Colors

Colors Review

Colors Overview

Controversial film about the conflict between police and the street gangs in Los Angeles.
Genre: Feature Film-Action/Adventure
Rating: R
Release Date: 2-OCT-2001
Media Type: DVD

Colors Specifications

Robert Duvall plays a veteran street cop assigned to a Los Angeles gang unit. He takes a headstrong young cop (Sean Penn) under his wing as a partner and shows him the ropes on Watts's mean streets. Penn soon realizes that his testosterone-fueled ways and hair-trigger temper won't get him very far when dealing with the gang-ridden neighborhoods of L.A. Colors is a landmark movie in several respects: it helped bring director Dennis Hopper back into the spotlight after years of self-induced obscurity. Its success at the box office forced Los Angeles's gang problems into the public consciousness and prefigured the next wave of "hood" movies (Boyz N the Hood, Menace II Society, New Jack City) by several years. Though the late-'80s milieu is a bit dated, Colors is still a vivid, absorbing film. Hopper and screenwriter Michael Schiffer give all the characters a very human dimension and go to great lengths to show gang life from both the cops' and the gangsters' points of view. Wisely, they stir in elements of the cop drama, buddy movie, and action genres, leavened with a bit of humor here and there, while keeping a social conscience. Duvall is excellent as always, as the sympathetic cop, and Penn brings a great deal of depth to what could be an unlikable character. Violent, unsettling, and highly recommended. --Jerry Renshaw

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The Legend of Bagger Vance

The Legend of Bagger Vance Review

The Legend of Bagger Vance Feature

• Officially Licensed
• Highest Quality Recording

The Legend of Bagger Vance Overview

LEGEND OF BAGGER VANCE - DVD Movie

The Legend of Bagger Vance Specifications

The Legend of Bagger Vance doesn't break any new ground, but with Steven Pressfield's inspirational novel to guide them, director Robert Redford and screenwriter Jeremy Leven have tilled fertile soil with a graceful touch. Redford does for golf what A River Runs Through It did for fly-fishing: the sport is a conduit for a philosophy of living, and Redford achieves the small miracle of making golf a central metaphor that's visually compelling.

Set in Savannah, Georgia, during the early '30s, the story charts the redemption of disillusioned World War I veteran and former golf champion Rannulph Junuh (Matt Damon), who emerges from self-imposed obscurity in an exhibition match against legendary golfers Bobby Jones (Joel Gretsch) and Walter Hagen (Bruce McGill). Having earlier abandoned the socialite (Charlize Theron) who has organized the tournament to promote her late father's spectacular golf resort, Junuh now depends on the support of a young fan (perfectly cast newcomer J. Michael Moncrief) and the mysterious Bagger Vance (Will Smith), a smiling Jiminy Cricket who serves as Junuh's caddy, golf guru, and Socratic angel of mercy.

As Junuh regains the "authentic swing" he feared was lost forever, Redford guides his splendid cast through a spiritual journey that is specific to the discipline of golf and yet potently universal. As always, Redford also conveys his respect for nature and the rhythms of life as well as a sweet nostalgia for simpler times and purer values. With the casting of Jack Lemmon as the film's present-day narrator and elderly version of Moncrief's character, The Legend of Bagger Vance gains even greater dignity and, indeed, the glowing aura of legend. --Jeff Shannon

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Get Low [Blu-ray]

Get Low [Blu-ray] Review

Get Low [Blu-ray] Overview

Academy Award winner Robert Duvall (1983, Best Actor, Tender Mercies) is Felix Bush, the “Hermit of Caleb County,” a man so haunted by his secrets that he has lived in quiet desolation in the Tennessee backwoods for over 40 years. Realizing that he is near his own mortality, Bush decides to have a “living funeral party,” inviting people to tell their stories about him. Enlisting the help of Frank Quinn (Golden Globe winner Bill Murray, 2004, Best Actor in a Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy, Lost in Translation) and Buddy Robinson (Lucas Black, Legion), Bush goes through a process of self-discovery, allowing him to deal with his past secrets, including ones involving old flame (and new widow) Mattie (Academy Award® winner Sissy Spacek, 1980, Best Actress, Coal Miner's Daughter).

