Genres

Visitors Review

2012-05-25 03:43:10

Great Family Movie

This review is from: Secretariat (Two-Disc Blu-ray/DVD Combo) (Blu-ray) My whole family loved this movie! Plus, the great price that I got on Amazon was a huge bonus.

2012-05-24 19:23:36

One of my favorite movies of al time along with Casablanca, To Kill a Mockinbirs and the original Twelve Angry Men

I LOVE this movie. Period. It is not totally true to Secretariat's life, but it gives the great sense of how really special Secretariat was. This movie is special too. It is a movie for everyone.

witster18 2012-05-21 23:41:48

High points and low points abound

This is a genre that I have enjoyed throughout the years. Seabiscut.The Black Stallion. Even the comedy 'Let if Ride' is a personal fave.Secretariats' film will never live up to the real horse, and whilethat's unfair competition, this film still has some basic pitfalls thatkept it from being great.The first problem lies in the films' poor character development.Outside of the lead character, Penny(Diane Lane), we're left with verylittle structure for the other characters. Dylan Walsh(Jack), MargoMartindale(Miss Ham), Scott Glenn(Penny's Dying Father)and NelsonEllis(Eddie Sweat) are characters I would have liked to have known.At the end of the film we get an update on the characters that werefeatured in the movie. In that brief written update we learn more aboutthe characters than we did in the previous hour and a half. That's myfirst gripe.The second gripe is with a couple of really cheesy and unnecessaryscenes. One in particular where the horse is being bathed by the castcomes off as a blend between the car wash scene in Cool Hand Luke andyour average Old Spice commercial.The horse is beautiful, and I think 'Big Red' gets a pretty goodrepresentation on film, physically, and with the horse action.Fortunately, the film also has it's strong points. Malkovich isdelightful as the French-Canadian trainer, and Diane Lane does justfine. The race segments are a blend of actual footage and incrediblyexciting recreations. When you hear Secretariat breath it's almost asif the audience becomes the horse. The best moments of this film arewhen Big Red is the only one in the shot.I wish the film had chose either direction. Go all horse and accolades,and make it even more beautiful in terms of cinematography, or give usmore in terms of Penny's acquaintances. I felt like this was a goodfilm with a well defined climax, but the lack of character developmentand the inclusion of certain scenes that should have been left on theediting floor kept this from library/review potential.More on the quality level of 'Dreamer' or other just above average truestories like 'Tucker'. In other words; marginally recommended.You'll like this if you liked: Dreamer, Something to Talk About,Tucker, or The Rookie.61/100

2012-05-21 18:55:18

Reliving Fond Memories

This review is from: Secretariat (DVD) I had the great good fortune to watch the 1973 Belmont Stakes race live on television, so my interest was piqued when this film came out on DVD. I bought it without any real expectations since I knew the ultimate outcome. I have to say I was most pleasantly surprised.The first time I watched the movie, I wasn't that impressed as I felt there was a bit too much created drama, but the second time I watched it with my wife, she pointed out that the real story is full of drama. So I settled in and gained even more enjoyment the second time around.Diane Lane is exceptionally good in the lead role of Penny Chenery Tweedy, and her husband's belated admission that she was able to give their children the lessons in life that he could never do was really a tender and telling moment. John Malkovich seemed near perfect in the role of the maverick trainer, and even his admiration for Mrs. Tweedy garnered some nice concessions along the way. Mrs. Tweedy never lost faith in herself or in her horse, and that is the real lesson of the movie.Secretariat, or Big Red to those closest to the horse, is simply the greatest horse that ever raced (so far). Out of curiosity, I looked up some of the comparable Triple Crown records, and Secretariat clearly dominated those three races in 1973, and for all time. Some of the margins of vistory are stunning, time wise and in number of lengths. Of course, the Belmont stands out when Secretariat absolutely demolished a group of very good race horses by the unbelievable record of 31 lengths. I remember watching in 1973 to see if Secretariat could win the Triple Crown since that was the longest of the three races. I remember coming out of my chair watching Secretariat pull away in the back stretch and "pour on the coal", shouting and clapping. The movie captures this race particularly well, but for those of us who watched it live, it truly was reliving an extraordinary moment in time.You don't have to be a horse race fan to enjoy this movie.

TxMike 2012-05-19 20:13:37

A real gem of a movie. Secretariat, the greatest race horse ever.

