Best DVD Movies

Devil in a Blue Dress (1995) Review

2006-06-30T00:12:00.000-07:00

If you've read the book, you'll be disappointed in this. It's faithful to the plot, with one important exception: what happened to the sexual heat between Easy and Daphne that was so important to the book's story? Without it, you wonder why Easy would bother chasing down this woman once he doesn't have to.

The general atmosphere is somewhat lacking. We know Easy has a hard time finding decent work due to racism, but we never get a sense of how desperate he is for money (and thus not lose his house) as we do in the book. Also, the screenwriter seems content to merely recycle typical (i.e. cliched) private eye/hard boiled/noir dialogue in place of using language as fresh as that found in the novel. Plus the first half of this film seriously drags.

Why, then, do I give it three stars and insist that it's worth watching? Simply put, Denzel Washington is terrific. He really brings Easy to life. Don Cheadle is also excellent as his psycho buddy Mouse. Most of the supporting cast do superb jobs as well. Though Jennifer Beals isn't gonna win any Academy Awards with this kind of performance, she does fine.

Worth renting and watching once. Not necessarily worth owning unless you're a big Denzel Washington fan.

Support Your Local Sheriff (1969) Review

2006-06-29T09:59:00.000-07:00

Boy this was hard, ranking my Favorite James Garner movies. It came down to the two Support your... movies. I had to go with the one that had the sidewinder, Susan Plesette and the X-Rifleman and Cub second baseman Swifty Morgan.

SYLSheriff came in second because he was just passin thru on his way to australia anyway.

Cats - The Musical (Ultimate Edition) (1998) Review

2006-06-28T14:33:00.000-07:00

This is more or less a pure entertainment musical; minimal storyline tying together mostly good musical and dance numbers. I wouldn't really try to read anything more into it than that.

I had earlier gotten the 2 video version and was somewhat disappointed by the sound; you can barely hear the cast during 'The Naming of Cats' and in several spots the music overpowers the voices. Turning up the volume on your TV gives you quite a bit of static and popping instead of clarity.

This seems to be from either a bad master VHS or simply how they did this version; they recorded a 90 piece orchestra (as Webber mentions most theatres use about 16 pieces), then the singers, then shot the choreography but didn't use that vocal recording. So really you're hearing 2 recordings dubbed onto the dancing and in spots it really shows.

On the DVD however the sound is much better. Most of the songs are very clear ('Naming of Cats' is still very low)and only in a few spots do you notice sound effects that got forgotten from video to DVD. The picture is slightly better as well but the improved sound is the real reason to get DVD over VHS.

The major addition to the bonus features is about 7 ten minute or so interveiws with the original production staff; it makes a nice contrast to how the show is now and what it went through to even be shown as a musical.

My only major complaint about the DVD is the very flimsy case; basically it is a tri-folded plastic sheet with 2 thin DVD/CD rounds and a small booklet.

As a final thought all you married men out there probably shouldn't pay too close attention to the dancing during the 'Macavity' number.

Victory (1981) Review

2006-06-26T13:46:00.000-07:00

At first glance, you may be tempted to skip over this title; it looks like one of those studio films which tries to throw together a "hot" American actor (Stallone was probably at the peak of his popularity at the time) with an English counterpart (Michael Caine). And you're right, that's what this film is doing. Most of the time these projects don't work. Surprisingly, though, this one is pretty good.
The acting can be a bit clunky, Stallone is not absolutely convincing in his portrayal of a Yank in a dominantly English POW camp & his attempt at a French accent is horrifying. All that aside,though, it is a riveting movie experience. Believe me, this is not a "train wreck" that you can't stop watching- there are genuinely good performances in this film. Caine is right on-the-mark as the coach (I ask you, when is he not great?), Stallone has a couple of scenes where his passion shows (especially in the tunnel under the stadium) & the pro soccer players as a whole turn in good, solid performances. Typically when you have pro athletes in a film, they're usually parodying themselves or a reasonable facsimile. These guys have to play POWs who happen to be soccer players & they're surprisingly good. The actual soccer scenes are terrific. Watching the game, you may appreciate more the skills of first-rate soccer players.
One aspect of this film which is hardly recognized is the musical score. I liked it & found it to be a rousing partner to those moments of triumph.
Granted, this movie isn't perfect (by no stretch of the imagination) but I believe it's worth a try. This may turn out to be one of "your" guilty pleasures.

Math Video Tutor - 10 Hour Course - Fractions Thru Algebra! Review

2006-06-15T22:18:00.000-07:00

I have several Algebra videos that I have bought over the years, most of them are of the Standard Deviants Series. This DVD is by far the *BEST* one of them all! First, it is much, much longer in duration than any other video in this price range - 10 HOURS LONG! That is 6 times longer than most of the Standard Deviant DVDs that I own. Second, and most importantly, is the fact that the whole thing is FULL OF EXAMPLE PROBLEMS. The other DVDs that I own lecture you until you are blue in the face but then you are left wondering how to actually solve anything. This DVD is exactly the opposite! If you have a homework problem that you do not understand how to do, chances are that a similar problem is completely worked out on this DVD. I can't overstate how much my understanding of Algebra has improved with this product. Highly recommended to all!

Walt Disney Treasures - The Chronological Donald, Volume One (1934 - 1941) (1941) Review

2006-06-15T12:31:00.000-07:00

Love the Packaging, and the full versions of the Cartoons.

Why no Numbering of the tins? Because each one has a numbered certificate!!

Absolutely great to see the full versions of the Cartoons I had only seen in TV edits before. Loads of fun for Duck fans.

About all I need now is the full collection of DUCK TALES, even though I was pretty mad that Donald was not in Duck Tales as much as he should have been.

Now all I have to do is get the FRONT LINES collection because that has some great Donald Duck material.

Bless you Disney !!! You are even putting out Widescreen editions of classic films as well .... Hopefully a WideScreen FOX AND HOUND version is out !!!

The Wire - The Complete First Season Review

2006-06-14T00:31:00.000-07:00

Finally! We are getting the DVDs.

I can't say much more than anyone else already has about how truly remarkable "The Wire" is. It is, hands down, the best show on television. Ever. Thoughtful, intelligent, gripping storylines; imperfect, at times villainous, yet utterly compelling characters; and a critical, unflinching, yet oddly empathetic view of the city, its inhabitants, and the flawed bureaucracies that keep the wheels turning. The highest compliment I can pay "The Wire" is that it is the only show I have ever seen that actually respects the intelligence of its viewers. No, it does not make things easy for us. There are no standard TV devices such as flashbacks, awkward expository dialogue, or stock characters mouthing predictable, socially relevant drivel that "educate" us as to the creators' intentions - instead, we get pure, unadulterated story that dares us to make sense of everything ourselves and forces us to form our own opinions and conclusions instead of having them spoon-fed to us. It is a brilliant, brilliant effort, and although it is - typically - underpromoted and underappreciated by HBO, I'm kind of glad about that. I'd hate to see what would happen if stupid people got ahold of it and forced the writers to dumb things down to accommodate them. I'd prefer to keep this show a little secret among smart viewers rather than have it get ruined by too much attention.

