you are looking for a strong willed boy, fighting to survive and be himself, and winning in the end, this it is.
   I truly loved the movie more that I thought I would. It went a direction I wasn't expecting, but left loving the movie.
   I was really impressed with the passion of the young actor playing Billy. A really touching story, and it was great seeing his dad becoming more of a man by letting his son follow his heart, and letting him dance.
   Thank you for such a good, honest, heartwarming movie. I'm sure all will love it too!



3. Heart warming. A lesson for all. Accept people for who they are and what they are. Don't assume any sterotypes.



4. There's not much new about the theme of Billy Elliott, that of the strength of love and of being true to oneself. But this is a fresh new take, with its focus upon an eleven year old boy from a gritty mining town who wants to become a ballet dancer. Jamie Bell is winning as the novice dancer, and Gary Lewis as his coal miner dad does well with the struggle to come to terms with his wish for a better life for his son and his puzzlement about his choice of profession, which he views as rather "poofy", of course. First rate acting, the gritty background of the mining town, the taut dialog, and the T-Rex soundtrack all work to make this movie a winner. IMO, suitable for family viewing and highly recommended as such.



5. I loved this movie. It is a great story, the soundtrack is great, the colors and setting are cool. I've watched this a number of times. A good one for the DVD library.

5 comments about Facing Ali.

1. I've always loved the brash outspoken Ali. And I am saddened by his current condition. In his prime without question one of the greatest if not the GREATEST. To hear the reverence in which his opponents describe their experience with him was very touching. Even his old nemesis (Joe Frazier) was almost brought to tears when speaking about him. Earnie Shavers and Ron Lyle looked great the others not so much. It was also great to get insight into their personal lives as well. I didn't know George Foreman sparred with Sony Liston. Ali claimed Shavers & Frazier hit him the hardest but you will see Pierre Coopman land what I believe the best shot on Ali (almost put him through the ropes). A well done piece of work I would highly recommend to the die hard and casual Ali fan.



2. There has been a large amount of work dedicated to Mohammed Ali and his career but this documentary looks at the man and the times through the eyes of the fighters that faced him over the course of his amazing and controversial his career.
   
   The movie interviews 10 former fighters that were pivotal in Ali's career; George Chuvalu, Henry Cooper, Ernie Terrell, Joe Frazier, Ron Lyle, Kenny Norton, Ernie Shavers, George Forman, Leon Spinks, and Larry Holmes. The interviews are remarkably intertwined with digitally re-mastered archival footage of their fights.
   From a historical standpoint the first hour of the film does an excellent job of placing Ali in the social, racial, and economic context of the 1960s. (I could see this half of the film being used as a source for American History Courses) However, after his 3 year suspension from boxing and return in 1973 the film shifts into a fight by fight chronicle of his comeback and eventual decline. The one failure of the film is in my opinion the lack of emphasis of the the Frazier -Ali rivalry that produced three of the greatest fights of all times and made that era the pinnacle of the sport.
   
   These 10 fighters were products of the depression (except Spinks perhaps) and each used boxing to escape their hardscrabble conditions. As one fighter noted "Nobody from the middle class goes into boxing." Each fighter was acutely aware but at the same time equally grateful that they were allowed to be bit players in the larger drama which was Mohammad Ali. As Ron Lyle succinctly put it, "If it wasn't for Ali you wouldn't be here talking to Ron Lyle today."
   
   To the films credit the intimate focus on these men highlights that they each have their own life stories which are as compelling and in some cases as personally tragic as the man remembered as The Greatest.



3. There is no doubt whatsoever that Muhammad Ali is one of the most polarizing (and, yet, inspiring) figures in sporting history. Not only was he arguably the most talented pugilist in history, but his religious (Islam) and societal (Vietnam) stands are now legendary. This new documentary, however, carves out its own little niche in the history of Ali by telling his story not from his point of view, but from the men who battled him inside the ring.
   
   This film really can work on two different levels:
   
   First, for younger (or more "inexperienced" Ali viewers), it is fascinating to hear the thoughts of other fighters who stood toe-to-toe with the man. Whether it be his greatest nemesis (Joe Frazier), most spectacular upset (George Foreman), or just some guy from England (Sir Henry Cooper) that happened to land one solid punch, all the guests in this documentary have very interesting takes on "The Greatest". It is especially poignant to hear most (if not all) of the competitors thanking Ali for giving them their chance at greatness. For some, a fight against Ali helped put food on the table for their children, which is a side of boxing not often thought about.
   
