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Average customer rating:

Relive the terror of 9/11 again and again!
Well balanced film
Good, but doesn't come close to the 50's version...
War of the Worlds
Great Movie

War of the Worlds (Widescreen Edition)
Starring: Tom Cruise , Dakota Fanning , Miranda Otto , Justin Chatwin , and Tim Robbins
Director: Steven Spielberg
Manufacturer: Dreamworks Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B00005JNTI
Release Date: 2005-11-22

Amazon.com

Despite super effects, a huge budget, and the cinematic pedigree of alien-happy Steven Spielberg, this take on H.G. Wells's novel is basically a horror film packaged as a sci-fi thrill ride. Instead of a mad slasher, however, Spielberg (along with writers Josh Friedman & David Koepp) utilizes aliens hell-bent on quickly destroying humanity, and the terrifying results that prey upon adult fears, especially in the post-9/11 world. The realistic results could be a new genre, the grim popcorn thriller; often you feel like you're watching Schindler's List more than Spielberg's other thrill-machine movies (Jaws, Jurassic Park). The film centers on Ray Ferrier, a divorced father (Tom Cruise, oh so comfortable) who witnesses one giant craft destroy his New Jersey town and soon is on the road with his teen son (Justin Chatwin) and preteen daughter (Dakota Fanning) in tow, trying to keep ahead of the invasion. The film is, of course, impeccably designed and produced by Spielberg's usual crew of A-class talent. The aliens are genuinely scary, even when the film--like the novel--spends a good chunk of time in a basement. Readers of the book (or viewers of the deft 1953 adaptation) will note the variation of whom and how the aliens come to Earth, which poses some logistical problems. The film opens and closes with narration from the novel read by Morgan Freeman, but Spielberg could have adapted Orson Welles's words from the famous Halloween Eve 1938 radio broadcast: "We couldn't soap all your windows and steal all your garden gates by tomorrow night, so we did the best next thing: we annihilated the world." --Doug Thomas

War of the Worlds at Amazon.com

The Soundtrack
The War of the Worlds (1953)
War of the Worlds - The Complete First Season (TV series)

Classic Sci-Fi Movies and Their Remakes
Aliens Invade on DVD
The Prog-rock Opera (no kidding)

Customer Reviews:

Relive the terror of 9/11 again and again!.......2007-06-12

I think this movie is ABOUT September 11th. It isn't just drawing on the imagery or providing a parallel to the political situation [as you might find in Episode III or Batman Begins], I think this movie is a full-on processing of 9/11, in the only way you can currently make a movie about 9/11: using metaphor and indirection.

Certain elements are directly parallel: from visuals of buildings collapsing, airplanes fallen from the sky, walls lined with "missing" posters, and especially the snowfall of ash and clothes that occurs during several scenes, to thematic elements, such as the question of whether it is preferable to seek revenge although it would mean more deaths, or simply to attempt to survive in the aftermath. There is talk about how an "occupation never works," and Tom's son is doing a paper on the French occupation of Algeria. Later in the film, Tom has to try to convince his son not to join the Army, as it would be throwing his life away in a pointless war. Yep, you got 9/11, and it's right there on your movie screen.

I happened to be on vacation the week of 9/11, returning five days after the attack, while the rubble was still burning. I didn't see the attack in person, but I saw the walls of "missing" posters, precisely as depicted in this film. You could literally feel the psychic tension increase the closer you came to downtown. Me and several of my friends reported suddenly bouts of crying happening at least once an hour. I worked in a building nearby that summer, and saw the pile of rubble from the towers that looked just like a big dump--until I saw a tiny person at the base of that pile, and realized that that pile of rubble was at least 10 stories high. I watched the attacks on television as they happened. The amazing thing was that they looked SO MUCH like special effects. I had no idea that the special effects I had been watching were so realistic! I had to turn off the TV after a very short time, because the more I watched it, the less real it became. One of the few moments that seemed real was when the second tower was collapsing, but the news commentator, possibly because of some technological delay, wasn't commenting on it yet.

