Made in Heaven

July 26, 2008 | By Doug In Clocks |

Made in Heaven
In Made in Heaven, Timothy Hutton plays a young guy in 1946 who’s just been dumped by his girl and decides to go to California. On his way, he rescues a family from a car that’s driven into a lake–and drowns in the process. Of course, he finds himself in Heaven, and there he meets Kelly McGillis, a soul who’s never been born on Earth. The two fall in love. Just as they’re about to get married–just for the fun of it, since by the rules of Heaven they’re already married–McGillis gets sent to Earth to be born. Hutton pleads with Emmett, a figure who may or may not be God, who finally agrees to give Hutton 30 years on Earth to find her and continue their love. This 1987 Alan Rudolph film teeters on the edge of absolute cheesiness and steps over that edge at moments, but mostly it miraculously maintains a delicate, sweet, and affecting tone. McGillis is good, but Hutton is superb, demonstrating an honest charisma that makes him engaging even when he’s being a jerk. The depiction of Heaven avoids the patronizing, overdone joyfulness that too many movies fall into. Though the idea sounds like pure saccharine, Made in Heaven consistently sidesteps the obvious and comes up with something genuine. Rudolph is a prolific but erratic director (his stronger movies include Choose Me, Trouble in Mind, The Moderns, and Afterglow), but this is one of the ones worth seeing. Made in Heaven features Debra Winger and an uncredited Ellen Barkin, as well as cameos by rock stars Neil Young, Ric Ocasek, and Tom Petty. –Bret Fetzer

Customer Review: Absolutely awe inspiring movie.
Saw this when I was very young, maybe 9 or 10, and it somehow moved me in a visceral way that I simply cannot convey in words. But I never found out what it was called. With the memory of the powerful ending vaguely imprinted on my mind I vowed that I would one day find out the name of this movie. I have been clutching at straws for years trying to figure it out. Only recently did I find out, I’m now 25!

I have used the the Warner Brothers comment system on their website to try push for a DVD release. It MUST happen. AMAZON, if you can hear me, please do ALL you can.

DVD NEEDED! DVD NEEDED! DVD NEEDED! DVD NEEDED!

Customer Review: Need this on DVD
I can’t beleive this hasn’t comeout on DVD. It’s a classic and one that I would love to watch, but with new technology and no VCR, I can’t. Classic, romantic, and touching film! A must see. Timeless

Curve Talking Clock
1/2″ black numbers on LCD display. Black case. Meas: 4″xLx11/2″H x21/2″W. Features a smooth, curved design and an easy to read LCD display. Features: audio time report, hourly time announcement, adjustable volume, and easy to set alarm. Uses 2-AA batteries (not included). Female voice.
Price: $12.95
Customer Review: Not good for the hearing impaired
The voice is neither loud nor crisp even at the higher of the two volume settings.
Customer Review: Handy Inexpensive Solution
My mother has macular degeneration and is hard of hearing. The mechanical-sounding female voice on this little plastic talking clock took some getting used to. For example, it was hard for Mom to hear the difference between “thirty” and “fifty”. She had to use her hearing aid to get the gist. However, now that she is familiar with the sound, she can use the clock without her hearing aid. The clock is small and light, so she can hold it right next to her ear with no problem. The big button is great. I ordered a larger, louder, clearer-sounding clock for next to her bed. But she likes this talking clock just as much. In fact, she carries it around the house, putting it on the breakfast table, next to the TV, etc. throughout the day to keep track of the time. I’ll probably order another one as a back up.

District B13 [HD DVD]
For eye-popping kinetic thrills, District B13 tops the class. In the near future, the worst ghettos of Paris have been walled in and left to rot. When a neutron bomb gets stolen by a criminal kingpin in seedy District B13, Damien–a cop who specializes in deep cover assignments (Cyril Raffaelli, a stuntman turned actor)–has to team up with Leito (David Belle), who grew up in the district and has his own reason for going back: the kingpin kidnapped his sister (tough yet adorable gamine Dany Verissimo). The plot takes a few preposterous turns, but it’s beside the point–every turn serves only to maintain the relentless flow of sheer physical prowess. Belle is one of the inventors of a sport called parkour, which treats a city’s architecture like an obstacle course; while running from gun-toting thugs, Leito leaps, bounds, and scrambles up and down buildings with astonishing grace. The fight sequences are just as down-to-earth yet over-the-top as Damien whirls, kicks, and crunches through armies of bad guys. Just as important is the tongue-in-cheek tone that never turns smirky; the movie doesn’t take itself seriously, but doesn’t mock itself or its basic cinematic pleasures. Anyone looking for a break from the overbearing CGI and self-important pomp of Hollywood action movies should watch District B13. –Bret Fetzer
List Price: $29.98
Amazon Price: $20.95
Used Price: $21.50
Customer Review: awesome!
Completely underrated French film that made no noise stateside and didn’t even get a soundtrack released despite killer beats from Da Octopusss (you have to go his myspace page to hear them), this is flat out the most delightful action movie I have seen this decade. The action is excellent, the leading tag team are affable despite, apparently, being stuntmen by trade, the dialogue is sharp and the pacing quick, the plot is completely ridiculous and it has all the style of everything that Luc Besson has even been remotely associated with. In and out in a frenzied 90 minutes. Really, any plot that features a nuclear bomb with a 24-hour timer on it has to be a good movie.
Customer Review: An entertaining action film
District B13 (originally titled Banlieue 13 in its native France) is directed by Pierre Morel, and stars Bibi Naceri, David Belle, Cyril Raffaelli, Tony D’Amario, and Dany Verissimo. *** District B13 takes place in France in the not-so-distant future. The worst parts of the country have been literally sealed off by walls, isolating and quarantining the residents within. In these sectors there is no law and order, and the drug lords reign supreme. One man refuses to put up with the drug lords, and destroys a valuable shipment. His sister is abducted in retaliation, and his plot to rescue her fails, landing him behind bars. Eventually, he joins forces with an undercover officer - and the twosome must find a deadly neutron bomb before it can be set off. *** As far as “purely action” movies go, District B13 is a fine French import. It’s light on the story and plot development, but when it comes to action and stunts, the film is on a plane all its own - and the film spares no expense on the thrills. The movie feels more like a collection of stunts and action scenes than something with a flowing, truly coherent storyline. But at the end, after having been thoroughly entertained by all of this, who am I to complain? If it’s action you seek, this is your film. *** The personnel who worked on this film really show their stuff off in the action scenes, making the entire movie entertaining. Belle and Raffaelli are more than just actors, they largely do their own stunt work - and the results speak for themselves. The filmmakers here edit these action scenes excellently, and when you watch the movie, you’ll see that the results speak for themselves. The crew here, on both ends sides of the camera, accomplishes everything they set out to do. *** Yes, the characters are a bit on the shallow and one-dimensional side. But this isn’t the kind of movie that puts its emphasis on character development. For action fans, there’s no finer foreign film. — Image And Sound: My review is based on a screener disc, so picture quality on it doesn’t represent the commercially-released disc. — Special Features: None on the screener disc I reviewed. Final Words: District B13 is a fun-filled, non-stop, action-laden thrill ride that makes no apologies for what it is - and is all the more entertaining because of it. If you’re looking for a dosage of cinematic action, District B13 is for you.