SataiDelen

For a Lifetime movie, this is an exceptional one! It has a great cast, and not just because of the well-known actors that are in this. Even the not-well known, and the not-at-all known actors were excellent.

This movie deals with quite a few adult themes, and some that will make people want to shy away. What I loved, was that the movie didn't shy away from them. They tackled some really hard issues, and didn't try to play them down in tone at all.

I will not spoil this film for anyone other than to say that it deals with life and death. There is humor in it, and there is great sadness in it.

I highly recommend watching this. You won't regret it.

I have no idea if the producers and writers thought they were making a funny, edgy show that would rival Showtime's wonderfully funny and definitely edgy show, Nurse Jackie, but they FAILED.

I wasted thirty minutes I can never get back, watching this utter disaster of a show. I didn't crack a smile once, nor did I even giggle. There was just nothing funny about this show. I actually wanted to cry, when I realized I just actually sat through this disgusting show.

I suppose this is a spoiler, but I'm honestly not sure, so I'll mark it as such just in case:

Non-stop talk about feces. Really? THIS is what Hollywood thinks people want to watch and hear about?

End Possible spoiler.

Low-class trash of a show is what this is. Don't waste your time!

I read the synopsis and it sounded like a good movie. But then I tuned in to watch it. Boy, was I wrong! The acting was TERRIBLE! I think if this movie hadn't had people so badly overacting it could have had a chance at being watchable, but as it stands, well, Barney & Friends looks more appealing.

Side note: In response to something another reviewer said... Do NOT use the term "real mother" when referring to a birth mother. It is deeply offensive both to the adoptive mother, and the adopted child. A birth mother is NOT the "real" mother, the woman who loves, cares for, and raises the child is the real mother. The correct term for a woman who has a child and gives it up for adoption is called the birth mother. As an adopted child, I state this with fact. Nothing raises my hackles more than when someone finds out I'm adopted and has the ignorance to say, "So, have you ever met your real mom?" or something equally as inane.

You don't even have to waste an hour of your life on this show. Spare yourself the trauma! HORRID over-acting! Just watch a commercial (and try not to claw your eyes out and plug your ears) and you can clearly see that everyone over-acts, and that this show isn't worth the celluloid it was filmed on! If you want a really good nursing show that has real people in it and deals with real issues and real character flaws, go watch Nurse Jackie on Showtime, instead. That show has good character interaction, and while there are really funny moments, there's a lot of intense, edge of your seat moments as well.

But whatever you do, stay away from HawthoRNe!!!!!!! It is an hour of your life that you will be unable to get back!

TNT really needs to trash this show. Cancel it now!

OK, I've been reading several of the reviews/comments here, and as I'm an adult now (mostly), I forgot for a moment that I was 12 when this series first aired. I certainly never thought of this as an adult or child's program. I simply found the premise of this show fascinating, and I loved the chemistry between Vincent and Catherine (until it got bizarre in the last season when Linda Hamilton left). I also quite simply, fell in love with Vincent, and later came to learn who Ron Perlman was, and have tried to watch him in anything I can get my hands on that isn't too bizarre (a very strange French movie comes to mind on the bizarre scale). Point being, this show reached a far range of viewers of all ages. Why? I wish I knew. I think that tom_amity has some incredible theories and insights, and I was impressed that as a guy (no offense) he, I feel has some very good points.

I also feel that this show was taken in completely the wrong direction in it's last season. Between the forced consummated relationship of Catherine and Vincent, resulting in Catherine's death, and Vincent becoming a father, and the suddenly incredibly violent path that the show took, well, I have to say that I was incredibly confused as to what had transpired between the season finale of season two, and the season opener of season three, and had a very hard time following what was supposed to be going on. I think that it was a mistake to have tried to alter the show so tremendously.

