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DVD Madison
Tailor-made for family viewing, Madison is the kind of decent, all-ages movie that's all too rare these days, and that alone makes it a pleasant alternative to Disney and Pixar hits. And while this barely factual drama plays fast and loose with actual historical details in the sport of hydroplane racing, it's a rousing (if utterly conventional) tale of underdogs under pressure--a boat racer's version of Hoosiers, if you will. Jim Caviezel (The Passion of the Christ) stars as Jim McCormick, who drove the Miss Madison hydroplane to unlikely victory in the 1971 Gold Cup race in Madison, Indiana, where low morale and failing economy created a strong need for local heroes. It's a predictable movie in every way, with a heavy-handed screenplay and direction that's nothing if not earnest, but Caviezel's reliable as always, and the capable supporting cast includes Mary McCormack, Bruce Dern, and Jake Lloyd (from Star Wars: Episode I). Best of all, the recreations of early '70s-vintage hydroplane races are guaranteed to please devotees of the sport and anyone with a cinematic need for speed. --Jeff Shannon
GOOD OLD-FASHIONED STORY-TELLING WITH STRONG PRODUCTION VALUES
Unlimited hydroplane boat racing may not be the most exciting sport in the world, unless you're from Madison, Indiana, where the sport was born - then it's everything. The town even owns its own boat, the Miss Madison. But she's on her last leg and has become the laughing stock of the racing circuit, much to the unhappiness of ten-year-old Mike McCormick - played by Jake Lloyd - who is just now getting to travel with the team. As the racing commission prepares to kick Madison off the circuit so a more lucrative team can join, the luck of the draw gives Madison the opportunity to save face and their place on the circuit by hosting the 1971 Gold Cup Championship. But it means coming up with the $50,000 prize money, getting their boat in shape, and finding a new driver. Can they do it?
It looks pretty hopeless to Mike, whose dad, Jim McCormick - played by Jim Caviezel (I Am David, Count of Monte Cristo, Passion of the Christ) - used to be a driver. But he was injured in an accident in which his best friend died and, since then, has contented himself with just being a part of the team. Now, as the town prepares for the Gold Cup, the driver they thought they had lined up is killed in another race. Jim sees no other way but for him to climb back into the cockpit, much to the chagrin of his wife - played by Mary McCormack - and everyone else's better judgment. Will he follow the same fate as his friend and the previous driver?
There are a lot of similarities between Madison and other small-town-Indiana sports films - like Hoosers and Breaking Away. (Paul Dooley played the father in that film, and plays the mayor in this one.) William Bindley directed and co-wrote Madison with his brother, Scott, and the result is a family film with a strong message about hope-in-the-face-of-hopelessness and high production values. Jim Caviezel gives his usual solid performance, as does most of the cast. There are memorable highlights, like the team stealing a World War II engine out of an antique plane on display in front of a nearby town's courthouse; a man-to-man talk disguised as a fishing trip between Mike and an old family friend - played wonderfully against type by Bruce Dern; and a great reenactment of ABC's Wide World of Sports covering the Gold Cup race. The boat racing is well filmed with a certain amount of excitement, especially in the flashback sequence.
But there is something missing. Even though the stakes are high for both Madison and Jim McCormick, when it's time for the big race, I'm not on the edge of my seat. Whatever is not working has to do with the script, and that one element keeps it from being a five-star film for me. It may just be too tame; or maybe boat racing is hard for non-adherents to get excited about; or perhaps the threat of death (the real antagonist) doesn't seem great enough. Much like another Jim Caviezel sports film project, Stroke of Genius, there is nothing outstanding here. However, it is good, old-fashioned storytelling with strong production values - and that's worth a lot.
Waitsel Smith
A Very Good Family Movie
This is a great family movie. It's based on the story of how unlimited hydroplane racer Jim McCormick and the town of Madison Indiana rallied together to host the 1971 Gold Cup hydroplane race, and also how they succeeded in winning that same race. The director did a great job in developing the bonds between Jim, his son Mike (whose adult voice in the present-day narration was performed by John Cougar Mellencamp), his team of mechanics, and the town of Madison. A big part of the script is how his wife was opposed his driving the Miss Madison, as it can be a very unforgiving, brutal sport when accidents happen. One minor critique was the somewhat lacking story development in the competition between McCormick's team and the well-funded Miss Budweiser team from the "big city". More thought could have gone into this part of the story rather than just simply demonizing them as arrogant and dirty boat racers. Overall though, well done. The racing scenes at the end were great.....shot from helicopters at the actual racing site on the Ohio River in Madison, IN. Buy this movie, grab your family, and enjoy this movie!
