Wonderful, well-cast adaptation of The Canterville Ghost
597272
This is my favorite screen adaptation of The Canterville Ghost, and I was so happy to share this lovely, heartwarming movie with my daughter. Part of what makes this adaptation work is the excellent casting. Patrick Stewart plays the tormented ghost, Sir Simon de Canterville, who is cursed to haunt his ancestral home due to a centuries' old sin. Neve Campbell is credible and convincing as teenager Ginny Otis who is initially reluctant and upset at her family's move from the US to England (due her scientist dad's work). When Ginny and her younger brothers see the ghost, her dad thinks Ginny is putting on an act to show her disapproval at having to move. Ginny's dad doesn't believe in ghosts, and attributes the strange occurrences in the family home to rational explanations.

Meanwhile, Sir Simon tries to scare the family into moving out of the home, but faces tough opponents in Ginny and the boys. The tale of how Ginny slowly gains the trust and confidence of Sir Simon and discovers his tragic past is well-told. There is humor in this story, as well as poignant scenes, and Patrick Stewart shines as the lonely, cursed ghost who longs for peace, forgiveness, and a long-deserved rest. This is a wonderful, family-friendly movie and the 'scary' scenes (depicting Sir Simon's attempts to scare the family members) are tastefully done and never truly scary or over the top. Highly recommended.
2490259
Half Light is a terrific "sleeper" of a movie and ranks among the best of its' kind with others such as "The Changling" and "Ghost Story".  Beautifully done on what seems to be a well-endowed budget, excellent performances by its' actors, a sound track which was originally composed for the movie by a true music composer, and an intriguing storyline, the movie is played out against the background of a Scottish fishing village with a spooky lighthouse as its' focus point.  The protagonist, Rachel Carson{played by Demi Moore} is an acclaimed and successful mystery writer who takes up residence in the seaside fishing village to attempt to undo the writer's block which was caused by the untimely and needless death of her only son.  Haunting appearances and messages left by her son, a clairvoyant woman who claims to be able to see her dead son walking behind her, and a brief love affair with the young lighthouse keeper whom the townspeople claim had died tragically seven years ago lead Rachel to the conclusion that either she is the subject of some large conspiracy or is losing her mind.  The conclusion holds a mixture of conspiracy and actual ghostly intervention.  During the course of the story there are plenty of well done and un-telegraphed shocks which remind the viewer of exactly which genre of movie this is, namely a terrific ghost story!
2783895
From Tom Tryon's excellent novel came this spooky 1971 film. Set on a rural homestead in the 1930's, "The Other" deals with a young boy, Niles, who is taught "the game" of astral projection by his beloved Russian Aunt Ada (the great stage actress and teacher Uta Hagen). All seems idyllic until Ada discovers that Niles is apparently seeing and communicating with his twin brother Holland who died a tragic death.  She attempts to stop Niles from playing the "game" but Holland seems to be gaining control. And Holland has a penchant for cruelty and murder. The film is beautifully shot and the performances are superb, espially Chris and Martin Udvarnoky as Niles and Holland. John Ritter has a small role as a young father and Diana Mulduar gives a sad, haunting portrayel of the boys' beautiful but deeply tragic mother.  If bizarre, spooky, intelligent ghost stories are your cup-of-tea (like "The Innocents"), then you'll enjoy this odd but satisfying chiller. Very recommended. Enjoy.
985902
This well done adaptation of Scott Turow's novel is a made for tv miniseries, and features an outstanding cast in a complex, but riveting story.  William H. Macy and Felicity Huffman (Mrs. Macy) get the acting honors, as their characters are more fleshed out and flawed, and their performances are wonderfully controlled and executed.  Not to take anything away from the other actors:  Tom Selleck as the cop whose devotion to his ex-lover makes him break the law; Monica Potter as the up and coming attorney who looks like she's  going to be the city's next prosecuting attorney; James Rebhorn as the security cop whose dying secret gives the plot a strange twist; Glenn Plummer as the halfwitted Squirrel who confesses to a triple murder; Shemar Moore as the loudmouthed con who finds Jesus and has his own little secrets.  Since this is a tv miniseries, the pacing does slow down some times and handicaps the movie's suspense, but overall it's an entertaining, well done film buoyed by the star turns of the Macys.
3878064
This is a delightful movie - I loved it!  The casting is spot-on, and there are places I laughed out loud, even on the second viewing.
1097075
This is a beautifully played version of one of the most enthralling novels I have ever read, Elizabeth Gaskell's North and South.  All roles, both primary and supporting, were spot-on realizations of their characters as written for the screen and magnificently delivered.  Although I hesitate to make distinctions among the uniformly appealing cast, I found Anna Maxwell Martin's Bessy brilliant, compelling, and, if it's not an oxymoron to say so, breathtakingly understated.  At times I could not make out Richard Armitage's words (as John Thornton), but his face said what I could not hear, and other reviewers do not mention the problem.