Someone here mentioned that there was no show like this ever again. I happen to think that person was wrong. Another show I watched faithfully after this one, that also seemed to end badly (and also on CBS... pattern anyone?) was Forever Knight. That show to me had very similar elements going on, what with the main character being a kind of freak, and his at-a-distance lover (the gal that worked in the morgue) and how it was obvious that they were attracted to each other, but could not be together. That show too eventually had problems and got a little stranger toward the end.

I would love to know why it's so difficult for networks to accept that which is different but has such great potential? Both of these shows were incredible, and both wound up having a short life, and both wound up going in strange directions before finally burning out.

I love Roddy McDowell, but, I felt so bad for him being in this movie. It's low-budget, really bad concept, and horribly bad acting. Need I go on? Apparently so. A shame really, since I've said everything that needs to be said about this HORRIBLE movie!!!!! It reminded me of a really low-budget early '80's campy horror flick. It's supposed to be scary, but with all the horrid acting, I was applauding and laughing every time one of the idiot kids got killed! Want a good horror flick? Go watch something else...ANYTHING else! Skip this movie! If I could give this film zero stars, I would! There are so many better horror flicks you could be watching instead of this movie!

I really liked this. I think it shows that you don't have to be a rich suburb to get good programs in your school.

This documentary follows different groups of school kids over the course of eight weeks and how they are taught ballroom dancing and how to prepare for the annual competition.

*Potential Spoiler*: I was watching this and when it came time for the contest itself I was observing the judges and kept seeing this one judge in particular that reminded me of an actress from Micky & Maude. I kept thinking, "Nah, that's not her. It's just someone that looks like her." But then I thought how this movie was made in NY and that is where this actress resides and that there's a very real possibility that it is her. So I watched the credits. And I saw her name. And yep, it was her. I am curious to know either how far her career has fallen that she's judging a group of kids at an annual school contest or if she just decided that she'd had enough of acting and wanted to do something different in her life. Anyway, the actress' name is Ann Reinking.*End to Potential Spoiler*

Either way, this film was very good and I think it could potentially give hope to inner city kids (and maybe to kids everywhere) that you do have choices in life and you don't have to run out and join a gang. You could just as easily find your purpose in the classroom or in a specialized program.

If you have kids and you want to show them that there is hope for their future other than gangs and violence, then this is a movie they should watch.

I watched this movie because I wanted to see Jason Isaacs. I was new to his movies and so wasn't overly familiar with him (outside of Harry Potter) and I had to watch the movie twice through to figure out which character was him. I was stunned at his lack of British accent. If it hadn't been for his eyes I STILL wouldn't have known it was him.

Anyway, as for the movie itself, I found it unrealistic, and the main character, harsh, bitter, and totally unsympathetic. She walks around for most of the movie with a horrid chip on her shoulder and how she ever got past this to enter into a relationship with her co-character I will never understand. Maybe it's the fact that I'm probably just a dim-witted American that doesn't understand British humor, but considering I love British comedies such as Fawlty Towers, Are You Being Served?, Upstairs/Downstairs, and even Red Dwarf, I don't think so.

I just felt that this movie was badly written and not even good British actors could manage to salvage it.

I love watching Jason Isaacs. He is an INCREDIBLY talented actor. I don't know if it's a British thing but it seems that British actors just have an incredible knack for playing villains and making them extremely sexy and appealing. That said, The Last Minute is one of the most bizarre movies I have EVER seen. I tried watching it SOLELY because of Jason Isaacs.

Now, I'm not sure if this counts as a spoiler or not, but in case it is I've marked it....

When Jason Isaacs went into a burst of song I went into a fit of hysterical laughter. It was so unexpected, but I must admit (if it's really his voice) he does have a nice singing voice, and he can definitely dance! Outside of him, there really is no saving grace to this movie. Perhaps it's because I'm American, I really don't know, but I found this movie hard to follow (much like Clockwork Orange, another movie I never understood) and I really could have done without the drug scenes and violent fight scenes.

