Tragic reform school drama par excellence
355736
The director, Marius Holst, and the large cast have created a movie that needed to be told. The brutal treatment and abuse suffered by the inmates of a reform school for boys, located on an island in the Oslo fjord, Norway, was not only horrific but demonstrative of the tragic public and academic ignorance about the causes and corrections of juvenile delinquency that prevailed a hundred years ago. This movie is visually and emotionally visceral. How much of it is true is undocumented but the plot is based on actual events. The institution was operating from 1900 to 1953 and having grown up nearby I can say that "behave yourself or you will be sent to Basty" was a threat routinely voiced by adults to my more rambunctious peers. It did put the fear of the devil into little boys.

The Swedish actor Stellan Skarsgrd has the main role as the Governor of the school. His acting is superbly crafted to the role. The cruelty of the headmaster is also portrayed with convincingly chilling skill. But the young actors who portray the boys who instigate the rebellion deserve the biggest accolades. It was necessary for this movie to be abruptly blunt in its imagery and consequently it is not for the squeamish. Photography and music intensify the grittiness. The dialogue is in Norwegian and Swedish with English subtitles.
4580543
Through wit, narrative skill, and heartfelt pathos, Lennon manages to strip away societal labels, and present his characters for what they truly are -- human.  It is a celebration of life and love, and should be part of every high school drama curriculum.
2976834
When I read "A Gilgamesh Play for Teen Readers," I became jealous of today's middle-schoolers.  I don't recall there being, when I was their age, anything both as fun and as informative as this play is.  Dr. Parks has written a fast-paced entertainment that's also a masterpiece of education.  While playing a variety of vivid and well-drawn characters, the students will learn, not only the main points of oldest epic poem still in existence, but also the heart of the world's first civilization.

In his play Dr. Parks does something brilliant and unexpected.  He doesn't just retell the story of Gilgamesh; he sets it within a larger story in which all kinds of Sumerians go about their everyday lives of study, work, and play.  Thus, the actors and the audience don't just relive the mythical friendship of Gilgmesh and Enkidu, and its tragic outcome at the hands of the jealous goddess Inanna, but they also see how the epic reflects the lives of the Sumerians who imagined it, and what it meant to them.

Beyond the play itself, Dr. Parks has filled his compact book with a number of valuable resources.  His introduction gives an overview of Sumerian civilization and a summary of its greatest story, as well as a comprehensive list of themes and topics that one can teach from the play.  Some of the scenes (or "tablets") of the play end in lists of questions that challenge the students to reach a deeper level of understanding of what they've acted.  Finally, there's a "Sumer-cabulary" that clearly explains key terms highlighted in the play.

Too often, students miss the lessons of history because they're taught dully and dryly.  Students who benefit from "A Gilgamesh Play for Teen Readers" will retain history's lessons as these come to life around them and become part of them.
2418925
Set against the mundane drama of high school, this novel grapples with the tragic and the ghoulish.  Although intended for a teenage audience, the story is sprinkled throughout with references, musical and otherwise, that adults will appreciate.
735187
I fantastic original play that is very relevant and deeply touching. Every character has a deep, emotional conflict; every scene is greatly build and the whole story is tense, dramatic and extremely relatable. I believe that these types of stories are especially needed now, due to the recent shootings in public and schools and universities. It doesn't criticize anyone in particular, but rather looks at the bigger picture of the "epidemic" of mass shootings, which is something that a lot of people miss. However, Adell shows love and passion for all of his characters and presents them in the way where you understand that a lot of things are not their fault, but rather are unfortunate and complex life situations that keep on mounting up until the final boom.
2091551
This movie is nothing short of excellent. The look, the language and the lessons are not to be missed.  Polish Director Andrzej Pajda does an excellent job of putting fictional clothes on an atrocious, factual event that was almost lost to history.

Its the story of a little known genocide (22,000 slaughtered) that took place during WWII in Katyn Forest. Its the story of how war tears apart families and compromises allegiances.  Its the story of a country's occupation by foreign invaders and its national resistance toward that oppressor.  Finally, its the story of crimes against humanity and the lingering effects on those left behind to mourn their loss.

