FemaleFirst.co.uk: DVD: Everything Is Illuminated [DVD] [2005]

Everything Is Illuminated [DVD] [2005]
enlarge	Director: Liev Schrieber Actors: Elijah Wood, Eugene Hutz, Boris Leskin, Laryssa Lauret, Zuzana Hodkova Studio: Warner Home Video Category: DVD List Price: ~~£15.99~~ Buy New: £2.09 as of 22/11/2009 06:25 GMT details You Save: £13.90 (87%) New (21) Used (4) Collectible (1) from £2.09 Seller: Phaeton Entertainment Rating: 18 reviews Sales Rank: 3586 Format: PAL, Widescreen Language: English (Original Language) Rating: Suitable for 12 years and over Region: 2 Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1 Number Of Discs: 1 Running Time: 101 Minutes Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.2 Dimensions (in): 7.1 x 5.4 x 0.6 EAN: 7321900593434 ASIN: B000CQO3QE Theatrical Release Date: 2005 Release Date: March 27, 2006 Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days


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Customer Reviews: Showing reviews 1-5 of 18 1 2 3 4 Next » Great Job Liev Schreiber!! A film that grows in reflection... May 27, 2006 Glen Ramirez (Massachusetts) 16 out of 16 found this review helpful This was truly a hidden gem! Visually stunning, a beautiful touching story and some wonderful acting. Ukranian born Eugene Hutz was an excellent choice to play Alex, the "tour guide" of this movie. 33 year-old Hutz's only prior film credits were a movie "short" and a documentary in 2004 (he is better known as the singer, lyricist and visionary of the acclaimed gypsy punk rock band 'Gogol Bordello'). This comedy/drama will keep you fascinated for the entire 105 minutes. The deleted scenes are also very enjoyable but would have been a bit "overboard" on the comedic side. Elijah Wood is very good as the solemn, google-eyed American who embarks on this journey through the beautiful Ukranian country side along with Alex, Alex's Grandfather their dog "Sammy Davis Jr. Jr.". As U.S. critics "Ebert Roeper" reported on this movie, "Two Thumbs Up" (Roger Ebert gave it 3.5 out of 4 stars). br / br /This movie begins in goofiness and ends in silence and memory. One of the best movies of the past year. Fantastically took me by Surprise November 15, 2006 Mr. D. P. Nesmejanow (Wigan (don't hold it against me), UK) 10 out of 10 found this review helpful I hired this and when it came I wasn't particularly looking forward to watching it. However, nothing on the TV so I put it on. I thought it was gonna be 'Being John Malkovich' weird. It is a little quirky but that is only because a character is quirky. But I have to say: br /THIS IS ONE OF THE BEST FILMS I HAVE EVER SEEN. br /It is funny and heartwarming. It has superb characters who interact just perfectly. br /You must must watch this film. I watched it again within the same week. Something I never do. It is great great great. More than just a brilliant film -- a veritable masterpiece of cinematic art September 16, 2006 Daniel Jolley (Shelby, North Carolina USA) 14 out of 16 found this review helpful On the rarest of occasions, a movie comes along that reminds us all that cinema, in its purest form, is an art form, a means to express truth and beauty in the most affecting of ways. Everything is Illuminated is one of these rare films. It truly is, as has already been said, a metaphysical journey, one that takes the viewer all the way to the very heart of humanity, evoking both its darkest and lightest aspects along the way. br / br /As much as I loved this film, I have no doubts whatsoever that some viewers will find it exceedingly boring. This is a slow, introspective film that unwinds itself slowly onto the viewer's psyche, replete with long dramatic pauses and what I would call deep internal acting. In other words, a close-up on a character's face can sometimes be more revealing than an extended piece of dialogue. I imagine that some will also leave the film feeling as if everything wasn't quite illuminated for them. It would have been a mistake for the scriptwriter to come right out and explain the meaning of everything, though. True illumination can only come from within. In addition to that, the emotional reverberations set off by this story would have been stilled by a direct disclosure of its secrets, thereby robbing the film of its greatest strength. br / br /Everything is Illuminated could have been less quirky, though - I'll give you that one. In a way, though, the quirkiness only makes the film more memorable and endearing. Early on, in particular, it's hard to tell if Elijah Wood's acting is brilliant or awful, as his character is essentially a human automaton with an immovably emotionless face. Attired in his somber suit of black, he doesn't exactly fit in with the rural Ukrainian population. His character, Jonathan, has come to the Ukraine in order to learn more about his grandfather and the woman who helped him escape to the West during World War II. Jonathan is a collector, an anal-retentive packrat who collects all manner of things about people and places - but he has only two items connected to his grandfather. br / br /Strangely enough, the film gradually becomes less about Jonathan and more about his tour guides, Alex (Eugene Hutz) and Alex's grumpy grandfather. Along with the family's temperamental pet dog Sammy Davis, Jr., Jr. (named after Grandfather's favorite singer - and played wonderfully by canine actors Mikki and Mouse), this disparate group of individuals cram themselves into a small car and set off across the Ukrainian countryside in search of a town no one seems to have heard of before. Many discoveries are to be made on this trip, as the past reasserts itself in some really heart-breaking ways. That's all I'm going to say about the plot - just trust me when I say it is astonishingly deep and emotionally powerful. br / br /Don't get the idea that this is some exceedingly morose film because it does have a number of lighter moments, most of them provided by Alex and his unique translation skills. The musical score is also a joy to hear, with its delightful mix of Eastern European styles and sounds. There is no more plaintive or soulful music in the world, and it serves as a powerful complement to the story playing out on screen. br / br /In my opinion, Everything is Illuminated is a brilliant film, one of the best I've seen in some time. Give this movie a chance, and it will touch your heart in ways you may never have experienced before. Hats off to director Liev Schreiber for bringing such a beautiful, touching film to cinematic life. There's hope for Elijah Wood April 4, 2007 Dinky 1 out of 2 found this review helpful ... who seems to have been inadvertently typecast as Frodo. Films like this show you that he can do other roles well. (See also "Sin City.") br / br /It has been said that we laugh because it hurts, and this film provokes such laughter in spades, from Alex's peculiar English and the casual brutality of his everyday family life to Jonathan's hugely magnifying spectacles and his eccentric collecting. When the grandfather's tragic secret is revealed towards the end -- it is by no means spelled out and still leaves you wondering what exactly happened -- a lot of things come to a head: the grandfather's life ends quite dramatically, both Jonathan and Alex discover their common roots, and many things that were previously just odd begin to make sense and become significant. br / br /"Everything is Illuminated" -- weird, beautiful, sad, funny -- remind us about life and people and how strange and wonderful we all are. the book doesnt get illuminated, but thats not everything! December 3, 2008 lushchica (edinburgh, scotland) if you have read the book, and then see that there is a film featuring elijah wood of it, i can see that you might be a little sceptical, but trust me, this is great. br /its not all of the book, how could it be, its just the jonathans journey to ukrane bit..with alex and his grandfather, and the story gets a little changed for the film, but it really works. its quirky, its actually quite sweet, and, i hate to say it, but elijah is really good. br /there are terrible films made of good books...but this is the exception. br /if you liked the book as much as i did, then i think you will like this.. br /and everyone i know who has watched it, and hasnt read it, loved it too. br /ok, funnily enough, its about the holocaust, but its strangely uplifting! br /and that can only be a good thing. Showing reviews 1-5 of 18 1 2 3 4 Next »

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