So, if you're a dumb person please ignore this review and go watch Law & Order. But if you're intelligent, inquisitive, and a good judge of quality TV - what the hell are you waiting for?? WATCH THIS SHOW.

Millennium Actress (2001) Review

2006-06-13T06:31:00.000-07:00

If Perfect Blue had better animaton, it would look like this. Millennium Actress is a beautifully crafted film. Told in a very original perspective, in the eyes of a former actress but followed by two film makers.

My only beef with this DVD is, well the DVD. The features listed on the back of the cover mention a commentary by director/writer Satoshi Kon. There is no commentary on this disc like there was on the Region 2 release. There is however a nice documentary on the film in the extras along with the U.S. trailer. The main problem with the disc comes in on the language set up. Picking either a subtitle or a audio takes you right back to the top menu which is a pain because you have to go back again if you want something else. It's just not a good menu.

But anyway, if you are prejudice against Japanese Animation, slap yourself and see this film. Anyone who has the least bit of interest in film will love this.

Pale Rider (1985) Review

2006-06-11T22:18:00.000-07:00

Although Pale Rider is one of my favourite Clint Eastwood movies, I have to admit that it could have been much better. As in The Outlaw Josey Wales and High Plains Drifter, for example, we have a protagonist who is haunted by a past injustice, an injustice which he strives to rectify through the barrell of a gun. Unfortunately, in Pale Rider, the score between Stockburn and Preacher is much too vague, and so instead of adding to mystery, the viewer is left somewhat baffled. Over all, though, the movie is still very good, and definitely entertaining.

Shaolin Challenges Ninja (1979) Review

2006-06-10T22:30:00.000-07:00

This is a fairly decent video with most of the action towards the end. The story was somewhat predictable and could have been developed more. It's definately not in the class of "Legend of the Drunken Master", "Five Deadly Venoms", "Kid with The Golden Arm" or "Fist of Legend". However, the action towards the end is worth watching.

Baby Einstein - Numbers Nursery (2003) Review

2006-06-10T04:30:00.000-07:00

I'm a big fan of Baby Einstein videos for the most part. We own most of them and have watched them countless times. My daughter (now 20 months) has lost interest in them now. She was most drawn to them from 8-15 months I think.

But I was thrilled to see this one come out and got it thinking it would be more "educational" than the others seem to be. I was right. I really like how this one goes through the numbers, counting, sequence, etc. The puppets, music, objects, format just seems to make more sense than some of the other more "out there" ones.

Best of all, my daughter loved it and quickly learned to count from 1-5. My only regret was that 5-10 wasn't out (and still isn't)! I'd also love to see an A-Z one! The other new one Baby McDonald is pretty good and slightly different than the "traditional" format too. My daughter asked for "mcdonalds" almost every day for a month after we first got it!

And like another reviewer said, be sure to check out the other choices on the DVD, especially if your child seems bored with just the video. You can find lots of other learning/fun things on each one too!

Rustler's Rhapsody (1985) Review

2006-06-09T04:56:00.000-07:00

A funny story behind when I first saw this movie. I had purchased a Laser Disc player from a local stereo shop. The local stereo shop did not have any model's left in stock, so they offered to sell me the floor model at a reduced cost. So, never passing up a bargain, I bought the floor model and lo and behold someone left Rustler's Rhapsody in the player! I had never head of this movie before, but figure what the heck. I wanted to try out my new Laser Disc player anyways! Not sure what to expect, I was very surprised by the quality the movie posessed and the wonderful laughs it brought. This movie was a classic from the start I believe. I was so intrigued by the movie, that I returned the Laser Disc left in the player to the store and purchased my OWN Laser Disc copy! I have since shown that version to many family friends and everyone enjoyed it just as much as me. I was very glad when the DVD came out, cause I was really getting tired of having to flip the Laser Disc over for Side 2 about half way through the movie. The quality of the DVD matches up very closely to the Laser Disc format and has better sound I think. I highly recommend you give this movie a whirl, cause I think you'll be in for a nice ride through the western front and come out singing and wishing that the old west was at your home.

Visions of Light: The Art of Cinematography (1993) Review

2006-06-08T01:09:00.000-07:00

Every time I teach a film class this documentary is one of the first things I screen for my students. "Visions of Light" includes clips from 125 films to graphically demonstrate how the art form of cinematography has evolved. You will also come away with a new understanding of the work of specific cinematographers such as Gregg Toland ("Citizen Kane"), Conrad Hall ("In Cold Blood"), Vilmos Zsigmond ("The Deer Hunter"), and many more. You will even get a sense of the individual styles of these great artists as well as a better appreciation of how the people behind the camera have as much of an impact on a movie as the actors we see on the silver screen. But be warned: after watching "Visions of Light" you are not going to have a whole bunch of cinematic classics you will want to track down (I am still trying to find "Great Expectations"), you are going to want to rewatch some old favorites. This 1993 documentary was directed by Arnold Glassman, Todd McCarthy and Stuart Samuels.

A Hard Day's Night (1964) Review

2006-06-06T04:09:00.000-07:00

This could have been a "B" movie exploitation film of a short lived pop group. Instead, it turned out to be the precursor to MTV and music videos, shows what made the Beatles so much fun and manages to play a few of their great tunes at the same time. The plot is minimal, consisting of the Beatles entourage getting the Beatles to a live television show on which the Beatles are to perform. Nearly from the beginning to the end, the Beatles are chased by pimple faced young teens, the police, their handlers, and everyone else. And throughout the film, Paul's grandfather, played by William Brambell (a very clean old man), keeps stirring up problems.

The nominal plot allows the Beatles natural likeability to shine. This film established the personas of the individual Beatles (as portrayed to the media) -- Paul -- straightforward and good natured, John -- incessantly sarcastic, George -- subtle with a dry sense of humor, and Ringo -- quiet, shy and introspective. The movie is irreverent, inventive, funny, droll, deadpan, filled with non-stop movement, and some great, if dated, rock-n-roll! A wonderful film showing the exuberance of youth, the innocence of an earlier time, and Beatlemania in all its glory!

The DVD's extras include interviews with about everyone still living who participated in the film except the surviving Beatles. While it is nice to have all of the insiders reminiscing about the film, it would have been nice to hear from some of the Fab Four.

A Man Called Horse (1970) Review

2006-06-05T01:56:00.000-07:00

I do agree with the comments of the other viewer reviews. The sioux in this movie were portrayed as very dirty and savage like. Over all the sundance and alot of the culture done very well. I have seen george catlin's paintings and have read books about the sioux people. Also someone metioned he was captured by the crow indians which was false. They were a group Known as the yellow hand sioux.

Without Limits (1998) Review

2006-06-04T07:56:00.000-07:00

I enjoyed this movie, but I wouldn't recommend it as an introduction to Steve Prefontaine. "Fire On the Track" and "Prefontaine" did a much better job at showing who he was. Quite frankly, "Without Limits" was slightly disappointing for me, simply because I was left with too many questions as to what the writers were trying to get across.

First of all, there is Pre's relationship with Mary Marckx. I kept wondering what Pre found intriguing about her. She's a great character and I liked her a lot, but her place in the film is not well-defined, as she sort of floats in and out of the plot. Pre did not really pursue Mary in the grand scheme of the film either, since, in between tete-a-tetes with Mary, Pre apparently has all sorts of flings. Given this lack of attention to her (except that he thinks about her a lot) it would have been good to have focused a bit more on who Mary was to Pre, exactly.

