HENRY POOLE IS HERE
http://www.myspace.com/henrypooleishere
On DVD: January 20th, 2009
Rated PG for thematic elements and some language
Running time: 99 minutes
Mark Pellington (dir.)
Luke Wilson as Henry Poole
Radha Mitchell as Dawn
Adriana Barraza as Esperanza
George Lopez as Father Salazars
Cheryl Hines as Meg
Richard Benjamin as Dr. Fancher
Morgan Lily as Millie Stupek
Rachel Seiferth as Patience
Beth Grant as Josie
Our reviews below:
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Henry Poole Is Here Review By John C.
**** (out of 4)
Having watched Henry Poole is Here again on DVD, I am glad to say that my original rating of four stars still stands. This is the deeply affecting and profoundly moving story of Henry Poole, (Luke Wilson), a loner who buys a small suburban house, so that he can avoid life, (his own and everyone else’s), but has his plans shattered when his neighbour, Esperanza Martinez, (Adriana Barraza), discovers the face of Christ on his side wall. His backyard becomes a holy shrine where people come and pray for miracles and ultimately recieve them. The message of the movie is faith and hope, in ourselves, others, and ultimately in a higher power.
The soundtrack is one of those great movie soundtracks where each song fits it’s scene beautifully, and makes the experience even more emotional. The DVD will likely be hard to find, so I hope you will seek it out and give it a chance.
The DVD includes a commentary track with director Mark Pellington and writer Albert Torres, an interesting 16-minute making-of and two music videos directed by Mark Pellington, one by Myspace theme song contest winner Ron Irizarry and the other one, All Roads Lead Home, by Golden State. There are surprisingly no deleted scenes.
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Henry Poole Is Here Review By Erin V.
**** (out of 4)
When I saw this movie in theatres back in August, it was immediately one that I knew I would want to watch again. And now, I can say that I still enjoy it just as much on DVD as I did then. Henry Poole Is Here is such a different movie. It is moving, and can bring tears to your eyes at times. The story is one that is told through a few characters, so that you get to know them by the end of the movie. When Esperanza, (Adriana Barraza), Henry’s, (Luke Wilson), neighbour, sees what appears to be the image of Christ appear in the stucco on the side of his house, Henry who just wants to be left alone, has to come to terms that while he is depressed, there will always be those around him who believe - even if he's afraid to himself. As I said in my full thoughts in my original review, here, Mark Pellington the director makes music videos, so this is shot very much like one itself. This technique really works here.
This is a very bare-bones DVD release, although being a more independent film, this is not surprising. What the disc does include is two music videos, which actually allow you to see the directing that Mark Pellington does in a music video setting. Also included is a ‘making of’ feature, that is about 20 minutes in length. The disc also includes a commentary track. I enjoyed the special features that were included, all of which I watched, except for the commentary track, which I did not hear yet. I do look forward to hearing it though, and I can definately recommend this DVD. Even if it had no extras at all, it would still be worth it, because the movie alone is amazing - and that’s what counts.
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Henry Poole Is Here Review By Nicole
***1/2 (out of 4)
This is one of the rare movies that doesn’t shy away from being about faith. An emotionally captivating film, Henry Poole Is Here is one movie that you will want to see over and over.
The bonus features on this disc include a commentary track, a making-of feature, and two music videos. The making-of feature shows how the camera angles are used in the film, how Henry’s house was selected, and how the cast fits the film. The music videos are an artistic fusion of visuals and music, spliced with visuals from the film. I would recommend buying this film.
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Henry Poole Is Here Review By Maureen
*** (out of 4)
Henry Poole Is Here is one of those rare special films that you look forward to the day when it comes out on DVD so you can see it again.
Watching it again on DVD was as special and moving as it was the first time I saw it in the theatre. This gentle film about faith and hope is one that is worth owning so that it can be watched withour the distraction of other theatre patrons. The extras on the DVD are also a nice bonus. This is one of my favorite films from 2008. It definitly belongs in my DVD collection.
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Henry Poole Is Here Review By Tony
*** (out of 4)
http://onemoviefiveviews.blogspot.com/2008/08/henry-poole-is-here-august-22nd-2008.html
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Consensus: Henry Poole Is Here is a movie that still stands as a wonderful work of art on DVD. It is definately worth buying, especially if you missed the film in theatres, where it was in limited release. ***1/2 (Out of 4)
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