I did have some difficulty with the translation from text to screen, not because I was looking for a faithful rendering, but because I felt some of the changes did the screen version a disservice.  I mention these next, giving a ***SPOILER ALERT*** for those who do not know the story:

In the movie, the meeting of Margaret Hale and John Thornton is changed from the drawing room to the factory, where Thornton roughs up and fires a worker for smoking.  Although his motives are depicted as worthy--the safety of everyone else--physical violence is not in the character as developed either in the book or on screen.  More integrally, Gaskell's scene in the drawing room provides a more apposite premise to the early stages of Margaret and Thornton's relationship than the factory scene does.  As Gaskell depicts the situation, these two cannot communicate with one another--about mere trifles.  To have instead Margaret's outrage at Thornton's treatment of his workers at the factory is heavy-handed, especially when her noncomprehension of his positions and policies can be easily shown in other ways, as Gaskell demonstrates.

The movie evidently opted to eliminate the dialect in which Gaskell had the working class characters speak.  I think retention of at least some dialect would have helped to accentuate the class divide and portray it as it existed, as well as to highlight the openness of the characters on both its sides to reaching across it.

The movie's final scene is again changed for the worse from the book. ***SPOILERS*** In the book, Margaret and Thornton meet again at a dinner party that segues two days later to a private meeting in a closed study, where all comes clear and their feelings for one another are gently and humorously acknowledged.  In the movie, they meet, improbably, at a railway station during the simultaneous (!) stopovers of trains traveling in opposite directions, each character coming from a simultaneous (!) visit to the place associated with the other one.  Then, although it's the 1850s, they kiss publicly on a bench--about which another reviewer has commented.  The story doesn't need the contrivance.  Line by line, Gaskell's quiet ending brings tale where it needs to be, providing the natural next step of what has been developing all along, such that the reader can imagine the contented life these two will lead together.  The movie's end was less well prepared, in addition to being contrived, and as it faded I imagined the discord between the two continuing after the honeymoon.
1535074
As always, a well-done film version of a mystery classic by Wilkie Collins: Keeley Hawes & Greg Wise were good choices for this film.  The storyline is entertaining and keeps you guessing: this story is not as well known as some other classics, but is entertaining and well-written in its own right.

It deals with a precious jewel called the Moonstone, bequethed to a young woman by her uncle on his death: the moment the Moonstone comes into the house where the young lady, Rachel Verinder, lives with her aunt, chaos ensues.  Rachel's childhood friend, now-grown Franklin Blake is the one delivering the stone: but mysterious Indians seem to follow the stone everywhere, and when it comes up missing, there seems to be no one to blame and Rachel refuses to point a figure.  So who exactly has taken the Moonstone, and will it ever be restored to its rightful owner?!

For those of you worried about content: the first scene in the film shows a man in bed with a woman (they are not married), they are sleeping; there is a small amount of violence; a character ends up committing suicide in the film; there are some tense moments & some lying, all in all the content is fairly minimal.