As I watched War of the Worlds, I kept thinking "Why would someone, especially anyone who was in New York around 9/11, want to watch this?" I think the answer comes in the form of one of Hitchcock's cardinal rules for creating suspense: that the audience should identify with the main characters--but not too much. He believed that it is crucial that the audience remain aware, on some level, that they are sitting safely in an auditorium watching a movie. The incredibly intense experience of watching imagery so familiar from the 9/11 while safely eating popcorn in an air-conditioned movie theater is powerfully cathartic. It allows us New Yorkers a way to process the terror and confusion we felt--from a safe distance.

When I was a video clerk at a Borders Books and Music store, I remember looking at a video that included the famous footage of the Kennedy assassination. The copy on the back of the box said something to the effect of: "Relive the horror of that terrible tragedy again and again!"

I thought this movie was incredible. The sheer precision of the direction was amazing. As I was watching it, it occurred to me that Spielberg truly is heir to Hitchcock in terms of his skill at telling a story by purely visual means, the economy and efficiency of his shots and editing, and how he is able to make a story exciting almost entirely through technique. That this story involves the inclusion of several very complex effects only makes his technical achievement that much greater.

Spielberg very cannily keeps his special effects--and these are the very best special effects money can buy--in the periphery of most shots, which very effectively ups their realism and the sense of their integration with the characters. For example, one shot shows Cruise looking up, while we see the approaching alien ship reflected in the windshield of the car next to him. Contrast this to something like The Day After Tomorrow, in which you have the special effects shots and the character reaction shots, which are usually two very separate things.

Many reviewers have picked out the mysterious fact that the one car Tom picks out magically works, when all of the others don't. Upon seeing this movie again, I see that there is an explanation for this. That is the car that Tom suggested a way to fix to the mechanic, and presumably the mechanic fixed it while the first tripod was appearing. This also explains why Tom knew to go right to that particular car. It's almost charming that Spielberg thinks that most people will be paying attention to this, particularly when distracted by mass scale destruction! Nevertheless, this doesn't explain the miraculous way the car survives without a scratch when a jet airliner crashes and destroys and entire neighborhood.

One of the sequences I have seen derided as being lugubrious or somewhat pointless is the scenes in which Tom and Dakota hole up in the basement with Tim Robbins. Sure, Tim may be getting a little comfortable in his nutso basement dweller routine, but I think that this section contains THE most critical content of the movie, and that is its critique of the way politics have played out in the post-9/11 world. Outraged that the aliens should DARE to attack humans [it's just not right!], Tim, with his single shotgun, is under the delusion that the humans can rise up and show these aliens a thing or two. He has no plan except for the righteousness of his desire to stand up. Tom has to stop him, as he knows that if Tim makes a sound, he [and Tom and his daughter] will be instantly killed. Not to mention that it wouldn't accomplish anything. I think this creates a fairly compelling parallel with the 9/11 attacks and the Iraq war... How many of us, if we could go back, wish we could choose not to pursue a course of senseless retaliation that has done nothing but destroy a country and kill more than 1,500 of our troops? At least the Tim character, in the movie, wants to retaliate against someone who actually attacked him.

Many of my favorite critics have lauded the technique of this film, but ultimately decided that it is minor Spielberg. I disagree. I think this is major Spielberg in virtually every sense. If you buy into my 9/11 interpretation, it is an important film. It is certainly an emotionally powerful film and a technically masterful film. It has been quite a while since I have been so completely overwhelmed by a movie. In allowing viewers to reprocess the terror and confusion of 9/11 from the safety of their seats, and placing it within a context that can be thought about without the crazed emotional outbursts that prevent the real issues that arise from the attacks from being discussed, it's almost as though he has delivered us a nationwide therapy session.

Well balanced film.......2007-06-08

Despite being a tom cruise movie with Mr. Spielberg at the helm this is a good movie.

I've read the book and always loved an 'alien invasion' story but I was afraid that this would become a 'how long until the next explosion' kind of film.

This is not the case and even tough the film ends in a too abrupt way I still recommed it.

Good, but doesn't come close to the 50's version..........2007-05-23

I remember awhile back, when I first heard that Steven Spielberg was going to do a remake (or new version) of one of my favorite books and movie versions of all time. While I can hardly remember reading the book and its details and differences, I do remember it firing my imagination as a youth. In that youth, I also remember the brilliant, though campy at times, special effects, adventure, and genuine excellence of the 1953 version, and the latter has always been one of my all time favorite sci-fi films, long past, or near future.

