DVD

Average customer rating:

Shallow and Frivolous
Chicago IS jazz hot!
Loved it -- Fantastic Music and Great Cinematography
Great Musical!
Bob Fosse lives on!

Chicago (Widescreen Edition)
Starring: Christine Baranski , Colm Feore , Richard Gere , Catherine Zeta-Jones , and Queen Latifah
Director: Rob Marshall
Manufacturer: Miramax Home Entertainment
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Musicals & Performing Arts | Genres | DVD | Video

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( C ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video

DVDs Under $9.99 | Today's Deals in DVD | Special Features | DVD | Video
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Moulin Rouge! (Two-Disc Collector's Edition)
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ASIN: B00005JLSE
Release Date: 2003-08-19

Amazon.com

Bob Fosse's sexy cynicism still shines in Chicago, a faithful movie adaptation of the choreographer-director's 1975 Broadway musical. Of course the story, all about merry murderesses and tabloid fame, is set in the Roaring '20s, but Chicago reeks of '70s disenchantment--this isn't just Fosse's material, it's his attitude, too. That's probably why the movie's breathless observations on fleeting fame and fickle public taste already seem dated. However, Renée Zellweger and Catherine Zeta-Jones are beautifully matched as Jazz Age vixens, and Richard Gere gleefully sheds his customary cool to belt out a showstopper. (Yes, they all do their own singing and dancing.) Whatever qualms musical purists may have about director Rob Marshall's cut-cut-cut style, the film's sheer exuberance is intoxicating. Given the scarcity of big-screen musicals in the last 25 years, that's a cause for singing, dancing, cheering. And all that jazz. --Robert Horton

Description

Winner of six Academy Awards(R) (2003) including Best Picture, and starring Academy Award nominee (Best Actress, CHICAGO) and Golden Globe winner (Best Actress in a Musical or Comedy, CHICAGO) Renée Zellweger (BRIDGET JONES'S DIARY), Academy Award winner (Best Supporting Actress, CHICAGO) Catherine Zeta-Jones (TRAFFIC), Academy Award nominee (Best Supporting Actress, CHICAGO) Queen Latifah (BRINGING DOWN THE HOUSE), Golden Globe winner (Best Actor in a Musical or Comedy, CHICAGO) Richard Gere (UNFAITHFUL), and Academy Award nominee (Best Supporting Actor, CHICAGO) John C. Reilly (GANGS OF NEW YORK) -- CHICAGO is a dazzling spectacle cheered by audiences and critics alike! At a time when crimes of passion result in celebrity headlines, nightclub sensation Velma Kelly (Zeta-Jones) and spotlight-seeking Roxie Hart (Zellweger) both find themselves sharing space on Chicago's famed Murderess Row! They also share Billy Flynn (Gere), the town's slickest lawyer with a talent for turning notorious defendants into local legends. But in Chicago, there's only room for one legend! Also starring Lucy Liu (CHARLIE'S ANGELS).

Customer Reviews:

Shallow and Frivolous .......2007-06-28

After many years of wanting to see this film, I finally got a chance to view it. I like musicals and loved Moulin Rouge, so I thought I'd give this one a try. However, after viewing, I was a bit puzzled at all the fuss and acclaim this movie received and continues to receive.

Chicago, while visually stunning and artistically impressive (in that the actors did their own singing), is a shallow, cynical, superficial, and unsympathetic story. Most movies rely upon story and plot for their strength; not so Chicago, whose only redeeming quality is the song and dance they put on.

The main problem with the story is that there are virtually no sympathetic main characters. To take that a step further, the main characters are all frauds, and the story's message is shallow. The two somewhat redeeming characters, Roxie's husband and the woman who is hanged, are both pretty much invisible and discarded in the film. Roxie Hart and Velma Kelly are both in jail for murder, and both have hopes and dreams of making it, being a big star, and having people adore them, so they call upon a slimebag attorney, Billy Flynn, to help them out. Roxie and Velma take turns lying and deceiving each other so they can get the fame in Chicago. Roxie openly admits she cheated on her husband, is oblivious to the fact that he's spent his life savings to get her a lawyer, and uses every trick in the book (including pretending that she has an illegitimate child) to ensure that she is the center of the newspaper headlines. Velma is a conceited fame-hungry snob who bribes the prison ward and only sucks up to Roxie when she realizing she is losing the fame war. From here we have a battle over popularity, as the two think of shenanigans to steal the headlines from each other. Who will win out? Who cares.

The message basically projected in this film is that its legitimate to whatever it takes to get ahead in this world--lie, cheat, steal, commit adultery--and, in fact, it might make you a star!

Are we are suppose to root for two back-stabbing, deceitful, murderesses who walk over people just to get their claim to fame all because they can sing and dance? Or how about a double-crossing, pompous, lying, money-hungry lawyer looking for the next damsel charged with murder? No thanks. I say throw them all in jail.

Watching this film, I found it mystifying how so many people and critics could love this movie so much. Granted the story's plot has probably changed from the musical version on stage, but the movie version falls quite short of its glowing reviews. Moreover, how could this film have received six Oscars in 2002? I liken the Oscar committee of 2002 to the gullible Chicago citizens in the film, falling over and swooning at something that puts on a little song and dance. Maybe Chicago was the Academy Award's apology for Moulin Rouge not getting any Oscars the previous year.

If you want to see a musical that is vastly superior, has heart, style and substance, and better acting, see Moulin Rouge.

Chicago IS jazz hot!.......2007-06-08

One of the best musicals of all time. Rapid paced, great story line, great actors, fantastic scenery... I can't say enough about everything this musical has going for it!!! A definite for your collection.

Loved it -- Fantastic Music and Great Cinematography.......2007-05-17

This is one of my very favorite movie musicals. The songs are so great and so much fun!

My favorite part about this movie though, is the way in which it constantly cuts back and forth between simultaneous shots of what the characters are doing in the "movie" version and what they are doing in the "stage" version of the story. It is this symmetrical blending of the two arts that really appeals to me, and the cinematography is very well done.

Catherine Zeta-Jones, Renee Zellweger, Richard Gere, John C. Reilly, and Queen Latifah all put on award-winning performances. I was especially impressed with Gere's and Reilly's performances. (Lucy Liu's small part was nice simply because she is so gorgeous, LOL, but she really is only a brief side character.)

This is the best and most enjoyable stage-musical-to-movie adaptation that I have yet seen, and I highly recommend it. Is it the best movie-musical ever? Probably not, I'd have to vote for The Sound Of Music, but even so, I find myself watching Chicago more often than TSOM. And Moulin Rouge is even funnier than Chicago, but I still love Chicago's songs the best.

Great Musical!.......2007-04-10

This is the musical for people who hate musicals! My kids and I all belt out the words when the songs come--each song is so unique and original. This really is an incredible film--the acting is perfect--I love the casting. Catherine Zeta Jones is so powerful, as is Renee Z. Ruchard Gere is at his best, as well, which was a cool surprise!

Bob Fosse lives on!.......2007-04-02

The dance and music and lyrics of Bob Fosse is still going strong, and it is evident through the big-screen adaptation of "Chicago". Director Rob Marshall stays faithful to Fosse's Broadway intentions, though he does change many things with the way the songs are performed (all songs are sung in reverie settings). Renee Zellweger and Richard Gere are very good when going along with their solos ("They Both Reached for the Gun" is fun and funny), but John C. Reilly, Catherine Zeta-Jones and Queen Latifah steal the show with their dazzling vocals ("Mister Cellophane", "When You're Good to Mama" and "I Can't Do It Alone" are well worth the oscar wins).