Pajda was so adept at weaving together the warring threads of three countries (Poland, Germany and Russia) that viewers might find themselves peeking between the soldier's seams to determine who's wearing the uniform. The Politics and Propoganda become apparently real as the movie comes to an unforgettably emotional climax.  I was also impressed by the subtle linkage of one family's story with that of another family. I didn't expect to make sense of some things I saw early in the movie, only to have their meanings illuminated later. The power of an Excellent film!

The DVD Extra which shows an interview with Director Andrzej Wajda is priceless. Here's what he had to say on the importance of education and developing one's self:

"Developing one's self through one's interests or work, making movies, creating an identity, the fact that one searches for people who think alike, is dangerous to any authority because authority always wants subjugation; to agree to everything. It wants an easy society."

On Patriotism: "Those who preach it the most, are the least suitable for it.  They have the least, so to say, heart, courage, and judgment to take advantage when the time is ripe."
2492720
"Affabel" is a riveting audio drama depicting the lasting effect our choices have upon ourselves, the world around us, and our eternal destiny.  Mr. Bevere presents a beautiful story about five friends who each embark on journeys that will test their loyalty to their king.

A reporter is doing a story on war-ravaged Afghanistan.  He is tormented by questions about life's seeming inconsistencies.  Why is their such pain in the world? What is the point of life? A mysterious stranger offers to show the reporter a wondrous sight and tell him a story that will answer some of his questions.  The reporter is led by the stranger through a mysterious cave.  He is shown an indescribably beautiful city that is usually invisible to the naked eye.  The enigmatic stranger, (whose name is Sevus), then relates a story about a world  called Endel, the wondrous city called Affable, and the desolate desert wasteland called Lone.  Most importantly, Sevus relates the story of five individuals who make momentous decisions that leave lasting impressions.

Independent, Deceived, Selfish, Faint Heart, and Charity are students at the School of Endel.  They are mentored by a benevolent teacher named Sevus.  Before graduation from the academy, the five students climb to the top of a vast mountain and discuss their future plans.  Selfish has dreams of grandeur and success.  Deceived longs for a life of parties and prestige.  Faint Heart desires to become a teacher at the Endel school.  Independent admits to having doubts that King Jalen even exists.  And Charity? Well, she longs to open a restaurant and help those in need.  The five friends carve their initials into an ancient tree, (DISCF), and agree to meet at the tree in several years to notify one another of their progress in life.  Will each person fulfill their dreams? How will they use the money that is given to them by their teacher upon graduating? Who will please the king? Find out by listening to this superb drama.

The description I have given may make you believe that this allegory is contrived.  This fact couldn't be further from the truth.  Each character is vividly depicted.  The vulnerability, courage, and stubbornness of each character is clearly discernible.  I was particularly impressed with the character of Selfish.  Those who please the king may not be the ones you expect.
I learned a great deal about Heaven's class system through listening to this drama.  Admittedly, I was skeptical of this truth at first, but Mr. Bevere explains the truth of this class system so clearly, and the concept makes sense.  (See 1 Corinthians 3:13:15 and 2 Corinthians 5:8:10).  This truth is a little disconcerting, but it inspires me to show my love for Christ and do the best I can to trust and serve Him.

Please give this wonderful drama a chance.  A message from Mr. Bevere at the conclusion of the drama is superb and explains what each character in the allegory symbolizes.  Also, copious Scripture references are discussed, making this drama a wonderful Bible study tool.  You will learn and be inspired.  God bless you all.
497507
Very interesting drama with an excellent cast.
1493710
Margaret Mazzantinis very popular novel Venuto Al Mundo (English translation brought into the world) has been transformed into a screenplay by the author assisted by the director (her husband) Sergio Castellitto, the film in English is now called TWICE BORN. It is complex story, beautifully sculpted with interlocking flashbacks that cover a 30 year period, photographed with great skill by Gianfilippo Corticelli, and a cast that makes this carefully integrated story of varying timeframes work splendidly. Much of the films beauty is in the complexity of the manner in which the story develops and revealing too much of that story would spoil the experience for new viewers. Very basically the story relates a mother who brings her teenage son to Sarajevo, where his father died in the Bosnian conflict years ago. But more needs to be added.