As stated previously, Jason Isaacs was this movie's ONLY saving grace, and unfortunately even with him in it, I cannot really recommend this movie.

However, if you are a Jason Isaacs fan and you just HAVE to watch every movie he's ever made (like me), then go ahead and watch it. But make sure it's either a rental or you have it on TIVO so that you can just fast forward to his scenes......

Be forewarned, there are possible spoilers ahead.

I saw this movie for the first time tonight. I watched it twice. Unfortunately I missed the very beginning both times, but I still feel I got a good understanding of what this movie was about. I was absolutely shocked watching what happened to these young women.

I am not Christian but I was compelled to watch this film. It was a stunning revelation to see how these young women were treated at these convents. I hesitate to use the term asylum because in my society asylum is where people are sent if they are mentally unbalanced.

These women (most of them) were not mentally imbalanced. They were just normal, everyday women being punished for nothing other than existing and learning about life. They were repeatedly punished through physical torture, public humiliation, and mental torment. Their sole purpose for being in these convents was to work in the laundries and bring in money for the convents. The nuns ran the convents through sadistic punishments whenever the girls stepped out of line whether it was for a real transgression or for an imagined one.

It stuns me that people living outside the convents lived in ignorance of the goings on of these girls. Much like Germany lived in ignorance of what Hitler was doing to the Jews. I suppose it is easier to turn a blind eye and pretend such things don't happen than to admit that these things not only occur regularly, but are also wrong and should be stopped.

One of the girls living in this convent was I suspect a little dim-witted to begin with, and she was repeatedly humiliated every chance the nuns got. I am not positive, but from a particular scene it indicated that the girl I think was a bit dim-witted had been intimate with the head priest of the convent. During this scene the girl has a massive negative outburst toward the priest and in the very next scene the girl is woken up from sleep by the head nun and informed that she is being sent to a "hospital" where the staff there can better "care" for her then the nuns. The girl rightfully freaks out and fights the nun and the two men who have come to take her away. She is not going to a hospital, but a mental asylum. Later her mother comes for her but is told by another girl there (who later gets severely beaten for her "sin" of speaking to the mother) that the daughter was taken away a year ago. So, not only are these young women tortured, both mentally and physically, but their families (the ones that actually do care about them) are kept completely in the dark of what is happening to their daughters.

Eventually the torture and abuse becomes too much for two of the girls to handle and they devise a plan to escape. They are very nearly prevented from doing so, but their desperation and determination sees them through and they manage to gain their freedom. Unfortunately, getting out of the convent does not solve all their problems. Through the final "bios" of the main girls in the film, we learn that they are still haunted by their time spent in the convent. Some choose never to marry while others get married and divorced repeatedly.

If you are looking for a feel good movie, this is not it. If you are looking for a possible realistic portrayal of what many young women went through while these Magdalene Convents were in existence and how their lives were affected by their experiences, then you should definitely watch this film. This film will open your eyes to the treatment of women and it will shock and appall you and you will find yourself silently applauding the girls every time they resist because you know that they are not rebelling because they are just "rowdy teens", but because they are fighting a horridly unjust system that judges them harshly and tries to correct their "sins" through sadistic and humiliating punishment methods.

Some of the comments I've read here talk about how women are treated in various parts of the world and one commenter wrote about the difference between the women of this convent and women in America at the same time in the '60s. Women in almost every society have been seen as inferior to men and have been regarded merely as property or even as eternal children who must be cared for first by their parental family and later by their husbands because they aren't seen to be able to provide for themselves. In America, it wasn't until the early 1970's before the Constitution amended that women were people and not property. The early NINETEEN SEVENTIES!!!!!!!!!!! So it really shouldn't come as a surprise that there are still countries today in the supposed Millennium where women are treated as though they are nothing and are punished at the drop of a hat for merely showing a strand of hair or an inch more skin than their society allows. Until women EVERYWHERE are recognized as PEOPLE and not OBJECTS, women will never be free of tyranny and injustice and will always suffer somewhere merely for existing.