This movie is a splendid achievement, and if you don't even like musicals, then you'll probably be surprised at how much you're going to love this film.

Matt and Khym: Better Than Ever (Real People, Real Life, Real Sex series)

Average customer rating:

Beautiful and believable
Tony Comstock is better than ever with his latest glimpse behind the couple's door
Hooray for love!
Utterly Beautiful

Matt and Khym: Better Than Ever (Real People, Real Life, Real Sex series)
Director: Tony Comstock
Manufacturer: Comstock Films
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

Biography | Documentary | Genres | DVD | Video

General | Documentary | Genres | DVD | Video

Languages | Educational | Genres | DVD | Video

General | Fitness & Yoga | Genres | DVD | Video

( M ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video

General | Instructional | Miscellaneous | Styles | Music
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Loving Sex - Sex Around the House
Ashley and Kisha: Finding The Right Fit (Real People, Real Life, Real Sex series)

ASIN: B000NA1NXA
Release Date: 2007-01-03

Product Description

Comstock Films offers a new vision of couples' sexuality in this groundbreaking series of documentary-style features of real-life lovers. Barely out of their teens when they got together, Matt and Khym spent many years generously taking of others instead of concentrating on themselves. Now in their thirties, Matt and Khym have taken the time to rediscover the joys of married life and married sex.

Customer Reviews:

Beautiful and believable.......2007-06-17

This is the first of the Comstock movies I've seen, but it absolutely won't be the last. This really is something different - "documentary" erotica, about a real couple not so different from anyone else.

The first half of the movie features the two talking to a silent, unseen interviewer. They describe their relationship, from the time they met, to their wedding (surprisingly like my own), through years of a complex and full home life. Throughout, they describe the career of their physical relationship at each period. It comes across as happy and a bit ordinary - I like that, it creates a kind of comfort with the couple that I don't have good words for, and teases me into caring about them.

The interview is broken into segments of a few minutes each, interleaved with moments from their bedroom love-making. That seems natural, too, the kinds of activities and positions I've enjoyed rather than bizarre contortions to create some camera angle. The interview ends about halfway through the movie. At that point, the bedroom scene restarts, then plays beyond what we saw in the first half. Because the interview made the two seem more real, my own arousal comes from theirs as if they're sharing it with me - not vicarious or voyeuristic, but friendly.

If you've been put off by adult films in the past, you probably had good reason: negative tone, forced activities and pacing, and people that look like plastic and sound worse. There's none of that here. It's warm, private, and above all happy - and isn't that what a love life should be?

-- wiredweird

Tony Comstock is better than ever with his latest glimpse behind the couple's door.......2007-04-05

Tony Comstock is the creator and master of a new genre of films: explicit couples' sexuality documentaries. Comstock states that "intent to arouse" is often cited as the dividing line between art and porn. Of all the emotions a director might hope to induce in an audience, arousal remains the last taboo, and Tony Comstock takes it head-on.

Matt and Khym: Better Than Ever is an affirmation of married love and sexual exploration. The pair got together in their early twenties, and now after over a decade of marriage, the spark is still there. Comstock's other films feature a porn couple, a hip New York pair, and young gay lovers, so this look at married love is an exiting new angle in his series.

Amazon also carries Comstock titles Marie & Jack (Comstock's first film, with married pornographic actors), and Xana & Dax (an older blonde and her Brazilian lover). I only wished they also carried his first-rate gay male feature Damon & Hunter.

Hooray for love!.......2007-02-19

Matt and Khym are a beautifully sexy, real life couple and I was completely charmed as I listened to them tell their story in the documentary style interview that opens this wonderful film and totally captivated to witness their lovemaking in the erotic scene that followed.

They seem to enjoy themselves in front of the camera in a way that welcomes us as viewers into their intimate life and into their bedroom with a disarming frankness that's become a trademark of Tony Comstock's films. As a result, this lovely film has been welcomed into my own bedroom on a number of occasions!

Not only do Matt and Khym shine and bubble over with a tender enthusiam for each other that seems to make them literally sparkle, but the film itself has the most beautiful lustre. It has a look that lends weight to the idea that love, sex, pleasure and intimacy are indeed important and special and wonderful. With his distinctive style, Tony Comstock has once again cleverly combined visual beauty, sexual heat, genuine chemistry, sympathetic characters and compelling real life stories into an erotic, well crafted film that I'm delighted to recommend.

Matt and Khym: Better Than Ever, just like all the other sexy Comstock Films I've enjoyed, was a real pleasure to watch alone and a great joy to share with a lover. It's sex filmed with grace, style and skill, with respect for the lovers and for the viewer.

Matt and Khym: Better Than Ever shines!

Utterly Beautiful.......2007-02-15

I was so moved and delighted by this DVD that I emailed Tony Comstock to tell him that as soon as I got done watching it. For those who have misgivings about the content or quality of mainstream porn, this offering from Comstock may be just what you're looking for in that it is genuine, heartfelt, and sexy. For those like me who do delve a fair amount into mainstream porn, I recommend Matt and Khym as a magnificent and refreshing testament to how hot the depiction of genuine sex in the context of obvious true love can be. Very highly recommended.

The Constant Gardener (Widescreen Edition)

Average customer rating:

Important Issues underlie this Film, but Lousy Story
the constant gardener
Well-told story, superb mystery, excellent acting
Secrets, Suspicions...and Love
three and a half stars for the DVD

The Constant Gardener (Widescreen Edition)
Starring: Ralph Fiennes , Rachel Weisz , Hubert Koundé , Danny Huston , and Daniele Harford
Director: Fernando Meirelles
Manufacturer: Universal Studios
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Drama | Genres | DVD | Video

Suspense | Mystery & Suspense | Genres | DVD | Video

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ASIN: B000C65Z1G
Release Date: 2006-01-10

Amazon.com

The Constant Gardener is the kind of thriller that hasn't been seen since the 1970s: Smart, politically complex, cinematically adventurous, genuinely thrilling and even heartbreaking. Mild diplomat Justin Quayle (Ralph Fiennes, The English Patient, Schindler's List) has a loose cannon of a wife named Tessa (Rachel Weisz, The Shape of Things, The Mummy), who's digging into the dirty doings of a major pharmaceutical company in Kenya. Her brutal murder forces Justin to continue her investigation down some deadly avenues. This simple plot description doesn't capture the rich texture and slippery, sinuous movement of The Constant Gardener, superbly directed by Fernando Meirelles (Oscar-nominated for his first film, City of God). Shifting back and forth in time, the movie skillfully captures the engaging romance between Justin and Tessa (Fiennes shows considerably more chemistry with Weisz than he had with Jennifer Lopez in Maid in Manhattan) and builds a vivid, gripping, and all-too-justified paranoia. And on top of it all, the movie is beautiful, due to both its incredible shots of the African landscape (which at times is haunting and unearthly) and the gorgeous cinematography. Featuring an all-around excellent cast, including Bill Nighy (Love Actually), Pete Postlethwaite (In the Name of the Father), and Danny Huston (Silver City). --Bret Fetzer

Customer Reviews:

Important Issues underlie this Film, but Lousy Story.......2007-06-07

I was slightly disappointed in this film. It had been recommended to me by a couple different people, and I had been led to believe it was a true story about real African history.

It's not exactly a true story, but the plot does revolve around drug companies using untested drugs on African countries. Which is a real issue. So I guess it's close enough.

The big problem for me is that the film uses that issue to create a sort of suspense thriller. I'm not sure how I feel about that. I have to admit that this film (and the internet researching I did following it) did increase my awareness of the unsavory practices of pharmaceutical companies in the 3rd world, but I did feel that the movie was simply using it as a background to make their suspense story and sappy love story more compelling. And on top of that, it wasn't all that great of a suspense movie.

the constant gardener.......2007-05-14

good product, great movie with excellent actors... one of my favorite movie!