Secondly, Pre's famous and refreshingly tenacious bone-picking of the AAU is only given a back seat in the film. I thought this was a bit strange, considering that the AAU fight was a big part of Pre's life. Even stranger was the fact that any coverage beyond a mention of Pre's last race was skipped completely, in spite of its being very important to his career. Not only was it one of his fastest races, but it probably would have never happened had Pre not pursued the AAU.

I thought the Pre-Bowerman aspect of the film was interesting because it let the viewers see something of what went on between what was undeniably a great matching of coach and student. Bowerman was a powerful influence on Pre. For one thing, he helped Steve hone his running style and he taught him discipline. For another, Steve met his match, mentally and emotionally. I enjoyed seeing their interaction with each other. Bowerman and Pre's post-college relationship could have gotten a bit more detail, even though, on the other hand, it would have been a nice little plug for Nike.

This was a good film, but I don't think it presented as fleshy a portrait of Steve Prefontaine as it could have. The viewer gets an idea, but not really a full picture.

Walt Disney Treasures - The Complete Pluto, Volume One Review

2006-06-03T03:08:00.000-07:00

...the tins this year have a pretty tacky paper back cover instead of the attractive printed-on covers that were done in Italy. The last wave of treasures was delayed due to problems at the Italian facility; in order, to make the Christmas rush, they probably went plan B on our current treasure wave, though its nice to see them housed in white double Alpha keepcases. I don't really care if the edition numbers are stamped on the can: the more collectible low-numbered cans would have been hoarded anyways and truly collectible items sell in the mere thousands (not 130,000). The Roy Disney autograph band went with Roy himself when he resigned from the Disney board to protest Michael Eisner's leadership. I'm not a Pluto fan (the MM club is the best one), but at these prices, all treasures are a steal.

Face/Off (1997) Review

2006-06-02T13:42:00.000-07:00

FACE OFF has some of the most visceral, imaginative and jawdropping action scenes on film. John Woo's direction is perfect in capturing the action scenes, whether he uses slow motion, or regular, he makes each action scene a cacophony of sight and sound. Since we all know the plot, let's look at the talented actors who help make this movie such an intense entertainment!
John Travolta and Nicolas Cage are excellent in their roles; having to transfer from good guy to bad guy and bad guy to good is handled very well by these two actors who get better as they mature. ALthough Nicolas has a couple of scenes that border on hamming it up, he nevertheless conveys the grief and hopelessness he is forced to deal with. Travolta meanwhile goes from dull agent to sassy villain with immaculate ease.
Joan Allen, one of our finest actresses, does a marvelous job as Travolta's wife; Alessandro Nivola as Troy's nerdish brother oozes demonic sleaziness; Gina Gershon as Sasha does a very good job as Troy's mistress; Dominique Swain (Lolita) gives a nice turn to Travolta's misguided teen; Nick Cassavette as the baldpated Dietrich, Harve Presnell as Travolta's overwrought superior; John Carroll Lynch as the prison guard; CCH Pounder as one of the agents responsible for the switch, and even Thomas Jane (The Punisher) in a brief role as a downhome prisoner---all add to the quality of the movie and its outcome.
This one packs a punch and even though lengthy, it certainly held my interest. The speedboat finale is awesome!

The One (Special Edition) (2001) Review

2006-05-30T10:16:00.000-07:00

Its seems no one cant beat up jet li maybe he should fight himself?One of the mnay jet li films I didn't like for one the whole idea of fighting himself was kinda retarded.It was cool to see something new from jet li the man himself but the movie didn't display alot of action just focusing on Timetravel and differen't events.Don't get me wrong its good but from the movie I expected to be better then it is.

The Clint Eastwood Gift Set (A Fistful of Dollars, For A Few Dollars More, The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly) Review

2006-05-29T06:29:00.000-07:00

This is simply put, one of the best western trilogies to have ever graced the silver screen and the home theater system! If you're into westerns and are interested in viewing some of the best, these are the ones you want. These are the films that brought the genesis of the "spaghetti western" and set the tone for many westerns to come!

A Fistful of Dollars - A true genre classic!

A Fistful of Dollars is truly one of the big classics in the western genre and one that began a newer, better style of western films. First in a string of Clint Eastwood's "spaghetti" westerns, it has a style and cinematic class all to itself. This is where Clint Eastwood began his style of western hero who doesn't say much, but gets his point across through his facial expressions and of course his actions, more specifically with his six shooter at his side.

The premise:

Clint Eastwood plays "the man with no name" other than the name given to him by one of the characters in the film, Joe. In what is now a classic style, he rides into town on a mule and witnesses the brutality of the town bullies. Without saying a word to them, they harass him and he calmly goes into one of the town bars, has some food and listens to what the bar owner has to tell him about the town's situation. He casually decides to stay and do something about the entire situation, walks out and takes out four of the bad guys. What follows from there is such an outstanding film that is fraught with a certain degree of humor as he deftly plays both sides against his middle and walks away with "A Fistful of Dollars."

If you're a fan of the western genre and haven't seen this classic, I highly suggest you pick this DVD up. Some might be put off by the age of this movie, that is simply not the case though as this movie is timeless. Despite the fact that it was made in Spain, with many European actors and in a foreign language, it's just pure fun!

For A Few Dollars More - An outstanding sequel!

For A Few Dollars More is, in my opinion, by far the best of the "Man With No Name" trilogy! In "A Fistful of Dollars," director Sergio Leone bowled the viewers over with Clint Eastwood's character being a gruff gunslinger of few words and lots of action. In this sequel Eastwood's character has a lot more depth and even a little bit of humor. I am highly impressed with the script and acting in this particular film, especially in comparison with its predecessor. One can even consider it funny but useful that a few of the villains from the first film that were quite dead at the end of that one, are back now with new names! Magnificent performances by both Clint Eastwood and Lee Van Cleef serve to enhance this movie's style.

The premise:

This movie has a wonderful beginning as we are introduced to Lee Van Cleef's character while he's in the performance of his role of a bounty killer. We are then treated to the reintroduction of Clint Eastwood's character, which actually does have the name of Monco, while he is taking care of his business as a bounty killer as well. Once the director has shown these two acts, he deftly shows how they end up on the same path as they both find out that they can score it big by killing Gian Maria Volonte's character, Indio and his gang. From there, we're taken to El Paso where the film's intrigue and suspense kick into high gear as both Eastwood and Van Cleef's characters meet.

The Good, The Bad and the Ugly - A great adventure!

The Good, The Bad and the Ugly in my opinion is the best among the trilogy. Sporting the largest budget and the best script among "The Man With No Name" trilogy, this movie blazes across the screen brilliantly. Of course, Clint Eastwood is back and his name is Joe once again although I don't believe you ever hear him referred to as anything other than Blondie. Lee Van Cleef is back as well and he most definitely performs memorably as one of the bad guys. Eli Wallach's performance as the pseudo bad/good guy Tuco is nothing short of spectacular. The style and class of this movie is dead on with Sergio Leone's film making, making it a classic in the genre and one of the top films of the sixties. The entire film comes off as a box office success and a treasure for your home DVD collection!

