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Comment on American Violet [Blu-ray] by Jerry P. Danzig

Jerry P. Danzig — Fri, 18 Mar 2011 02:45:25 +0000

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

ESSENTIAL viewing for EVERY good American, November 16, 2009

Jerry P. Danzig (New York, NY USA) -

This review is from: American Violet (DVD)

This is quite simply the most moving and powerful film I've seen this year. In fact, the film had me from the opening credits, where scenes of a young black mother getting her kids up out of bed and ready for the day are juxtaposed with scenes of police getting their armaments ready for an assault on a government housing project.

"American Violet" is based on a true story, and while the film makers combined some characters and condensed the passage of time for dramatic purposes, the key events of the film are as they happened in real life.

It's just another day in Bush Texas, where counties were given government money for making drug convictions. Worse, citizens could be accused and arrested based on the testimony of a single informant, in this case a young paranoid schizophrenic whose testimony would never hold up in court.

How then did the government prevail in these cases? By offering suspects a plea bargain: plead guilty and pay a fine but serve no jail time. What they didn't tell those who accepted the pleas were the terrible consequences: no further government benefits, no government housing subsidies, felonies on their records, and no further right to vote as American citizens.

Appallingly, this film reveals that ninety percent of all the cases in the American "justice" system are resolved by these profoundly inequitable plea bargains. What's more, an African-American man is more likely to serve time in jail in contemporary America than to graduate from college.

This story focuses on the young mother accused of dealing drugs. Against all odds, and having no resources to afford a good lawyer, she filed a civil suit against the government with the aid of the American Civil Liberties Union -- and got the government to drop the charges and even amend their practices.

Now they cannot arrest someone in Texas based on the testimony of a single individual.

Unfortunately, the corrupt DA who made a practice of running these raids on the predominantly Afro-American housing development was eventually re-elected (and may still be in office -- it's unclear).

Indeed, though this corruption took place even as Bush was "appointed" President in 2000, the system is still as much in need of repair in Obama's America.

As a white, middle-aged, middle-class viewer, I was shocked and appalled by this sad truth, of which I was unaware. And yes, I used up about a quarter of a box of Kleenex watching this movie.

The acting here is uniformly Oscar-worthy, most notably by Alfre Woodard as the young woman's mother and newcomer Nicole Beharie as Dee, the accused. Charles Dutton and Will Patton also give sterling performances; even the little girls are commendable -- four sisters in real life.

Finally I must take VEHEMENT exception to the editorial review Amazon has posted above. I don't know who the blockheaded woman is who called this a bad movie -- I've never heard of this reviewer before and doubt I ever will again, if her other reviews are as far off base as this one.

Interestingly, the director Tim Disney is the great-grand-nephew of Walt Disney, and is apparently as devout a good-hearted liberal as Uncle Walt was conservative, cold, and, according to some, anti-Semitic. In fact, I will be as bold as to say that if Tim Disney makes more films of this calibre, Walt's greatest gift to America and the world may turn out to be Tim, not Mickey Mouse.

And what does the title of the film refer to? The hardy little plant that almost dies when Dee is imprisoned, flourishing again at the end of the film.

I can't recommend this film enough. Make sure you have a box of Kleenex at the ready, however. You will need it.

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Comment on American Violet [Blu-ray] by Ms. Kym "Da Friski One"

Ms. Kym "Da Friski One" — Fri, 18 Mar 2011 02:40:25 +0000

21 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

A RECOMMENDED EYE-OPENER FOR ALL!!!!, October 4, 2009

Ms. Kym "Da Friski One" (New York) -

This review is from: American Violet (DVD)

Seen a viewing of 'AMERICAN VIOLET' recently.. And I had mixed emotions: upset, melancholy, ecstatic, and surprised! To be falsely accused of a crime, that you know deep in your heart you did NOT commit, is one thing... But when your so-called lawyer suggests you to take a plea bargain, oppose to fighting for your clearance makes one wonder who can you trust... This movie, based on factual events, is heartwrenching, as it is an eye-opener!!! I'd recommend that everyone sees this flick, even teens!!! Granted this ocurred in Melody, Texas, it's taking place worldwide...