Well-told story, superb mystery, excellent acting.......2007-05-07

This movie possessed a well-developed plot full of surprises up until the very end. The political context of the film gave it some relevance, and gives the viewer something to think about...at the same time, this can't be categorized as a 'message movie', as the message isn't too overbearing.

Highly recommended.

Secrets, Suspicions...and Love.......2007-05-05

I think it is easy to get the wrong idea about this film. It is about so much, and much of it is uncomfortable to watch in many ways. If you focus on what might be considered the 'biggest' aspect of the story, you might just miss what is really important about it.

Part of what makes 'The Constant Gardener' hard to watch is that it is so well done. Shot and edited in a gritty, almost documentary style, I felt like I was watching something that was, in ways, more intimate and more real than I should have been seeing. It's a hard illusion to pull off, but here it is accomplished admirably well. Fine performances by all the actors, and in particular the leads, Ralph Fiennes and the stunning Rachel Weisz in her best role to date, make this a compellingly authentic film, one that is difficult to extract yourself from once you are in it.

On the surface, 'The Constant Gardener' is about Western pharmaceutical companies and the lengths they will go to to get their drugs to market before their competitors. This is an unstated evil in our culture, a secret we all know about but do not speak of, and this film makes a bold stab against it. Ralph Fiennes, as Justin Quayle, spends much of the film following his dead wife's trail, uncovering the dirty deals and dangerous (sometimes fatal) practices of one such company and one particular drug, and it just seems the more he digs, the worse it gets. It portrays well how Western companies abuse the vulnerable state of many African nations, where the people there do not get the medications they need and how big drug companies take advantage of this. This alone makes it a hard movie to watch.

At its core, however, this is not just a political movie with a point to make. At its heart, 'The Constant Gardener' is a moving story of the love between two people. In following the trail of his wife Tessa after her death, Justin revisits his relationship with her. We see how they met and how their love grew, and we see the passionate woman Tessa was -- passionate about many things. On his journey, Justin rediscovers his wife and his love for her, and he discovers just how much she loved him as well. He learns, along the way, how he could have loved her better. The ending, while sad in a sense, is also beautiful and very moving. It's the only way it could have ended to complete its story.

This is a movie about secrets -- political secrets and the secrets of global economies, but also about the intimate secrets lovers keep, between one another and from one another. Though it may seem like a political story on the surface, it is really the story of a passionate love between two people, one which doesn't end even in death. Though it may be uncomfortably intimate at times, in the end it is a beautiful, heartbreaking film, and worth watching more than once.

three and a half stars for the DVD.......2007-05-02

I wanted so much to like this movie; its subject matter is of importance: pharmaceutical companies using Africa as a cheap place to conduct their morally ambiguous drug trials on humans. But the film was trying too hard to be so many things -- it's based on a book by John le Carré so it was marketed as a global political thriller, yet they also wanted it to be this great love story and a documentary too. It wasn't able to pull that ambitious task off.

The film, I can't give any lower than 3 stars. Its salvation is the shots of Africa's landscape and people. And that's the reason I give the DVD three and a half stars. It provides a record of Africa's beauty and grittiness. The DVD also includes the full length of the play in Kibera, the one where they use traditional storytelling techniques to educate people about HIV facts and myths.

Other special features on the DVD:
Deleted Scenes - two of which I think should have been kept in the movie
From Page to the Screen - interview with le Carré about how his book became a movie
Behind the Scenes - the decision to film in Kenya instead of in South America as originally intended
(ironically, the real British High Commissioner in Kenya supported the film crew there!)

The Passion of the Christ (Two-Disc Special Edition)

Average customer rating:

Great Film-Good Story
A Great Film
A snuff film masquerading as a Biblical epic
Review of Passion of Christ Movie (James Caviezel)
Meaningful religious studies

The Passion of the Christ (Two-Disc Special Edition)
Starring: James Caviezel , Maia Morgenstern , Christo Jivkov , Francesco De Vito , and Monica Bellucci
Director: Mel Gibson
Manufacturer: 20th Century Fox
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Drama | Genres | DVD | Video

Religion | Drama | Genres | DVD | Video

General | Special Interests | Genres | DVD | Video

DVDs Under $9.99 | Today's Deals in DVD | Special Features | DVD | Video

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ASIN: B000K7VHJQ
Release Date: 2007-01-30

Amazon.com

After all the controversy and rigorous debate has subsided, Mel Gibson's The Passion of the Christ will remain a force to be reckoned with. In the final analysis, "Gibson's Folly" is an act of personal bravery and commitment on the part of its director, who self-financed this $25-30 million production to preserve his artistic goal of creating the Passion of Christ ("Passion" in this context meaning "suffering") as a quite literal, in-your-face interpretation of the final 12 hours in the life of Jesus, scripted almost directly from the gospels (and spoken in Aramaic and Latin with a relative minimum of subtitles) and presented as a relentless, 126-minute ordeal of torture and crucifixion. For Christians and non-Christians alike, this film does not "entertain," and it's not a film that one can "like" or "dislike" in any conventional sense. (It is also emphatically not a film for children or the weak of heart.) Rather, The Passion is a cinematic experience that serves an almost singular purpose: to show the scourging and death of Jesus Christ in such horrifically graphic detail (with Gibson's own hand pounding the nails in the cross) that even non-believers may feel a twinge of sorrow and culpability in witnessing the final moments of the Son of God, played by Jim Caviezel in a performance that's not so much acting as a willful act of submission, so intense that some will weep not only for Christ, but for Caviezel's unparalleled test of endurance.

Leave it to the intelligentsia to debate the film's alleged anti-Semitic slant; if one judges what is on the screen (so gloriously served by John Debney's score and Caleb Deschanel's cinematography), there is fuel for debate but no obvious malice aforethought; the Jews under Caiaphas are just as guilty as the barbaric Romans who carry out the execution, especially after Gibson excised (from the subtitles, if not the soundtrack) the film's most controversial line of dialogue. If one accepts that Gibson's intentions are sincere, The Passion can be accepted for what it is: a grueling, straightforward (some might say unimaginative) and extremely violent depiction of the Passion, guaranteed to render devout Christians speechless while it intensifies their faith. Non-believers are likely to take a more dispassionate view, and some may resort to ridicule. But one thing remains undebatable: with The Passion of the Christ, Gibson put his money where his mouth is. You can praise or damn him all you want, but you've got to admire his chutzpah. --Jeff Shannon

Customer Reviews:

Great Film-Good Story.......2007-06-26

To start, I am not a religious person. I personally dislike religion in many ways(though I was raised Christian-not a total follower) but I've always found the story of Jesus beautiful and invigorating. I'm not really into the theology of Christianity but I find Mel Gibson's film a very interesting motion picture. Now, I look at 'The Passion' from a critics standpoint because it's redundant and stupid to look it at from a religious perspective; it's a movie! The filmography is top notch and the production value is pretty high. The devotion put into the film like the emotion and the graphic scenes and the fact that the cast speaks different languages is really amazing. I've never bothered to read the Bible but I know enough of it to know that the film is pretty similiar. I've always liked Mel Gibson's more historic films, though I don't really count this as historic because even though it supposively happened, nobody is 100% positive any of it did or was true(the Bible isn't facts, we should all know that by now). As a film, I loved it. I think it's one of the most important films ever made because of it's theme; the theme that a man gave his life for an ideal and something that he and everyone else believed in(kind of like William Wallace). This theme has been used over and over again but in this medium, it touches almost everybody and that's why it's such a moving and damn important picture.