   For more "seasoned" Ali fans, who have likely heard and read it all about the man, this movie is still enjoyable due to that fact that you get to see all "the old gang" once again. Some guys (Cooper, Ron Lyle, Earnie Shavers) might bring back long-forgotten memories of the "golden age" of boxing, others (Frazier, Foreman) help you relive those epic battles, and one (George Chuvalo) will have you almost in tears from his genuiness. Plus, and it wouldn't be a boxing documentary without this, there are the crazies (Leon Spinks, Larry Holmes) that serve to really liven up the proceedings with their rather "colorful" commentary. Though it may be sad to see the former heroes of the ring in various stages of decay, it is still fun to hear from them once again.
   
   Thus, I highly recommend this documentary to any and all fans of Muhammad Ali, or just boxing/sports in general. I have read numerous books and watched multiple videos on similar subject matter, and this one is close to the top of that list.



4. I purchased this item for my husband. Not that he needed another book to read amongst his hundreds, hundreds of other boxing books. But he loves this one. He says it's very well written & he's constantly picking it up & going through it. Received from shipper in extremely good condition. Thanks



5. A different perspective on Ali, seen through the eyes of some of his toughest opponents. I thought it was pretty absorbing.

5 comments about Raging Bull [Blu-ray].

1. THIS IS ONE OF THE BEST MOVIE I HAVE EVER SEEN. DENIRO AND PESCI ARE FANTASTIC. A+



2. Raging Bull is probably the greatest movie about a boxer ever made. Jake Lemotta was NOT one of the nicest or smartest middleweight champions of all time, but Robert De Niro made the character understandable but not sympathetic. The picture is now more stunning that ever for home viewing in blu-ray. I give it my highest recommendation.



3. Martin Scorsese is unquestionably a great director, and this is a fine film. I used to think it was a great film, but since the last time I watched, I've seen "GoodFellas". And the latter casts a bad light on the former. Hang on as I try to explain.
   
   "GoodFellas" has an iconic scene, largely improvised, in which Joe Pesci's paranoid-psychotic character takes objection to another mobster's innocent comment that he finds Pesci "funny". Pesci pesters him about this -- "What do you mean, I'm funny?" -- amping up the tension until it's suddenly released, for no obvious reason. We don't know why Pesci is acting the way he does. But we are very much aware that we're watching stupid, illiterate, insane people argue for no good reason. And it works.
   
   In crafting a biography of Jake LaMotta (who, as I write this, is still alive at the age of 89), Scorsese tried to get away from the clichés of Hollywood bopics, and succeeded. There are no portentous scenes, no "we have to sum up everthing that happened up to now" dialog. The film seems almost documentary, as if we're watching the events unfold in real time.
   
   Unfortunately, in order to get this casual, unpretentious effect, Scorsese had the actors ad-lib some of the dialog -- and it just doesn't work, particularly in scenes where one character confronts another. It's hard enough for a screenwriter to pen high-quality dialog -- it's almost impossible for any actor to come up with merely /appropriate/ dialog on the spur of the moment.
   
   "Did you f*** my wife?" "What do you mean by that?" "I mean, did you f*** my wife?" "I ain't gonna answer that." "You're my brother, I expect you to." "That's a crazy question, I ain't gonna answer." And so on, and so on, until you want to throttle both the characters and the actors playing them. As bad as it sounds "on paper", it's many times worse in the film.
   
   And it doesn't happen just once, but in scene after scene, until it becomes an irritation. It seemed novel in 1980, but in 2010 it's a cliché. Scorsese should have used the ad-libs as a starting point and written "believable" dialog that came closer to the way the characters would likely have spoken in real life. (He could have gotten LaMotta's view, as he was an advisor.) As it is, we're not seeing the charactrers, but the actor ad-libbing.
   
   This is the only reason I dislike "Raging Bull". It is otherwise a magnificent movie, with beautiful B&W cinematography that anyone who says "I don't like B&W films" has to see. If you're not bothered by (in my view) the poor improvised dialog, you will doubtless find it a masterpiece.