PS... Superb performances by all: Nicole Beharie, Alfre Woodard, Will Patton, even Anthony Mackey!!! Applause, followed by a standing ovation!!!

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Comment on American Violet [Blu-ray] by Karen Franklin "Forensic Psychologist"

Karen Franklin "Forensic Psychologist" — Fri, 18 Mar 2011 01:40:42 +0000

28 of 28 people found the following review helpful:

Profiling the Drug Wars, April 28, 2009

Karen Franklin "Forensic Psychologist" (El Cerrito, CA, USA) -

Wouldn't it be terrible to find yourself jailed for something you did not do, based solely on the word of a lying, mentally ill drug addict? That's what happened to Regina Kelly in Hearne, Texas back in 2000. Ensnared in a mass arrest of suspected drug dealers at her housing project, the young single mother was charged with selling drugs in a school zone. Despite her insistence that she was innocent, her court-appointed attorney pressured her to accept a plea bargain to avoid many years in prison and the loss of her children. With no criminal record and no drugs found on or near her, she refused the deal. Instead, with the help of the American Civil Liberties Union she filed a class action lawsuit.

Although Kelly's case was reported in a documentary by PBS' cutting-edge Frontline back in 2004, American Violet brings a fictionalized version to a broader, mass audience. Co-director Bill Haney (along with Tim Disney) says he heard about Kelly's case on National Public Radio as he was driving; it so moved him that he pulled his car over to the side of the road and cried.

In this film, "Dee Roberts" (a magnificent Nicole Beharie) is the plaintiff in a class-action case over racial discrimination in drug enforcement. Tim Blake Nelson plays David Cohen, the ACLU lawyer who sues district attorney Calvin Beckett (Michael O'Keefe) on her behalf.

Kelly is quoted in the Chicago Tribune as saying the film is "90 percent accurate." The depositions, the courtroom scene in which she fights to retain custody of her children, and many other scenes are word-for-word accounts.

Like Clint Eastwood's Changeling, this tale of a defiant woman's struggle against corrupt law enforcement strikes a universal chord. But American Violet also addresses present-day criminal justice themes of racial profiling, coerced plea bargaining, and - most of all - wrongful convictions based on false statements by jailhouse informants.

I highly recommend this powerful movie.

For those interested in more information on the actual case, the Web has various resources. The class-action case, Regina Kelly v. John Paschall, is discussed at the ACLU's website. Kelly has her own web site and a YouTube video; just Google her name to get to those. I have also posted more information and links at 1url(dot)com/AmericanViolet.

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Comment on Beethoven – Mendelssohn: Violin Concertos – Acoustic Reality Experience [7.1 DTS-HD Master Audio Disc] [Blu-ray] Reviews by Steven Shelov

Steven Shelov — Fri, 18 Mar 2011 00:55:09 +0000

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

Excellent!, October 13, 2009

Steven Shelov (Chicago, IL, USA) -

This review is from: Beethoven - Mendelssohn: Violin Concertos - Acoustic Reality Experience [7.1 DTS-HD Master Audio Disc] [Blu-ray] (Blu-ray)

7.1 Music Classical Colletion - Acoustic Reality Experience [Blu-ray]
Add me to the people raving about this new 7.1 music titles. I have been searching for quite some time to find music on Blu-ray and I finally found it. The quality of the recordings is very high, as one would expect with DTS-HD Master Audio. I would buy this disc set first, listen to it for about three months, and then and only then move on to the other stuff.
I must say that listening to this discs is a wonderful change to today's music.