Get Low [Blu-ray] Specifications

Comedies about death aren't exactly a novel proposition, but Get Low, which draws from a real 1930s incident, leaves the gallows humor behind for a lighter touch. After losing the love of his life 40 year before, Felix Bush (Robert Duvall) has lived like a hermit ever since. With death on the horizon and guilt weighing him down, the "crazy ol' nutter" decides to go out with a party. As he tells funeral director Frank Quinn (Bill Murray in top form), "Time for me to get low." Frank and his assistant, Buddy (Duvall's Sling Blade costar Lucas Black), find the request bizarre--since Felix plans to attend--but they can't afford to turn him down. Quips Quinn, "One thing about Chicago, people know how to die. People are dying in bunches, but not around here." So, they fit Felix for a suit, post invitations up around Caleb County, and set up a land raffle to encourage everyone to show. Before he leaves this mortal coil, Felix longs to hear the tall tales the town folk have been spreading about him. While preparing for the big day, he reconnects with Charlie (Bill Cobbs), a preacher, and Mattie (Sissy Spacek), an old flame who returned to the county after her husband's death. Their encounters, which have a gentle sweetness, encourage Felix to share the truth he's kept bottled up inside for decades. After that big buildup, his confession feels a little anticlimactic, but cinematographer-turned-director Aaron Schneider's affection for his characters always shines through. --Kathleen C. Fennessy

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The Fountain (Widescreen Edition)

The Fountain (Widescreen Edition) Review

The Fountain (Widescreen Edition) Feature

• Yesterday, today, tomorrow. Past, present, future. Through time and space, one man embarks on a bold 1000-year odyssey to defeat humankind's most indomitable foe: Death.Hugh Jackman plays that man, devoted to one woman (Rachel Weisz) and determined to protect her from forces that threaten her existence. His quest leads him to a Tree of Life.and to an adventure into eternity. Darren Aronofsky (Pi,

The Fountain (Widescreen Edition) Overview

Yesterday, today, tomorrow. Past, present, future. Through time and space, one man embarks on a bold 1000-year odyssey to defeat humankind's most indomitable foe: Death. Hugh Jackman plays that man, devoted to one woman (Rachel Weisz) and determined to protect her from forces that threaten her existence. His quest leads him to a Tree of Life...and to an adventure into eternity. Darren Aronofsky (Pi, Requiem for a Dream) directs, continuing his string of imaginative, involving filmmaking with a tale alive with ideas and filled with astonishing vistas. "Not many films can blow your mind and break your heart at the same time, but this one will" (Drew McWeeny, Ain't It Cool News).

The Fountain (Widescreen Edition) Specifications

Science fiction and romance collide in The Fountain, the ambitious third feature from director Darren Aronofsky (Pi, Requiem for a Dream), who labored for four years to complete this epic-sized love story that stretches across centuries and galaxies. Hugh Jackman and Rachel Weisz (Aronofsky's real-life companion) play lovers in each of the film's three settings--16th century Europe and America (Jackman is a Spanish explorer searching for Incan magic), the present day (Jackman is a doctor attempting to cure his dying wife), and the 26th century (Jackman is a space traveler seeking a gateway to the afterlife)-–who struggle mightily to stay united, only to lose each other time and again. Aronofsky may not have chosen the easiest presentation for audiences to absorb his theories on the lasting qualities of life and the transformative powers of death-–the final sequence, in particular, with a bald Jackman floating through space in a bubble, harks back uncomfortably to "head movies" of the late '60s-–but his leads have considerable chemistry (and look terrific to boot), which goes a long way towards securing viewers' hopes for a happy ending. Critical reception for The Fountain has been nothing short of bloodthirsty, with Cannes audiences booing, but there are elements to enjoy here, even if the premise throws one for a loop. Ellen Burstyn (who earned an Oscar nomination for Requiem) delivers a typically solid performance as Jackman's boss in the present day sequence, and special effects (most done without the benefit of CGI) are also impressive given the film's low budget (spurred by a mid-production shutdown after original stars Brad Pitt and Cate Blanchett ankled the picture). And science-fiction fans whose tastes run towards the metaphysical (Asimov, Le Guin) will appreciate the attempt to present the genre in a serious light. --Paul Gaita

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The Norman Conquests

The Norman Conquests Review

The Norman Conquests Overview

As seen on PBS

"Splendidly amusing" --The New York Times
"Hilarious" --The Washington Post

A tale of love, lust, and confusion seen from 3 sides…

Passions flare and tempers rise when three couples cross paths at a country house one weekend. It all begins with the arrival of Reg (Richard Briers, Good Neighbors) and his wife, Sarah (Penelope Keith, To the Manor Born). They’ve come to give Reg’s younger sister, Annie (Penelope Wilton, Match Point), a few days’ break from caring for their bedridden mother. However, Annie confides that she’s seeing someone--not Tom (David Troughton, Fingersmith), the single young vet who’s pursuing her, but her brother-in-law, Norman (Tom Conti, Shirley Valentine). Appalled, Sarah informs Norman’s wife, Ruth (Fiona Walker, I, Claudius)--and all hell breaks loose.

