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The Mod Squad [Region 2]
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Our review: :Julie Barnes (Claire Danes), Pete Cochrane (Giovanni Ribisi), and Lincoln Hayes (Omar Epps) have one thing in common: They're young adults on the wrong side of the law, arrested for crimes of robbery, grievous bodily harm, and arson. Taken in by mentor and father figure Captain Adam Greer (Dennis Farina), they are assigned to a special task force working undercover for the police--the logic being that these kids can get into the hip young establishments that the older, more cynical officers can no longer infiltrate. Ill-suited to each other and chastised by their peers, this rogue squad is forced to come together when ...
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Little Women [Region 2]
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»rank: 212677
Our review: essential video:The flaws are easily forgiven in this beautiful version of Louisa May Alcott's novel. A stirring look at life in New England during the Civil War, Little Women is a triumph for all involved. We follow one family as they split into the world, ending up with the most independent, the outspoken Jo (Winona Ryder). This time around, the dramatics and conclusions fall into place a little too well, instead of finding life's little accidents along the way. Everyone now looks a bit too cute and oh, so nice. As the matron, Marmee, Susan Sarandon kicks the film into a modern ...
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Les Misérables [Region 2]
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»rank: 184163
Our review: :Frenchman Jean Valjean (Liam Neeson), imprisoned for stealing bread, is paroled after nearly two decades of hard labor. A gift of silver candlesticks from a kindly priest helps him begin anew. Forging a decent and profitable existence, he finds success as a businessman and as the mayor of a small town. He even takes in a pregnant young woman (Uma Thurman) and raises her daughter as his own. When a former prison guard (Geoffrey Rush) recognizes Valjean, his past catches up to him. Director Bille August culls mesmerizing performances from his cast, but loses us with an ending that panders to teen audiences. ...
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Romeo + Juliet [Region 2]
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»rank: 200866
Our review: :Baz Luhrmann (Strictly Ballroom) takes a shot at reinventing Shakespeare's story of star-crossed lovers as a visual pastiche inspired by MTV imagery, Hong Kong action-picture clichés, and Luhrmann's own taste for deliberate, gaudy excess. The result is explosive chaos, both in terms of bullets and visual sensibility, which some may find impossible to stick with for more than a few minutes. Leonardo DiCaprio and Claire Danes play the leads, though not with much distinction, while Pete Postlethwaite makes a huge impression as this movie's version of Friar Laurence. The film is successful in spots, but overall its fever-dream game plan is difficult to ...
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FAMILY STONE / SOMEONE LIKE YOU 2-PACK SIDE-BY-SIDE (DVD MOVIE)
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»rank: 200866
Our review: :Baz Luhrmann (Strictly Ballroom) takes a shot at reinventing Shakespeare's story of star-crossed lovers as a visual pastiche inspired by MTV imagery, Hong Kong action-picture clichés, and Luhrmann's own taste for deliberate, gaudy excess. The result is explosive chaos, both in terms of bullets and visual sensibility, which some may find impossible to stick with for more than a few minutes. Leonardo DiCaprio and Claire Danes play the leads, though not with much distinction, while Pete Postlethwaite makes a huge impression as this movie's version of Friar Laurence. The film is successful in spots, but overall its fever-dream game plan is difficult to ...
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Romeo + Juliet [Region 2]
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»rank: 232869
Our review: :Baz Luhrmann (Strictly Ballroom) takes a shot at reinventing Shakespeare's story of star-crossed lovers as a visual pastiche inspired by MTV imagery, Hong Kong action-picture clichés, and Luhrmann's own taste for deliberate, gaudy excess. The result is explosive chaos, both in terms of bullets and visual sensibility, which some may find impossible to stick with for more than a few minutes. Leonardo DiCaprio and Claire Danes play the leads, though not with much distinction, while Pete Postlethwaite makes a huge impression as this movie's version of Friar Laurence. The film is successful in spots, but overall its fever-dream game plan is difficult to ...
Detail
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The Mod Squad [Region 2]
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»rank: 232869
Our review: :Julie Barnes (Claire Danes), Pete Cochrane (Giovanni Ribisi), and Lincoln Hayes (Omar Epps) have one thing in common: They're young adults on the wrong side of the law, arrested for crimes of robbery, grievous bodily harm, and arson. Taken in by mentor and father figure Captain Adam Greer (Dennis Farina), they are assigned to a special task force working undercover for the police--the logic being that these kids can get into the hip young establishments that the older, more cynical officers can no longer infiltrate. Ill-suited to each other and chastised by their peers, this rogue squad is forced to come together when ...
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U Turn [Region 2]
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»rank: 232869
Our review: :Oliver Stone used such words as 'liberating' and 'fun' to talk about U Turn's relatively quick production schedule of 42 days. Stone's ideas of film fun, however, are something older generations would call sick. This film is a Southwestern noir tale about Bobby Cooper (Sean Penn), a hotshot who is stuck in the tight confines of Superior, Arizona, when his car breaks down. His subsequent adventure is a meatball comedy--loud, obnoxious, and violent, and stuffed with diffused light, a hot cast, and a no-fat Ennio Morricone score. This film has plenty of odd characters, but you never really find out much about them. Bobby's ...
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Pinot simple flic [Region 2]
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»rank: 232869
Our review: :Oliver Stone used such words as 'liberating' and 'fun' to talk about U Turn's relatively quick production schedule of 42 days. Stone's ideas of film fun, however, are something older generations would call sick. This film is a Southwestern noir tale about Bobby Cooper (Sean Penn), a hotshot who is stuck in the tight confines of Superior, Arizona, when his car breaks down. His subsequent adventure is a meatball comedy--loud, obnoxious, and violent, and stuffed with diffused light, a hot cast, and a no-fat Ennio Morricone score. This film has plenty of odd characters, but you never really find out much about them. Bobby's ...
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The Rainmaker [Region 2]
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»rank: 206347
Our review: essential video:When viewed from a cranky perspective, this by-the-book David vs. Goliath story doesn't offer any surprises, and it's a bit sad to watch director Francis Coppola (who also adapted John Grisham's bestseller) squandering his once-glorious talent on such conventional Hollywood fare. In a more charitable light, however, there's great pleasure to be found in Coppola's intelligent, no-nonsense handling of a plot that's every bit as involving as it is formulaic. Coppola also knows how to bring out the best in a stellar cast, and this is the movie (released in November 1997, just a few weeks before Good Will Hunting) that ...
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