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IN THEATRES: FEBRUARY 25, 2005 (LIMITED)Genres and genders collide in this unusual mix of Christian soap opera and raunchy cross-dressing comedy. Tyler Perry adapts his own play--one of a series wherein he personally portrays Grandma Madea, an overweight, no-nonsense, old, Christian, African-American woman. In DIARY OF A MAD BLACK WOMAN, the main character is Helen (Kimberly Elise), whose wealthy, abusive husband Charles (Steve Harris) kicks her out of their mansion after 18 years of marriage. Luckily Grandma Madea is there to offer some tough love. When a gangster's bullet later makes Charles a cripple, Helen has to decide between love (i.e. wreaking Madea-sanctioned old testament vengeance) and Christian duty. The movie then progresses in two directions: the well-acted dramatic side, with Helen getting her life together thanks to the love of the dreamy Orlando (YOUNG AND THE RESTLESS star Shemar Moore) and her hospitalized momma (Cecily Tyson); and the go-for-broke humor side, with Harris whooping it up in unfettered glee as the chainsaw-wielding, pistol-packing Madea (he also plays several other roles). Whatever one's take on the oddness of the combination, there is no denying the power of Perry's unique mixture of cross-dressing outrageousness and Christian good intent, or the fine acting talent of the entire cast.
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This two DVD set contains Spike Lee's provocative drama about New York during the Son of Sam murders, SUMMER OF SAM, as well as the harrowing thriller THE HAND THAT ROCKS THE CRADLE. See individual titles for details.DVD Features:Region 12-Disc SetDisc #1: SUMMER OF SAMKeep CaseLetterboxed - 1.85Audio: Dolby Digital 5.1 - EnglishAdditional Release Material: Trailers - 1. Original Theatrical TrailerInteractive Features: Scene Access Interactive MenusDisc #2: THE HAND THAT ROCKS THE CRADLEKeep CaseLetterboxed - 1.85Audio: Dolby Surround - English Dolby Surround - FrenchAdditional Release Material: Trailers - 1. Original Theatrical TrailerInteractive Features: Scene Access Interactive Menus
Copyright (C) Muze Inc. 2005.
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The story of Loretta Lynn, COAL MINER'S DAUGHTER charts the rise of the queen of country music from her upbringing in backwoods Appalachia to stardom at the Grand Ole Opry. One of eight children, she married at age 13 and was a mother of four at age 20. Shy and naive, she was pushed into music by her husband, Doolittle, who gave her a guitar instead of a ring for their wedding, in what was to be a career that also tracked her complicated relationship with this man. His strengths helped her create numerous hit singles, but his weaknesses inspired such immortal songs as You Ain't Woman Enough to Take My Man. Sissy Spacek won an Oscar for her virtuoso performance, mimicking Lynn's voice nearly perfectly, while Beverly D'Angelo solidly impersonates Patsy Cline; unlike other music biographies, this film features both actors using their own voices in the singing scenes. Country music legend Ernest Tubb also makes a cameo. For director Michael Apted, COAL MINER'S DAUGHTER is one in a series of films--AGATHA, GORILLAS IN THE MIST, and NELL--he has made about strong, eccentric women.
Copyright (C) Muze Inc. 2005.
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Silent film director D.W. Griffith's biggest, most ambitious spectacle uses stories from different times and places to illustrate humanity's intolerance of religious differences throughout the ages. The most visually impressive of these chronicles is the fall of Babylon, for which Griffith built the largest sets in Hollywood and filled them with thousands of extras; there's also Christ's crucifixion and the massacre of the Heugenots in 15th century France. The most emotionally involving tale is the modern one, about a poor girl (Mae Marsh) whose life is repeatedly ruined by the zealotry of social reformers. The image of a mother (Lillian Gish) rocking her child in a cradle (the uniter of the here and hereafter) links the stories. At one point, angels reach down from heaven to stop soldiers in midbattle, making it clear that Griffith intended this follow-up to THE BIRTH OF A NATION as a message of global peace and love (and an answer to his critics' accusations of racism). For a nation poised to enter World War I, this was perhaps the wrong message, and INTOLERANCE opened to mixed reviews and poor attendance. It is now rightly recognized as a unique work of cinematic art. The restored version includes color-tinted scenes.DVD features:Region 0 EncodingRestored and reconstructed to 178 minutes from fine grain archival master printsColor tinted to the original 1916 specificationsDigital stereo organ score by Gaylord CarterVisual essay by Russell Merritt including:
Extra footage cut from original release
Copyright registration frames
Publicity materials
Background and production photographs
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Ron Howard directed this lightning-paced, high-energy drama following one day in the life of Henry Hackett (Michael Keaton), a frantic metro editor for a fictitious New York tabloid. While investigating the apparently race-related killing of two white businessmen found murdered in their car, Hackett discovers a conspiracy by the police involving the falsely arrested black youths. With the help of his very pregnant wife, Martha (Marisa Tomei), he scoops the competition by uncovering a connection to the mob. But his editor, the acerbic penny-counting Alicia (Glenn Close), questions the validity of his findings and refuses to print the story. Curmudgeonly managing editor Bernie White (Robert Duvall) tries to stop his two editors from fighting while losing a battle for his own health. THE PAPER features a terrific supporting cast, including Jason Robards as the paper's publisher, Randy Quaid as a paranoid columnist, Jason Alexander as a corrupt politician, and Spalding Gray as a New York Times-type editor. However, the movie belongs to Keaton himself, as an ambitious, harried reporter in search of the big story. Two brothers--screenwriter David Koepp and Time magazine editor Stephen Koepp, collaborated on the screenplay. To lend realism to the film, Howard rounded up a large group of media figures to make cameos, including Kurt Loder, Pete Hamill, Bob Costas, Richard Price, William Kunstler, Jane Hanson, E. Graydon Carter, and others.DVD Features:Region 1Snap CaseFull Frame - 1.33Audio: Dolby Digital 5.1 - English Dolby Digital 2.0 - English Dolby Digital 5.1 - French Dolby Digital 2.0 - FrenchText/Photo Galleries: Production Notes
Copyright (C) Muze Inc. 2005.
For personal use only.
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