The premise:

Clint Eastwood is back as Joe/Blondie - The Good guy. Eli Wallach shows up as Tuco - The Bad guy and Lee Van Cleef makes a return as Stenza the Ugly guy. The film starts wonderfully by deftly making the introductions of the three primary characters doing what they do best. Blondie ends up capturing Tuco and they make a comical deal. Stenza makes a dramatic first appearance as well.

Blondie and Tuco have a dramatic parting of the ways that also brings them back together in classic Sergio Leone style. They literally stumble across some fortunate information which leads them down the path of the civil war in the hopes off retrieving a rather large sum of money. This also forces them to run across the path of Lee Van Cleef's character, Stenza and his quest for the same information and treasure.

All of this combines to make this film a "must see" for those that are fans of this genre as it leads to the ultimate climatic ending and a classic Clint Eastwood shootout. I highly recommend this film and the entire trilogy to Eastwood and western fans. {ssintrepid}

The Best Years of Our Lives (1946) Review

2006-05-27T22:55:00.000-07:00

The Best Years of Our Lives is an often touching drama about three WWII vetrans returning home. Scenes such as a sailor who has hooks for hands flawlessly attempting to light a match to the amazement and discomfort of civilian familiy members are unforgetable. Also powerful is the slow dissolution of the bonds of these vetrans as the affairs of normal life begin to take over. Frediric March delivers a powerful performance as a Sargent who returns home to a well off life as a bank executive, giving loans to vets under the GI bill. He won the best actor oscar for his performance, beating even Jimmy Stewart in Its a Wonderful Life that year. Toland delivers fantastic cinematrography, the more often the camera leaves the studio, such as the rows and rows of mothballed bombers. An interesting performance is delivered by real life vet Harol Russell who truly had no hands and was performing in his first and only movie. Amazingly, he won the Oscar for best supporting actor - an award I found undeserving given he even botched lines in scenes such as his wedding. Nevertheless, this movie has plenty of emotion and plenty of great screenwriting to make it worth seeing.

What it is not, is one of the greatest movies of all time now. Much of the acting is dated - comprising the overdone, grandiose style common to the stage and 30s and 40s movies. The plot lines and reactions of the actors sometimes seem dated and not genuine in 2003. Screenwriters tended to boil down their characters to one dimentional entities in 1946. Air Force Captain Derry's wife played by Virginia Mayo is one such one dimentional character. She wants money and glamour being married to an officer, but when that offier becomes a 32 dollar a week soda fountain worker, she loses interest. And her loss of interest is obvious, unsubtle, repeated, and driven home in every scene over and over. Its this sort of dated style which makes Best Years of Our Lives a great movie in 1946 but it plays more like a well done AMC classic today and does not have the sweep of Cinematic giants and other Best Picture winners like Godfather, Gone with the Wind or even Schindler's List. I'm sure to vets or folks who remember 1946, the movie will pack more punch than it delivered to me.

The Twilight Zone: Vol. 2 (1959) Review

2006-05-27T02:28:00.000-07:00

No matter how many DVDs they put out with episodes of "The Twilight Zone," they cannot put out one with better episodes that Volume 2. "Time Enougth at Last" is THE quintessential Zone episode, adapted by Rod Serling from Lynn Venable's short story. Burgess Meredith, in what was surely his most recognizable role, plays Henry Bemis, a mild-mannered, myopic bank teller who only wants to read, but can never get away from this shrewish wife and demanding boss. But then Henry has the fortune of being in the bank vault reading a book when the world is destroyed by a nuclear war. Directed by John Brahm, no "Twilight Zone" episode ever backed a more unforgettable ending. "The Monsters are Due on Maple Street" finds neighbors turning on each other as unexplained events fuel their fear that human-looking aliens have infiltrated Maple Street (filed on MGM's "Andy Hardy" street). Claude Atkins and Jack Weston head a strong cast in this classic written by Rod Serling and directed by Ron Winston. "Nightmare at 20,000 Feet" stars William Shatner as poor Bob Wilson, who has left a sanatorium only to take a plane flight where a gremlin keeps trying to sabotage the engine. Written by Richard Matheson, who wrote the original short story, "Nightmare" was directed by Richard Donner, who went on to be a film director of some note. "The Odyssey of Flight 33" is the only sub-classic episode on this disc. The story by Serling, directed by Justus Addiss, is of a plane that picks up a freak tail wind that sends it back in time. John Anderson as Captain Farver leads the excellent cast that makes this rather far-fetched idea utterly believable.

Lianna (1983) Review

2006-05-26T00:28:00.000-07:00

John Sayles understands women more than some women understand themselves...I do not know what it is..but he gets us...

This is an older movie dated but the emotions are fresh....see where lesbian themed films began ...Lianna is a treat...ranks up there with older classics like Killing of Sister George, Theresa and Isabelle...through Desert Hearts to modern classics like A Family Affair, Aimee and Jaguar and now The L Word

All Over The Guy (2001) Review

2006-05-25T14:28:00.000-07:00

As a gay man, I am desperately looking for gay films that are not complete pornography, make you run screaming back into the closet, or have you depressed and suicidal for the next several days. This movie is none of those-thank God! [...]. All over the guy has truly lovable characters who you are cheering on in hopes they will get their lives figured out in time to attain happiness by the end of the film. My only real complaint about the film is the amount of foul language, there is a ton, but it is forgivable. In many ways, it is a very realistic love story with sobering yet humorous glances into the character's lives growing up and how that affects who they are now (this is not a major part of the film's development, just an enjoyable one). Overall, it is a fun ride. You can relax, sit back, enjoy. . . no-one moaning on and on about how much they hate themself, no suicides--just very adorable, lovable people struggling simply to be true to themselves and every once in awhile making you burst out in laughter in the process.

The Boondock Saints (2000) Review

2006-05-24T02:41:00.000-07:00

And all these cheap spy movies get stupider. BOONDOCK SAINTS IS A BALANT 007 RIP-OFF

Wolf's Rain - Leader of the Pack (Vol. 1) Review

2006-05-23T06:07:00.000-07:00

I must say, this is a pretty freakin' awesome show. The first time I watched it on Adult Swim, I was "captivated" or whatever, but it is one hell of an awesome show. I would defendetly recommend this, and especially if you like Cowboy Bebop, both shows are made by the same creator, and so if you haven't seen WR, and you like CB, then I would recommend. Any questions can be forwarded to either my email>agentmccool27@hotmail.com and my IM is>iLove Ed and Ein

Chinese Box (1998) Review

2006-05-21T23:28:00.000-07:00

Despite a first-rate cast, the movie never really delivers. Maggie Cheung is interesting as the waif-like June, but Gong Li and Jeremy Irons just can't connect. In all of their scenes together, I kept wondering whether Gong Li really understood anything that was was being said between the two; and her lines (in english) seemed rather ersatz in nature. If you want to see what Gong Li is really capable of (and she is capable of quite a bit), see "Ju Do" or "Farewell My Concubine."

Best of the Chris Rock Show (1997) Review

2006-05-21T07:28:00.000-07:00

I was in for a treat. This was al new Chris Rock of me. And I ate it up. Chris Rock is simply the best comic in a one man show. I don't have cable TV, and if I did, I would never be home to watch it, so with this being my first exposure to the Chris Rock Show, no wonder it is the hit it is. Great work.