I wondered long before this hit theaters, let alone DVD, why exactly Steven Spielberg was trying to make a better, let alone updated movie version when the 50's one is near about perfect? Why remake, in any form, or however different, an almost flawless previous version? Could Steven pull it off, if anyone? Could over 50 years passing advances in CGI and special effects, possibly be better than the original movie? The answers, for the most part, are no.

Spielberg hasn't made a decent sci-fi/fantasy picture since "Jurassic Park, " in my view, and the things I did not like about his "AI" and "Minority Report" efforts, are all over this, and make the film more of a glimpse into what special effects (and great music by John Williams as always) can come up with, than a compelling film experience. Or any type of validation of Steven as one capable of making a decent sci-fi/fantasy anymore, without super budgets which, for all the eye candy this version offers at times, is hollow and very slow at times. And which, in the final analysis, pales in comparison to the 50's movie.

In the 1953 version, the story and characters were all rather simplified compared to the book, but it was all told in a purely linear and easily understandable way. It immediately started and continued without any of the unnecessary fanfare and pretty much useless character development seen in this version. The original was years/decades ahead of its time. This version seems contrived and confusing in many parts and seems to lay an uncomfortable, temporal "post 9-11" paranoia upon the whole, which detracts from what made the book so memorable, and takes a lot of the pure "fun" out of the first and only truly great movie version.

In the 50's flick, we are well into the story very quickly. In Spielberg's version, extreme concentration is first put into getting to know divorced, blue-collar Tom Cruise's life and quirks, as well as that of introducing us to his situation in life and his relationship with his ex-wife (and boyfriend), his kids (who he just so happens to have custody over "for the weekend" when the aliens decide to arise and attack), and it really just drags and isn't believable. Cruise's character from the start just seems so carefree and irresponsible, that it makes one almost not really care whether he's victorious in the end or not. And his kids at the very beginning seem unlikely to recognize his authority, let alone his capability to lead them through an alien invasion nightmare. In short, before ANY special effects of note appear, the movie has already dragged and we wind up impatient for the expensive CGI.

While some of the computer generated imagery is indeed outstanding, it lacks imagination, and a lot of it seems to be shot in black and white or faded color, unlike the original, which if nothing else was and remains one the most colorful and beautiful films ever. Spielberg has used this "technique" before, especially in "AI" and "Minority Report" as well as "Schindler's List," but it just doesn't work here. One wonders by the end whether this was intentional or not, but with all the reported money spent on this, I would've loved to see a FULL-COLOR version. This is drab in comparison to the original movie version, and I really don't understand this "technique" when so overdone. Any film technique as such, witness Spielberg's over-indulgence with the shaky, cinema-verite in "Saving Private Ryan," shouldn't occur throughout a movie, because it eventually grows tiresome to the viewer, and is unnecessary.

I guess it's just impossible for someone like me who enjoyed the 50's version so much, to approach this with anything less than disappointment. This is much more like the Mel Gibson film, "Signs" than it is anything else, and sacrifices possibly awe-inspiring direction and special effects for just too much character development for characters in this which we really never care about. It more resembles a "horror" film than anything truly sci-fi, and every time we really want to SEE the alien ships and the aliens themselves, we are left with B&W or faded color, dark and very slow-paced scenes concentrating on an uninteresting side-story to what the whole world is going through.

A lot of the effects are first-rate, and you can see where a lot of the money went in creating this, but again, why not just go for broke and utilize COLOR film? Why the constantly annoying, needless dull images which begin to take the characteristics of gimmicky filmmaking, than anything approaching artistic license? Why concentrate so much of the movie to the purely personal experiences of one person, and his bratty son and (constantly screaming) daughter, when this is "WAR OF THE WORLDS?!"

Some of the greater, global effects of the alien invasion are dealt with later, but the film's major flaw is setting up most of the movie as more about Tom Cruise's character and kids, as rather isolated examples, even though we see countless others vaporized by the ET. And Cruise's character is never really all that believable, let alone one which we can truly root for in the end. In the 50's version, we actually see "the planet" trying to take on these nasty folks from outer space, in various scenes involving infantry, guns, tanks, and jets, and eventually the dropping of "the bomb." Here, almost none of that is shown, except on the side, and Cruise eventually seems to succeed with a simple hand grenade in liberating his daughter from abduction/captivity. What happened to the BOMB? None of this is mentioned, even though if this is supposed to take place in more modern times, the world has a 1000 times more firepower.

