Now a Major Motion Picture
938365
I received a review copy
This is actually my first book from Stacey Wiedower but I sure hope it won't be the last! From the beginning I got caught up in the story, and the heartbreak that is Amelia and Noahs relationship. Watching them try to make it without each other hurt my own heart, but I couldn't figure out how the heck the two would find each other again and if they would get their happy ending. I also loved the story of Amelia and having her best-selling book turned into a movie, plus her subsequent relationship with a famous actor. That was so much fun to read about! Overall, a super cute beach read!
4362823
Great film; ignore the critics!  It's a great two hour ride into the past about the 'opening shots' of the global war on terrorism.  Also, read Mark Bowden's book Guests of the Ayatollah.  Congrats to Ben Affleck on the Oscar for best picture.  Very much deserved.
3402642
I first watched this great movie by accident.  I immediately became entranced by it!  Such a wonderful tale, really great acting, and such a relief from the trash Hollywood has been spewing out for so many years.  It is a movie that has passion, tension, revenge, humor, and romance.  It is a movie that will leave you feeling so great!
3779013
Having heard a lot about this movie, i was looking forward to seeing it,
  and i must say it didn't disappoint. This has been one of the biggest
  movies in recent months, displacing 'Harry Potter' and 'Lord of the
  rings' from the top at the box-office(so naturally one couldn't avoid
  having some expectations, even though it's a good idea in general not
  have any!) ............
  The story is simple enough - Danny Ocean (Clooney), just released from
  jail, plans a daring heist on three of the biggest casinoes of Las Vegas;
  but this requires a lot of very skilled men, so he assembles a team -
  hence the 'eleven'.
  They plan everything in great detail, but the operation is still fraught
  with danger, as there are several possibilities of even the slightest
  mistake resulting in the whole plan blowing up in their faces.
  Oh, and Danny has a 'hidden motive' - the casino owner Terry (Andy Garcia)
  has stolen his girl Tess (Julia Roberts) .......
  The rest of the movie is a slick, breezy account of what happens as they
  try to implement their meticulous plan and how events unfold, occasionally
  in somewhat unexpected fashion.
  Even though this is not great cinema, it's an excellent way to spend
  two hours, watching an expert director deftly handle a great ensemble
  of performers and to make guesses at the sequence of events for fun.
 Steven Soderbergh chalks up a hat-trick of successes with this one,
  following 'Erin Brockovich' and 'Traffic' - and the best thing is that
  they are all quite different sort of movies, making one look forward
  all the more to the next venture of this director at the top of his form.
  The cast is huge, so naturally most of them don't have big roles - in
  fact, Clooney & Pitt are the ones with big roles, and both do very
  well. Julia Roberts, Matt Damon & Andy Garcia are under-utilised, as
  are Dan Cheadle & other support actors, but they all do admirably in
  whatever they're given by Soderbergh.
  The movie also features some sharp & witty dialogue,  especially when
  Clooney's around; and the production values are first-rate.
  All in all, even though i wouldn't call this a 'must see', i'd say it's
  a movie that lives upto expectations - what more can one ask for ??
2357064
If you haven't yet had a chance to see Amercian Beauty, get it today.
This is clearly the best movie out of Hollywood in years, and was absolutely worthy of its Best Picture win at the Oscars.
While almost everyone I know who saw this movie loved it, there were a few women who had mixed feelings.
I think this is because many women don't like being depicted at the "bad guy".
Throughout much of this movie, the Kevin Spacey character seems to be the one to blame, but he turns out the hero, while his wife, played superbly by Annette Benning, shows us her true nature.
The music is great, the acting is top-notch, the story is original, the cinematography is stunning.
Take my advice: this movie is WELL worth your time.
2337607
This is and has been one of my favorite movies of all time. The gritty reality is one of the best parts, as befits a film in the classic noir style. This is more than simply a movie, just made for the heck of it, it  is a world unto itself, along the lines of Star Wars or Lord of the Rings.  It is vastly different from those two, but deserves a place along side  them. The stunning cinementography and the lush characters keep one  entertained and thinking for hours after a viewing. Of course it has  wonderful special effects, but unlike most modern movies does not allow the  effects to take over and obscure the story and the characters. The ending,  while much less happy than that of the original, is powerful and contains  striking imagery remenicent in some ways of The Third Man. This is truly  one of the great movies, and will go down as such. If you have not seen it  or do not own it, do both soon, it is well worth it. ( And for heavens sake  don't buy or watch the 5th element, it is just a Blade Runner wannabe with  an uplifting finale and a dumb plot.)
4290353
Excellent movie. Great story. Now I have to buy it because it's got so much to it.
3355443
This is a wonderful movie to rent or to own. I believe it will be viewed as the director's magnum opus.
4541187
The year is 2020 and the people of Great  Britain are blind. It's not entirely their fault--the government in the persona of High Chancellor Adam Sutler (John Hurt) has put blinders on the British as much as they are too frightened to see what is happening for themselves.