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Comment on Beethoven – Mendelssohn: Violin Concertos – Acoustic Reality Experience [7.1 DTS-HD Master Audio Disc] [Blu-ray] Reviews by Mark Skinner

Mark Skinner — Thu, 17 Mar 2011 23:56:33 +0000

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

has to be heard to be believed, April 18, 2009

Mark Skinner (Boston, MA) -

This review is from: Beethoven - Mendelssohn: Violin Concertos - Acoustic Reality Experience [7.1 DTS-HD Master Audio Disc] [Blu-ray] (Blu-ray)

Once the Beethoven really gets under way - it is, after all, a big piece - it generates a compelling intensity, and the solo line is nicely characterised, not least in the fluent music of the slow movement. Millova plays her own cadenzas, which are very much in keeping with the nature of her performance, which brings satisfaction if it does not uplift the soul.

The Mendelssohn Concerto starts beatifully before developing a more dramatic view. Mullova phrasing of the glorious tune with which Mendelssohn begins have the natural flow the music needs, and the same might be said of the slow movement too. However, there are many compensations, particularly in the clear articulation of the faster music. Although one would not hesitate to recommend this as a first choice recording, the performances do have many insights and abundant interest.

Meanwhile, the DTS-HD MA sound conveys a true sense of both height and depth such that you hear and "feel" the hall, the instruments seem realistically separated in "real space", string attacks are more sharply delineated. This recording illuminates subtle acoustic and timbral details to the extent that the listening experience is just that much more engaging and vibrant.

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Comment on Beethoven – Mendelssohn: Violin Concertos – Acoustic Reality Experience [7.1 DTS-HD Master Audio Disc] [Blu-ray] Reviews by J. Jordan

J. Jordan — Thu, 17 Mar 2011 23:47:19 +0000

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

Disc plays fine, the review below is misleading., August 6, 2009

J. Jordan (Cleveland, OH) -

This review is from: Beethoven - Mendelssohn: Violin Concertos - Acoustic Reality Experience [7.1 DTS-HD Master Audio Disc] [Blu-ray] (Blu-ray)

I bought several titles by this company and wanted to add this recording to my collection. After reading review below I contacted the label owner via Blu ray forum about compatibility. Just buy this titles directly from Amazon to be sure you got updated version. But even if you got an older copy they will replace it free of charge.
this is the e-mail address in my comment below.

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Comment on Invisible Target [Blu-ray] by John Pettibone

John Pettibone — Thu, 17 Mar 2011 21:42:36 +0000

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

Explosive action abounds, August 22, 2010

John Pettibone (Ma.) -

Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)

This review is from: Invisible Target [Blu-ray] (Blu-ray)

Benny Chan's Invisible Target has burst onto our home screens in both a regular and Blu-Ray disc format. This crime film about the aftermath of an armored car robbery in Hong Kong stars Nicholas Tse, and Jaycee Chan (son of Jackie Chan) this film starts with a huge explosion in the midst's of Honk Kong's business district and ends with the fight of a lifetime with two veteran renegade police officers and their "by the book" sidekick against the surviving orphans of a supreme gang (three men and a woman). It is comedy, chaos and lots and lots of martial arts all squeezed into 130 minutes. This film is a must see for everyone who loves Asian cinema and non stop action.

The blu Ray DVD itself is beautifully presented with a clear, sharp picture and speaking of explosive ... sound that will blow you out of the room. The Extras include scenes cut from the final production, a detailed commentary by the actors and director Benny Chan, and a behind the scenes look at exactly how all the chaos and martial arts were filmed. Stunt doubles were not used in this film, and the result is many bits of business that you will want to view more than once, and with the Blu Ray disc you can.

Highly recommended.

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Comment on NEW Zulu – Zulu (1964) (blu-ray) (Blu-ray) by James Hulston

James Hulston — Thu, 17 Mar 2011 19:35:54 +0000

57 of 58 people found the following review helpful:

The Battle at Rorke's Drift, Natal, South Africa, September 20, 2000

James Hulston (Sydney, Australia) -

This review is from: Zulu (VHS Tape)

January 22-23 1879 will go down as one of the greatest and bravest days in British military history.