This is a half-decent movie over all, but is too inconsistent and focuses on the wrong people, places, and things throughout. While I have seen the great original 50's version dozens of times (and I suggest y'all buy THAT instead of this), this just isn't interesting enough for that type of loyalty and repeated, often repeated viewings. There are some really good parts in this movie, but overall, it never rises anywhere close to the quality and originality and execution of the 1953 version. And even the good parts of Spielberg's version make one wonder really, where did all the budget go to anyway?

Ah yes, the director's pockets most likely. Disappointly seeming more of a vanity project from a multi-multi millionaire who has seeming lost his ability to really challenge and enchant (see Close Encounters, ET, or the already mentioned Jurassic Park), like with "AI" and "Minority Report," this is another Spielberg sci-fi/fantasy flick gone bad. Not that it's all that bad. It has its moments. But while the original threw us right into the action and adventure from the beginning to the end, this version should've been re-written and re-filmed into something a lot more compelling, especially considering the 50 plus year gap between the classic and this misfire.

Unless you haven't seen the original (also available on DVD and a much wiser buy), or are a Spielberg fanatic or collector, this is a rental at best. If you love it and are blown away, go ahead and dole out the cash, but I can hardly imagine anyone loving this in the first place, as it is contrived and uninvolving mostly throughout. And the special effects are more "disaster" movie kind and dark and faded, when they needn't have been. This DVD version also has virtually no extras, when they could've easily included a LOT.

Guess all that was saved for some "special collectors edition" or something, where Steven could pocket a few more bucks, but the movie itself should be the star of any DVD, and the film just doesn't add up to something one would want to watch repeatedly. Let alone shell out money for desperately needed, almost non-existent extras, deleted scenes, etc.

Another curious sci-fi/fantasy misfire for the most part, from a director who seems to have lost his touch in the genre, for a long time. The music and a few scattered special effects save this in the end from just being really bad, but it could've been a lot better with a bit more forethought as to story, characters, and filmic techniques. And the 50's version was and remains the definitive and by far the best rendering of the novel, this a distant and for the most part unenjoyable remake.

War of the Worlds.......2007-05-15

I don't care for science fiction movies, but this one is really good. I have watched it over ten times. I recommend this to anyone over the age of 15, because it could scare smaller children.

Great Movie.......2007-05-13

My family loved it. I highly recommend seeing on a widescreen if you missed it at the theater.

Average customer rating:

Cruise nude
All The Right Moves DVD
escaping the small town blues
Great Movie
Tom's star rises

All the Right Moves
Starring: Victor Arnold , Walter Briggs , Paul Carafotes , Charles Cioffi , and Sandy Faison
Director: Michael Chapman
Manufacturer: 20th Century Fox
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ASIN: B00005JKVC
Release Date: 2002-03-05

Product Description

Sef (Tom Cruise) is determined to leave the sleepy Pennsylvania mining town of Ampipe where he is growing up. An exceptional athlete, Sef sees football as his ticket out. His pursuit of a scholarship, however, brings him at odds with his combative coach (Craig T. Nelson). While rebelling against his coach and his town, Sef takes up with Lisa Litski (Lea Thompson), an attractive schoolmate and talented saxophone player.Tom Cruise graduated to leading man status with this film, one of many early 1980s pictures with strong teen identities. His sexy, defiant presence carries the film. First time director Michael Chapman (cinematographer of TAXI DRIVER and many other films) proves himself especially adept in capturing the intense football sequences.

Format: DVD MOVIE

Amazon.com

Most films about high school football players usually fall into one of two categories: glossy jock romance or locker-room sex farce. This one defies the odds and scores both as decent character study and decidedly unsentimental sports melodrama. It's not only a helluva coming-of-age yarn, but also, like Paul Newman's Slapshot, it's a bracing look at the hopes and dreams of blue-collar survivors. Tom Cruise plays a mill-town football star determined to escape the same traps that ensnared his parents. Craig T. Nelson, in a terrific villain role, is the coach who takes revenge when Cruise's ambitions drift a little too close to home. Michael Chapman, Martin Scorsese's favorite cinematographer, made his directorial debut with this gritty little winner, which benefits from being shot on location in Johnstown, Pennsylvania, and which is set to a great Jennifer Warnes-Chris Thompson theme song. Lea Thompson and Christopher Penn co-star. In 1983, another Cruise vehicle had even better moves: Risky Business. --Glenn Lovell

Customer Reviews:

Cruise nude.......2007-07-03

is it true that you can see his you know what in this movie because i have seen the movie twice and did not see it.