Italian professor Gemma (Penlope Cruz) visits Sarajevo with her son, Pietro (Pietro Castellitto, son of the writer and director). The two of them had escaped the city sixteen years ago while the boys father, photographer Diego (Emile Hirsch) remained behind and later died during the Bosnian War. As she tries to repair her relationship with Pietro, Gemma is forced by revelations to face loss, the cost of war and the redemptive power of love. She re-acquaints with her dear friend Gojco (Adnan Haskovic) and together they relive the horrifying experiences of the war in Sarajevo, Gemmas attempt to provide her beloved Diego with a son (she is sterile), the eventual plan to have Diego use musician gypsy-type Aska (Saadet Aksoy) as a surrogate for the couples much desired child, and the consequences that plan takes on, leading to a series of identity crises that the now older Gemma must face with her teenaged son Pietro. The story is structured on alternate scenes from the trip taken in present in Bosnia by Gemma and her son and flashbacks from the two time periods (of the first encounter and the war), a technique that at times is difficult to follow but that definitely enhances the tension of the story.

The cast is extraordinary: Penelope Cruz is dazzling, Emile Hirsch gives his most sensitive performance of his career, and Adnan Haskovic, Saadet Aksoy and Luca da Filippo (as Gemmas father) are outstanding. This is a difficult film in message but a profoundly moving drama. Highly Recommended. In English, Italian, and Bosnian. Grady Harp, December 13
31067
Oliver Twist, also known as The Parish Boys' Progress,  is the powerful story of a young orphan who escapes a miserable existence to flee to London, where events unfold that impact the lives of many that the young boy comes into contact with.  The story deals with weighty themes including  confession, redemption, compassion, and corruption.  It addresses the social ills of Oliver's day, which are not so different from our own.

We sat down as a family over the course of several nights to listen to this production, while we completed a family craft project.  Each of us enjoyed it immensely.  This is not just a book on tape.  It is a theater quality production in an auditory format.  This production of Oliver Twist (Radio Theatre) features a full cast, cinema sound, and an original music score that create the feeling that you are in the middle of the story experiencing it as it unfolds.  We particularly enjoyed that we were able to complete our project while sharing entertainment as a family.  Television steals visual attention; auditory theater leaves it free.

There are some weighty issues addressed in this story including drunkenness, abuse, and crime.  It may be best suited to children over the age of twelve or so, according each child's level of maturity and readiness.  Homeschoolers may find this production of Oliver Twist to be an invaluable part of their curriculum.  As a speech pathologist, my thought is that it would benefit young people in this era, who are so immersed in visual media, to develop their skills for auditory comprehension via material such as this.

We spent several nights listening to the entire story as we completed our project.  I do think, though, that it would best enjoyed more gradually, in single installments, as presented on the five disks.  This would be lovely activity, enjoyed  on a nightly basis as a family, after the younger ones go off to bed.

Focus on the Family Radio Theater's Oliver Twist (Radio Theatre) was indeed a delight.  I am grateful to have had the opportunity to review Oliver Twist for Tyndale House.
2595239
Great adaptation of the play. I'm an English Teacher and I would be careful about showing certain nude scenes to high school students. Check with your principal first. I also discuss the Roman Polanski/Sharon Tate murders and Charles Manson and the connection of the murders with the Macduff murders.
3853430
"Angels in America" is not merely a great play, like "Our Town," "Death of a Salesman," "A Streetcar Named Desire," "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?" it is one of the defining dramas of the American theatre - an absulte masterpiece - with a title now immediately recognised internationally by the common man.