I remember 1973 and Secretariat very well. My first son was a newborn,I moved from Illinois to Louisiana with my job, and Secretariat waswinning the triple crown. Even though I was not what might be called ahorse racing fan, there was something magical about the horse.But like most I suppose, I had no idea of the story behind the horse. Idid not know that his ownership as a colt was decided by a flip of thecoin. Or that his owner died and the owner's daughter, a Denverhousewife with 4 children, was left with the duty of overseeing thefate of Secretariat. The horse she called "Red", but needed a racingname.Diane Lane is a super choice to play Penny Chenery, the housewife withno experience in racing, but with a mind of her own. When her dad died,and the inheritance tax of $6Million was due, she had to get verycreative to raise the money without resorting to selling Big Red. She first had to fire the dishonest trainer, and approached JohnMalkovich as Lucien Laurin to handle the horse training duties. Thenshe needed to find Otto Thorwarth (a real former jockey) as RonnieTurcotte to be able to guide the horse to its victories.The movie is really a triumph of human spirit, to stick to a vision, tofind solutions where no one has gone before. Plus the racing sequencesare very well filmed. A very authentic, very fine movie.

2012-05-19 06:50:15

Horses

Horsey movies are always a safe bet and provide an upper when things aren't going so well. Seabiscuit and Secretariat provide good entertainment value. Secretariat was truly a superstar and with this star-studded cast so perfect in their roles, I have to give this movie 5 stars. Never boring, inspirational and appealing to kids as well as oldsters. I'm glad I own it.Seabiscuit [Blu-ray]

sherril322 2012-05-19 06:49:58

Love that horse!

Secretariat is absolutely awesome and one of the best movies I've seenthis year. I am in love with that horse! The movie does an awesome jobof capturing Secretariat's spirit and does a wonderful job of promotingthe message of following your instincts and dreams. I love the way themovie shows the determination of the owner Penny Chenery. She is agreat example of a strong, but gentle soul full of class, intelligence,grace and virtue. This is a movie for the whole family to enjoy. Youwill find yourself cheering for the horse and feeling pride when hewins. There are several "feel good" moments and I found myself smiling,happy and chuckling right along with each of the characters. If youhaven't seen it, you need to go right away and enjoy the momentsbeautifully captured of this horse's greatness!

2012-05-18 08:48:20

The best movie I've ever seen.

This review is from: Secretariat (DVD) Secretariat ran his races in my life span and I well remember them. I knew the ending. However, I took people who didn't know the ending to go see it. Even when I knew, when Secretariat made that last turn into the stretch for the Belmont, I felt my heart speeding to match the man and horse. This movie captured a time when women were not taken seriously. Well, Penny, showed them what a woman was capable of taken on: the good ole boys of horse racing. The back drop of her daughter becoming a hippie and a war protester added so much honesty to the times when the great horse ran like lightening and taught the world what true greatness was all about.

Laremy Legel 2012-05-15 23:59:35

The film seeks to honor the memory of the great racehorse, and it largely succeeds.

2012-05-15 05:12:33

Wow this was a great movie!

Let me just say first of all I was skeptical. I was. I was going to buy it but since it didn't seem to do that well at the theater I didn't. I had some free Amazon codes for Video on Demand so I figured why not? It's basically free - WOW can I tell you how sorry I am that I didn't buy it? VERY SORRY. EXTREMELY SORRY! This movie starts a little slow but you need the back story to get it. Then watching it once it takes off - OMG! Now any movie based on a real person, animal or event you kind of know what the outcome is but you don't care - you get caught up in it. You cheer for the horse, for the woman breaking out of the Donna Reed/June Cleaver kind of role that life thrusted on women at that time, just WOW - AWESOME movie!!! Should have been nominated for Best Actress Oscar and Best movie!

Derek Adams 2012-05-14 18:45:17

This horsey, 1970s-set Disney film doesn't boast the most imaginative script and is too long and businesslike for youngsters -- yet it still produces a lump in the throat.

