FemaleFirst.co.uk: DVD: W. [DVD] [2008]

W. [DVD] [2008]
enlarge	Director: Oliver Stone Actors: Scott Glenn, Jeffrey Wright, James Cromwell, Ioan Gruffudd, Toby Jones Studio: Lions Gate Home Entertainment Category: DVD List Price: ~~£19.99~~ Buy New: £4.98 as of 21/11/2009 19:09 GMT details You Save: £15.01 (75%) New (14) Used (13) from £2.40 Seller: Amazon.co.uk Rating: 20 reviews Sales Rank: 5104 Format: PAL Rating: Suitable for 15 years and over Region: 2 Number Of Discs: 1 Running Time: 124 Minutes Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.2 Dimensions (in): 7.1 x 5.4 x 0.6 EAN: 5060052416629 ASIN: B001NDT9SC Theatrical Release Date: 2008 Release Date: March 16, 2009 Availability: Usually dispatched within 6 to 11 days


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Customer Reviews: Showing reviews 1-5 of 20 1 2 3 4 Next » A Film Misunderestimated March 22, 2009 Mr. M. A. Reed (Somewhere, GB) 3 out of 4 found this review helpful W" is Oliver Stones masterpiece. You may not think it, but it is. Stone is known for taking his subject and bludgeoning it in the back alley with a Truth Hammer. Recently, though, after historical epics and his Vietnam exorcisms, as well as his obsession with American presidents, Stone tackles the most controversial subject yet. br / br /You might expect a blunt blunderbuss of a movie with a Make Up Gun set to "Whore". But W is something far more than that. You might expect a rampaging damnation of a mispresident who misunderestimated the times and made colossal errors of judgement and arrogance. br / br /Instead W is a small, relatively subtle film. It isn't a comedy, or a damnation, and it isn't aimed at anyone, neither offending nor agreeing. Instead what it is a character study based upon a public image. The most important question it asks is not "How did this guy screw up so bad?", but "How did this guy become president?" br / br /Ultimaely it's a tragedy ; about a man who found himself in a position far beyond his capabilities, unafraid to break every rule where the ends justify the means, and surrounded - one might say even directed - by his aides until he became a bare mouthpiece. Even though he says at one point "I'm the decider", all he decides is who gets to push him around. br / br /And the tragedy is not for "W", who gets to succeed the ambitions of the rest of his family, but for everyone else who gets to live in a world he shaped. A lazy, and workshy sarcastic and insensitive drunk who uses God as a crutch to become President. What is frightening is that this is probably beyond parody. It would be unlikely this would be seen as plausable were it a work of fiction, and the terrifying thing is that less than 100 days ago, this man had the codes to launch the missles. br / br /Having lived the times of the film, as indeed many of us have, it is odd to see our memories being remade as fiction. There are well known quotes from Bush himself that pop up with far less viciousness or frequency than you might expect, but in strange places. All the classic howlers are there, but in new and strange contexts. br / br /From a film point of view : the cast and performances are stunning. Not exact embodiments (the Tony Blair is brief, and resembles some kind of vague underling who never carries the authority of office). The editing is non-linear, following a thematic exploring of parts of Bush's personality, and Josh Brolin simply is George Bush. Same with most of the rest of the cast. They are obvious not the people themselves, but as a representation of spirit, they become the characters. br / br /Ultimately this is a sympathetic film about a man so far out his depth he doesn't even realise how far out he is. And the message of the film, if there is one, is that when Bush went out of his depth, he dragged us all down with him, and the tragedy is not the mistakes he made, but the mistakes of the system that allowed him to rise to the top. A subtle, unjudgemental film about a man beyond his abilities and a nation dragged behind his wake. Wish this has come out 8 years ago January 6, 2009 Fatbrain (London, UK) 2 out of 5 found this review helpful This movie answers quite a few questions about George W's psyche. A must for all observers of international politics! Very even handed ! April 1, 2009 Mr. Mg Reynolds (Oxfordshire UK) 0 out of 2 found this review helpful For anyone wanting a Bush bashing Michael Moore type movie then this fair minded film is not for you ! The people behind this interesting film have done right by open-minded viewers as it shows how George W Bush became the man that he is. He had a struggle with drink not being able to hold down a job while having to compete with his brother Jeb for their Dad's affection. The cast do an excellent job depicting Rumsfeld , Cheney , Rice et al and Josh Brolin just has George W Bush to a tee. br / br /It is tragic that a man who set out to do good ended up with such problems - the well written script makes this very clear. There is much pathos drama but with just enough wry humor to help things along. The editing is clever as it shows recent events of the Bush presidency and things from his past thus showing how he ended up being the man he is and why he did what he did. It could have been a mish-mash but thanks to the editors skill the movie flows very well indeed. br / br /For someone who wants to understand the Bush presidency and the man himself this is not a bad place to start.Amazon are selling this for a good price and so is a worthy addition to a drama lovers DVD collection. Misunderestimated December 16, 2008 A reader (Los Angeles CA) 7 out of 8 found this review helpful Oliver Stone's latest political biopic attracted a lot of attention because it was the first to portray an incumbent president, but with that attention came a good deal of negative reviews. Josh Brolin plays George W. Bush in a film that moves back and forth through time, landing at critical points in Bush's life and presidency. Brolin is outstanding, and so are the supporting cast of Richard Dreyfuss, Elizabeth Banks, James Cromwell, Scott Glenn - and even Thandie Newton is quite good. The film omits the events of 9/11, concentrating instead on the build-up to the invasion of Iraq, and perhaps it also suffered by not coming out in the period when Bush was a hugely divisive figure - as a sitting-duck president, he was no longer divisive, since he was derided by pretty much everyone. br / br /The film has plenty of enjoyable moments poking fun at Bush's inarticulacy, finding clever ways to sneak his most famous malapropisms into the dialogue. But it's far from a hatchet job - though Bush-haters, like me, would happily watch two hours of character assassination. W. tries to explain the enigma of Bush - why such a playboy and dabbler would even seek the presidency, let alone win it - by invoking his relationship with his father. The result is that there are plenty of scenes that work on their own terms, and are the better for it, rather than being a rehash of familiar events. At the end you're not left with a single clear answer as to the enigma of Bush, but the film is pacy, entertaining, thought-provoking, and I even enjoyed the unusual ending. br / br / Puts Bush in a better light December 20, 2008 Mr. G. Bridgeman-clarke (Rayleigh UK) 4 out of 6 found this review helpful I was keen to see this film and was not disappointed. I think the film is unique that it portrays a President whilst still in office, which I do not think has happened before. The director Oliver Stone is reputed to be a Democrat so in an election year one would assume this would be a case of character destruction, but none of it, the film portrays Bush in an good light overall. br / br /I did not know much about George Bush prior to his Presidency and so a lot of the film was new to me. It is geared towards an American audience however as there are gaps in the story which I guess the American audience will understand. For example one scene shows George Bush running and collapsing and then....nothing, you are taken back to the future. It doesn't cover the winning election farce either which I would have thought would have been pivotal in the story. br / br /What the film does do well is show George Bush's human and unscrupulous side and to be honest he comes out well from all his faux pars. The film has its moments of humour and unlike most political stories is not too long. In fact the film flew by, no doubt due to Stones excellent direction. The characters are so believable and I do not think I have ever seen a film where the actors really do look so much like their real life counterparts. br / br /If you missed it at the cinema you could do a lot worse then buy the DVd and enjoy a good night in watching this film. Showing reviews 1-5 of 20 1 2 3 4 Next »

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