The Leopard - Criterion Collection (1963) Review

2006-05-20T09:07:00.000-07:00

Several years ago I read this book and then discovered that it was made into a movie in 1963. I searched for the video or DVD and was not able to find it at that time. Therefore, I was really delighted when I found out that the film had recently been released on DVD.

This is the story of the decline of aristocratic power in the late 19th century in Italy, and the effects of this on one particular family. The film was made in Italy and stars Burt Lancaster as the Prince of Salina and Claudia Cardinale as young lady from the emerging middle class who wins the heart of the prince's nephew. The film is a full 185 minutes long. But it held my interest throughout and I was even sorry there wasn't more because I remember the book covered a larger span of time.

There certainly is pageantry here. We see the palatial estates in all their glory. We get an understanding of the family dynamics as well as the influence of the Church. There are wars and glory and disappointment in love. There is pomp and pageantry and a glimpse into the privileged life of the privileged few. Mostly, the wars take place off screen but we do feel their impact. We see the first elections and the competition for power. And, most of all, we watch Burt Lancaster, in a role that calls for a wide variety of subtle emotions, as he watches his structured world fall apart and is forced to make compromises.

I learned a lot about the history of Italy as the film transported me to Italy for a very personal glimpse of an era I knew little about. And, it spite of it being made more than 40 years ago, the cinematography is excellent, even by today's standards. Definitely recommended.

Inferno (1980) Review

2006-05-19T11:27:00.000-07:00

Considering that Suspiria is by far the most popular and acclaimed film in Argento's catalogue I'm rather confused as to why the sequel Inferno isn't more popular. Fans of Suspiria, like myself, ought to eat this up. Admittedly, it isn't as good as Suspiria, but it takes all the things that made that film so extraordinary and unusual and pushes them boundaries even further, while managing to be a fairly distinct from it's predecessor. This is most definitely a worthwhile piece in and of itself, and it is a must see for any horror fan, or those who enjoy visually startling films.

Visually, Inferno is even more stylized then Suspiria, with virtually nothing being shot in a perfuntory or realistic manner. It takes the most prominent visual aspect of Suspiria, the bright, garish sets and surreal colored lighting,(most often red and blue) and takes them to a greater extreme, and in a slightly different direction. In Suspiria, the set design and colored lighting were relatively simple, generally using open areas and relatively simple lighting, frequently with the entire scenes bathed in a single color.(And it rarely become more complicated than simply having 2 colors for the background, and 1 more illuminating the characters in the foreground) Thus, for all it's eeriness, the lighting in Suspiria actually illuminated the scene quite well. Not so in Inferno. The sets are cramped and elaborate, with numerous different light sources illuminating small portions of the scenes, generally with much of the scene still shrouded in darkness.(often to the point which you can't easily identify objects) Thus, although Inferno has many of the visual elements of Suspiria, they are used in a notably different style. Personally, I think that Inferno looks even better then its predecessor. The most notable scene, visually, is when Rose is attacked in her apartment. It is simply astounding.

This film is not big on plot or character development. In fact, I would say that it has perhaps the least character development of any film I've seen. (none) And to my surprise, I think this is actually a slight problem. Although Suspiria wasn't too big on character development, it managed to make me genuinely like Suzy and Sarah, whereas I don't give a damn about anyone in this film. And this actually makes the horror scenes less effective. The plot extends the mythos of Suspiria, with Rose reading a book, The Three Mothers, in the opening scene. The book states that 3 sisters rule the world, Mater Suspiriorum, Mater Tenebrarum and Mater Lachymarum, and that they live in Freiburg, Rome and New York respectively.(Naturally, Mater Suspiriorum was Helena Marcos in Suspiria) And she discovers that, wouldn't ya know it, she's living in the apartment complex in which Mater Tenebrarum resides.(She lives underneath it though, not in one of the apartments.) She's disturbed by this story and calls for help from her brother, Mark, living in Rome. Thus, an investigation is begun by various individuals, generally leading to their untimely deaths. As you might imagine, the plot is driven by absurdities and contrivances almost exclusively. But I don't care, and neither should you, considering the film and its goals. It can be a bit confusing at times as well, but you ought not worry about that, for the reasons stated above.

The murder sequences are very elaborate and nicely done, in much the same magnificently colored and hallucinogenic slasher film manner found in Suspiria, this time generally with taloned, cowled killers. They do have some slight flaws, however. Most significantly, they lack much of the sheer intensity and brutality of the killings in Suspiria. (Sorry about the endless comparisons, but they practically beg to be done) Simply put, the victims in Inferno are, for the most part, not made to suffer the way they did in Suspiria. Some people found the more sadistic aspect of Suspiria offensive, but that's what gave the deaths there power. Naturally, the most affecting death is the most painful seeming one, where the victim has their head pinned down through an open window, and the broken window pane repeatedly dropped on their throat. The visualization of this event leaves something to be desired, but it is conceptually nasty enough to make it work very well. Still, all the other deaths are beautifully shot and staged, even if they aren't as painful or personally affecting. Another problem is that they attempt a few more animal attacks, with little success. There is a cat attack, which is unintentionally humorous, and a massed rat attack which is just kinda bland. Fortunately, that is not all that is going on in those scenes, and they are still excellent sequences overall.

One of the most famous aspects of Suspiria was its extraordinary score by the band Goblin. Here Keith Emerson takes over scoring duties, and takes them in a different, somewhat more conventional direction, with lots of omionous, discordant piano pieces. Though not as effective as Goblin's work, it still works quite well, and is preferable to merely attempting a retread of the previous score. It uses the old trick of having a vicious murder contrasted with a grandiose, incongruent classical piece,(to great effect) and I also particularly enjoy the rock version of some Verdi piece they use during the cab scene.(It's cheesy, but I like it)

Sadly, the end of this film is somewhat anti-climatic.(Though to a lesser extent than was Suspiria) It's primarily hurt by the fact that it has a conceptually solid but incredibly hokey visual effect during the confrontation with Mater Tenebrarum. It's also hurt by the fact that the evil is defeated not by the actions of any of the protagonists, but just through luck and chance.

Well, that's about it. Somewhat flawed, but the flaws don't matter much. If you haven't seen Suspiria yet, see it first. If you like that, check this out.

The Complete Superman Cartoons - Diamond Anniversary Edition (1941) Review

2006-05-17T22:14:00.000-07:00

Having seen a number of the early Superman cartoons on other "public domain" compilations, I can say with confidence, DON'T BUY THE OTHERS!!! Bosko Video has a reputation for putting out high quality products and this collection is nothing less than fantastic. The images are superbly clear and the audio is nearly flawless (no, there are NO new or altered sound effects added).

As much as I love the continuing modern adventures of super heros like Superman, Batman, and Spiderman, the earlier stories and artwork for each hero have always been my favorites. The Fleischer cartoons capture the early art-deco look and feel of the original Superman / Action Comics era. The artwork is great and the stories are timeless. This is the series that spawned the well know lines: "Faster than a speeding bullet...... More powerful than a locomative....able to leap tall buildings in a single bound.....Superman" These cartoons are the epitome of early American comic book heros.