A Great Film.......2007-06-24

To be short and sweet this is how the Passion should have been released in the first place, all the features, a choice between the edited version or not,and I like the cover better.

A snuff film masquerading as a Biblical epic.......2007-05-22

Roger Ebert, whom I respect, gave this film a good review when it was released, and I went to see it based on his recomendation.

Well, I've disagreed with him before.

Nothing in this movie explains what Christ was about. Nothing about the Sermon on the Mount, nothing about what he taught at all. It was all about how he died a gruesome death, an obsession that Gibson puts above everything else.

I noticed in the negative reviews of "The Last Temptation of Christ" that many reviewers expressed enthusiasm for Gibson's film, but hated Scorsese's, which I found a moving examination of what it must have been like for Christ to struggle between the human and divine sides of his nature. (An account based not on the Gospels, as many believed, but upon a thoughtful writer's imagination.) How, after all, can Christ be an inspiring example if he was never tempted by the things all men and women are tempted by?

The "Passion" is perverse.

Review of Passion of Christ Movie (James Caviezel).......2007-05-20

This movie was excellent!! Acting was superb .. directing was outstanding .. I felt as though I was walking through it with all
it's characters .. from beginning to end ..

Meaningful religious studies.......2007-05-13

religion department at my school is pleased to be able to show this re-cut version of the film!

The Passion of the Christ (Widescreen Edition)

Average customer rating:

Not the Jesus I Know...
Jesus Came To Earth to Shed His Blood For Us
Passion of the Christ
He saved us even though we were sinners!!
the passion of the christ

The Passion of the Christ (Widescreen Edition)
Starring: James Caviezel , Maia Morgenstern , Christo Jivkov , Francesco De Vito , and Monica Bellucci
Director: Mel Gibson
Manufacturer: 20th Century Fox
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Drama | Genres | DVD | Video

Religion | Drama | Genres | DVD | Video

General | Special Interests | Genres | DVD | Video

DVDs Under $7.49 | Today's Deals in DVD | Special Features | DVD | Video

( P ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video
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ASIN: B00028HBKM
Release Date: 2004-08-31

Amazon.com

Description

The Passion of the Christ focuses on the last twelve hours of Jesus of Nazareth's life. The film begins in the Garden of Olives where Jesus has gone to pray after the Last Supper. Jesus must resist the temptations of Satan. Betrayed by Judas Iscariot, Jesus is then arrested and taken within the city walls of Jerusalem where leaders of the Pharisees confront him with accusations of blasphemy and his trial results in a condemnation to death.

Customer Reviews:

Not the Jesus I Know..........2007-05-28

I must say that I found this film quite disturbing. Its because I am a Christian and I really hated how this movie was only about the crucifixion of Jesus. It is based more on the Catholic tradition of stages of the cross than any kind of Biblical tradition to be quite honest. Uplifting the gore and the violence of the cross is not about the Christianity that I have come to understand at all!
I would actually give the film zero stars if i had the chance. There is nothing in the movie about the life of Jesus and there is only a three second suggestion of the resurrection of Jesus at the end. In my opinion, the life and resurrection of Jesus is more central to the understanding of Christianity that I have than the crucifixion of Jesus has. I do not skim over the crucifixion of Jesus by any means but my soteriological understanding of that deals more with the fact that Jesus' own actions lead him to the crucifixion by healing on the Sabbath or by not submitting to the powers that were. Forgiveness is something Jesus did in his life, not just in his going to the cross. But he still forgives our sins as a result of his resurrection through his presence among us.

Unfortunately I found more responsible theological reflection in South Parks parodyk, the Passion of the Jew. And I feel like Mel Gibson took advantage of the religious right to make a lot of money with strong attitudes against Jews. I'm sorry that I supported this movie at all.

Jesus Came To Earth to Shed His Blood For Us.......2007-05-27

Jesus came to this earth to die and rise again so that we might have eternal life because He loves us all. Every human being in this world was created by God, and has the right to accept Jesus Christ in their hearts. One religion does not have a monopoly on Him. Being of a certain religion does not make one worthy of eternal life with Christ...only His blood makes us worthy. We can only have eternal life through His blood. There is no other way that we can be saved. We can't go to confession, we can't go to Mass, we can't pray over beads, and we can't take communion to be saved from eternal damnation. That being said, if people watch The Passion of The Christ, and still believe that they can be saved some other way besides through the blood of Christ, then there was no purpose to the movie.
Jesus came to call sinners to repentence. Many of the reviewers claim to be Christians but are going back and forth arguing over whose religion is better, and whose is more historically accurate in their knowledge. So far I have not read where many "lost sinners" claim to have repented of their sins and given their lives to Christ after watching this movie. I watched Jesus of Nazareth in the 70's along with my young children. I then went to Church and gave my life to Christ. I know of other people who were not Christians (some are now ministering the gospel), and after watching Jesus of Nazareth, they gave their lives to Christ.
This is the sort of impact that a spiritual up-lifting movie should have on the world. God loves the world, everyone in the world.

Passion of the Christ.......2007-05-18

What can I say. This is an awesome movie,and difficult to watch. I do not advise that young children watch it. Or those that can not take seeing another in graphic pain. It is profoundly moving and worth the time reaing the subtitles, however this DVD also enables those with Visual Handicaps to enjoy the movie with narration.

He saved us even though we were sinners!!.......2007-05-16

I saw this movie at a theater and was moved. When I bought this item and watched it on Good Friday alone, I wept like I have never wept before. After the movie was finished my head was full of everything, mental and physical. It took me many tissues to remove what this movie had done to me. Christ saved us. He took all our punishment on Himself, which this movie has shown us. If this movie doesn't affect you, I would suggest pleading to God for Him to send down His Grace upon you. Once He does, accept it!

PAX

the passion of the christ.......2007-05-13

the movie was excellent. the characters performance was excellent and i love Mel Gibson

Average customer rating:

Witty and entertaining
oscar wilde was a genius
If you love good dialogue...
Oscar worthy
Absolutely Brilliant!!

An Ideal Husband
Starring: Cate Blanchett , Nancy Carroll (II) , Minnie Driver , Lindsay Duncan , and Charles Edwards (VI)
Manufacturer: Miramax
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Comedy | Genres | DVD | Video

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ASIN: 6305692696
Release Date: 2000-01-18

Amazon.com

For truly clever dialogue and a smartly structured plot, you can't go wrong with Oscar Wilde. Wilde's play An Ideal Husband is not his best known, but this film adaptation has all the wit you could ask for and a cast with the chops to deliver it: Cate Blanchett (Elizabeth, Oscar and Lucinda), Julianne Moore (Short Cuts, Boogie Nights), Minnie Driver (Grosse Pointe Blank, Big Night), Jeremy Northam (The Winslow Boy, Emma), and especially Rupert Everett (My Best Friend's Wedding, A Midsummer Night's Dream), who tosses off perfect epigrams with unflappable aplomb. The plot hinges on Northam, a member of Parliament (the British governing body, not the funk band) with a skeleton in his closet who is blackmailed into a shady business deal by a lady of mystery (Moore), who turns out to be a loathed school chum of the parliamentarian's wife (Blanchett). Everything is resolved happily, but not until after some devious twists of fate, several mistaken identities, lots of comic banter, and much social skewering. Wilde, who came to ruin when his homosexuality was brought to light, has a sharp eye for hypocrisy and the artificial poses demanded by society--but political commentary never gets in the way of a smart laugh. Visually sumptuous and briskly paced, An Ideal Husband will satisfy anyone looking for social satire or romantic comedy. --Bret Fetzer

Description

Sexy leading man Rupert Everett heads an acclaimed all-star cast in this wonderfully witty story of decadence, romance, and scandal! Sir Robert is a highly respected politician whose spotless reputation is the pride of his beautiful wife (Cate Blanchett ) and adoring sister (Minnie Driver). But when an old acquaintance (Julianne Moore) threatens to reveal a dark secret from Robert's past, only his womanizing party-loving best friend Goring (Everett) is scheming and dishonest enough to come to his aid.