This screen adaptation by Tony Kushner and Mike Nichols is an incredible achievement.  Having read the play, and having seen it on stage, I was still unprepared for this epic production.  I started crying during the first scenes.  Streep's speech at the funeral - the eulogy - was so emotional I couldn't hold back my tears.  It sounds so silly to say that Meryl Streep and Al Pacino are masterful, they're legends after all.  Still, their work here reminds everyone of their status and why they are so deservedly praised and heaped with so many accolades.  The rest of cast is outstanding.  Mary Louise Parker and Jeffrey Wright won both the Emmy Award and Golden Globes (as did Streep and Pacino) and are staggeringly good, as are Ben Shankman, Patrick Wilson and Emma Thompson.

Kushner's writing is simply brilliant.  Nichols direction is inspired (how could it not be?).  Every single production element is award caliber.  Thomas Newman deserves special praise for his haunting musical score.  Words like landmark and masterpiece seems inadeqaute. I've never seen anything like this - and probably never will again in my lifetime.
2155106
You've heard of 7th Heaven as a wholesome family drama. You've heard of One Tree Hill as a slightly angst teenage drama. You've heard of The O.C. as a primetime Soap Opera. And then you've vaguely heard of "Everwood" which has been compared to 7th Heaven, Dawson's Creek and Gilmore Girls. Although Gilmore Girls is arguably the best dramedy on television, Everwood is a brilliant Drama with a wonderful set of characters and stories.

The first season starts off with the death of Julia Brown, a surgeon's wife and mother of two. The renowned New York surgeon, Dr. Andy Brown (played marvelously by Treat Williams), who has spent most of his life working and neglecting his family, is devastated by his wife's death. He then decides to move his children, 15-year-old Ephram Brown (Gregory Smith) and 9-year-old Delia Brown (Vivien Cardone) from their beloved New York home to the small and quaint town of Everwood, Colorado. Although Ephram, in his teen-angst, is furious at his father for moving them, the viewer can't imagine how someone could hate a town so serene, yet majestic. With its breathtaking hills and wonderful landscape, you'd wonder why anyone wouldn't want to live there. But the Browns are city people, especially vaguely geeky and introvert Ephram who finds it especially hard to adjust when he meets Amy who dazzles him at first sight, and then finds out she has a boyfriend, Colin, who's in a coma.

I wouldn't go so far as to call it a "family drama", though. The season centers on the Browns' the adjustment to Everwood and Colin's slow recovery. Furthermore, subjects such as abortion and homosexuality are presented in unexpected and somewhat controversial ways. Those subjects continue more abundantly during the second season which is also worth getting on DVD if or when it comes out (release date has not yet been set).

What makes Everwood different from 7th Heaven, The O.C., Dawson's Creek, One Tree Hill and all the other dramas on TV is (first of all) the writing on the show. The stories are unpredictable without being confusing or too far-fetched. It is smart, dramatic and still maintains light-hearted and witty moments to make you laugh and smile. The dialogue is believable without being dull and simple. It's original and realistic and delivered wonderfully by all of its actors (that's right, all of them) which brings me to the second reason Everwood is so great: the acting. It's a shame nothing about Everwood has attracted the Emmy voters, but as critics agree, Everwood features Treat Williams, Gregory Smith, Emily Van Camp and Tom Amandes just to name a few who play their roles perfectly. You can easily get attached to the characters and feel what they feel just like on television shows like Gilmore Girls, Buffy the Vampire Slayer and even Sex and the City. I should also mention what few reviewers do when reviewing a TV show: Everwood is visually extremely pleasant. It is filmed in Utah and parts of Canada, so the landscape is beautiful but the sets are also good eye candy for the show and set the tone of certain scenes almost magically.

Although Everwood doesn't get a particularly large number of viewers each week, it is a true masterpiece. It isn't written like a guilty pleasure; it doesn't feel like a guilty pleasure and definitely is not a guilty pleasure. It's been a long time since television has aired a pure drama as good as Everwood. It's not like most TV shows, it's better.
281985
I watched this film a couple of days ago and found it one of the most compelling dramas I've seen in a long time. The strength of the film lies in both the crafting and portrayals of its two leading characters, an older gay man suffering from depression whose budding boxing career had been shattered by homophobia, and a struggling young boxer who just needed the right mentorship to unlock his extraordinary potential. The film is an affirmation of humanity and the positive contributions that people undervalued by society can make in synergy, given the right circumstances.