If you like mysteries, check out this great hauntingly beautiful film version of Wilkie Collin's "The Moonstone"...
2971211
The Changeling is a perfect choice if you're in the mood for a creepy classic ghost story. The haunting is believable and coherent--the story behind the death of the child now prowling the mansion as a ghost is touching, terrible, and truly frightening. The way that the ghost makes himself known is consistent with his life and his death. Everything hangs together in a strong narrative that drives forward unnervingly; the terrible answer to this puzzle is cohesive and believable.

In fact, Changeling has almost all the element to create the prototypical ghost story. It opens with a tragedy that makes the one survivor "open" to the other side through his grief. It takes place largely in a slight decrepit old house, a house that is bound to have history, good and bad. Russell is intelligent and artistic, driven to track dowm a seemingly meaningless banging of pipes, which is later revealed as central to the ghost's communication. The ghost is looking for resolution, and cannot rest, tormented until the answer to his death is found; just a boy, he cannot imagine why something so awful had been done to him.

Changeling is also a wonderfully quiet movie. The story pushes on relentlessly, but without spectacular effects or a single "action" scene; action in this movie is a scene involving a psychic engaged in automatic writing. It is the wanting answers and wanting the ghost to find release that drives the movie, not noise and special effects.

This is a perfect addition to any rainy afternoon creepfest, preferablyAutumn or Winter.
3379894
We really like this movie! We thought we had it - but couldn't find it - and knew we didn't have it on blu-ray, so we bought this version.  It is great!  I think the casting in this movie is amazing - even though so many of the adult actors are people I'm very familiar with, they slip into their roles so well that I stop thinking of them as Henry Winkler or Sigourney Weaver and just enjoy the story.  This movie is a keeper - one we watch again and again - and this formatting of it is excellent! I recommend it to anyone.
309561
Finally, this is available as a DVD-R and also instant download on Amazon. This is a well-made production based on a story The Chimneys of Green Knowe. The story is set in 1940s England, where thirteen-year-old Tolly (Alex Etel) is sent by his mother to his grandmother Mrs. Oldknoe's (Dame Maggie Smith) family estate, Green Knowe. His mother remains in London, trying to get information on the fate of Tolly's father who is missing in action.

Initially, Tolly resents his granny because he thinks she dislikes his mother, but gradually a close bond forms between the two. Tolly discovers that the estate is in financial trouble and that his granny may be forced to sell it. Tolly also makes another startling discovery - that the estate is haunted by the spirits of a previous generation of Oldknow's, mainly young Susan (Eliza Bennett) who lived in the house more than a century earlier. Susan's father, Captain Oldknow (Hugh Bonneville) is a kind seafaring man who brings home an escaped slave named Jacob and provides for him, expecting only that Jacob be Susan's companion, for Susan is blind. But Maria, the Captain's Dutch wife (played by Carice Van Houten of Black Book) is not keen on the boy and spends her days squandering the Captain's wealth. The couple's only son, Sefton (Douglas Booth) is a spoilt brat who abhors Jacob, and finds ways and means to make Jacob's life miserable.

Tolly finds himself not only able to see some of these ghosts but also to be able to travel back in time (it is never explained how this happens) and witness events in the past. This later proves fortuitous as Tolly makes an important discovery that could very well save his granny's estate.

