Sexual Astrology - VHS : A Bright Shining Lie

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starring: Bill Paxton, Amy Madigan, Vivian Wu, Donal Logue, Eric Bogosian directed by: Terry George See Larger Image Used Price: $0.01 Collectible Price: $10.00 Third Party New Price: $0.98 Audience Rating: R (Restricted) Binding: VHS Tape EAN: 9780783108445 Format: Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, NTSC ISBN: 0783108443 Label: Hbo Home Video Manufacturer: Hbo Home Video Number Of Items: 1 Publisher: Hbo Home Video Release Date: June 08, 1999 Running Time: 118 minutes Sales Rank: 43205 Studio: Hbo Home Video Theatrical Release Date: May 30, 1998 Related Items: Path to War A Bright Shining Lie: John Paul Vann and America in Vietnam When Trumpets Fade Go Tell the Spartans The Deer Hunter see more Editorial Review: Amazon.com: Based on Neil Sheehan's controversial book about the making of the Vietnam war, this HBO production is told from the perspective of Lt. Colonel John Paul Vann (Bill Paxton), one of the original military advisers sent in 1962 to prop up the fledgling South Vietnamese army against the Viet Cong. Battle-ready and enthusiastic upon his arrival, Vann quickly learns that political and social pressures are causing the South Vietnamese to doctor evidence of their victories and local military brass to take undeserved credit for overhyped battles. As the propaganda draws America ever deeper into a war most people clearly don't understand, Vann takes issue with the corruption and finds his career in tatters--only the beginning of a long journey that piles tragedies upon ironies. Written and directed by Terry George (Some Mother's Son), A Bright Shining Lie has a somewhat rushed and brittle quality to it, made all the more dry by passages from Sheehan's book read, documentary-style, by Donal Logue. But George also makes a case for Vann's more blatant personal contradictions--such as the casualness of his womanizing when he so clearly loves his wife (Amy Madigan)--that only grow as years pass and political myths supporting the war fold over onto themselves. (Pentagon Papers leaker Daniel Ellsberg, more or less played in this film by Eric Bogosian, has taken issue with this depiction of Vann's character.) Sustaining the whole project is Paxton's focused, thoughtful performance, and an enduring public hunger to know just what it was that happened in Vietnam. On both counts, the film is well worth seeing. --Tom Keogh Customer Reviews Average Rating: Rating: - Better Than Many of This Genre HBO might be well regarded for its films but this one falls short for me partly because of weak production values and a TV-like pace. No director can expect to adequately depict a decade from this ever-shifting conflict in a running time of 118 minutes. Events have been conflated to such an extent that they can be manipulated to force a message onto the viewer. In fact, this is what happens. There are too many manufactured moments of angst, too many little soap box speeches minus the ... Read More Rating: - A Bright Shining Lie OUTSTANDING!!!!!!! (BEEN THERE,DID THAT FOR MY COUNTRY,SANS THE SEX)... it only left out our return home and being LABELED BABY-KILLERS! Rating: - what went wrong? Bill Paxton is the anchor column of this lean HBO film, but the best acting comes courtesy of Donal Logue as the reporter whom Paxon's Lt. Colonel John Paul Vann befriends early on and Ed Lauter as General Weyand. There is some very stiff work from other members of the cast, but the film succeeds on the strength of the drama it portrays. The story of what went wrong for the US operation in Vietnam is still amenable to two or three widely differing explanations, each of which has deep ... Read More Rating: - John Paul Vann Understood the Big Picture I am probably interpreting A Bright Shining Lie in a manner not intended by the film makers. One senses that they thought John Paul Van was a well meaning but delusional individual. Our involvement in Vietnam was supposedly wrong and caused more grief than good. Nothing could be further from the truth. This war hero clearly saw the corruption within the Vietnamese government and military. He also realized our top officials were often incompetent. Nonetheless, General Van rightfully despised ... Read More Rating: - A Bright Shining Lie This was a wonderful movie that told all about Vietnam and the horrors of war. Recommend for PG13 see more Browse for similar items by category: By Theme - Drama - Genres - VHS - Video - Fighting the System By Theme - Drama - Genres - VHS - Video - True Story Love & Romance - Drama - Genres - VHS - Video - Infidelity & Betrayal Drama - Genres - VHS - Video - Television Drama - Genres - VHS - Video - General AAS