  Both Eddie Jones and J.P. Davis give outstanding performances that cause me to wonder why I haven't seen more of them. Their characters are complex, flawed, but enormously sympathetic; their relationship is both fraught with tension and taboo yet highly successful, for the boxer at least. One strongly identifies and empathizes with both of them.

  I am an anti-bullying educator, and am amazed at the insightfulness of the film's message about the power of positive motivation and affirmation to heal the scars inflicted by mistreatment in early life, unleashing unseen human potential that collectively can transform society. I was particularly amazed when I learned that the strapping young actor who plays the boxer, J.P.Davis, wrote the script. I can't imagine him ever having experienced bullying, yet he grasps the dynamics with remarkable perceptiveness. Mr. Davis' mix of strength, tenderness, and vision, in his writing, acting, and example, is a combination hard to fathom, but just goes to show, as the movie teaches, that appearances aren't everything. I was also inspired to read of his struggle to get the film produced, insisting that he play the title character against advice from industry insiders. No doubt they thought, like the otherwise positive reviewer from the New York Times, that Mr. Davis was "too handsome" to come across as one so desperate and gritty. They were wrong. Clearly Mr. Davis knew what he was doing, and the result is moving.

I recommend this film highly, but have one reservation. While the film's hero is the older gay man, he doesn't come to realize his own worth indpendently of his relationship with Tommy Reilly. That's tragic, but instructive at the same time, perhaps opening the eyes of others to their value. This is a film with the ability to change hearts and minds.
2644151
Brazil, 1969. The country is under the control of an oppressive military regime. A group of idealistic students join an underground revolutionary group in protest. Out of this climate of paranoia and violence, a bold plan is conceived: a plot to kidnap the U.S. ambassador to Brazil. This true story forms the basis for the excellent film "Four Days in September," directed by Bruno Barreto.
I have seen many historical films, and this is one of the best. There are no cardboard heroes or villains in this film; there are lots of moral shades of gray. Are these students terrorists or freedom fighters? Is the ambassador an innocent victim, or an ally of oppressive forces?
Leopoldo Serran's intelligent script is based on Fernando Gabeira's book "O Que E Isso, Companhiero?" The dialogue offers thought-provoking insights into the minds of the individuals involved in these events. The cast gives universally superb performances; particularly impressive is veteran U.S. actor Alan Arkin as Ambassador Charles Elbrick. The film as a whole is well complemented by a memorable musical soundtrack. Barreto's direction is both suspenseful and sensitive. Whether you are interested in Latin American history or just enjoy a well-made drama, I highly recommend this film.
1793576
I have had the good fortune to have found Under the Blood Red Sun as a novel to share with my middle school classes.  We read the book in grades 6, 7, and 8 in a three year cycle.  By the time the kids graduate 8th grade, they have read 15 novels with the class, and 15-20 more independently.  Under the Blood Red Sun is a perennial favorite.  The last time we read the book, we learned a movie was in the midst of being filmed, and we have watched it unfold in bits and pieces until, finally, we watched the movie together last month.  All of the students, those who read the book and the new students who had not, loved the film.  It taught them not only about an important piece of our country's history, but also about friendship, family, and honor.  I loved seeing some of the most impactful lines from the story come to life on the screen: "Nakaji must always be a good name."  I have read the book many, many times, with hundreds of kids, and I was engrossed watching intense scenes that I have imagined appear before my eyes on the screen: Ojii-chan waving the flag as Japanese planes fly low overhead; Tomi swimming to Sand Island; the pigeons.  Under the Blood Red Sun is a wonderful film for a family or class to watch.  The beautiful Hawaiian scenery, the characters so convincingly portrayed, the realistic footage of Pearl Harbor, the emotional scenes of Tomi and Papa, the humor of the "Rats", the life lessons kids really need today all make this a 5 star movie complimenting the award-winning novel.
1196855
This is a powerful adaptation of the novel. It will be something I will watch again and again. However, it may not be the best version to use in a high school classroom.