Customer Reviews:

Witty and entertaining.......2007-06-11

This film has several real strenghts, including the witty dialogue by Oscar Wilde, the fine job of acting by the cast, and the beauty of the setting and gowns worn by the three primary actresses.

You have to remain alert while watching and listening to a play by Oscar Wilde as it is full of snappy, sharp dialogue and Rupert Everett is perfect playing a Wilde character. Jeremy Northam and Cate Blanchett also do a great job playing the straight characters in a Wilde dramatic comedy. Julianne Moore does an excellent job playing the role of a villaness. Minnie Driver is the only one of the actors who seems to be having a bit of a challenge with her role. Northam and Blanchett are meant to be the straight pair of lovers whereas Driver and Everett are the comedy pair of lovers. Driver and Everett have a bit of trouble pulling this off and their attraction to each other seems labored and unreal.

The settings are beautiful but the period gowns are over the top.

Underneath all the witty snide dialogue, and the twists and turns of a comedy, there is a morality play nestled in this film. The film is primarily about morals and payment for the sin's of one's past. Sir Robert Chiltern, a rising star in parliment, was once an assistant to a cabinet member. In this position he was able to provide an investor inside information about the Suez Canal. This resulted in his making a vast fortune as part of his bribe. Now, years later, Mrs. Cheveley, is attempting to blackmail him into supporting another canal in Argentina so that she can make a killing with her investment in the scheme.

We see all three of the main actors, Northam, Blanchett, and Everett grow and change as they undergo this ordeal. The film is entertaining.

oscar wilde was a genius.......2007-04-22

Ok, so it's a little British and you actually have to get off the phone and listen to get all the jokes. But the comedy is brilliant, the relationships really matter to you and although I hate Cate Blanchett, even in this movie, don't we all wish Rupert Everett swung our way?? I adore this movie and tend to make even people who don't like british movies sit still and watch it.

If you love good dialogue..........2007-04-09

...This is the movie for you!!

When people ask me what movies I love for just witty dialogue alone, this movie is always up there with Pulp Fiction, Out of Sight, and When Harry Met Sally. I love the language, the delivery, the exquisiteness of each word, each line in this movie! Every actor/actress delivers such grand performances and revels in the pure fun of the language!

I made my fiancé sit down and watch it the other day and even though she had dubious concerns about why I was making her watch the movie, she absolutely loved it!

A true screen gem!

Oscar worthy.......2007-03-24

(I have not read the play nor seen it performed on stage so I didn't miss the features that other reviewers have mentioned.) I found this thoroughly enjorable. Rupert Everett perfectly embodies the paradoxical virtues of Oscar Wilde...the self admitted scoundral who only speaks seriously on Tuesdays from 1 to 3. His total opposite is Gertrude (Blanchett), married to her ideal husband, a man she has placed on a formidably high pedestal of virtue. Naturally, that had to fall and the scoundral saves the day. (Knowing what we do of Wilde's life we can appreciate this theme even more.) Underneath his protestations of superficiality he emerges as the real hero.

That's the theme -- that no one is perfect and that it takes more courage to love an imperfect person than a perfect one. But Wilde doesn't bludgeon us over the head with the message---he delights us with the brilliant dialogue and clever plot. If there were no moral at all, it would still be a delight to watch.

The acting is all very good. Rupert Everett, as everyone has mentioned, seems born to play Wilde. I disagree with those who said there was no chemistry between him and the Minnie Driver character. I thought their scenes together were the most entertaining in the film. She is genuinely funny as well as very beautiful. Blanchett is perfect in her role of the pale, virtuous-to-boredom wife. I thought the only weak link was Julianne Moore, who seemed miscast as the villianess. Perhaps I've seen her in too many "realistic" American roles which she does with such depth of humanity and vulnerability that I had a hard time adjusting to this Julianne. I thought her accent was lacking and she just didn't have the arch quality that such a part demanded. However she carried it off well enough not to spoil the enjoyment of the film. It's definitely fun and worth seeing.

Absolutely Brilliant!!.......2007-02-28

This is one of Oscar Wilde's most entertaining works. The cast is outstanding in every way possible! Rupert Everett can deliver an Oscar Wilde line better than anyone in the business. Minnie Driver is just wonderful and Cate Blanchett is one of the best actresses in movies right now. Jeremy Northam is always charming. What is wonderful about this is that the actors really act. The entertainment is in the lines and how they are delivered without an explosion or explicit scenes of any kind. I don't think we, here in America, can produce better acting or scripts right now. Don't miss this - you'll be quoting it for years!

Average customer rating:

Peyton Place, Maine USA
A lost Art
excellent drama
Sex, frustration and violence ferment under the placid surface of a small New England town...
Good film, so-so Special Features

Peyton Place
Starring: Lana Turner , Lee Philips , Lloyd Nolan , Arthur Kennedy , and Russ Tamblyn
Director: Mark Robson
Manufacturer: 20th Century Fox
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B0000DJZ8Q
Release Date: 2004-03-02

Amazon.com

Nominated for nine Academy Awards in 1957, Peyton Place has become synonymous with torrid soap opera. Though the novel by Grace Metalious is even more sensational, the movie provides plenty of tantalizing story turns--secrets, adultery, rape, bitter parents, frustrated teenagers, suicide, and murder. Multiple storylines deftly interweave: Allison MacKenzie (Diane Varsi), an ambitious young girl struggling with the neurotic fears of her mother (Lana Turner, in a career-reviving performance) and the neurotic fears of the boy she loves (Russ Tamblyn), while her best friend Selena Cross (Hope Lange) fights off the brutal advances of her drunken stepfather. The movie had to sanitize the novel's New England town in order to get some of the more unsavory plot turns past the censors; ironically, the glossy "normal" surface makes these events all the more shocking, paving the way for David Lynch's Blue Velvet and Twin Peaks. --Bret Fetzer

Description

Peyton Place is the sensitive and poignant story of coming of age in a small New England village whose peaceful facade hides love and passion, scandal and hypocrisy.

Customer Reviews:

Peyton Place, Maine USA.......2007-06-12

This film Peyton Place was filmed in Maine, USA. It has very strong subject matter even by todays standards. It mainly is about the incest rape of teen age girl.

A lost Art.......2007-06-10

Peyton Place is one of the classics in movie making. unfortunately a lost art in comparison to today's outrageously horrid form of preserving this art. It stands up on its own as piece displaying fine writing (on its own accord), fine acting, scoring and direction. Those who are not too adversely conditioned by today's movies; who still possess the ability to appreciate the finer things will find this film a gem of the cherished type of movie making that too few of us lone for. I am a philosopher and writer of aphorisms. [...]

excellent drama.......2007-05-17

I always enjoyed this movie when I was quite younger so when it came out in a DVD, I bought it. It is hard to find a good drama these days that has the input of some of the older movies. It is great and my relatives like it too. We have a movie night and and enjoy these movies.

