DVD of the WeeK!Interesting snippet on the DVD release from The Mirror last week....
Text reads.....
"Ioan Gruffudd is best known for his star turn in in TV's Hornblower and more recently The Fantastic Four, but he comes into his own in this stirring drama."
Describes plot of AG
"Gruffudd is still finding his feet in his quest to be a hollywood leading man, but this strong performance is a step in the right direction.
He is helped enormously by his strong supporting cast...."
"Although this is an important film and the subject understandably a very sensitive one, it is not without it's Hollywood sheen and the fact that all Wilberforce's fellow abolitionists had wild, unkempt hair made me laugh.
I also would have liked to see more made of Equiano and men like him, because although this film was about Wilberforce, I felt their stories were just as important. There are moments that are effective and exciting, but others that feel forced.
While this probably won't appeal to a mass market audience, those who give this enlightening and entertaining piece a go won't be disappointed.
Then she gives the 'DVD of the Week' an 'Average' rating! :???:
Extras include a commentary by Gruffudd and director Michael Apted, plus a look at the song Amazing Grace, which inspired the film."
Thanks for sharing that Stevie, interesting that she names it the DVD of the week and only gives it an average rating...Either the other DVDs were really bad or she is just being contradictory...
Anyway, just thought I'd let you all know that my local cinema has a Make Poverty History banner that is actually telling people to go and see Amazing Grace. It was very suprising, yet obviously exciting, to see.
Has the DVD been released?? I missed the announcement. :crying And I didn't see it at Costco yesterday.
ETA: zoo.station! You look very familiar. :lol: I'm glad to see that pretty face again.
According to Borders (my fave bookshop!) the official date is August 6th in the UK.
:oops: wrong thread! :blink:
Thanks for sharing, Stevie.
I find it interesting, too, that she names AG the dvd of the week and then goes on to give it an average rating, but I like the article.
Okay, the more I think about it the more I feel that she named it DVD of the Week purely because the rest of the weeks DVD's weren't that flash. The Herald Sun, the newspaper my family gets, has a movie page everyday Saturday and in the middle they have a movie that they think is the 'Don't Miss' of the week. Quite often the movie in that section is only given a two/three star rating and it's in that position because of the other weeks movies are a lot worse leaving it the only choice. Not that I am calling AG an average movie and a last resort choice for DVD of the week, but if you take a look at the other DVD releases from AG's week can you see a movie that is better?
HilJohnETA: zoo.station! You look very familiar. I'm glad to see that pretty face again.
Thanks Hil, glad to be back :hug
Not that I am calling AG an average movie and a last resort choice for DVD of the week, but if you take a look at the other DVD releases from AG's week can you see a movie that is better?
Good point, Zoo! And I take the journalist's point that the subject of AG isn't for everybody, too. I may not have seen this film at the cinema, if Ioan wasn't in it, but rather waited for the DVD. Slavery itself has been covered in alot more depth by other films and I not sure if the story of Wilber would have drawn me to pay the price of a ticket or buy the DVD if I wasn't a Ioanista.
With the benefit of hindsight, :roll: , I can see how good the film is in it's own right (it's the Ioan we know and love!) But hindsight is a wonderful thing.......
Good point, Zoo! And I take the journalist's point that the subject of AG isn't for everybody, too. I may not have seen this film at the cinema, if Ioan wasn't in it, but rather waited for the DVD. Slavery itself has been covered in alot more depth by other films and I not sure if the story of Wilber would have drawn me to pay the price of a ticket or buy the DVD if I wasn't a Ioanista.
True and that is the case for me. Whilst I am very against slavery and poverty and racism and just social injustice in general, Amazing Grace would not have been number one on my priority release had I only read a summary of it or review of it in a newspaper instead of actually following everything about it ever since it's production and cast were announced like I did thanks to Ioan and of course, IoanOnline. It wouldn't have grabbed at me straight away because, and I am going to be an idiot and pay myself out for my age, it's not exactly a 15 year olds first movie of choice; an English man from centuries ago who was a politican and pranced around making speeches, I can't say if there was no obvious object on interest in the movie or if I didn't know a thing about Ioan that I'd choose it over say, Transformers.
That being said, my teacher who I have a great rapport with has been anxious to see it, same with my parents even though I'm pretty sure my mum has other motives considering she has upgraded Ioan from 'all right' to 'absolutely divine' and brings up her stroking of his face on a regular basis. I think there are a fair few people who are interested in the movie it's just a matter of spending a rather large amount of money on sitting in a chair looking at a big screen.
Oh and hindsight....wonderful, I agree Stevie, but also incredibly annoying in some cases.
Thankyou for the artivle Stevie I was wondering when it was going to be released and welcome back Kaitlyn :razz: .
I have the DVD on order and I can't wait for it to plop through the letterbox from Amazon!
Thanks for the scan. The woman obviously doesn't know what she's talking about!
From DVD to TV. :)
I hope soemone will see it. :)
Amazing Grace - Monday, M-Net, 20:30
I must applaud M-Net for screening this amazing film on June 16, a day that means so much in the history of this nation, and in the history of global racism.
http://www.thetimes.co.za/Entertainment/Article.aspx?id=781112
Thanks for the heads-up, Annee. AG must be a poignant movie to see for South Africans, considered the history of their country. Hope that if we have members or visitors from South Africa, they will be able to see it.
Yes, that's an inspiring bit of programming, isn't it?