Corey Hall 2012-05-14 13:32:33

Secretariat is as sturdy and dependable as the stud it's named after. Plus, the ever-lovely Diane Lane!

estebangonzalez10 2012-05-13 14:58:25

Run, Fat Horse, Run

¨This is not about going back. This is about life being ahead of youand you run at it. Because you never know how far you can run unlessyou run.¨Secretariat is one of those rare sports movies that manages to hookyour attention and maintain the suspense despite knowing how it willturn out at the end. It's impossible not to fall in love with thishorse and his story. Disney was the right choice for the production ofthis film considering their success with other family friendly sportfilms like Remember the Titans. Secretariat was voted as one of thebest athletes of the century (number one on the list if we don't counthuman performances), and several of his records still stand to thisvery day nearly 40 years later. His story had to be told in film asSecretariat is considered to be the best racehorse of all time. Thestory involving his owner, Penny Chenery, and how she saved her ailingfather's stable risking everything (including her marriage) and bettingit on the horse just adds to the overall dramatic effect of the plot.Secretariat reminded me a lot of another good racehorse film:Seabiscuit. I wouldn't say this is a better movie, it's different, butI can say that Secretariat was a better racehorse that won the mostimportant races, including the Triple Crown in 1973 (a feat that hadn'tbeen accomplished in 25 years). Randall Wallace (writer of Braveheartand director of We Were Soldiers) did a good job with the direction ofthis film, despite being better known as a screenplay writer. Thescreenplay for Secretariat was written by Mike Rick, which was adaptedfrom William Nack's book about the large chestnut colt nicknamed ¨BigRed.¨Diane Lane is Penny Chenery, a mother of four and housewife who's lifechanges after her mother's death and a visit to their stable based inVirginia. Penny's father used to be the brains of the entire operationin Meadow Stables, but with the death of his wife and his illnessthings are going downhill at the stable. Penny decides to change thingsaround in order to save the stable and begins by firing their trainerwho seems to be making some unfavorable deals with other owners bytrying to sell their horses at a much lower value. Penny with the helpof the family's trustworthy secretary, Miss Ham (played humorously byMargo Martindale) begins managing the place. The first smart move shemakes is breeding one of her horses: Somethingroyal with a famousThoroughbred racehorse named Bold Ruler. The result was the birth ofthe large chestnut colt nicknamed ¨Big Red¨, but better known in thehorse-racing world as Secretariat. Penny hires Lucien Laurin (JohnMalkovich) as the trainer and Ron Turcotte (Otto Thorwarth) as thejockey, and along with the groom, Eddie Sweet (Nelsan Ellis) togetherthey form a great team and foster the first Triple Crown winner in 25years. Of course the movie can't be successful if it doesn't have somedrama in it, and so some problems surface back home with Penny'shusband, Jack Tweedy (Dylan Walsh), because running a stable back inVirginia has affected Penny with her housewife duties. Somehow Pennyhas to manage saving the stable in a macho dominated society andmaintain her family together, while risking everything on one horse:Secretariat.Secretariat succeeds as a film because the story is just so powerfuland uplifting. The movie deals with overcoming difficult odds andfollowing one's dream. Penny had a good life as a housewife, but allthis had led her far away from her early goal of following her father'sfootsteps and managing the Meadow Stables. Once the opportunitypresents itself to her she quickly takes on the difficult task anddecides to follow her long life dream. Secretariat teaches us that it'snever too late to follow one's dreams and overcome difficultsituations. Disney has always been good at reminding us how importantit is to fight for our dreams. Life is a race and if we don't wake upin time our dreams and goals might just end in that: only dreams and wewill never achieve anything if we don't take risks in order to live outour dreams. Penny took the risk and bet it all on Secretariat whodidn't fail her. The story of this colt is just amazing and inspiring.The final scene where he is racing at the Belmont Stakes is justmesmerizing and left me full of goose bumps. Secretariat was such anamazing horse, and his story is done justice in this family friendlyfilm. It is a strong, memorable movie that teaches us some importantlessons while at the same time never ceases to entertain it's audience.The performances in this movie are also great. Diane Lane as Penny andJohn Malkovich as Lucien give memorable and fun performances.Secretariat is a movie for the entire family to enjoy.http://estebueno10.blogspot.com/

2012-05-13 13:27:49

Exhilarating!

This review is from: Secretariat (DVD) Secretariat was a wonderful movie! It is inspiring on many levels. First, the events were essentially true! Second, the marvelous power of her performance! Third, the breaking of the all male place in this sport. Fourth, the unbelievable power and heart of this wonderful horse! I can go on forever, suffice to say it's one of the best movies I've ever seen!