4. I saw this movie in my film studies class. At first I thought, "Boxing movie? Cool!" but only a few minutes into the film I discovered that it was miles away from exciting. Jake La Motta is an extremely unsympathetic character whose temper and jealousy don't give any motivation for the audience to like him. He alienates everyone close to him and I couldn't bring myself to feel sorry for his eventual fate. Robert De Niro's portrayal of La Motta was well done, but being well-acted doesn't make the film any more watchable. The boxing scenes were the parts I was most looking forward to, but again, I was sorely disappointed. I am well aware that the boxing wasn't the main focus of this film, but a director of Scorsese's caliber should have been able to make it slightly interesting.
   
   The only thing that angers me more than the fact that my time was wasted by this film is the fact that so many hail it as a masterpiece.



5. Raging Bull is undoubtedly one of the great boxing movies, others include Champion, Somebody Up There Likes Me and The Harder They Fall but my favourite is still Body And Soul with the great John Garfield. This blue ray transfer of Raging Bull makes the close up punches even more painful to watch but the film is overlong and it does drag in some scenes.

5 comments about The Quiet Man (Collector's Edition).

1. I rarely review my purchases but this one deserves a special warning. I know others have said it already, but the picture quality of this DVD is very disappointing, especially for a classic that deserves a full 5 stars. My parents have a VHS copy from 20 years ago that is much sharper than this. And to call it a "Collector's Edition" is just absurd. Great movie, but wait until it is re-released on Blu-Ray or re-released on DVD.



2. This story is one of the first [if not THE first] of what would become the signature of John Wayne movies: woman-dragging and -tossing the object of his love, with a fistfight/brawl as a climax.
   
   I can't comment on the quality of the DVDs since I watched it on Turner Classic Movies.



3. Maureen O'Hara is the most beautiful. I have been to most all of Ireland. The people are fantastic, funny, & if & when I go back,{I am 75 yearsold} it would be most assuredly bed & breakfast. I read Maureen's book entitled Tis Herself & it was so straight forward. She is truly a fiesty lady. Please give her my regards if you can.I love the Irish & would you believe I am of English decent.Great movie! Good job, Amazon!



4. I love the film. I won't go into the film because I can't fault the film. I CAN fault whoever transferred this film to DVD. The picture quality is horrible. I had to change the settings on my television just so the actors were in colors that are found in nature. But the picture was blurry, there were skips and on occasion magenta splotches would show up, particularly in the portion leading up to the fight. I had a VHS edition that was better than this travesty.



5. While watchable on NTSC, the presentation is pathetic on new HD monitors. It is time for this movie to be remastered from the original cine.

5 comments about Pulp Fiction (Two-Disc Collector's Edition).

1. What can I say my stoner ex-girlfriend made me watch this movie. It nearly had me in tears when I was an hour in and realized that there was still 2 more to go. I'm lucky I keep my hair short because by time I got down to the last 30 minutes I wanted to rip my hair out. It was the most boring piece of crap I have ever watched. With one exception if you are a stoner you'll love this movie blazed because I assume that when you are flying high you just don't care how truly terrible this movie really is.
   
   (Update) As requested I'll post some more information as to why this movie sucks. The plot is pointless. I understand the concept, but if I spend the whole movie bored because scene after scene goes on and on then it takes away any interest in the characters or what's happening. I do stand by my stoner comment though. This is terrible. Maybe if I had some better ganja it might get another star, but since I don't smoke anymore that doesn't seem too likely.



2. One of my all time favorite movies! You just can't go wrong with Pulp Fiction!



3. This Blu-Ray is a Chinese import from Hong Kong. There may be nothing wrong with it, but Amazon really should make that clear in their listing. There is no USA Blu-Ray release of this film. Nor will there be any time soon, as Miramax has gone under. If you want to be guaranteed the best import version currently available, track down the Danish import. It's Region Free, and the audio/video are outstanding.



4. I love this purchase one of my favorite movies. The purchase was fast and received early.



5. This movie is about letting go for a couple of hours, and getting into the "Mind of Madness". To be able to see how reasonable, unreasonable things, seem to a disturbed mind. It is allowing you, for a couple of hours, to experience something you may never have experienced, without the magic of movies. So be prepared to spend a little time harmlessly embracing madness, in order to give yourself a fuller experience.
   
   When you "Freak Out" about a movie that you clearly do not understand, it doesn't help your credibility.