All The Right Moves DVD.......2007-01-15

I bought this DVD for my husband for Christmas, He loves it and watches it frequently. Great price.

escaping the small town blues.......2006-10-06

I think many of us can relate to feeling trapped by our geography and those around us, and the need to rise above it all. But what really makes this movie shine is the acting, including the tough coach, Bosco (the world's oldest teenager), the down and out brother, even the best friend (who almost made it out of town). Not to mention a happy ending!

Great Movie.......2006-01-24

This movie really is a great watch. I would have to disagree that Risky Business is the better flick. Risky is very unrealistic and can be drab at times.
Yes, working in a steel mill (its not a factory, people) is not a great place to work, but before the 80's steel mills paid the bills for a lot of Western Pa's workers. What this movie portrays is the fall of the steel mills that can really be appreciated by the people who grew up in Johnstown. Unfortunately, this movie is all to realistic. Yes, the majority of people from this area have no other means to attend college. It is a very poor town and without our steel mills it has become a city in distress. It is nearly impossible for residents to get a part-time minimum wage job that only pays $5.15 an hour. It is downright unachievable to pay college when loans only cover 30% for the first year of college. How is a person to pay for the other 70% without a scholorship? I know a lot of people from this area that are "stuck" in the city and that live in poverty. Some people that do leave the area far too often have to return to their parent's poverty stricken home because of finacial problems.
This movie is very entertaining and a must see. The actors are very likeable and do a great job portraying what Johnstown was really like. Football is by-far more more supported than other sports and extra-curricular activities in Johnstown. The ending is not laughable, but it will put a smile on your face that there is a happy ending to Tom Cruise's character.

Tom's star rises.......2005-12-03

All The Right Moves was the film that discovered Tom Cruise.

Tom plays a high school football superstar looking to get out of his steel mill town via a college scholarship.

Craig T Nelson plays his coach. (This was before he was TV's Coach!) He also thinks a winning team could get him a job at a college.

Lea Thompson hadn't gone Back to the Future yet, but plays Tom's girl.

The movie is light weight but still fun to watch.

A must have for all Tom Cruise fans.

DVD EXTRAS: None

Average customer rating:

Relive the terror of 9/11 again and again!
Well balanced film
Good, but doesn't come close to the 50's version...
War of the Worlds
Great Movie

War of the Worlds (Full Screen Edition)
Starring: Tom Cruise , Dakota Fanning , Miranda Otto , Justin Chatwin , and Tim Robbins
Director: Steven Spielberg
Manufacturer: Dreamworks Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Action & Adventure | Genres | DVD | Video

Sci-Fi Action | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Genres | DVD | Video

General | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Genres | DVD | Video

Alien Invasion | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Genres | DVD | Video

Aliens | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Genres | DVD | Video

( W ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video
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ASIN: B000BCDV6C
Release Date: 2005-11-22

Amazon.com

Customer Reviews:

Relive the terror of 9/11 again and again!.......2007-06-12

Well balanced film.......2007-06-08

Good, but doesn't come close to the 50's version..........2007-05-23

War of the Worlds.......2007-05-15

I don't care for science fiction movies, but this one is really good. I have watched it over ten times. I recommend this to anyone over the age of 15, because it could scare smaller children.

Great Movie.......2007-05-13

My family loved it. I highly recommend seeing on a widescreen if you missed it at the theater.

War of the Worlds (Widescreen Two-Disc Special Edition)

Average customer rating:

Relive the terror of 9/11 again and again!
Well balanced film
Good, but doesn't come close to the 50's version...
War of the Worlds
Great Movie

War of the Worlds (Widescreen Two-Disc Special Edition)
Starring: Tom Cruise , Dakota Fanning , Miranda Otto , Justin Chatwin , and Tim Robbins
Director: Steven Spielberg
Manufacturer: Dreamworks Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B000BD88YQ
Release Date: 2005-11-22

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Customer Reviews:

Relive the terror of 9/11 again and again!.......2007-06-12

Well balanced film.......2007-06-08

Good, but doesn't come close to the 50's version..........2007-05-23

War of the Worlds.......2007-05-15

I don't care for science fiction movies, but this one is really good. I have watched it over ten times. I recommend this to anyone over the age of 15, because it could scare smaller children.

