List Price: $19.97 Our Price: $17.97YOU SAVE $2!
Buy it
DVD Widows' Peak
In this quaint Irish comedy about a remote town run by the large number of widows, who are led by the monarchical Mrs. Counihan (Joan Plowright), Natasha Richardson is a newly arrived English widow who brings sex appeal and the possibility of mischief when she starts courting Counihan's befuddled son (Adrian Dunbar). This sets in motion a mystery akin to an Agatha Christie tale, led by suspicious Mia Farrow. The setup is fine and the acting first-rate, but the final act forces its hand far too soon. What starts off as an accessible film turns into a prize only for those who liked Enchanted April and similar movies. --Doug Thomas
Admittedly, the film tries so hard to lead you in a direction opposite the final plot twist that some things don't quite hold water. However, in all other respects the film is such a delight it's easy to forgive a few inconsistencies. We loved it so much we were about to buy a region 2 copy and a code-free DVD player when we discovered a region 1 version had been released. As others have already said, the scenery is beautiful, the acting is outstanding, especially Mia Farrow and Joan Plowright who hits exactly the right note as the queen bee of her little matriarchal society.
This film puts to shame all the heavily hyped Hollywood darlings like Sideways and The Aviator. We've recommended it to a lot of friends and to date, they've all loved it.
We did find the heavy Irish/English accents a little hard to understand at times. I was forced to turn on the captioning to catch it all. In almost every respect this movie is a treat!
Excellent comedic mystery... on an Excellent DVD
This excellent comedic mystery takes a dig at the social hypocrisy permeating small town life in 1920s Ireland. Into their prim and proper society, a mystery, a scandal and even a murder descends. In the little lakeside town of Kilshannon, a group of widows lord it over the townsfolk. Led by Mrs. Counihan (Joan Plowright), they hold themselves apart from the town's men and others of lesser ilk. Their life is turned upside down with the arrival of a young English widow (Natasha Richardson) who instantly ensnares the Matriach's only son. But one of the clique, Miss O'Hare (Mia Farrow) holds an instant dislike to the new arrival. What lies behind the mysterious animosity between the two. What hold does the penniless, tart-tongued Miss O'Hare have over the rest of the widows? Will their mutual antipathy lead to murder? As an oh-so-genteel, parlour mystery it works deliciously. Savour the final twist at the end.
This DVD release from New Line Entertainment is one of the most beautiful transfers I've seen in a long while. The original photography of the Irish countryside, resplendant in greens and blues is exquisitely rendered in this transfer. Colors are gorgeously rich and natural. Black levels are perfect. The level of fine detail is revelatory. It's a joy just to watch the scenery unfold onscreen. It is presented in the original theatrical aspect ratio of 1.85:1 (enhanced for widescreen TV). Soundwise we are given a choice of 5.1 DTS, Dolby 5.1, and the original Dolby Stereo. All in, an absolutely admirable release from New Line. Definitely worth the asking price.
Delightful Irish mystery
How nice this is coming on dvd in the states. I have a Region 2
copy and the digital transfer is outstanding. Mia Farrow, Joan
Plowright and Natasha Richardson are delightful in this film of
a small Irish village run by the widows. Richardson is the mysterious newcomer whose arrival opens many cans of worms. I liked all the little bits that are part of the movie like being
suspicious of "foreigners" and the gossipy women. Jim Broadbent
and Adrian Dunbar contribute to the festivities. Definitely for
the ENCHANTED APRIL crowd of which I am a charter member.
I'm a bit surprised to see the somewhat tepid 4-star reviews of this great film, one of my all-time favorite movies (others being Godfather I&II, Dr. Strangelove, Notting Hill, The Player, Pulp Fiction).
The acting, the plot, the direction, and the setting is marvelous. I don't even particularly like Lake Como (it's easily my least favorite destination in Italy) but I love this film!
Falling neatly into the Enchanted April and Under the Tuscan Sun category, the made-for-HBO My House in Umbria boasts lovely Italian vistas and comforting Englishness. But it begins with a note of violence: on a train rolling through the sunny countryside, a terrorist bomb detonates, killing a handful of passengers. The strangers that survive recuperate at the villa of an eccentric but kindly romance novelist, also a survivor of the blast. She's played by Maggie Smith, who bustles through the role with a pleasing mix of gin and daffodils. Chris Cooper is an uptight American who comes to the villa to pick up his orphaned niece and bristles at the bohemian atmosphere. Director Richard Loncraine maintains the melancholy mood amidst the sun-dappled gardens of Umbria, but... More Info about this DVD Director(s): Richard Loncraine DVD Release Date: Released the 25 November 2003 Usually ships in 24 hours
List Price: $14.96 Your Price: $11.97YOU SAVE $2.99!
Buy it
Annette Bening's outstanding performance is the best reason to see Being Julia, a highly melodramatic adaptation of the 1937 novel Theatre by W. Somerset Maugham. With a prestigious pedigree (director Istvan Szabo and screenwriter Ronald Harwood share impressive theatrical backgrounds) and a stellar cast including Jeremy Irons, Bruce Greenwood, and Juliet Stevenson, the film's backstage and onstage theatrics take place in pre-World War II London, when the venerable actress Julia (Bening) fends off middle-age by romancing a stage-struck young American (Shaun Evans) in a calculated attempt to retain some youthful vitality while airing her own dirty laundry onstage in a glorious act of divine diva behavior. Treating life and theater as one big play in which she's the perpetual... More Info about this DVD Actor(s): Michael Gambon - Annette Bening - Jeremy Irons Director(s): István Szabó DVD Release Date: Released the 22 March 2005 Usually ships in 24 hours
List Price: $26.96 Your Price: $24.26YOU SAVE $2.7!
Buy it
This silky smooth film noir pits gruff police detective Dana Andrews, stiff and blunt in his street-bred manners, against a cultured columnist and acidic wit (Clifton Webb at his prissiest) in a battle of wits during a murder investigation. The cop is a romantic hiding under a hard-boiled exterior who falls in love with the beautiful victim through the portrait that hangs in her apartment. Gene Tierney, whose heart-shaped face mixes the exotic with the girl next door, brings the poise and calm of a model to her role as the object of every man's gaze and the target of a killer. Laura, handsomely shot in dreamy black and white, is the first and best of Otto Preminger's cool, controlled murder mysteries. In the gritty world of film noir it remains the most refined and elegant example... More Info about this DVD Actor(s): Gene Tierney - Dana Andrews Director(s): Rouben Mamoulian - Otto Preminger DVD Release Date: Released the 15 March 2005 Usually ships in 24 hours
List Price: $14.98 Your Price: $8.98YOU SAVE $6!
Buy it
The BBC has raised the mini-series to an astonishing creative peak. A prime example is the 1994 production of Middlemarch, based on the classic novel by George Eliot, which juxtaposes morals and money, grand ambitions with petty jealousies, and pursuits of the mind with bodily needs. A handsome young doctor named Lydgate (Douglas Hodge, Vanity Fair) comes to the provincial town of Middlemarch to start a new hospital; a headstrong young woman named Dorothea (Juliet Aubrey, The Mayor of Casterbridge) yearns to contribute to the greater good of the world. These idealists enter into marriages that derail all their intentions and lead them into lives they never imagined. The network of characters in this six-episode program, ranging up and down the societal ladder, create... More Info about this DVD Director(s): Anthony Page DVD Release Date: Released the 19 April 2005 Usually ships in 24 hours
List Price: $14.98 Your Price: $11.24YOU SAVE $3.74!
Buy it