The battle at Rorke's Drift, or as the Zulus called it "Jim's Place" is magnificently portrayed in this 1964 epic filmed on location in Natal.

Michael Caine perfectly plays the part of Lieutenent Gonville Bromhead, a gentleman and professional soldier who along with Lieutenent John Chard of the Royal Engineers (played by Stanley Baker) masterminded the defence of the small missionary station at Rorke's Drift.

80 men of the South Wales Borderers 24th Regiment Of Foot defended the missionary station and it's 36 wounded men in the hospital against 4,000 zulu warriors.

The Natal scenery and costumes of both the British soldiers and Zulu warriors are a highlight.

The battle scenes were graphically ahead of it's time and the narration by Richard Burton (himself a welshman)certainly adds to the drama that would unfold.

One criticism is levelled at the characterization of Private Alfred Henry Hook, who in the movie is portrayed as a drunken malingerer. He was in fact a gentleman and small landowner who was a well regarded soldier. He was awarded the Victoria Cross for his bravery in evacuating the sick and wounded from the burning hospital.

Overall, as an avid historian on the Zulu War of 1879, I found this a compelling movie classic which has been watched over and over again by me and my 3 brothers( Tom, Chris and Sam)

James Hulston from Sydney, Australia

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Comment on NEW Zulu – Zulu (1964) (blu-ray) (Blu-ray) by Dennis J. Buckley

Dennis J. Buckley — Thu, 17 Mar 2011 19:02:13 +0000

113 of 117 people found the following review helpful:

Outstanding re-telling of the 1879 battle at Rorke's Drift, January 7, 1999

Dennis J. Buckley (Harrisburg, PA USA) -

This review is from: Zulu (VHS Tape)

In January, 1879, a column of British soldiers comprised primarily of the 24th Regiment of Foot, South Wales Borderers, was wiped out at the base of the mountain, Isandhlwana, in Natal, South Africa. A large contingent of 4,000 Zulu warriors then moved on to the undermanned expedition base at Rorke's Drift. This movie tells the incredible true story of the subsequent battle, and of the victory of the 90 some British soldiers, many of them sick, who held their post in the face of overwhelming odds. See Donald Morris' definitive book, _The Washing of the Spears_, against which this film account compares most favorably.

This neglected classic was filmed at a time when it was still just possible to associate the word "glory" with military victory-- without a sneer. The makers of the film avoid preaching and just let the battle tell the tale of the men of both sides. The British soldiers are not the "good guys" nor are the Zulus "bad guys," and the lone derogatory comment about the fighting ability of the Zulus is instantly rebuffed by a tough Boer cavalryman who says, "And just who do you think is coming to wipe out your little garrison, the Grenadier Guards?" This is a soldier's story about a soldier's fight.

Did the Welsh really sing "Men of Harlach" as they manned their mealie-bag barricades?

Did the Zulus really render a warrior's salute as they broke off the action on the second day of the battle?

It doesn't matter. The film is accurate in the historical basics that really count.

Beautifully filmed on location, with an outstanding, stirring score by John Barry, this film features solid but appropriately understated performances by Stanley Baker, Michael Caine, and Jack Hawkins.

I hesitate to mention the hideous, politically correct pre-quel, _Zulu Dawn_ which was released almost 25 years after _Zulu_, but any viewer who has the unhappy experience of seeing _Zulu Dawn_ should not be put off from seeing _Zulu_, which shines in comparison.

Whether one is interested in military history or a "movie for men who like movies," _Zulu_ is a worthy addition to a film library. From first to last, it is a compelling, superior film.

