A must see film!

The setting for this movie is a dusty southern town in Alabama during the depression and is shot through the perspective of a child's eye. Mr. Gregory Peck does a superb job of playing a southern lawyer who defends a black man who is accused of rape by a white woman and her father. There is no question as you watch the movie of two things; the outcome of the trial and the fact the man is obviously innocent.

In this movie we have a great example of a man, Gregory Pecks character, setting a good example of a parent and of being a good member of a community. He instills good values in his children, shows tremendous courage and strength of character. He teaches that you cannot judge a person until you can see the world through their eyes. He is a peerless man, in that everyone is his peer. This is a film whole families should watch together.

TV programming at its greatest!

House M.D. is the greatest show on TV, Dr Houses personality is the greatest attraction of the show, Imagine the opposite of what you would expect from a doctor and you have House. Controversial, stubborn, confrontational and doesnt give two hoots about anyones opinion.

Foreman, Chase and Cameron are Houses punching bag along with Dr. Cuddy, then theres Dr. Wilson the one who has any kind of friendship with House. Season 2 has some of the best episodes as yet, 'Euphoria Pt 1' and 'Pt 2' are both excellent as well as 'All in'.

The programme is still going strong on its fourth season now and this DVD box set would make a good addiotion to anyones collection!

Absolutely Indescribable!

I can sum this film up in one word. AMAZING.
When I first bought it, I watched it three times!
Ridiculous, I know. But I LOVE this film.
I love to dance and I think Channing Tatum is really hot so this film really a must for me.

Other reviews have said this film has the exact same storyline as many other dance films, but lets be honest - who watches a dance film for the storyline???

The moves are unbelieveable - who knew Channing Tatum could move so well?!

I would DEFINITELY recommend this film, it's fabulous, especially for dance lovers like myself.

Take my advice, buy this film - you won't be disappointed.

Amazing movie

This film is great but you must watch it in the original language. It just doesn't do it justice being dubbed. It is sweet, funny, romantic and so emotional but alot of this special atmosphere is created by it being presented in Italian. I love it!

Grab Your Scrubs and Head into the OR!!

The series follows a bunch of lively interns at Seattle Grace Hospital and continues to pursue their personal lives struggling with relationships, pressure at becoming a surgeon and just trying to survive in a competitive medical world. Each intern has their own secret or goal and the series although revolves around lead character Meredith Grey, never really splits away from the great supporting cast. Each character is never seen lesser than anyone else in terms of storyline but obviously the series cuts back to the personal agenda's of Meredith Grey.

The series itself is fast paced and to be honest a breath of fresh air. It mixes the medical complexities of ER with story movement from shows such as Six Feet Under. Dialogue though simple at times is very well thought out providing comical moments throughout every single episode. Near enough from the very beginning you become attached to the newbie interns as they move around Seattle Grace learning everything they need to know from their superior work mates and their individual charm shines out instantly as well as their on screen chemistry. There is always a twist and turn as well obviously to keep viewers hooked and though sometimes predictable these turns always make fantastic viewing.

The series itself presents itself very much like Desperate Housewives, with a narrative at the beginning and the end with a little story in the middle. Apart from individual storylines for each intern each episode solely represents a series not on a bigger scale. These singular episodes actually work well and act very much as a TV Show that isn't tense, but still provides great viewing. The twists and turns happen fast and therefore hooks you in even deeper and its nice to see how each intern develops.

Good but not great

I'll do this in list form, in no particular order!

Things I liked:

The Steele sisters - Anne in particular is hilarious; the awful chattering stupidity Austen endowed her with is really brought out in her first few scenes. However, she becomes a bit hammy in her final scene. I wish they'd kept in the scene in the book where she tells an outraged Elinor that"I only stood at the door and heard what I could. And I am sure that Lucy would have done just the same by me; for a year or two back, when Martha Sharpe and I had so many secrets together, she never made any bones of hiding in a closet, or behind a chimney board...". Lucy is pretty good, although a little inconsistent; she seems genuinely friendly in some scenes, and knowing in others.

The cinematography - gorgeous scenes of rugged Devon in the winter.

Margaret - Just like in the Emma Thompson version, she's fleshed out and brings a touch of light comedy by always popping up from some hidden nook. Just the right side of annoying; she never becomes a bratty film kid.

Fanny Dashwood - Loved the scene where she persuades her husband not to"rob little Harry" to give his sisters an allowance. Little Harry, of course, is a repellent little brat always sucking on something sweet. Fanny is smugly hostile throughout.

