Sling Blade, Miracle, and The Greatest Game Ever Played Come to Blu-ray on July 17th
Sling Blade marked the directorial debut of country singer turned actor Billy Bob Thornton, who also authored the script (expanding George Hickenlooper's acclaimed short Some Folks Call it a Sling Blade) and stars in the picture. Thornton plays Karl Childers, a mildly retarded man who spent most of his life in a mental institution. When Karl was a boy, he was severely mistreated by his abusive father (Robert Duvall). At age 12, Karl found his mother having intercourse with a man who tormented him endlessly; he snapped, flew into a homicidal rage, and killed both individuals by decapitating them. Years later, as a middle-aged man, Karl is deemed harmless to society and released from the mental institution where he resides. Karl says he has learned his lesson and adds, "I reckon I got no reason to kill no one." He returns to the town of his boyhood, where he's befriended by Frank (Lucas Black), the son of a widowed mother who sees the eccentric but open-hearted Karl as a kindred spirit. Karl also gets a job at a fix-it shop and resides in the backroom, until Frank's mother, Linda (Natalie Canerday), takes a liking to Karl and lets him stay with them. However, Karl also meets Doyle (Dwight Yoakam), Linda's boyfriend, a sadistically cruel, narrow-minded drunk who tosses casual abuse at Frank, treats Linda like dirt, and mocks Karl endlessly. The late John Ritter co-stars as Linda's friend Vaughan, a mild-mannered homosexual who works at the neighborhood dollar store. Musicians Col. Bruce Hampton and Vic Chesnutt are among Doyle's party guests.
Special Features:
- Audio commentary with Billy Bob Thornton
- Profile of Billy Bob Thornton
- Roundtable discussion with Billy Bob Thornton, Dwight Yoakam, Mickey Jones, and David Bushell
- Mr. Thornton Goes to Hollywood featurette
- A Conversation with Billy Bob Thornton and Rober Duvall
Miracle
Kurt Russell stars as coach Herb Brooks in the story of how the 1980 U.S. Olympic hockey team toppled the seemingly invincible Soviet Union squad to capture the gold medal. A former U.S. player himself, Brooks was the last skater to be cut from the 1960 U.S. Olympic team, the most recent one to win the gold medal before Brooks became the team coach. He cobbled together a group of players and taught them to excel at the European game. Even so, the Russian team had won four consecutive gold medals and was so good that it defeated a team of National Hockey League all-stars. The U.S. team wasn't expected to even make the medal rounds. But led by Brooks, the team defeated the Soviet Union in the semifinal round, then bested Finland in the finals to win the gold.
Special Features:
- Audio commentary with director Gavin O'Connor, director of photography Dan Stoloff and editor John Gilroy
- Miracle ESPN Roundtable with Linda Cohn
- Outtakes
- Making of Miracle featurette
- From Hockey to Hollywood: The Actors' Journeys
- The Sound of Miracle
- First Impressions: Herb Brooks with Kurt Russell and the Filmmakers
The Greatest Game Ever Played
From the studio that brought you The Rookie and Miracle and director Bill Paxton, comes a story of courage, passion and of the greatest American sports hero you have probably never heard of... An amateur player from a working class family, Francis Ouimet - played by Shia LaBeouf - shocked the golf world when at the 1913 U.S. Open, flanked by his 10-year-old caddie, he defeated his idol, the defending British champion Harry Vardon - played by Stephen Dillane. An unlikely match-up - "the ingenue versus the seasoned champ" - theirs was the greatest match the sport had ever known. Caught between a world of hardship and a beckoning life of privilege, Francis needed to prove his unfailing will and ability to make it to the tournament. Elias Koteas plays Francis' tough, hardworking father. Newcomer Peyton List is Sarah Wallis, the beautiful young woman, who catches Francis' heart. Joshua Flitter is Eddie Lowery, the pint sized caddie who helps Francis find his way through the troublesome fairways to victory.
Special Features:
- Audio commentary with Bill Paxton and Mark Frost
- A View from the Gallery: On the Set of The Greatest Game Ever Played
- Two Legends and the Greatest Game
- From Caddy to Champion: Francis Ouimet
Miracle was released February 6th, 2004 and stars Kurt Russell, Patricia Clarkson, Noah Emmerich, Sean McCann, Kenneth Welsh, Eddie Cahill, Patrick O'Brien Demsey, Michael Mantenuto. The film is directed by Gavin O'Connor.
The Greatest Game Ever Played was released September 30th, 2005 and stars James Paxton, Tom Rack, Armand Laroche, Peter Hurley, Gregory Terlecki, Jonathan Higgins, Matthew Knight, Luke Askew. The film is directed by Bill Paxton.
Sources: Blu-ray.com
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Err
i tried to watch "the greatest game ever played" and found myself suddenly bleeding from every orifice. f*ck that movie.
i like bill paxton more than most but this movie was simply not for me.
3 years agoby @err2005Flag