Britons' everyday world is very much like George Orwell's "1984".  The heavily censored media controls what they see.  Language has morphed to the point where harmless words now carry a serious threat. The Party is all-powerful and can make people disappear without questions.  The countryside is mined with cameras and microphones to detect any protest and the police and military are empowered to eliminate enemies of the state. The Government may well be responsible for the deaths of over a 100,000 of its citizens due to St. Mary's virus.

Then one dark November 5th night, Evey Hammond (Portman), a young British woman is walking home and is accosted by men bent on doing her harm.  She's rescued by a black clad figure in a Guy Fawkes mask.

He calls himself "V."

V (Hugo Weaving) offers truth and hope to the British people.  Taking his cue from the Guy Fawkes of history who tried to overthrow the British Government almost 4 centuries prior, V promises that in a year's time, there will be a revolution--the Parliament building will be destroyed and the old government will be overthrown.

The film covers the next year's time.  First, the police are attempting to locate V through various means.  Evey parts from V and goes out on her own only to be captured.  And V continues to spread the word to the British people.

Every book writer aspires to at least one good line per page.  I cannot say how many that translates to in movies, but "V" is beautifully and thoughtfully written.  In addition, the acting on the part of the major characters is good as well.  How Weaving can translate so much character without a facial expression, eludes me.  Natalie Portman's performance as Evey in captivity is also stellar.

As I started off, I really regret not having seen this film in full screen.  I understand it's available in IMAX format and I'd love to catch it on that kind of venue.  In particular, the scenes from High Chancellor Sutler would probably be hair raising.

Though I have rented this film, it's now on my wish list to add to my collection.  There is enough content to make "V" worth watching again--and showing to my friends.
2898284
Enjoyment is  not as easy to achieve in movies today... so much violence, explosions, chases, incredible (but often distracting special effects)... we've all experienced the gamut.  But then in between the reviews of super stars and tricks there are movies such as this which has a storyline, two great characters that know how to act perfectly with each other and wonderful cinematography to boot and you have a fulfilling 2hrs of damn good entertainment that satisfies.
2771012
Seeing Jim Carrey in a semi-serious role was a welcome and refreshing change. He actually did a remarkable job with this role. This movie will take you on a roller-coaster of emotion, from happy to sad. The realization I hope you will get, is how much this movie could relate to our lives today; while we are constantly observed by our Orwellian Big Brother.
1480246
In a decade which everyone could do without (If George Bush wasn't president, we know Bush Jr. wouldn't be), Big came along and we got a glimpse of the future cinema which is yet to occur.  Tom Hanks is an awsome actor and the script was amazing.  I won't ever let what happened to him happen to me, only because I'm 18.  But, if I was 12 I'd do everything he did and of course get Sadaam so that we wouldn't have the Stupid War.  If you don't listen to me amuse myself than just get this movie.  If you do, you can read my other reviews.
4722038
When I saw this classic novel by F. Scott Fitzgerald was being adapted and filmed again, I quickly re-read the book, so it would be fresh in my mind. Directed by the audacious Australian Baz Luhrmann ("Moulin Rouge!" and "Strictly Ballroom"), the early scenes are a bit too "Baz" (gaudy and frenetic with RAPPING!) but after the story settles in, this is a terrific PG-13 movie. Don't worry about seeing it in 3D because the story is the main thing; both DiCaprio and Mulligan fit their roles to a "T."

In fact, all of this cast is great:
  * Leonardo DiCaprio ("J Edgar" and "Shutter Island") is perfect as Jay Gatsby, the mysterious, phenomenally wealthy resident of West Egg, a location on Long Island. He is a free-wheeling host who throws lavish parties that everyone who is anyone must attend.
  * Carrie Mulligan ("Never Let Me Go" and "Drive") is the tragic Daisy Buchanan, the enchanting mirage from Gatsby's past.
  * Joel Edgerton ("Warrior" and "Kinky Boots") is Tom Buchanan, Daisy's possessive husband: promiscuous, wealthy, and vengeful.
  * Tobey Maguire ("The Details" and "Labor Day") is our alter ego, Nick Carraway, who narrates the story and represents our point of view. His cottage is next door to Gatsby's mansion, so they become friends. By the way, Daisy is his cousin.
  * Isla Fisher ("Wedding Crashers" and "Rango") is Myrtle, Tom Buchanan's lover. She lives over a service station on the road to New York City.
  * Jason Clarke ("Zero Dark Thirty" and "Lawless") is George Wilson, the guy we come to pity. It's his wife Myrtle who is the catalyst for the story.