The costumes - Not as stiff and"bonnetty" as usual, especially Marianne's 'Romantic' wardrobe which at times almost looked like it could fit in nowadays on a modern-day Marianne. Each character's costume 'spoke' about their character, without being brash.

Marianne - suitably 'teenage' and warm.

The lack of stunningly beautiful actors - apart from a rather hunky Edward Ferrars, who gets a special"Violently chopping wood in a wet shirt" scene, the cast are normal looking rather than unrealistically beautiful.

The accents - or rather, lack of the usual period drama"cut-gless" accent. The characters are the gentry rather than the nobility, and they speak with rather average accents - the Miss Steeles even sport a West Country one.

The actors looked the right age, which gave it a freshness - in the Emma Thompson version, everyone but Marianne looks at least half a generation too old.

...
Things that could have been better:

More of the Palmers, please! Mr. Palmer looked the part, a big man with bushy black eyebrows, small dark eyes and pale skin. His character, however, was reduced to"man behind newspaper". Charlotte Palmer hardly spoke either, although I did like her relationship with Mrs. Jennings.

Elinor - I found her a bit flat. Her facial expressions seemed to be limited to"concerned" and"wide-eyed in disbelief", and she didn't make the most of her voice, which was rather unvaried and somewhat louder than I'd imagined Elinor to be. I agree with the reviewer who says that they confused"restrained" with"mundane".

Mrs. Dashwood - I clearly missed something, looking at the amount of reviews who consider her the best performance. I found her rather unexpressive, although not particularly bad.

The sex scene at the start - the very first scene is of Willoughby's seduction of young Miss Williams. Apart from not being in keeping with the tone of the novel, it's really disjointed. Nothing more is even heard about the seduction until at least episode 2. If you only saw episode 1, you'd be really puzzled about who exactly was getting it on with whom at the start.

The lack of original dialogue - and the replacement doesn't really sparkle.
....

Overall, I quite enjoyed it but for me, this adaptation is more something to watch on TV in three episodes when it's on, rather than rent out and sit down and watch all in one go. I did enjoy it slightly more than the Emma Thompson version though. It was more relatable, less 'period drama'. However, I don't think either version captures the sparkling finesse of the book.

very poor adaptation

I agree with all the reviewers who do not appreciate it. Bad performances, especially that of the main character, who stammer too much for one supposed to be a reliable , resolute woman. Unwatchable the scene where she run up and down Bath!!! Appalling clothes!! Penry-Jones is the only reason for I did not switched off the telly: he is handsome and touching in his performance(though I prefer Ciaran Hinds), BUT he is a sailor and his completion appear to be too fair and delicate for one supposed to have fight war and sea!

Unforgettabe Masterpieces Finally on DVD

Bill Douglas (1934-91) only made 4 films in his career, and the Trilogy forms the core of his oeuvre. Based on his own upbringing in dire poverty in a mining village just outside Edinburgh in the 1940s and 50s, they do not make for easy viewing. But kitchen sink realism a la Loach and Leigh they are not: these are poetic films, and can stand with the best of world cinema. Filtered through Douglas's memory, they are unsentimental, at times bleak and brutal, but always compassionate; rather than narratives, they are more like poems. Poetic cinema is rare enough in Britain, which seems to be embarrassed by such things, and these three films are powerful enough to be remembered by the body as much as the memory. Bill Douglas had a unique vision, and the Trilogy, once seen, will stay with you for A very long time, and can stand up to repeated viewings, each time giving you something new. They are almost totally unique in British cinema, but rather than lament, we should give thanks that at least Douglas managed to make 4 films - all masterpieces (the other being the 3 hour epic Comrades).

The transfers appear to be very good, and the booklet contains a number of essays about the films. Disc Two contains Douglas's London Film School graduation film, Come Dancing, in which his mature style was first evident, as well as a short interview about the Trilogy from 1980, and Andy Kimpton-Nye's 2006 documentary about Douglas's life and work.

I can't recommend these films higly enough. Bill Douglas is a forgotten genius of British cinema, and let's hope this excellent release does something to bring him back to some kind of visibility.

OZ Gets A Little Strange

After the double length fourth season its understandable this season took a bit of a hit. This has been described by many as the point oz took its dive. The highlight of the season is the musical episode which sees augustus hill's monologes replaced by ironic songs by characters.

The violence in this season is also increased.
Still worth a watch for oz fans everywhere.