Pro Madison-Madisonian
I first heard about the movie, "Madison," on the Madison, Indiana website, "[...]," and then I saw the movie in a theatre down the street from my daughter's home in Burbank, California. This movie was made for Madisonians like me, I love movies and I love Madison, Indiana. I grew up there. I attended the Madison High School Class of 1958, 40th Reunion during Labor Day weekend in 1998. The reunion happened to coincide with the Regatta weekend. It was nice to know there was still a Madison Regatta and to hear the thunder boats roar up and down the river. I amazed that everyone I spoke with in Madison seemed so knowledgeable about hydroplane racing. They are not hicks. The harshest critics of the movie live in Madison, Indiana. Madison, Indiana has been the setting for two films in my lifetime, "Some Came Running (1958)", and, "Madison (2000)". That's pretty good for a nowhere town. The old town photographs pretty well. Madison is a good family film about hydroplane racing. The Bindley brothers did a fine job. I bought the DVD and will recommend it to my friends and associates.
Ok, I'll admit it. I didn't know a thing about this movie when I brought it home. I noticed that Jim Caviezel was in it, so I just grabbed it off the shelf. My kids were reluctant to view it with me, mainly because they had their heart set on watching some "smart-alecky" movie. As we started viewing the film, we realized that it was a great story, with a great cast. "An Absolute Treasure" - that's what I call this film. It touches the heart, mind, and soul. David's unbreakable spirit and haunting, expressive face will stay with me for a long time. More Info about this DVD Actor(s): Ben Tibber - James Caviezel - Joan Plowright Director(s): Paul Feig DVD Release Date: Released the 05 April 2005 Usually ships in 24 hours
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A frame-bursting roster of actors crowds this two-part HBO miniseries, which is nothing less than a look at America through the lens of a small New England town. Richard Russo adapted his own novel, a story of a gently depressed factory town that has always been run by the wealthiest family around (currently lorded over by matriarch Joanne Woodward). Ed Harris plays the central role, a decent, cautious man who runs a local diner and carefully negotiates the political niceties of Empire Falls; Paul Newman is his rapscallion of a father (the son is perpetually picking food out of Dad's beard), Helen Hunt is Harris's ex-wife, Aidan Quinn his feistier brother, and Robin Wright Penn his tragical mother seen in flashbacks.
The goal of Russo and director Fred Schepisi seems to have been... More Info about this DVD Director(s): Fred Schepisi DVD Release Date: Released the 13 September 2005 Usually ships in 24 hours
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While it works better as a somber mood piece than a futuristic thriller, The Final Cut posits a unique what-if scenario that some viewers will find fascinating. In a role that calls for his low-key One Hour Photo persona, Robin Williams plays an expert "cutter" who's in demand for his ability to distill anyone's lifetime into a feature-length "rememory" film that highlights the better side of anyone's nature. His profession is made possible by the "Zoe" chip, a prenatal brain implant capable of recording a person's entire lifetime--a technology opposed by a former cutter (Jim Caviezel) and puzzled over by Williams' on-and-off girlfriend (Mira Sorvino). First-time writer-director Omar Naim divided critics with his impressive visual style and lackluster screenplay, which fails... More Info about this DVD Actor(s): Robin Williams - Mira Sorvino - James Caviezel Director(s): Omar Naim DVD Release Date: Released the 22 March 2005 Usually ships in 24 hours
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The dazed, dreamlike world of director David Gordon Green remains intact, although Undertow has more story than his previous gems (All the Real Girls, George Washington). In the hot, green Georgia countryside, a man (Dermot Mulroney) lives with his two sons on a farm; their existence is shattered by the arrival of the man's Faulknerian brother (Josh Lucas), a dangerous sort with an ulterior motive. The movie that follows is like The Night of the Hunter filtered through a Days of Heaven lens--there's even a Heaven-like narration provided by Jamie Bell. That's what you get for having Terrence Malick produce your movie. The plot doesn't always sit comfortably with Green's uncanny style--sometimes it feels like an intrusion on a private world of... More Info about this DVD Actor(s): Jamie Bell - Dermot Mulroney - Devon Alan - Josh Lucas Director(s): David Gordon Green DVD Release Date: Released the 26 April 2005 Usually ships in 24 hours
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Creepy, tense, and enigmatic, Renny Harlin's Mindhunters is a grisly cross between Agatha Christie's whodunit classic And Then There Were None and Jonathan Demme's horrifying The Silence of the Lambs. An interesting ensemble cast, including Christian Slater (Windtalkers), Jonny Lee Miller (Melinda and Melinda), L.L. Cool J (Harlin's Deep Blue Sea), and Kathryn Morris (television's Cold Case) portray promising FBI profilers-in-training. Val Kilmer plays their ambiguous instructor putting the candidates through their paces and leaving them for a weekend on a spooky island, where those who survive a terrifying exercise--penetrating the mind of a serial killer via elaborate clues--will go to the head of the class. The rules change, however,... More Info about this DVD Actor(s): Val Kilmer - Christian Slater - LL Cool J Director(s): Renny Harlin DVD Release Date: Released the 20 September 2005 Usually ships in 24 hours
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