The only complaints I have (and really, this is nothing) is that each episode starts with an added supscript "Originally Released October 1942" for a few seconds. Having this appear before the cartoon starts at all would have been better instead of inserting over the actual film itself. It would have been better suited to a booklet, which leads to my other complaint. There is no booklet. They do make up for it with a nice video intro regarding Superman and the cartoon series however.

This set is a real steal for the price, and it contains all of the early episodes, complete and fully restored. I would suggest this set for fans who prefer the early look of comic book heros, art deco animation, and Superman in general. Fans of period-look films like The Iron Giant or Sky Captain & The World of Tomorrow will also love this (especially when Superman fights robots). Fleisher cartoons have always been great, but all too often the are butchered in the public domain. This is a rare example of Fleisher's work presented in such quality.

U2 Go Home - Live From Slane Castle (Limited Edition Packaging) (2002) Review

2006-05-17T09:14:00.000-07:00

Whenever I watch this DVD I feel like I am at the concert. before U2 come on stage you can feel the passion from the wall of U2 fans, you can smell the excitement and expectation. Then the place is in utter ecstasy - the opening two tracks are explosive. As always bono pushes the right buttons - proclaiming to the 80,000 fans 'This is our tribe'. The middle of the gig is quite emotional as Bono's Dad who raised him as a single parent from childhood died a few days before. U2 bang out the classics such as Sunday Bloody Sunday when Bono proclaims 'were not going back there' and attacks the IRA, UDA and other so called freedom fighters who murder Irish people regardless of their beliefs. It is an emotionally packed experience brimming with great music and moments. Music DVDs do not get much better than this.

Girl With a Pearl Earring (2004) Review

2006-05-16T07:06:00.000-07:00

A film by Peter Webber

Have you ever looked at a painting and wondered who sat for the portrait and what her story may be? Or what the inspiration behind a particular painting was? Tracy Chevalier apparently has because four of her novels have dealt with this very idea. Her most popular novel was "Girl with a Pearl Earring", which looks into one possible origin for the famous Vermeer painting of the same name. Peter Webber's 2003 film "Girl with a Pearl Earring" is an adaptation of Chevalier's bestselling novel.

Griet (Scarlet Johansson) is a young Dutch girl living in the 1600's. Her family is poor, so she is hired as a maid in the household of the painter, Johannes Vermeer (Colin Firth). This is a very big opportunity for her, though she is viewed with suspicion by Vermeer's wife because he has been indiscreet with the maids in the past. Griet is a quiet girl and is assigned the basic drudge work of cleaning. When she is cleaning Vermeer's studio, being careful not to move anything, Master Vermeer notices her, permits her to continue to work while he is around, and eventually permits Griet to help him. Helping Vermeer means, at various times, mixing paint and posing for portraits to be used as a guide to help Vermeer paint. From this develops a bond between Griet and Vermeer (or perhaps it happens because of the bond), and Griet ultimately becomes the subject of Vermeer's famous and somewhat mysterious painting.

"Girl with a Pearl Earring" can almost be described as a silent film. Griet has very little dialogue, but Scarlet Johansson is able to portray Griet so well that she is a compelling character even without dialogue. Johansson's acting is such that without speaking we are being told a story and being given characterization. Besides Johansson's work, the other main point of note is simply how beautiful this movie is. To make an overly obvious comparison, it is like a painting. This makes sense since the movie is about a particular painting as well as being partly inside the world of Vermeer and art. To be honest, little needs to be said during "Girl with a Pearl Earring" and the film does not suffer for it.

Given Vermeer's past history with the family's maids, and given Griet's beauty (she is pursued also by the butcher's son as well as Vermeer's patron); there is a suspicion of impropriety between Griet and Vermeer. The movie suggests that there might be more to the relationship, and the household believes it, but there is certainly a level of attraction between Griet and Vermeer. It is very understated, but with looks and visual suggestion and maybe even the lack of dialogue helps foster this impression.

Scarlet Johansson was nominated for two Golden Globes in 2003 for her work in "Lost in Translation" and "Girl with a Pearl Earring". Many feel that "Lost in Translation" was her stronger work and that she had deserved to be nominated for an Academy Award. I agree that she should have been nominated, but for "Girl with a Pearl Earring". Here she is being asked to carry the movie with very little dialogue. This film, outside of some critical attention, has been very overlooked. The quiet nature of "Girl with a Pearl Earring" may be off-putting to some, but this is a very good movie and one well worth the time for those with the patience (or interest) to give it a shot.

-Joe Sherry

Monte Walsh (2003) Review

2006-05-15T08:53:00.000-07:00

All in all, not a bad Western flick, but it surely pales next to the classic version starring Lee Marvin, Jack Palance & Jeanne Moreau.

Leslie Sansone - Walk Away the Pounds (Get Up and Get Started 1 Mile / High Calorie Burn 2 Miles) (2001) Review

2006-05-14T13:14:00.000-07:00

If you're out of shape and want to begin exercising this is for you. We walk every day but maybe just not steadily and long enough to call it a work out. This type of exercise is good cardio but if you want to tone your body overall you need to use resistant products which she also supplies. I would say this is ideal for most ages, but always check with your physician before starting any exercising program. Beaware that eating right for the rest of your life with a good exercising program is the key to long term success in fitness.

Rurouni Kenshin Wandering Samurai - Premium Box 1 Review

2006-05-13T08:40:00.000-07:00

This is my favorite anime ever!!!!! If you enjoy sword shows with a lot of blood, you'll love this show!

Microcosmos (2010) Review

2006-05-12T10:53:00.000-07:00

The fascination of absolutely gorgeous photography wanes as the puzzling insect antics remain unexplained. My 6-year-old and I are great fans of all that's to do with creepy crawlers, but within 10 minutes, he lost interest. If your kid sits still and doesn't ask questions, this movie is fine; otherwise, buy this movie for the beauty of the best insect photography I've ever seen--but don't expect to be educated. And don't expect the kids to sit through it.

Mobile Suit Gundam Zeta Limited Boxed Set (Compete 50 Episode Series and Collectable Figures) Review

2006-05-10T23:52:00.000-07:00

I've seen several science fiction series in my time. All of which boast to be the greatest. "Star Trek," "Buck Rogers," "Battlesar Galactica," "Far Scape," "Stargate S-G1." Fine shows in their own right and I have no problem against them. But there has always been a place for "Mobile Suit Gundam." A 25 year-old franchise that has becomes Japan's most popular science fiction series. Many American fans are familiar with such (lackluster) titles as "Gundam Wing" and "Gundam Seed," but none of those series hold a candle to this addition to the "Gundam Universe," which is quite possibly the best entry into the stories..."Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam."

Produced back in 1985, written and directed by the "Father of Gundam" Yoshiyuki Tomino, "Zeta Gundam" has been hailed by anime nuts as the pinnacle "Gundam" series.