PINE BARRENS

"So," Tony asks Dr. Melfi in the wake of not-so-dearly-departed Livia's death,"we're probably done here, right?"
Sorry, Tone, not by a long shot. Unresolved mother issues are the least of the Family man's troubles in the brutal and controversial third season of The Sopranos. There are some major plot developments in this third (and best) season. Starting off slowly, the first episode chronicles the synchronized, often comical efforts of the FBI, which is trying to get an electronic surveillance bug in place in the Soprano's household with a'Police' song playing in the background...."Every breath you take, every move you make, I'll be watching you...."


Livia Soprano's death brings daughter Janice back from where she had fled, after she had bumped off her manic boyfriend, Richie Aprile, last season. Janice returns with a narcoleptic, musician boyfriend who is the antithesis of Richie. As always, Janice likes to stir up trouble, and her mother Livia's wake and funeral services are fertile country for her new machinations and self-importance. When she tries to stir up trouble with Livia's one legged, Russian caregiver, which leaves the caregiver searching for her missing prosthetic leg, however, Janice soon discovers that she has gone too far, and her chickens come home to roost with a vengeance.


Meadow Soprano, a college student, gets a new boyfriend, Noah Tannenbaum. He is handsome, intelligent, and articulate, and Tony hates him on the spot for reasons the viewer will quickly discern, as Tony pulls no punches with Noah. This will create a certain amount of tension between father and daughter, and an estrangement ensues. When Noah breaks her heart, Jackie Aprile, Jr. is waiting in the wings with her parent's blessing, and Meadow goes from the frying pan into the fire.


AJ Soprano, (Jr), the angst ridden teenager, who has turned out to be an unexpected gridiron wonder, is also sowing his wild oats, getting himself in deep trouble at school, much to his parents' anger and dismay. When Anthony, Jr. continues in this vein, there is a big surprise in store for him, causing him to undergo a major life change. He is not, however, the only Soprano family member to do so.


Tony finds himself head over heels with Gloria (Annabelle Sciorccio), a Mercedes car salesperson, Gloria, the new light of Tony's life, is gorgeous, passionate, and a totally loose cannon. She will cause quite a bit of conflict for Tony as their affair heats up, as Gloria likes to fight fire with fire. Gloria has to watch out that she, herself, does not get burned.


Carmela finds her thoughts increasingly absorbed by Tony's henchman, Furio, the sexy, pony tailed Italian. The problem is that Furio, too, is experiencing deep feelings for Tony's wife, a situation that can only become increasingly dangerous for all concerned. How Furio and Carmela handle their feelings and resolve this potentially dangerous development is of great interest.



Employee of the Month," in which Dr. Melfi is raped and considers whether to exact revenge by telling Tony of her attack, earned Emmys for its writers, and is perhaps Emmy nominee Lorraine Bracco's finest hour. The darkly comic"Pine Barrens"--another memorable episode, directed by Steve Buscemi--strands Paulie (Tony Sirico) and Christopher (Michael Imperioli) in the forest with a runaway corpse. Other story arcs concern the rise of the seriously unstable Ralph Cifaretto (Joe Pantoliano) and Tony's affair with"full-blown loop-de-loo" Gloria (Emmy nominee Annabella Sciorra). Plus, there is Tony's estrangement from daughter Meadow (Jamie Lynn Sigler), his wayward delinquent son Anthony, Jr. (Robert Iler), Carmela's crisis of conscience, bad seed Jackie Jr., and the FBI--which, as the season ends, assigns an undercover agent to befriend an unwitting figure in the Soprano family's orbit.


The darkly comic"Pine Barrens" is where Tony sends a resentful Paulie"Walnuts", accompanied by Christopher, on a mission that should have been that of another, Christopher sees an unexpected side of Paulie. When the mission, involving a member of the Russian mob, goes bad at the hands of an angry Paulie, Christopher discovers that Paulie may not be as stand up a guy as Christopher thought. While this is a terrific episode, very funny in a macabre sort of way, it also cleverly sets up Paulie in a new light for future developments. This particular episode, one of my favorites, is a feather in the cap of actor Stephen Buscemi, who directed it.

Definitive

Wow.

Just as Branagh trumped Olivier's version of Henry V, so he does it again, this time producing the definitive screen Hamlet.

There are flaws, admittedly, so lets get them out of the way. There is some dodgy blue-screen work, and a couple of actors are, if we're honest, out of their depth (Jack Lemmon is a fine actor, but Shakespeare does not apparently come easy to him!).

