DVD Collectors Online

White Oleander, a review by Rich

Title: White Oleander

Runtime:109
Certificate:PG-13
Year:2002
Genres:Drama

Plot:Oleander can be poisonous. So can a mother's love. Flamboyant, self-centered Ingrid is jailed for the murder of her lover. Yet she still controls the life of her impressionable 15-year-old daughter Astrid.
Based on the popular bestseller by Janet Fitch, White Oleander traces Astrid's remarkable journey to independence. Alison Lohman portrays Astrid, struggling to get a foothold in life as she copes with her manipulative mother (Michelle Pfeiffer) and with the challenges of living in a succession of foster homes (Robin Wright Penn and Renée Zellweger play two of the foster mothers). Energized by the real and revealing performances of a stellar cast, White Oleander bewitches – and haunts – from beginning to end.

My Review:
Hard to describe this film, very grim but at the same time compelling, depressing but memorable, agonising but uplifting.
A host of female stars perform throughout the movie, but the star of the film is left to the main lead Alison Lohman, who superbly handles a very difficult and emotional part and never appears overawed in such lofty company. Pfeiffer is unusually gritty and severe as the domineering and at times heartless mother, who the viewer slowly hates more and more through the storytelling.
A steady methodical pace helps a sympathetic direction, and the emotional setbacks through murder, suicide, abuse and foster homes are not overwrung, so you never tire of the material.
A realistically tough tale of a mother/daughter relationship, above average fare.


(From December Marathons - DISCUSSION AND REVIEW THREAD on December 9th, 2009)

The Special Relationship, a review by Dr. Hasslein

The Special Relationship



Director: Richard Loncraine
Year: 2010
Running Time: 88 Minutes
Rated: M
Genre: Historical Drama

Plot
The Special Relationship is a made for Television movie produce by HBO Films.
Set during the early 90s right up until the new millennium it follows the political relationship between British Prime Minister Tony Blair (Michael Sheen) and United States Presidents Bill Clinton. (Dennis Quaid)

The movie focuses on key events during that particular period such as the Monica Lewinsky sec scandal involving President Clinton and the humanitarian crisis in Bosnia in which its resolve proved to be possibly the most significant achievement by Tony Blair during his time as Prime Minister of Britain.
 

My Thoughts

(From The Special Relationship on January 6th, 2011)

Tom's Random Reviews, a review by Tom

Being Erica: Season Three (2010/United States) IMDb | Wikipedia Just Bridge Entertainment (Netherlands) Director: Writing: Length: 585 min. Video: Anamorphic Widescreen 1.78 Audio: English: Dolby Digital 5.1 Subtitles: Dutch

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Another great season. In the beginning I wasn't sure I'd like the direction this season was going, but it turned out okay.
The second to last episode was a great episode, which really felt like a season finale. Including the feeling to want to see how it now continues. And I thought, great that there is another episode. I get to see it continue. But as it turned out it really was the season finale, and the last episode was a christmas special, which obviously disregarded the episode before that. It was obviously set before the finale. It's a typical special, which doesn't further the storyline and just takes the characters and setting to "teach" you the meaning of christmas. Not a bad episode, but I was left disappointed that I didn't get to the story continue.
Now I have to wait a long time to see it. The fourth (and last) season hasn't even aired yet in Canada.

#	Episode	Rating
01	The Rabbit Hole
02	Moving On Up
03	Two Wrongs
04	Wash, Rinse and Repeat
05	Being Adam
06	Bear Breasts
07	Jenny From the Block
08	Physician, Heal Thyself
09	Getting Wiggy With It
10	The Tribe Has Spoken
11	Adam's Family
12	Erica, Interrupted
13	Fa La Erica

(From Tom's Random Reviews on September 13th, 2011)