The story takes place in Universal Century 0087 (between "Mobile Suit Gundam 0083" and "Mobile Suit Gundam ZZ"). It has been seven years since the end of the One Year War, and the Principality of Zeon is long dead. In order to prevent another war from occuring, the Federation creates the Titans; a sort of interstellar S.S. that watches over the colonies. Of course, the Titans turn out to be crueler than expected, and resort to tyranny in order to control the colonies. In response, the A.E.U.G. (Anti Earth Union Group) is formed, made up mostly of former Federation and Zeon soldiers, they strive to oust the Titans. Enter Kamille Bidan, a young Newtype who witnesses the cruelty of the Titans. During a skirmish on his home colony, Kamille ends up in the cockpit of his father's Mark 2 Gundam. In the heat of battle he winds up on the side of the A.E.U.G. and from that moment on...his life is changed forever.

The show is darker and grittier than anything that has been shown on "Gundam Wing" or "Seed." Here, the mobile suits are not invincible and the cost of war is high. Lives are lost, love is crushed, and relationships are pushed closer to the fire. This is classic Tomino and it is rare to find another anime that's as raw and as powerful as this.

The series does show its age (it's almost 20 years old by this point), but I do not see how that can hinder any TRUE anime fan.

The battle sequences are well-thought out and there is always an element of danger in each episode. The outcome of the battles are never easily predicted, and the body count climbs to staggering heights as the series progresses.

Those familiar with Tomino's works (aside from "Gundam" he has also directed series such as "Dunbine," "Brain Powered" and "Overman King Gainer") will know that the man loves stories about human beings. And essentially, that's what the characters of "Zeta Gundam" are; humans. Complete with problems and faults very much like our own. It's very easy to connect with these characters and you learn to feel for them as time goes on.

Adding to this is the epic-scale music. A nice misture between "Star Blazers"-style orchestra and "Nausicaa"-type synthesizers. The effect isn't as cheesy as it sounds (pun not intended) and works well with the images on-screen.

Moving onto the DVD specs...well, I'm not kidding when I say this is quite possibly the best anime box set to date.

Not only does one get all 50 episodes, included is a poster, a 48 page encyclopedia, and 9 pencil sharpeners/mobile suit figurines. All this in a box drawn by Tsukasa Kotobuki of "Saber Marionette J" and "Godannar" fame.

Again, this is a LIMITED release. So grab yours while you can.

"Zeta Gundam" is a marvel of tale that belongs up there with the greats of sci-fi stories. Even if you're not a fan of science fiction or giant robots in particular, this anime will have something for everyone. After all, who doesn't love a great story?

-RW

The Matrix Reloaded (Widescreen Edition) (2003) Review

2006-05-10T07:26:00.000-07:00

...the first "Matrix" was groundbreaking. Equal parts William Gibson, Phil Dick and Franz Kafka all rolled into one tightly written, finely crafted whole.

Unfortunately, the creators of this masterpiece have fallen into the old, tired Hollywood infection called "sequelitis" wherein the producers of a breathtakingly original film try to squeeze even more money out of it than they really have the skill for.

"Reloaded" fails on so many levels it's hard to know where to begin, so I think I'll concentrate on the worst point. That is, the Architect.

What was the point of dragging us through an hour and a half of fight scenes and occasionally interesting plot twists, only to have a couch potato in a white suit tell us that it's all irrelevant anyway? Did anyone actually bother to read the script before cutting it to film? Apparently not - if they had, they'd have noticed it. This is a plot hole so big you could drive a truck through it, and the worst part is that there's a third irrelevant movie to follow! Why bother?

The Wachowskis had a great thing with the first movie. They should have left well enough alone, and not destroyed the myth.

Curb Your Enthusiasm - The Complete First Season (1999) Review

2006-05-09T13:26:00.000-07:00

I have two friends that rave about this show. I knew I liked Larry David's humor based on the 'Seinfeld' episodes he was responsible for. I was pretty excited before I popped the DVDs in, but now I'm totally at a loss as to how Larry David could proudly create this series.

It's not that the exploits of a witty, cranky, unfortunate comedian can't be funny. But a show would have to be very crafty and well-written to survive *only* on this character... Curb Your Enthusiasm spends about 95% of it's time following the Larry David character around, and is barely written at all - most of the dialogue is improvised, by great comedians who make really bad actors. Almost every other scene dissolves into an awkward shouting match.

The plot outlines guiding the way are equally disappointing - remember the adventures of 'Seinfeld''s George Costanza? Imagine three or four of his most humiliating stories crammed into a single episode. I mean, there is no breathing room. You can just expect the absolute worst things to happen to this guy every few minutes - sometimes he brings them on with his alienating behavior, and often it's the result of an unbelievable misunderstanding. 'Threes Company' times ten.

Another popular modern sitcom that has used a similar faux-documentary-style would be The Office. The characters on that show are almost as unfortunate as Larry, but there are at least a few of them to share the misery. And it's actually got a script ... for it's cast of talented actors. It's better in almost every way and I highly reccomend it over 'Curb Your Enthusiasm'.

A Soldier's Story (1984) Review

2006-05-08T02:13:00.000-07:00

"A Soldier's Story" is a truly compelling film that gives the viewer a lot to think about. While this film explores the issue of racism and intra-racial prejudice, it does so without being overwhelming or preachy.

Howard Rollins gives a solid performance in the role of Captain Davenport; a stoic and principled officer who is assigned to solve the murder of a black NCO--Sgt. Vernon Waters--at a military base outside of Tynin, Louisiana. Davenport is determined to solve this murder and he's not going to let the white racist senior officers stand in his way. At the same time, he doesn't let the enlisted black soldiers suck-up to him because he's on a mission and he wants to get at the truth, no matter what.

Adolph Caesar plays the hard-ass, irascible Sgt. Waters. Caesar plays this role for all it's worth and he does a great job of making the viewer feel his contempt for southern blacks and for himself.

Robert Townsend adds a bit of comic relief to this tense drama in his role of the bumbling sycophant Coporal Ellis. For all the fawning attention he gives to Captain Davenport, you, the viewer, can understand and feel Ellis' sense of pride in working with a black officer.

Denzel Washington also gives a convincing performance in the role of Private Peterson. Peterson is the angry young black man who not only resents the white racist society in which he lives but also the blacks who try to keep other black people down. This inner rage is played out in a very tense verbal exchange between Peterson and Waters which ultimately culminates in a fight between the two men.

The only weakness this movie has is its reliance of the flashback throughout the film. At times, this technique comes across as a bit awkward but given the context of the film, this technique is appropriate.

Despite this minor criticism, I'd have to say that this is a first-rate film and I highly recommend it.

Goodfellas (Two-Disc Special Edition) (1990) Review

2006-05-07T06:26:00.000-07:00

Goodfellas is one of the greatest movies of the 1990's. It is one of, if not the best gangster movie ever. It is directed by one of the finest directors ever, Martin Scorcese. This is a GANGSTER movie, and you are complaining about 'no positive message', you are complaining about all the swearing, killing, etc. And you say Joe Pesci stooped to a new low in choosing to do this movie. This is his greatest movie ever. He won the Best Supporting Actor of 1990. (He stooped to a new low in "The Super" and possibly "Home Alone 2". I too, love "Home Alone").

And you criticize Spielberg in your 'E.T.' review. (A movie I have never cared for.), but nonetheless, you are criticizing a man who directed Jaws, Close Encounters, The Color Purple, etc...too many to name. You say this director has no vision or creativity????????