Sex, frustration and violence ferment under the placid surface of a small New England town..........2007-01-11

Mark Robson did a superior job of evoking the feeling of life in a nice place where "time is not measured by the clock or the calendar, but by the seasons." Robson avoids the trashy approach and presents its people in a compassionate light... There are a host of first-rate performances...

The story takes place in the late 1930s and begins as the High School's new principal, Michael Rossi (Lee Philips), arrives in town to assume his duties... In quick succession, many of the town's local inhabitants are introduced...

Constance MacKenzie (Lana Turner) is an attractive widow who owns a dress shop... She runs it efficiently and persists in keeping her teen-aged daughter, Allison (Diane Varsi in her film debut), insulated from the world...

Allison's best friend is Selena Cross (Hope Lange), who lives in a shack on the wrong side of town with her worn-out mother, Constance's housekeeper Betty Field, and her brutal stepfather, Lucas (Arthur Kennedy).

There is also Russ Tamblyn, a sensitive, insecure mother-dominated adolescent; Barry Coy, the arrogant son of the town's biggest tycoon; Terry Moore, the school flirt; David Nelson, the boyfriend of Selena Cross; and Doc Swain (Lloyd Nolan), a well-liked medic... These are the most prominent characters among a large assortment of townspeople whose lives form a pattern of love, hate and destruction...

The first of the narrative's dramatic occasions is set one evening after the high school's Graduation Dance when Ted proposes to Selena and she promises to wait for him to become a successful lawyer...

That night when she returns to her ramshackle home, Selena finds her stepfather, Lucas, alone, drunk, and abusive... He attacks her, as a result of which she becomes pregnant...

Doc Swain immediately confronts Lucas with his crime, obtains a written confession from him and orders the man to leave 'Peyton Place' for good... Later, the doctor is forced to perform an abortion on Selena which he lists officially as an appendectomy...

The plot then shifts to the emotional conflict between school principal Rossi and Constance... Rossi has been making a romantic bid for Constance but she bitterly rejects his love in her continued retreat from any emotional commitment...

When Constance is told by the town gossip that Allison has been swimming in the nude with Russ Tamblyn, she confronts her daughter with the story... An angry scene follows, and the truth is revealed... Chaotic series of events follows...

'Peyton Place' is a scandalous bestseller, one of the first to reveal those nasty secrets of ordinary people... It draws nine Oscar nominations... The motion picture offers an extremely tasteful portrait of an American town, with an intelligent, sensitive concern for its characters... It is a wholly unobjectionable entertainment which retains all of the strong dramatic qualities of the novel..

Good film, so-so Special Features.......2006-06-30

As other reviewers have discussed the film in good detail, I will just say I have always enjoyed Peyton Place. It is one of the few instances where the film rises over the material presented.

However, I found the special features on the DVD to be very disappointing. The extra audio track is Russ Tamblyn and Terry Moore discussing the film (unfortunately most of the other stars are dead, so this is the best they could do). They are obviously not in the same room, so there is no interaction between them. Tamblyn's comments are okay, but Moore is constantly reminding us of the few high points of her so-so career.

The other special feature is the show done by AMC's Hollywood Backstory on the film - and like other Backstory's, overly dwells with sensational tidbits (especially Lana Turner's ordeal when her daughter killed her mob boyfriend).

Get the DVD for a good quality presentation of a favorite film, but not to learn anything substantive about it.

Average customer rating:

Awesome Blu-ray title
IT WILL RAZZLE DAZZLE YOU...
Ersatz

Chicago [Blu-ray]
Starring: Christine Baranski , Colm Feore , Richard Gere , Catherine Zeta-Jones , and Queen Latifah
Director: Rob Marshall
Manufacturer: Miramax
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: Blu-ray

General | Blu-ray | Formats | DVD | Video

Drama | Blu-ray | Formats | DVD | Video

Musicals & Performing Arts | Blu-ray | Formats | DVD | Video
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The Prestige

ASIN: B000KEG94C

Product description

The winner of 6 Academy Awards® (2002) including Best Picture, Chicago seduces like never before on Blu-ray's high definition disc. Starring Catherine Zeta-Jones, Renée Zellweger, Richard Gere and Queen Latifah, this "splashy, sexy, knockout" (Rolling Stone) sizzles in this spectacular new format. After committing crimes of passion, nightclub sensation Velma Kelly and spotlight-seeking Roxie Hart both wind up on Chicago's famed Murderess Row. But with the help of slick, defense lawyer Billy Flynn, these notoriously lethal ladies will soon become local legends! Get more than an eyeful of "razzle dazzle" in jaw-dropping 1080p, and experience every sultry, musical nuance with 5.1 48 kHz, 24-bit uncompressed audio. Set your senses free with Blu-ray™ High Definition.

Customer Reviews:

Awesome Blu-ray title.......2007-01-28

This movie has the BEST audio of any Blu-ray movie, and far better than anything HD-DVD can offer. I don't really like musicals, but I wanted to experience the audio for this film and it was simply amazing, the picture was excellent too. Just make sure you have your HDMI cables hooked up correctly!

IT WILL RAZZLE DAZZLE YOU..........2007-01-21

This is a fantastic musical. From the beautifully designed sets, to the period costumes, to the show-stopping song and dance numbers, it will simply razzle-dazzle the viewer. The director and his singing and dancing troupe of stars simply pull out all the stops in this brilliantly executed musical.

The film, which provides a cynical and satirical look at fame and fortune, centers in nineteen twenties Chicago around two murderesses, Velma Kelly (Catherine Zeta-Jones) and Roxie Hart (Renee Zellweger). Velma, who together with her sister, was a dance hall success, killed her husband and her sister when she caught them together en flagrante delicto. True to the maxim, however, that the show must go on, she goes on stage immediately after dispatching the two lovers, where she is promptly arrested.

Roxie Hart, an admirer of Velma Kelly, is married to Amos Hart (John C. Reilly), a good-hearted, regular Joe, but she longs for tabloid fame and fortune. She begins to have an affair with a man who promises that he could get her a stage gig only to find that he lied just to get her in bed. So, she ends up killing him. Her long suffering husband stands by his little woman as she is trundled off to jail to await trial. There, she meets her idol, Velma Kelly, who finds her hero-worship annoying.

In the jail, Matron "Mama" Morton (Queen Latifah) reigns supreme over the inmates, accepting bribes for favors. Velma Kelly, represented by star defense attorney Billy Flynn (Richard Gere), is in tabloid heaven. Roxie Hart, longing to be in tabloid heaven as well, gets her husband to retain Billy Flynn on her behalf. Before she knows it, she, too, is in tabloid heaven, playing the media like a violin.

The legal profession also gets a cynical slap in the guise of the slimy, fast talking Billy Flynn, who looks for the best selling point rather than for the truth. He understands the thirst of the media for the perfect sound-bite and he gives it to them. Guilty or not guilty, it doesn't matter. What matters to him, as a hired mouthpiece, is the media mileage he can get for his client, as well as for himself. To that end, he is the ventriloquist, and his client is no more than his dummy.

The razzle-dazzle musical numbers move the story along. Catherine Zeta-Jones is terrific, looking impossibly beautiful and showing off her musical theatre background to great advantage with "All That Jazz" and "Cell Block Tango". Queen Latifah is outstanding as the sly and voracious Mama Morton, who goes whichever way the wind is blowing. She also has a show-stopping musical number, "When You're Good To Mama" that is simply memorable. Renee Zellweger, though not a professional singer or dancer, shows that she can sing and dance with the best of them.

The men also shine in this musical. John C. Reilly, as Roxie's long-suffering husband, also has a terrific number, "Mister Cellophane", that is truly heart rending and poignant, as well as metaphoric. Richard Gere gamely rises to the occasion in his first musical, making the slick Billy Flynn character an integral part of the film with his "Razzle Dazzle" number and his tap dancing.

