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The Shoes of the Fisherman, a review by James

Available individually or as part of:
Title: The Shoes of the Fisherman
Year: 1968
Director: Michael Anderson
Rating: G
Length: 162 Min.
Media Type: DVD
Video: Anamorphic Widescreen 2.35:1
Audio: English: Dolby Digital 5.1, French: Dolby Digital Stereo
Subtitles: English, French, Spanish

Stars:
Anthony Quinn
Laurence Olivier [Sir Laurence Olivier]
Oskar Werner
David Janssen
Vittorio De Sica

Plot:Extras:
Scene Access
Trailers
Featurettes
Closed Captioned


I purchased this DVD as part of the Films of Faith box set. I'm an Audrey Hepburn fan (The Nun's Story) whereas my wife and father-in-law have fond memories of seeing The Shoes of the Fisherman in its original release. So I decided to check it out.

There was a lot I didn't understand since I'm not Catholic, but I did enjoy the pomp and circumstance of how a pope is chosen. It's interesting that the fictional story of this former Russian prisoner who becomes pope somewhat foreshadows the circumstances that elevated Pope John Paul II less than 10 years after this film was made.

Anthony Quinn is superb as Kiril Lakota, who becomes Pope Kiril. The Oskar Werner storyline about the cosmic Christ escaped me as a non-Catholic, and I had to read up a bit about that after I watched the film. David Janssen has a thankless role as a TV reporter. I question whether his part could have just been removed from the film altogether.

The transfer is good for its age and there's one featurette of interest. This is one of those roadshow-type films with an overture, entr'acte, and exit music. No matter the film, I'm always a sucker for a roadshow epic!

The best part of the story for me was seeing how a man's faith informs his decision making and reveals his character. If you can watch it on that level, you'll find it enjoyable.

6 on the cellophane scale.



(From The Viewage of James aka m.cellophane on January 7th, 2008)

The Truth About Jane, a review by addicted2dvd

The Truth About Jane (2000/United States) IMDb |Wikipedia | Fisher Klingenstein Films, TGG Direct Director: Lee Rose Writing: Lee Rose (Writer) Length: 91 min. Rating: NR Video: Full Frame 1.33:1 Audio: English: Dolby Digital: 2-Channel Stereo Subtitles: None

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Stars:
Stockard Channing as Janice
Ellen Muth as Jane
Kelly Rowan as Ms. Lynn Walcott
Jenny O'Hara as Beth
RuPaul as Jimmy
Noah Fleiss as Ned

Plot:
Jane's mom (Stockard Channing) assumes her daughter is just like every other sixteen-year-old girl - a little confused about growing up. Jane (Ellen Muth) figures her mom is just like every other mom - a little too protective, but loving. They figure they have a good relationship, until Jane falls in love with the new girl at school. Jane knows she is gay but her mom is completely unwilling to accept this fact. Their mother-daughter relationship is broken unless they can find a way to remember how much they love each other.

Extras:

• No Extras What so Ever

This is a TV Movie that originally aired on Lifetime. This is part of a 3 TV movie set I just got yesterday. And was the one I wanted to see the most in the set. As I like both Stockard Channing and Ellen Muth. This is the first thing I see Ellen Muth in other the her series Dead Like Me. The first thing I noticed is the narration from Ellen Muth. It instantly made me think of her series... as the series is done the same way. I felt that they did a wonderful job with this film. It felt realistic and I must say it broke my heart seeing how much trouble the mother had accepting the idea her daughter is a lesbian. To me a parent should be nothing but accepting and behind their child no matter what... as long as they are healthy and happy. Sure it means they are going to have a tougher time in life. I am not blind... I can see that. But it is a parent's job to help their child through the tough times in their lives...not add to them. Anyway, I enjoyed every moment of this movie. Despite it being pure drama (not a favorite genre). Well worth the time put in to watch it.



(From Weekend Movie Marathon: Unwatched Discs on August 11th, 2013)

Angel Marathon, a review by addicted2dvd

19. Belonging
Original Air Date: 5/1/2001
Angel and his crew must find a way to kill a bloodthirsty demon who has arrived in town from another dimension through a mysterious, magical portal in the karaoke bar.

Guest Stars:
Amy Acker
Jarrod Crawford
Darris Love
Brody Hutzler

My Thoughts:
This is the very first appearance of Amy Acker as Winfred "Fred" Burkle. Even if it was just for a quick moment in one of Cordelia's visions. This is also the first of a 4 episode storyline for the end of the second season. It is a good episode... I enjoyed it quite a bit.  

My Rating:

(From Angel Marathon on March 9th, 2010)