Emmy® nominated for best writing, this trilogy is adapted from the hit plays by Alan Ayckbourn. Designed to be watched in any order, it views the same course of events from three different vantage points. From Saturday evening to Monday morning, the action unfolds around the kitchen table, outside in the garden, and in the family room--each segment a masterful performance by a marvelous ensemble cast.

The Norman Conquests Specifications

Siblings and couples collide at a summer cottage in ITV's The Norman Conquests (which also aired on PBS). Playwright Alan Ayckbourn presents the scenario from the kitchen, garden, and family room. In Table Manners, Reg (Richard Briers, Monarch of the Glen) and his wife, Sarah (Penelope Keith, To the Manor Born), drop by to relieve his sister, Annie (Penelope Wilton, Downton Abbey), who's been looking after their mother. Sarah believes Annie carries a torch for humor-impaired vet Tom (David Troughton, New Tricks), which is true, but she's also been considering a tryst with Norman (Tom Conti, Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence), who's married to her sister, Ruth (Fiona Walker, I, Claudius).

As Ayckbourn weaves from one conversation to the next--and the dandelion wine flows--it emerges that prim and proper Sarah and quick-witted Reg have seen better days. The same goes for bushy-haired Norman (a dead ringer for Serpico-era Al Pacino) and work-obsessed Ruth, which leads to a silent breakfast on Saturday, an awkward dinner on Sunday, and an ironic resolution on Monday. The other plays, Round and Round the Garden and Living Together, which also operate as independent entities, provide additional conversations, allowing for a fuller picture of the six protagonists.

Instead of opening up the set-bound sections, director Herbert Wise (I, Claudius) uses intense close-ups at key points. As with Ayckbourn's Intimate Exchanges, which became two films by Alain Resnais, the characters can be grating at first--as Norman tells Sarah, "You're like mild athlete's foot"--but start to feel like old friends once they reveal the different facets of their personalities. They may be exasperating, but they're also amusing and oddly likable, especially Norman, a master manipulator in the guise of a class clown. In 2009 Ayckbourn won a Tony Award for the Broadway revival. --Kathleen C. Fennessy

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Criminal Minds: Fifth Season

Criminal Minds: Fifth Season Review

Criminal Minds: Fifth Season Feature

• Condition: Used, Good
• Format: DVD
• AC-3; Box set; Color; Dolby; DVD; Widescreen; NTSC

Criminal Minds: Fifth Season Overview

Criminal Minds revolves around an elite team of FBI profilers who analyze the country's most twisted criminal minds, anticipating their next moves before they strike again. The Behavioral Analysis Unit's most prominent agent is David Rossi (Joe Mantegna), a founding member of the BAU, who returns to help the team solve new cases, while pursuing some unfinished business of his own. Each member brings his or her own area of expertise to the table as they pinpoint predators' motivations and identify their emotional triggers in the attempt to stop them.

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What's Love Got To Do With It?

What's Love Got To Do With It? Review

What's Love Got To Do With It? Overview

Experience for yourself the powerful true-life story of Tina Turner -- rock 'n' roll's remarkable and talented superstar. Laurence Fishburne (THE MATRIX) and Angela Bassett (HOW STELLA GOT HER GROVE BACK) deliver winning performances as Ike and Tina Turner -- whose turbulent relationship eventually forces Tina to leave and face the fear, pay the price, and find the courage to believe in herself. Don't miss WHAT'S LOVE GOT TO DO WITH IT -- the amazing and uplifting story of one of the world's most exciting, high-energy entertainers!

What's Love Got To Do With It? Specifications

Tina Turner, that dynamic diva of pop/soul/R&B from the '60s to the '90s, sings like a woman whose life story is every bit as rough and tough as her voice. And What's Love Got to Do With It, based on her autobiographical account (in I, Tina, written with Kurt Loder) of her years under the iron fist of her abusive husband and musical partner/Svengali Ike, is further proof of what we've always known about Tina: She's what you call a survivor. The movie is sort of the Disney version of Tina Turner's story--a glossy but thoroughly enjoyable, old-fashioned showbiz biopic with laughs, tears, great music, and outrageous (but faithful) period decor, costumes, makeup, and hairstyles. Our Heroine triumphs not only over the rigorous demands of her career in the music business, but finally manages to bust out of her troubled, violent marriage as well and become her own person. This is a movie that'll have you shouting at the top of your lungs: "You go, girl!" --Jim Emerson

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