The story plays out quite well and is beautifully filmed. I'd characterize this as a family friendly drama - there is no foul language, no sexual scenes, and except for a few scenes where there is some bullying going on, no real violence.
2282753
I enjoyed this miniseries immensely, largely due to the fact--as has been brought out in the reviews by at least one other individual--that it followed the original novel by Stephen King.  Now, I always enjoyed Kubrick's version of the story, but I could never help being disappointed by the fact that so much of the book just didn't figure in it.  Also, as much as I like and admire Jack Nicholson--and he is certainly entertaining to watch in the Kubrick film--he was wrong for the part of Jack Torrance.
I think that what made me enjoy this remake so much is the HEART and EMOTION that exists within it, as opposed to Kubrick's cold, intellectual take.  Many scenes between the three members of the family (played by Steven Weber, Rebecca DeMornay, and young Courtland Meade) actually brought tears to my eyes.  And no, the ending was not cheap--it was extremely moving.
As for the rest of the content--everything is extremely well-acted and well-done.  For me, of course, the standout performance was that of Steven Weber.  After seeing this, I am full of admiration for him, and Mr. Weber, if you ever read this review, I want you to know that you were BRILLIANT as Jack Torrance.  You played this role as it was written by Stephen King, both in the novel and in the screenplay.  You made him alternately touching, tragic, humorous, and likeable almost throughout, in spite of a few terrifying moments.  So, thanks for the great work--as a result of this, I will be looking up your other films and following your future performances.
As for potential viewers, don't, of course, discount the original version by Stanley Kubrick--it is most definitely worth seeing.  But for me, this is the definitive version of "The Shining".
1399718
I remember seeing on PBS a previous Met production with Placido Domingo, June Anderson, and Sherill Milnes, and this is the identical, realistic production, so much so that it nearly looks like a movie.  As theater, it is a well-acted, detail-rich entertainment.  I'm not qualified to discuss the quality of the singing, but I enjoyed it thoroughly.  There are no famous arias, yet the emotions come through Puccini's score.  The New York Times review stated it isn't time for a re-invention of this opera, and agreed the lavish, realistic setting was the right choice.  I also agree it would've been a nice touch had the stars departed by horse (several are used in the production).  The extras are much welcomed, hosted by Sondra Radvanovsky.  Deborah Voigt owns the role with much charisma and charm, and superb acting.  Lucio Gallo, the Sheriff Jack Rance, is thoroughly menacing (not a Scarpia) yet conflicted.  And Marcello Giordani is very believable at Dick Johnson.  And all the cowboys are outstanding. Too bad I couldn't see this live or at the movie theater, but it's great to watch at home, and a worthy addition to a DVD opera collection.
2911340
Excellent - even better than the version released to the theatre.
4018063
If anything (and here purist fans of the novel may want to stop reading) Kevin Sullivan improved upon the novel.  He cleaned it up structurally, and, best of all, deepened and enriched some of the major characters, most notably Gilbert who tends to get lost in the series as a sort of semi-defined "shadow person."  Sullivan deftly handles the Victorian melodrama and Follows gives a no-nonsense performance of a character that could have come off as so dreamy and unrealistic as to be sickening.  There's nothing sickening here, however.  The film is pitch-perfect throughout.  It is true to its era, it is meticulously and humorously scripted, and brilliantly acted.  Dewhurst and Farnsworth are revelations in their roles.  This is a superior production that creates such a sense of genuine, earned warmth (right down to the lovely music score) that you will be compelled to watch it again and again.  It's a real crime that Megan Follows is not featured more often in American film and television; in this film and the sequel she exhibits the kind of performance authenticity too rarely scene in young actors.  (For an equally impressive mini-series based on a classic book, be sure and see the Colin Firth/Jennifer Ehle version of "Pride and Prejudice.")  This production comes together so perfectly as to elevate the film to a level that I suspect even the filmmakers never expected to achieve.
4392937
This film looks beautiful with that particular fresh and green loveliness that typifies the gentlefolk's 18th / 19th century England. It's a delight to watch, and the screenplay itself is wonderfully done, combining the sensible and likeable characters with the truly absurd characters, not to mention those whose characters are morally enfeebled. Jane Austen's depiction of human frailty as well as goodness has always impressed me as being true and very apt, striking home not merely with insightful viewing of human beings but also the very particular aspects that define a person of English gentility in the 1800s.

Emma Thompson has certainly done a splendid job with the screenplay. Unlike the recent unfortunate adaptation of "Pride and Prejudice", this adaptation includes virtually all of the essential story threads, and gives appropriate screentime to all the characters. One becomes thoroughly engrossed not only in the travails of the two Dashwood sisters, but also all of those they encounter.

Kate Winslet is simply perfect as Marianne Dashwood, the sister with all the sensibility. She embodies every aspect of the character - her winsomeness, her charm, her gaiety, the immoderate way in which she throws herself into life, and her lack of prudence. In appearance and behaviour, no better Marianne could have been found.