I love this top notch, clever film, finding it hugely entertaining. It deserves every one of its six Academy Awards, including that for "Best Picture". Director Rob Marshall deserves kudos for this brilliantly directed, seamlessly edited, musical masterpiece. While it is a fairly faithful screen adaptation of Bob Fosse's Broadway musical, it has Rob Marshall's contemporary imprimatur on it. It is a film of which he can be justly proud. Bravo!

Ersatz.......2007-01-08

"Captain Kirk, the approaching probe will destroy Earth if we do not respond with whale sound!" "O.K., send them some." "The sounds will be real but it will just be gibberish." "Well people watched `Chicago'; what make you think the probe is any more discerning?"

The plot line by (Maurine Dallas Watkins) is a killer; it is all about the whimsical world of killing. Velma Kelly (Catherine Zeta-Jones) killed her husband and sister. Roxie Hart (Renée Zellweger) shoots her boyfriend Fred Cassely (Dominic West) dead. And a whole bevy of sleazy babes that killed their significant others. They kill a few songs. And the plot was never alive.

It is possible that the play may have had some redeeming social value. However by the time it was hacked up for this movie the only thing of value is the fast forward button. And again just because the movie has the appearance of a play does not give it any virtue.

If you do like murder and music then you may prefer "Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street" (1982)

Average customer rating:

A great work indeed
Psychopathy in Action
Great film, beware defective DVDs
As real as life
The Apostle

The Apostle
Starring: Todd Allen , Brother Paul Bagget , Lenore Banks , John Beasley , and Mary Lynette Braxton
Manufacturer: Universal Studios
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B00007ELF1
Release Date: 2002-11-05

Amazon.com

Written, directed, and personally financed by Robert Duvall, The Apostle was the culmination of a 14-year effort on the part of its creator, who also stars as the dynamic, God-fearing Texas preacher Euliss "Sonny" Dewey. Vibrantly authentic with its use of real gospel preachers and extras carefully selected from parishes of the deep South, the film treats its complicated characters with the kind of compassion and moral complexity mainstream Hollywood wouldn't dare muster. This is especially true in the case of Sonny, who responds to his wife's infidelity with a crime of passion that sends him on a new and uncharted quest for redemption. Under the assumed identity of "The Apostle E.F.," he settles in a tiny Louisiana town to revive an old church, where he undergoes a transformation of spirit and purpose that enlivens his community. But will the law catch up to him? Does he deserve to be punished? Fueled by Duvall's powerhouse performance, The Apostle refuses to praise or condemn its fascinating central character, leaving the proper degree of forgiveness up to the viewer. Further graced with superb performances by Farrah Fawcett, Miranda Richardson, and Billy Bob Thornton, the film is clearly Duvall's labor of love. The Collector's Edition DVD features a full-length commentary by Duvall and The Journey of the Apostle, a documentary featurette about the making of the film. --Jeff Shannon

Customer Reviews:

A great work indeed.......2007-06-06

Robert Duval, the cast, and crew all do a great job and make The Apostile the best of the flawed preacher films. Robert Duvals Apostile E,F. is realer and more beleavable than Burt Lancasters Elmer Gantry. I like this style of peaching better than the cold stoic kind.

Psychopathy in Action.......2007-05-08

I don't think I've ever seen a clearer portrayal of the charismatic psychopath than Robert Duvall playing the part of Euliss "Sonny" Dewey. Do not think that psychopaths are mad-dog killers - only very few are and they could be considered "unsuccessful" psychopaths.

Some people think that psychopathy is the result of some attachment or bonding difficulty as an infant but psychopathy expert, Dr. Robert Hare, has turned the idea around. After all his years digging into the background of psychopaths. He says:

"In some children the very failure to bond is a symptom of psychopathy. It is likely that these children lack the capacity to bond readily, and that their lack of attachment is largely the result, not the cause, of psychopathy." Without Conscience: The Disturbing World of the Psychopaths Among Us

In other words: they are born that way and you can't fix them.

The differences in how psychopathy manifests does have to do with family background, however. How one is raised determines how the psychopath expresses himself in life.

A psychopath who grows up in a stable family and has access to positive social and educational resources might become a white-collar criminal, or perhaps a somewhat shady entrepreneur, preacher, politician, lawyer, judge, or other professional. Another individual with the same traits, and a deprived background might become a common con-artist, a drifter, mercenary, or violent criminal.

A psychopath born into a very religious background, having the early experiences with evangelism that are depicted in the movie, would very likely grow up to be exactly as Sonny is portrayed.

The point is, social factors and parenting practices only shape the expression of the disorder, but have no effect on the individual's inability to feel empathy or to develop a conscience.

As psychologist Martha StoutThe Sociopath Next Door has pointed out so eloquently, psychopaths seem to be born without a conscience. Conscience seems to depend on the ability to imagine consequences. But most "consequences" relate to pain in some way, and psychopaths really don't understand pain in the emotional sense. They understand frustration of not getting what they want, and to them, that is pain. But the fact seems to be that they act based solely on a sort of Game Theory evaluation of a situation: what will they get out of it, and what will it cost? And these "costs" do not seem to factor in being humiliated, causing pain to others, sabotaging the future, or any of the other possibilities that normal people consider when making a choice.

All of these issues are depicted in this movie: Sonny is traveling most of the time and often cheats on his wife, but considers himself to be basically a "good guy." His mother falls on the floor in a weak spell and he just walks out the door and says he'll see her in a few weeks. His barely controlled aggression against his wife when he discovers that she is cheating while he's on the road (also cheating, as he admits), and later when they discuss the break-up of their marriage, finally culminating in a violent break-out where he scares the bejeebies out of everybody by going berserk at a kid's softball game, inflicting a fatal injury on his wife's boyfriend, are all clues to the seething selfishness that drives Sonny.

Sonny also exhibits what psychopaths DO have that is truly outstanding: an ability to give their undivided attention to something that interests them intensely right now or in terms of setting up a situation where they have power and authority over others. Some clinicians have compared this to the concentration with which a predator stalks his prey. This quality is abundantly evident in Sonny's drive to preach, to "have a church," and the work he is willing to put into acquiring that status.

The qualities of the psychopath are also on display in Sonny's talents as a preacher with a mastery of hypnotic techniques. Psychopaths are naturally interesting as all get out - even exciting! They exude a captivating energy that keeps their listeners on the edge of their seats (and they talk a LOT!). Even if some part of the normal person is shocked or repelled by what the psychopath says or does, they are like the mouse hypnotized by the torturing cat. Even if they have the chance to run away, they don't. This is evident in the movie in Toosie's fascination for Sonny even though she is also repelled by him.

Many Psychopaths "make their living" by using charm, deceit, and manipulation to gain the confidence of their victims. You see that clearly when Sonny travels to Bayou Boutte and tells an out and out lie to Rev. Blackwell that "God sent me to fellowship with you." The viewer knows that he learned about Rev. Blackwell from his cousin whom Sonny met while on the run from his criminally violent behavior. In fact, this scene is the dead giveaway that we are watching a psychopath in action. With all his praying, self-baptizing, Bible reading and thumping, and assorted other self-righteous activities, Sonny sits there and tells a bald-faced lie to another minister and ascribes it to God. (Well, he probably convinced him that it WAS God, that this was how God directed him, but that's really stretching it.)