Great Movie.......2007-05-13

My family loved it. I highly recommend seeing on a widescreen if you missed it at the theater.

Adams - Death of Klinghoffer / Randle, Sylvan, Howard, Maltman, Boutros, Melrose, Bickley, LSO

Average customer rating:

A Now Way to View Opera
Propulsive Screen Adaptation of a Politically Charged Opera With Multiple Agendas
Unfortunate changes
wrong genre for such a complex subject
I want these men fired!

Adams - Death of Klinghoffer / Randle, Sylvan, Howard, Maltman, Boutros, Melrose, Bickley, LSO
Starring: Sandford Sylvan , Christopher Maltman , Yvonne Howard , Tom Randle , and Kamel Boutros
Director: Penny Woolcock
Manufacturer: Philips
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

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ASIN: B0000D9R0E
Release Date: 2003-11-11

Customer Reviews:

A Now Way to View Opera.......2006-11-04

This is a riveting production that almost redefines how one can view opera. With the visual boundries between
film, TV and stage blurred (or melded together) the viewer/listener feels an immediate relevance to an event that is within recent history and very much pertinent to world affairs today. Yet, it is still opera. The production is finely performed and convincingly acted with a touch of realism that is unsettling. The only flaw, if there is one, occurs in the sound mix between action and score. Sometimes Adams' music and the fine performers are under balanced. However, this too seems to be part of the plan where the listener feels like a particpant. It's all wonderfully discomforting.

Propulsive Screen Adaptation of a Politically Charged Opera With Multiple Agendas.......2006-07-12

Director Penny Woolcock deserves an immense amount of credit for providing a vibrant, emotionally expansive if not altogether dramatically effective 2003 screen translation of what was likely the last decade's most controversial opera. What began as an elaborate oratorio in 1991 was renowned composer John Adams' highly emotional "The Death of Klinghoffer", a controversial work with even greater political and emotional resonance post-9/11. The story concerns itself with the 1985 hijacking of the cruise ship Achille Lauro by members of the Palestinian Liberation Front. It is related in a series of arias and recitatives by critical participants in the situation - the ship's captain and first officer; the four terrorists; and key passengers who were held captive over three days, in particular, the Klinghoffers who were celebrating their 36th wedding anniversary.

Adams' familiar post-minimalist music turns out to be surprisingly compatible with the true-life story, as the propulsive vocal parts blend well with Alice Goodman's politically charged libretto. Sung off-screen to vivid montages, the beautiful choruses provide effective bridges and a broader context to the immediate drama of the opera, an aspect that was likely left quite abstract when sung onstage. The other powerful dimension Woolcock brings to this adaptation is the use of real locations and archived footage to make relevant the opera's overall abstraction to the viewer. This is a brave move since the political situation suddenly becomes actualized with the film. As it turns out, it is a dramatically smart move given that Woolcock has a strong cinematic sense of the story, for instance, she apparently cut twenty minutes of the music to make the story flow better, repositions powerful solo arias to enhance the characters' interactions, and adds often traumatizing historical footage and faux-news reports to give the story even greater realism. Solely from that standpoint, this may be the best screen adaptation of a major opera I have ever seen.

The biggest challenge of this production, however, is Goodman's libretto, which seems intent on supporting both sides of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. For instance, the opera takes the bold step of putting Israelis and Nazis on the same plain by comparing images of a post-Holocaust concentration camp with those of a mass grave from the 1982 slaughter at the Sabra and Chatila refugee camps. In making such an exerted effort to share the motivation of the terrorists as well as the suffering of the crew and passengers, the drama becomes somewhat diluted by the multiple perspectives. By contrast, look at Paul Greengrass' recent "United 93" for a successful example of shifting varying viewpoints without losing the overall dramatic momentum. Some contend that the opera takes discernible political sides, though I think it's a mistake to brand the work as purely pro-Palestinian since the Klinghoffers are portrayed sympathetically if rather one-dimensionally as people caught in the wrong place at the wrong time. In particular, the execution of husband Leon, paralyzed from a stroke and wheelchair-bound, is shown shockingly as the act of a thug more than that of a political terrorist.