Alan Rickman as Colonel Brandon, the somewhat shy but intelligent gentleman of excellent morals and strong feelings, whose qualities Marianne learns to appreciate after the tumultuous miseries of her relationship with Willoughby, is excellent - which is no surprise. Is there a role in the world that Alan Rickman cannot play, and play more convincingly than anyone else?

Greg Wise as the unreliable Willoughby, whose dashing good looks and romantic persona gain Marianne's love but who ultimately proves to be a man of straw whose self-interest will always lead him to disappoint the hopes of others in pursuit of his own gain, is wonderfully cast.

The scheming Lucy Steele is played with extraordinary deftness by the excellent Imogen Stubbs, who portrays not only the machinating and self-serving aspects, but also the encroaching sweetness that deceives so many.

Every part, in fact, with the exception of two, is superbly cast.

I do consider the film has two flaws - the casting of Emma Thompson as Elinor, and far worse, the casting of Hugh Grant as Edward. Emma Thompson is a wonderful actress, but I find it impossible to think of her as Elinor, both on account of her being visibly too much older than the nineteen of Miss Dashwood in the novel, and also in her portrayal somehow seeming rather too ruefully pragmatic. I suppose I have always envisaged Elinor as being a different type - sensible, calm, yes, but not visibly self-dampening, and of course younger. Hugh Grant as Edward seems to me to have been the film's only major mistake. One does not sense from the novel that Edward is supposed to be a completely inarticulate gentleman, stiff-necked, addicted to such high cravats that he appears to be choking, and with scarcely any qualities that would lead one to suppose him the type likely to attract Elinor. I have always thought of him more as a calm and sensible young man with deep feeling, whose reluctance to communicate with Elinor after he realised he was falling in love with her was due ONLY to his knowledge of his existing entanglement with Miss Steele - not to a reticence and inarticulation that are embedded in his character.

I overcame my qualms with regard to the casting of Elinor - after all, Emma Thompson is never less than charming, and she is a wonderful actress indeed. But Hugh Grant as Edward strikes me EVERY time I watch this DVD as... simply wrong.

Yet in spite of these things, the film works beautifully in almost every way for me. I'd prefer to give the film 4 and a half stars rather than five, but without that option, let it be five.

Abandon the few qualms and enjoy the delicious beauties and witty understanding of human nature in this delightful period piece.
1798699
A really good film.  Touching and genuine. Based on the description I hesitated, but I'm glad I gave it a go.  The premise is implausible (there's  a ghost), and the religious underpinning is crazy, but the script and acting are just wonderful.  The genuine performances and chemistry allowed  me  to suspend disbelief.  Production values were great.  Pretty to watch and a very human, emotional story.  The setting and supporting  cast lend a real ambiance.  Every performance was excellent.  It was sad, but beautiful.
4951734
Loved this adaptation of the Louise Penny book.  It was a bit of an adjustment for me to accept Nathaniel Parker in this role as I do identify him with so many other wonderful works.  And I do have in my mind a different Gamache.  But after awhile I was able to suspend my sense of disbelief and get involved in what this film wanted to tell me.

I also had to make some mental adjustments about the village of Three Pines.  On film, the location seems bigger, more open, more accessible, more "normal" somehow.  But the film location is truly beautiful.  And the home of Clara and Peter is perfect on the outside and in the kitchen - I found their art studio rooms not nearly cluttered enough!  But that is personal and does not detract from the story.

I would truly love to see more of these stories adapted to film.  All in all, I thought this was a good adaptation, and stands up well on its own.  Very good production values, excellent acting, and I thought the story stood up well.  I liked the woods views of the murder scene.  And the thoughtful adaptations of the characters came through for me.  I had actually forgotten "whodunit" - so the story carried me along as if I were seeing it for the first time.  There is some beautiful misdirection in the beginning of the film that makes me smile about myself.

I rented this from Amazon Instant Video.