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Comment on NEW Zulu – Zulu (1964) (blu-ray) (Blu-ray) by Grant A Thompson

Grant A Thompson — Thu, 17 Mar 2011 18:56:01 +0000

240 of 243 people found the following review helpful:

Zulu - a tolerable DVD of a great film, May 3, 2002

Grant A Thompson -

Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)

This review is from: Zulu (Michael Caine) (DVD)

Zulu is one of the greatest historical action movies ever made, and one of the great war movies. It is based on what historian Michael Glover terms "the most highly decorated battle in British history", the defence of Rorke's Drift during the Zulu War of 1879. Eleven of the defenders received Britain's highest award for military valor, the Victoria Cross--the rarely awarded counterpart of the US Congressional Medal of Honor. The movie is a landmark in the art of cinema for its extraordinary combination of location, cross-cultural engagement, a real story, good script and fine cast. This 1964 film never looks tired, despite my many years of rerunning it in 16mm, the Criterion laserdisc, and now the Front Row Entertainment Inc. DVD. Anecdotally, military colleges have used Zulu to show the power of directed massed musketry, and leadership and teamwork in combat.

Zulu is the greatest achievement of the career of British actor Stanley Baker, who co-produced with US-born, formerly blacklisted director Cy Endfield. Nothing else in the genre really measures up, including Endfield's so-called "prequel", Zulu Dawn, or other epics based on British colonial wars, such as Khartoum. It was filmed on location in the grandeur of Natal, South Africa, with descendants of the Zulu warriors who took part in the original action portraying their forebears. The prominent Zulu politician and traditional chief, Mangosuthu Buthelezi, plays the Zulu leader, his distant relative Cetewayo. Mass Zulu participation in the project guaranteed the uplifting dignity and authenticity of cross-cultural characterisations of the film. Early magnificent scenes with masses of Zulu extras show the Zulu royal kraal, with a mass wedding of warriors in progress as news arrives of the annihilation of a strong British force at Isandhlwana. These unique scenes probably never could be filmed again because of social and cultural change. The nearest conceptual comparison in the war genre that comes to mind is the cross-cultural aspect of Tora! Tora! Tora!

Stanley Baker believed so strongly in Zulu, despite difficulties in raising finance, that he sank much of his own money into it. Playing a British Army engineer officer thrust by events into leading a desperate defensive action following the disaster of Isandhlwana, he heads a strong cast, including a young Michael Caine as an upper crust infantry officer. There are wonderful cameo roles by Jack Hawkins as an alcoholic missionary; Nigel Green as the imperturbable Colour Sergeant Bourne, always ready with a calming order or a bayonet; James Booth as Private Hook, portrayed as a malingerer who is perhaps the least likely Victoria Cross winner; Patrick Magee as Surgeon-Major Reynolds, continuing up to his elbows in surgery even as Zulus try to break in. The narration by Richard Burton is very fine, and in character with the Welsh origin of the British soldiers. Welsh and Zulu singing on the cinematic battlefield is spine-tingling.

This film deserves the very best frame-by-frame and soundtrack digital restoration and DVD transfer that technology can provide, working from an original 70mm print. Meanwhile, the Front Row Entertainment Inc DVD, about the equal of the Criterion laserdisc, will have to do. The image quality is much less sharp than we now expect of new DVD releases. The color and audio are just passable. It is in widescreen format.

Stanley Baker died in 1976. Cy Endfield died in 1995. Other players who have passed on include Jack Hawkins in 1973; Nigel Green in 1972; and Patrick Magee in 1982. Before all key players in this project die, a retrospective on the making of the film--interviews, at least, with participants like Michael Caine and Mangosuthu Buthelezi--should be compiled for a new collector's edition DVD. At the time of writing, Sir Michael Caine (age 69) seems to be enjoying the afterglow of his prolific career in cinema and dabbles in restaurants, and Dr Buthelezi (age 74) is Minister for Home Affairs in the Government of South Africa. James Booth (age 69) continues on stage and screen.

Michael Glover's book, "Rorke's Drift" (Wordsworth Editions 1997) is recommended reading for anyone with a detailed interest in the historical background.

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