It's nice to see Luhrmann use his fellow Aussies in this one. Edgerton, Fisher and Clarke all hail from Down Under, as do many other supporting cast members. In addition, this splendid film was shot entirely in Oz. Good on ya, mate!
1705632
It was amazing to me that this movie lost the oscar when nominated as best foreing film ('03). It is by far the most amazing and visualy astonishing epic I have ever seen. Zhang Yimou is being so far amazing as a director of intimist situations and in this movie we see a super-production that does not leave the story or its characters aside despite from being a tremendous visual ride.
Do not be confused this is not a superproduction in the AMERICAN way, this is a really sober movie. Photography is amazing in every step of the way because since the movie depicts various facts, from various perspectives given of course by the characters, each time a new perspective is brought in the color palette changes playingly beautifully with light and color temperature.
Everything in the movie is really carefully planned, Art Direction, Acting, Photography etc, but the fights deserve a special mention they are quite better even that Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon or any MATRIX the answer would be poetry of movement.
Finally this is a movie you should see only if you are open to other ways of thinking, and if you do, you will enjoy this movie as much as I did.
2636666
This reads like it should be a major motion picture very soon.  Can't wait for that day to come.

Could not put it down once I started it.  It held my attention like few books have in the 62 years of my life.
621383
Now this is a movie classic, you have got to get this film in your collection. If you have never seen the film you have got to see it.
1196668
Recently, I watched Ben-Hur for my first time on DVD The movie got off to a slow start and there are quite a few minutes I would have considered editing out (The overture alone is six minutes). But, after about half and hour or so, this movie really got going. The story revolves around Jonah Ben-Hur, a Jewish prince who is arrested for attempting to murder a roman governor (Which was untrue. It was a mere accident) and forced into slavery. Ben-Hur is portrayed in an Academy Award winning performance by Charlton Heston. Some critics have complained in the years following the film's release that Heston is wooden in his role. While his performance isn't brilliant and does have some poor moments, he is excellent nonetheless. The rest of the cast is also good. The sets, cinematography and special effects are also excellent, which is probably why they won among the film's Eleven Academy Awards, a tally that wouldn't be equaled until 1997's Titanic.
I though at first that the opening scene of the film (The birth of Jesus Christ) had nothing to do with the movie. But Jesus was a main part in Ben-Hur's life, at least in his Hollywood life. He encouraged him to continue moving on when Jonah was a slave and also baptized him. When Jesus was dying at the cross, he performed one last miracle on the Hur family by curing Jonah's mother and sister of leprosy.
There is in this movie what is among the ten most celebrated action scenes in motion pictures: The chariot race. After more than forty years, the sequence has not lost its original excitement and is still inspiring directors today (See the pod race in Star Wars Episode One). What makes it so good is the way it was filmed. Sometimes, the camera angle makes it look as if we are spectators at the race. In other shots, we are chasing the chariots or even feel as though we are sitting in the driver's chair. The fact it was filmed in the 1950's before such a scene could be computer generated or filmed in front of a blue screen makes us appreciate it more because of the risks the producers took in filming it. Would such a scene be as great and realistic if filmed today?
The presentation on the DVD is Widescreen Anamorphic. The transfer is excellent with hardly any nicks or scratches. The extras are even more excellent. There is a superb documentary about the making of Ben-Hur, covering the book, stage productions, the 1907 short, the 1926 silent movies and of course the much celebrated 1959 movie. This documentary also shows revealing look at the making of the movie, exposing secrets of some of the special effects (One interesting tidbit: William Wyler, who directed the 1959 Ben-Hur, was an assistant director on the 1926 silent version).  There are also two theatrical trailers, screen tests and commentary from star Charlton Heston. The only major complaint I have is how you have to turn the disc over during the playing of the movie after the intermission to watch the rest of it. Taking the disc out of the box is also difficult as well.
Three-hour epics such as Ben-Hur are what can be considered an acquired taste. They are long and slow at times and often with unnecessary scenes. But this doesn't mean they aren't worth watching. If you want to learn about the Roman Empire or if you just feel like watching a good movie, Ben-Hur is highly recommended.