Fortunately, Woolcock has recruited world-class singers who are able to tone down their singing for the cameras. The standouts are baritone Christopher Maltman as the conflicted captain; fellow baritone Leigh Melrose, who makes the macho posturing of the aptly named terrorist, "Rambo", feel palpable; and in the film's only comic moment, soprano Kirsten Blasé, who makes her cowering showgirl a convincing media whore. Surprisingly, the Klinghoffers are not given arias to sing until near the end, but mezzo-soprano Yvonne Howard is dynamic as Marilyn especially as she confronts the captain. Baritone Sanford Sylvan, a familiar Adams regular who played Chou En-Lai in "Nixon in China", has one powerful aria sung as a voiceover to an extended, haunting image of his dead body sinking deeper into the ocean. In another interesting voiceover done to accommodate the original opera's doubling of roles, a non-singing actor, Emil Marwa, plays the most vulnerable terrorist, Omar, while mezzo Susan Bickley sings his inner thoughts. The 2003 DVD has a surprising number of extras for an opera production, including a commentary track from Woolcock and various cast members. The best extra is an interesting making-of documentary, "Filming `The Death of Klinghoffer'", which includes tandem interviews with Adams and Woolcock and goes into the major aspects of putting the challenging production together.

Unfortunate changes.......2006-04-30

In the original opera, Adams and Goodman walked the fine line pretty well. Goodman, being part of the "NY Elite" couldn't help but try to equate the plight of the Palestinians to that of the Jews, which is an absurd apples and oranges comparison, but she definitely held back and because of that, the opera is still enjoyable, even as one wishes for perhaps a bit more history.
The film makes no such attempt--quite the opposite--and thus tips over the line, presenting the situations as if they are mirror-images.
Technically, the film is competent, and the adaptation of Adams music is superb. But as a political statement--which it is, despite hand-waving about "presenting both sides"--it is distorted and thus fails.

wrong genre for such a complex subject.......2006-01-30

Given the overwhelming complexity of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, you really need to approach the Adams-Goodman opera here with complete ignorance as most do.Opera requires ignorance as an integral component for you to understand it,for it simply encourages it as you move through the work. You will not learn much about any conflict,(certainly modern ones) or any historical subject or place from experiencing an opera, for opera its genre has the the habit of clouding,and misleading the listener into its cloistered conservative content.Take any of oper's Greatest Hits and you will find the power exists actually when subjects are dealt with at a distance as in Mozart(Happy Birthday Wolfgang)where his operas basically say "can we live together. . ." I guess that is impossible in the Middle East,and inner city metropolis.Shakespeare also dealt with historical subjects but the power he saw in dramatic stagecraft ultimatly resides in the distanced projections of it, as in Macbeth or Hamlet,not really dealing with the political consequences of real names, dates,and places,He saw that historical subjects can have myths built around/into themselves further clouding their content; tyranny on the stage is simply that and further simplified in the process,corruption, greed, and resulting poverty are simply that the result of some power enforcing itself on innocents. Likewise you will not learn anything about neither Nixon,China or Mao in Adams "Nixon in China". And so Adams-Goodman collaboration have this conceit then that this work can shed some What? emotive light?, can make people have more compassion for each other?, (Marilyn Klinghoffer is going to see the conflict differently now?), that political players can see the error of their ways? with Klinghoffer here was he the victim of the Palestinians or indirectly of Israel's militaristic approach to solving their problems of occupation and security? One will never know. Opera unfortunately also needs victims and evil-doers, so here the evil-doers are given voice, and I suppose the four teenagers who seized the Achille Lauro who were part of the Palestine Liberation Front,( a splinter group from the PLO run by Mohamed Zeidan(Abdul Abbas)) represents the cause for Palestine?, they are the representatives? Nothing could be further from the truth, but this is Opera,so evil is best portrayed when it is mindless,sacrificial an end unto-itself, so who cares, you buy your ticket and you are simply(in this work)are given the typical "mantra" of prejudiced one-sided views found elsewhere in the media- cultural behemoths. I have a problem with choosing political subjects and music or art. The genre in art chosen must give voice to the complexity of the subject,also render sone element of clarity to the subject matter,otherwise you do both a monstrous disservice. Take Picasso's "Guernica" as a metaphor where there the entire history of art is summoned to portray an atrocity, the wounded soldier with a fixed gaze clutching his sword, the "Pieta",mother weeping holding her dead child, the Angel of Illumination or Darkness,or take Peter Eisenman's massive sculptur in Berlin to the victims of the Holocaust,it is as close one can get to experiencing the "void", the opaque loneness of the human spirit or Fernando Botero's series of paintings on the Abu Gharib prison. I think in relation,in comparison you see how shallow,mediocre and vacuous art/opera can be when the concept and musical stagecraft does not come to deal with the complexity of the subject. Opera and this film version is the wrong genre for this subject.