As usual, Alan Rickman SHINES in this movie! But, what movie has he EVER been in where he doesn't? Even if that movie is one I hated, I always loved him in it.

Well, that is something that STLM has nothing to worry about! STLM is just incredible! While dealing with the prejudices of the times, this movie is the tale of the friendship and camaraderie and frustration that comes of such a relationship between two people who are as different as they are similar. One is white, the other black, but both have a gift for medicine. Through their work together during the turbulent days of segregation, they overcome many obstacles and yet stumble into more along the way.

If you have yet to watch this movie, WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR?! Watch it NOW!

I enjoyed watching this movie. I learned a lot about the history of Ireland from it. I've always been fascinated by Ireland and am also an Alan Rickman fan. I truly don't believe there's a movie that he's made that I haven't liked him in (even if it was a film I wouldn't have otherwise watched with the exception of him being in it). I think he did an excellent job with his character. I went from liking the character to being dismayed but still sympathetic with him. I must say that I was not expecting Julia Roberts in the film at all and would never have imagined her taking on a role like this but felt that she did a good job and even had a good accent. Overall a good film that shows some of Ireland's war torn history and also shows that maybe they aren't quite sure what they want since they appear to have trouble accepting that they were beginning to reach their goals even though it may not have directly been through the route they wanted.

I didn't catch this movie until it came out on cable. I don't know what I was expecting but I wasn't expecting what I saw. I cried and cried and laughed and cried from beginning to end! Alan Rickman is just the most wonderful actor. He is so talented at EVERYTHING he does! When he kissed Juliet Stevenson my heart pounded and my breath caught in my throat. It was such a beautiful, tender, loving, and yet still passionate kiss and so therefore believable of two people who loved each other so much. What I got out of this movie is the need to be able to grieve, but the necessity of being able to move on with your life while still accepting that someone you love is dead but not gone and knowing that you will always love the person you leave behind while learning that it's OK to live your life and find new love. This movie has become one of my all-time favorite movies. If you have not seen it yet, you MUST see it!

I saw this movie & used to eat a LOT of fast food. After seeing this movie I stopped eating at McDonald's almost completely (I still desired their Egg McMuffin w/sausage and no cheese meals). A few months after seeing this movie I decided that it was time I did something about my eating habits. I slowly began cutting out as much fast food as possible. Back in May of this year I finally decided to truly do something about my weight. My decision I believe, was made in large part to this movie.

I knew fast food was bad for you, but I had no idea how bad until watching this movie. If you have not yet seen it, and you are overweight or have other health problems, you NEED to see this movie. It should help you change your eating habits or at the very least, consider changing them. Incidentally, of the fast food places, the only ones that are truly acceptable to visit are Wendy's and Arby's. They are the only fast food places that truly try to include a healthy section on their menu.

I am currently seeing a dietitian to lose weight and she has even said that Wendy's is fine to eat because they have real salads and provide fat free dressings, etc. One of the biggest surprises I got from this movie was learning that almost EVERYTHING (including salads) on the McDonald's menu has sugar in it. And if you use their dressing for the salads, you may as well eat a Big Mac because that's how many calories and fat are in the salad after adding their dressing. Wendy's Oriental dressing on the other hand, only has about 2 - 4 fat in their dressing. There's a HUGE fat difference there. So be careful of even ordering "healthy" items from the Mc D's menu!!!

Incidentally, since stopping eating bad fast food (I still eat at Blimpie's, Subway, and Wendy's on occasion and if you order the correct things it's not bad for you), and seeing a dietitian, I've lost 17 pounds in 2 months and I've already dropped 2 - 3 dress sizes and I've never felt better (and I'm still going strong on my diet)!!!! And you know what, I do NOT miss fast food which truly surprised me since I was probably the Queen of fast food eating! All I have left to truly say is "Thank you Morgan Spurlock for opening my eyes all the way!!!"