2012-05-13 00:34:07

A horse is a horse...unless it's Secretariat, of course

One of the hallmarks of great Disney movies is that they can take a timeworn tale and, through fine storytelling skills, draw you in to a degree that you worry that the outcome might be other than what you clearly know from the start. One of the best examples is Walt Disney's Cinderella. Will the mice get the key to the tower up the stairs so Cinderella can escape and try on the slipper before the Duke leaves? Oh no, it's broken! Now what?Secretariat isn't a Disney movie on the level of Cinderella, but it's no less a fairy tale. Most already know the ending, but there is a lot of involvement in the journey to that fateful race. It's inspired by real people and events -- the real Penny Chenery Tweedy even has a cameo -- but the opposing horse owner's snarkiness is apparently exaggerated and there are the customary Hollywood changes to add to the drama.Most folks won't be watching Secretariat for razor-sharp accuracy. Like my son, who knew nothing of this great horse's story yet was compelled by every second of the movie. It's pretty much the old-fashioned Hollywood never-say-die all-seems-lost saga that has clicked since Mickey Rooney was the number one star in the entire world (as he would tell you right now if he were in the room with you or anyone else).Some compared Diane Lane's look to Pat Nixon, but there's more Mad Men's Betty Draper to her in my view. Her dubious yet loving spouse, played by Dylan Walsh, is straight out of the Jon Hamm "bubble" (see 30 Rock). But Lane does a creditable job with cool, quiet strength (she would have been a GREAT Hitchcock blonde). John Malkovich, always the focal point of any of his screen time, plays a crusty but benign (see Network) trainer. Like the film, he's very entertaining. My favorite is Margo Martindale, one of those actresses who can say volumes with her face and no dialogue -- and reminds me a little of Fran Ryan, that Hungry Jack biscuit commercial lady who also used to be on The Doris Day Show and Green Acres.The film is gorgeously mounted, director Randall Wallace and his crew making the most of every inch of the screen space and the locations. But gee whizzies, if you don't have a Blu-Ray player and you'd like to hear his commentary, tough tomatoes, folks.Blu-Ray is very nice, and a film like this really benefits from the enhanced visual and audio qualities that the format provides. Up until recently, consumers have had a choice. If they stuck with standard DVD, they might lose a few bonus features, but largely enjoy the same rights and privileges of those who have Blu-Ray.Now the "haves" are being separated from the "have nots." Those who could not afford or simply did not want to switch to Blu-Ray were denied seeing Destino, Roy E. Disney's dream project, because it was left off the Fantasia/Fantasia 2000 standard DVDs.Now the "have nots" cannot hear a director's commentary on Secretariat, a bonus feature that has nothing to do with a better picture or enhanced sound quality. They are being left out. They do not "count." It may be shrewd marketing, but this sort of thing is not very considerate to those who are still paying hard-earned and very tight money to buy home entertainment, regardless of the format.On another note, Disney owes a debt of gratitude, at least in part, for Craig Ferguson's role in Secretariat's box office success. Ever since the film's release, he's featured a backhanded "tribute" on his late night talk show in which a pantomime horse dances to disco music every time the doorbell rings. It seems silly, but it's good promotional stuff. Ferguson's going to be the voice of Owl in the upcoming Winnie the Pooh feature. Good for him!

2012-05-12 05:55:25

Secretariat

This review is from: Secretariat (Two-Disc Blu-ray/DVD Combo) (Blu-ray) Great movie. Watched it over and over again and also watched it with our granddaughter who really loved it. Good family fun.

2012-05-09 16:51:01

Pleased

This review is from: Secretariat (Two-Disc Blu-ray/DVD Combo) (Blu-ray) After having watched Secretariat on a copy someone had made, this was quite a contrast. Very well done. The colors are brilliant.

Simon Abrams 2012-05-09 02:51:06

Watching Secretariat is an experience as antithetical to watching an actual horse race as it gets.

lady_slew-1 2012-05-09 22:01:45

Good, but not great.

This is a good movie, entertaining and dramatic. It's not award winningcaliber, just great fun. Liberties have definitely been taken with thefacts, but what does one expect from Hollywood? I certainly enjoyedseeing it, and one doesn't have to be a horse racing buff to understandor enjoy the movie. It is more about the owner than the horse however.Not that that doesn't make a good story in and of itself. I found it tobe well cast except for one roll; I was disappointed in the horse theychose to play Sham. But perhaps because no horse could actually live upto playing Secretariat they had to play down Sham. Not that the horse(or horses) playing Secretariat does a bad job; it's just thatSecretariat himself was so one of a kind special.

Robbie Collin 2012-05-09 03:19:02

I'm sick of the simpering American morons who lap up this rubbish.