Once you get past these minor quibbles however, you are left with one of the most sumptuous films ever shot. It just looks stunning, and makes the inexcusable wait for a dvd release almost worthwhile! The acting (for the most part!) is breathtaking. The famous scene with Hamlet and Gertrude in her bedroom is one of the most moving I've ever watched, Branagh stripping bare Hamlets grief as he sees his father's ghost."On him, on him". Watch it and weep. The score is spot-on, the sets magnificent, and the script is well, the finest piece of work in English literature.

The finest film version of the greatest playwright's finest work. An unabashed masterpiece.

Depends on how much time you have..

We watched this film knowing very little about it - a bit of a mistake. It's a good story and the acting is very good on all parts. However, It is very long and needlessly so.
If you want an easy watching chill night movie then this isn't it. You need to be alert to follow what's going on and read the subtitles.
The ending was a little disappointing and left us asking a lot of questions.

best season so far

bearing in mind iam watching this show on dvd and not tv , i have as im writing this just finished season 4 and personally think it is the best overall so far though is a slow burner . the best two episodes are :WHOEVER DID THIS and WHITECAPS.
Brilliantly acted dark realistic and disturbing . you need this dvd set in your collection

Still Outshines Most Other TV By Leagues

No one should claim that Season 5 of the West Wing matches up to the highs of the earlier seasons, particularly 1-3. The episodes tend to be slightly more disjointed, occassionally irreverant, and certainly less gripping than those of the West Wing at its peak. As happened towards the end of Season 4, there is an altogether unnecessary tendency to use time jumps within episodes, which can both be confusing and break up the flow of the plot in a rather ineffective way. Also, as mentioned in an earlier review, Kate Harper enters the series as a thoroughly redundant and one dimensional character who cannot hope to match Fitzwallace or Nancy McNally in terms of security advisors.

Nevertheless, as the title says, the flaws still don't prevent the series from outshining the vast majority of other drama series by some distance. The characters remain as brilliantly conceived and performed as ever, and the story lines are still excellent if not so perfectly executed. Never even consider letting the drawbacks prevent you from watching or buying, simply be aware that its not the West Wing at its finest, which is hardly a mighty criticism.

Well I Like It Anyway

I was surprised to see so many negative reviews of this film. I've always enjoyed it, but will admit that it sags a bit towards the end.

I view it in the context of when it was made, and how groundbreaking it was in terms of its budget and scope, and the legends surrounding it. It is really a high class soap opera, but that is not meant as a put down.

It was popular here during the blitz, and I can imagine how people then could identify with Scarlett O'Hara when she returned to a ravaged and ruined Tara. Nobody on film has ever waved a radish as meaningfully as Vivien Leigh, as she vowed to overcome and prosper. Three of the four main players are British, which makes me proud.

The film does depict slavery and racism, but please also know that Hattie McDaniel picked up a supporting role Oscar for her portrayal of Mamie. She was the first African American to win an Accadamy Award. In that respect, the film stands as a powerful symbol of black advancement.

An epic of its time, that is still worth watching today.

Very disappointing

I was really looking forward to watching this film and thus was extremely disappointed when served up with this rubbish. The acting is wooden, the plot dull and the film boring, with limited action. The best bit of the film was the end credits (and the laughable accent of the blind sage - although it was not meant to be funny it did make me laugh aloud in the cinema!!)

It is a poor blockbuster/action movie and one to avoid. In a sense i am angry that i had to endure this film as it wasted my time and money!! Furthermore it makes no sense historically or geographically and so it is not even worth anything in an educational sense ('The flintstones' is probably more historically accurate!!)

I am neither simple or disillusional as some of the five star raters would suggest - in fact i would question their judgement and taste in films. I find it unbelievable that anyone could give such a dumb film a top rating.

see it on TV - been waiting for DVD

I thoroughly enjoyed this second season. The other review is nothing to do with the series itself but his inability to read what region the DVD is which is clearly stated on all adverts.

GREAT FUN

Have not read the book so cannot make any comparisons but have now seen the film twice and enjoyed it even more on the second viewing. If only all narrow minded and bigoted people were that easily converted life would be much easier! The cast seems just perfect to me with everyone having fun in their role. Can imagine that I will be watching it again one day.

NCIS' Best Season Yet!

If you've seen all three previous seasons of NCIS, you'll know just how great it is, take that and add more action, more suprises, more intrique and mystery, and more humour, and you've got season 4.
Throughout season 4, Tony falls in love with a woman named Jeanne, Gibbs returns from Mexico and rejoins his team, Ziva's new love is short lived, Jenny leads the investigation into an illegal arms dealer, and Tony sings!
You won't be disappointed with another 24 episodes of brilliant NCIS, now just waiting for season 5.