The fact is, many psychopaths can be found in white collar professions where they are aided in their evil by the fact that most people expect certain classes of people to be trustworthy because of their social or professional credentials. Preachers, lawyers, doctors, teachers, politicians, psychiatrists and psychologists, generally do not have to earn our trust because they have it by virtue of their positions. But the fact is: psychopaths are found in such lofty spheres also, and more often than most people suppose!

At the same time, psychopaths are good imposters. They have absolutely no hesitation about forging and brazenly using impressive credentials to adopt professional roles that bring prestige and power. They pick professions in which the requisite skills are easy to fake, the jargon is easy to learn, and the credentials are unlikely to be thoroughly checked. Psychopaths find it extremely easy to pose as financial consultants, ministers, psychological counselors and psychologists. It may even be due to the fact that the science of psychology is infested with psychopaths that truly helpful research on psychopathy is never funded despite the fact that psychopaths cause more damage to society than any other psychological problem. This film is an example of that very sort of damage. Multiplied millions of U.S. citizens are subjected to this kind of hypnosis/evangelism which twists and warps their minds.

Another clue to the reality of Sonny Dewey is that psychopaths make their way by conning people into doing things for them; obtaining money for them, prestige, power, or even standing up for them when others try to expose them. That's what they do and they do it very well as Sonny demonstrates with just about everyone he comes in contact with. What's more, the job is very easy because most people are gullible with an unshakable belief in the inherent goodness of man.

Manipulation is the key to the psychopath's conquests. They will feign false emotions to create empathy, and many of them study the tricks that can be employed by the empathy technique. Psychopaths are often able to incite pity from people because they seem like "lost souls" as Guggenbuhl-Craig writes. So the pity factor is one reason why victims often fall for these "poor" people.

Hare cites a famous case where a psychopath was "Man of the Year" and president of the Chamber of Commerce in his small town. (Remember that John Wayne Gacy was running for Jaycee President at the very time of his first murder conviction!) The man in question had claimed to have a Ph.D. from Berkeley. He ran for a position on the school board which he then planned to parlay into a position on the county commission which paid more.

At some point, a local reporter suddenly had the idea to check up on the guy - to see if his credentials were real. What the reporter found out was that the only thing that was true about this up and coming politician's "faked bio" was the place and date of birth. Everything else was fictitious. Not only was the man a complete impostor, he had a long history of antisocial behavior, fraud, impersonation, and imprisonment. His only contact with a university was a series of extension courses by mail that he took while in Leavenworth Federal Penitentiary. What is even more amazing is the fact that before he was a con-man, he was a "con-boy." For two decades he had dodged his way across America one step ahead of those he had hoodwinked. Along the way he had married three women and had four children, and he didn't even know what had happened to them.

When he was exposed, he was completely unconcerned. "These trusting people will stand behind me. A good liar is a good judge of people," he said. Amazingly, he was right. Far from being outraged at the fact that they had all been completely deceived and lied to from top to bottom, the local community he had conned so completely to accrue benefits and honors to himself that he had not earned, rushed to his support!

And it wasn't just "token support." The local Republican party chairman wrote about him: "I assess his genuineness, integrity, and devotion to duty to rank right alongside of President Abraham Lincoln." As Hare dryly notes, this dimwit was easily swayed by words, and was blind to facts.

This has been observed in many psychopathy cases; more often than not, and it tends to make one shake their head in wonder at how many people seem to WANT to be duped, to be made fools of. What kind of psychological weaknesses drive people to prefer lies over truth?

The kinds of people that are susceptible to hypnotic evangelists such as Sonny Dewey and become mind-controlled members of those kinds of fanatical religions.

This may have something to do with what is called Cognitive Dissonance. Leon Festinger developed the theory of Cognitive Dissonance in the 50's when he apparently stumbled onto a UFO cult in the Midwest. They were prophesying a coming world cataclysm and "alien rapture." When no one was raptured and no cataclysm he studied the believers response, and detailed it in his book "WHEN PROPHECY FAILS (A social and psychological study of a modern group that predicted the destruction of the world)." Festinger observed:

"A man with a conviction is a hard man to change. Tell him you disagree and he turns away. Show him facts or figures and he questions your sources. Appeal to logic and he fails to see your point.

"We have all experienced the futility of trying to change a strong conviction, especially if the convinced person has some investment in his belief. We are familiar with the variety of ingenious defenses with which people protect their convictions, managing to keep them unscathed through the most devastating attacks.

"But man's resourcefulness goes beyond simply protecting a belief. Suppose an individual believes something with his whole heart; suppose further that he has a commitment to this belief, that he has taken irrevocable actions because of it; finally, suppose that he is presented with evidence, unequivocal and undeniable evidence, that his belief is wrong: what will happen? The individual will frequently emerge, not only unshaken, but even more convinced of the truth of his beliefs than ever before. Indeed, he may even show a new fervor about convincing and converting other people to his view."

Psychopaths just have what it takes to defraud and bilk others: they can be fast talkers, they can be charming, they can be self-assured and at ease in social situations; they are cool under pressure, unfazed by the possibility of being found out, and totally ruthless. And even when they are exposed, they can carry on as if nothing has happened, often making their accusers the targets of accusations of being victimized by THEM. (Witness how Sonny blames his wife and her lover for taking everything away from him instead of taking responsibility for his philandering, lies and callousness.)

In the book Violent Attachments, women and men have noted the particular stare of the psychopath - it is an intense, relentless gaze that seems to predict his destruction of his victim or target. Women, in particular, have reported this stare, which is related to the "predatorial" (reptilian) gaze; it is as if the psychopath is directing all of his intensity toward you through his eyes, a sensation that one woman reported as a feeling of "being eaten." They tend to invade peoples' space either by their sudden intrusions or intimidating look-overs (which some women confuse for sexuality.)

The callous use of the old, the lonely, the vulnerable, the disenfranchised, the marginalized, is a trademark of the psychopath and the traveling preacher. When any of the victims wake up to what is happening, they are generally too embarrassed to complain. And those are the kinds of people attracted to this brand of fanatical Christianity promulgated by psychopaths.

One of the chief ways psychopaths prey on others is to make use of the normal person's need to find meaning or purpose in life. They will pose as preachers, grief counselors, or "experts" of various sorts that attract followings of people who are looking for answers. They are masters of recognizing "hang-ups" and self-doubts that most people have, and they will brazenly pander to them to gain a follower to use later.

This is what Sonny was doing, and doing masterfully with the character played by Billy-Bob Thornton.

At the present moment in history, the appeal of the psychopath has never been greater. Movies about psychopaths are all the rage. Hare asks "Why? What accounts for the terrific power that the personality without conscience has over our collective imagination? One theorist proposes that people who admire, believe, or identify with psychopaths, are partly psychopathic themselves. By interacting with a psychopath, even peripherally, they are able to voyeuristically enjoy an inner state not dominated by the constraints of morality such as the kind of ecstatic behavior that is generated and encouraged in such churches. Such people are enabled to enjoy aggressive and sexual pleasures under the guise of "morally correct" behavior.

For normal people, such movies may serve to remind them of the danger and destructiveness of the psychopath. They will shiver with the sense of something cold and dark having breathed on their neck. For others, people with poorly developed inner selves, such movies and glorification of psychopathic behavior only serves as a role model for serious acts of violence and predation against others.

Over and over again we come up against the problem of religion and belief systems that have to be defended against objective evidence or the beliefs of others. We have to ask ourselves "where did these belief systems come from that so evidentially are catastrophic?" And then, we have to think about the fact that now, in the present day, when many of these systems are breaking down and being replaced by others that similarly divert our attention, it becomes necessary to "enforce" a certain mode of thinking. And that is what Psychopaths do best.

Psychopaths dominate and set the standard for behavior in our society. We live in a w