I want these men fired!.......2005-04-05

I was looking forward to watching this DVD, but thanks to incomptent authoring by Miles Tudor and Philip Rowlands, who botched the 16x9 enhancement so that it doesn't work on all players, including mine, producing a painful image that ought to require these men be subjected to Argento Opera meets Space Warriors 2000, for all two of you who get my joke, as the two similarly screwed up L'Elisir d'amore with Angela Gheorghiu and Roberto Alagna. Please make sure this disc is compatible with your player before you buy it.

Average customer rating:

Wooden Acting
A Decidedly Visual Nightmare

War of the Worlds
Starring: Roz Abrams , Gene Barry , David Alan Basche , Michael Brownlee , and Justin Chatwin
Director: Steven Spielberg
Manufacturer: Dreamworks Skg TV
ProductGroup: Video
Binding: VHS Tape

Barry, Gene | ( B ) | Actors & Actresses | VHS | Video

Cruise, Tom | ( C ) | Actors & Actresses | VHS | Video

Otto, Miranda | ( O ) | Actors & Actresses | VHS | Video

Robbins, Tim | ( R ) | Actors & Actresses | VHS | Video

Robinson, Ann | ( R ) | Actors & Actresses | VHS | Video

Walter, Lisa Ann | ( W ) | Actors & Actresses | VHS | Video

Spielberg, Steven | ( S ) | Directors | VHS | Video

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Deals Under $8 | Today's Deals in Video | Features | VHS | Video

Kingdom of Heaven
Crash
The Longest Yard
Mr & Mrs Smith (2005)
Island (2005)

ASIN: B000BCDV6M
Release Date: 2005-11-22

Customer Reviews:

Wooden Acting.......2006-03-16

I found this film ridiculously bad for Tom Cruise to be in. Tom's all right, it's just his movie son and daughter seem unbelieveably bad. I'm not saying acting is easy, especially when you are about 9 and 16, but I thought their acting lacked character, believability and any shred of credibility.

I also didn't find the plot believable what so ever. Just not my type of film I guess.

A Decidedly Visual Nightmare.......2006-03-08

WAR OF THE WORLDS is a bit unnerving and its uneasy feel is precisely what was intentioned. The unknown, especially a foreign and threateningly gruesome and deadly evil unknown is indelibly presented here. Visually many of the images are very disturbing and have a nightmarish quality about them that is almost too real. The performances here match the visual integrity of the nightmare come true. Tom Cruise gives a very low-key performance in his anti-hero becoming a hero in his role as the downtrodden father. Tim Robbins almost steals this movie in a standout performance as a man losing his humanity by events he can't control. The Cruise character seems to constantly evaluate events, regain his control and move on. He gains strength from his struggle and the weakness of the Robbins character. Spielberg and company do an outstanding job here. In all, this film is good. It adds several dimensions over the George Pal film, while ignoring others, yet inimitably stands on its own.

Average customer rating:

An extremely ambitious script!
SHARK HAD NO TEETH!!!!
Not so deep junk
Deep Debt
One of the Worst Movies ever made!

Deep Water
Starring: James Coburn , Costas Mandylor , Finola Hughes , Alex Hyde-White , and Larry Poindexter
Director: John Putch
Manufacturer: 20th Century Fox
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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The Soundtrack	The War of the Worlds (1953)	War of the Worlds - The Complete First Season (TV series)
Classic Sci-Fi Movies and Their Remakes	Aliens Invade on DVD	The Prog-rock Opera (no kidding)