This coming from someone who admits to watching those Electric Boogaloo movies from the 80's.

If you don't like mafia movies, or Spielberg movies or Scorsese movies, that's fine. But, your "Electric Boogaloo" reasons for your negative 'Goodfellas' review, not to mention your reasons for not liking Scorsese and Spielberg (you refer to the obscure director of those "Electric Boogaloo" movies as a better director), are very puzzling.

I really think you are just giving joke reviews for laughs. People tune into Amazon.com for legitimate, helpful reviews.

The Secret of My Success (1987) Review

2006-05-05T03:39:00.000-07:00

this is a graet Michael J fox movie. its about a man who is liveing to lifes. he gets a job in new york at his uncles company as a mail boy. then he makes himslef out to be a new employee with a desk job and a secrotery. that may be confusing but trust me is a good movie. If you like Michael J fox i would say go rent it or buy it

The Quick and the Dead (1987) Review

2006-05-04T08:25:00.000-07:00

Elliott is a real trooper in the Western genre; all the way through his career he's been making them, even when it wasn't fashionable and when nobody else seemed to care. -For that I've always thought he should be commended. However, apart from the nice scenery, lurking bad guys, some good shoot-outs, and an ever so lovely Mrs. Spielberg, there really isn't much of a story in this one. -Actually, that's the story right there. The fact that she feels drawn a bit to Elliott's loner is a little far-fetched; after all she's travelling through no-man's land with her son and husband, and ought to know better than to fool around. -Ofcourse, if she didn't we'd be left with only the nice scenery, the lurking bad guys, and some good shoot-outs. -No, wait; and Tom Conti's outlandish haircut.

Baby Einstein - Baby MacDonald (2004) Review

2006-05-03T04:39:00.000-07:00

This is the most recent dvd I've pruchased. It's wonderful. We own every Baby Einstein video they have produced.

I honestly can't say enough good things.

My daughter and I watch them almost daily. (at least 1)

She has been watching these since she was about 9 months old, she's 2 now and still so enjoys them.

At first she loved the music and movement. Now she can tell you all the animals on the varies tapes, and their sounds.Cow..Moo, etc... colors, numbers, shapes,...

These videos,(dvds) are priceless!!! We have many books, and all the flash cards. She has been introduced to art, poetry, classical music. We truly love the Baby Einstein collection!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Nova - Everest: The Death Zone (1998) Review

2006-05-02T04:51:00.000-07:00

This is what everest is all about. Two of the best climbers of our time take you on a journey to the top and give you a taste of what it's really like at the top of the world, meanwhile undergoing cognitive testing and showing us what altitude does to the body and brain. Excellent video, one of my favorite.

Better Sex Video: The Tantric Guide to Better Sex DVD Review

2006-05-01T02:51:00.000-07:00

If it were a little more spiritual in nature, they would have partners who were equally attractive. The men in this video were not as attractive as the women (one with implants) and this video was a let down. I am a woman and I am straight and *I found the women more attractive*.

The principles were decent, like SLOWING DOWN and focusing on enjoying the feeling of being turned on and taking your time. But nothing most people don't know already!

Chinese Ghost Story (1987) Review

2006-04-29T22:51:00.000-07:00

Theres something special about this movie...
and i cant put my finger on it. This movie, im sure almost everyone has heard of...is a truly classic HK movie with all the style and atmosphere of asian cinema.

LEslie cheung is great in this movie, playing a naive tax collector who runs into a hot chickie ghost in Joey. Together they try to fight of the forces of evil, and attempt to rescue Joey from her evil connections.

The mood, tone and atmosphere of this movie is amazing- ... The imagery, and colours really beautify this production, which does not need to hinge on martial arts or special effects to get the audience's attention.

This movie will keep you coming back for more (hence the sequels ) and will only leave you in a glowing happy mood upon reflection. Overall this is a must see!...

NBA Dynasty Series - Los Angeles Lakers - The Complete History Review

2006-04-28T22:12:00.000-07:00

Anything about the Lakers is great. They are the greatest franchise in pro sports, and no one can argue ; 22 final apperances in the last 44 years, and 15 wins(yep 15, this year is a guarantee)I have always loved the Lakers,probably since I was conceived,everyone in my family is a Laker fan(everybody).I lived in LA alot of my life as well.I almost forgot, the DVD is the ultimate collection for any true Laker fan, or for any fan of greatness( which the lakers are all about), or for any SacramentA Queens fan who wants to know what a real team is.Yep the Lakers are the ultimate love em or hate em team. And I love em.

Rush Hour (New Line Platinum Series) (1998) Review

2006-04-28T15:38:00.000-07:00

This movie is too funny!!! Chris Tucker(who is so sexy) steals the show. Chris and Jackie Chan are such a great duo they will have you crying from the great on screen chemistry they share. Not only is there laughter, but there is also alot of action. The action in this movie is good. A great movie to have in your possession.

Come Undone (2000) Review

2005-12-28T22:00:00.000-08:00

This movie has recieved several bad reviews and I can understand that. This movie is a rather complex movie and not the typical "first gay love movie", but if you like movies that are not, this one if a must have. The movie is not a hardcore sex movie, in fact there is only one scene of sex, in the movie. The positives of this movie are, it uses silence as a tool and it looks into a differnt kind of first love, one that doesn't turn out in the same way other movies portray. Again, I only recomend this movie to people who enjoy complex movies and are not looking for just hardcore sex.

Jackie Brown (Collector's Edition) (1997) Review

2005-12-28T04:01:00.000-08:00

For starters this is my favorite film by director Quentin Tarantino. Ostensibly, it's an adaptation of Elmore Leonard's "Rum Punch" but in reality it is a vehicle for one of Tarantino's favorite actresses, Pam Grier. Much like the "Kill Bill" films did for Uma Thurman, Grier shines under the loving direction of Tarantino. The story, though elaborate, seems superfluous to the acting here and the interaction between these interesting characters. Grier is just brilliant as the stewardess at middle-age caught between a rock and a hard place with the Feds and the gun runner, Ordell (Samuel L. Jackson). You can sense that she will be able to manipulate her way out of this sticky situation through guts and common sense. Jackson has never been better as the charismatic, yet cruel, gun-runner. Robert Forster as the love-sick bailbondsman, Max, effectively plays a man who helps Jackie more through emotion than his own common sense. Bridget Fonda as Melanie the slacker beach bunny gives a multi-hued performance to a part that could have been written off as a stereotype. Robert DeNiro, is sublimely clueless as Louis, Ordell's jailhouse buddy. Michael Keaton delivers solid work as Ray the Fed. Tarantino delivers an effective soundtrack of vintage r'n'b. The extras on the DVD are excellent, my favorite being trailers from the careers of Grier and Forster.

Office Space (Widescreen Edition) (1999) Review

2005-12-27T13:13:00.000-08:00

If you work in an office, surrounded by synthetic humanoids who only appear to be alive. If you toil away daily at a desk, in a room with no ceiling, filing reports that have little or no bearing on reality. If your "job" has driven you to consider suicide, homicide, or grand larceny. If your boss is a smirking, passive-aggressive reptile. If you continually wake up in the morning wondering how it all came to this, you simply MUST see OFFICE SPACE. A riot from start to finish, this movie manages to assault and dismantle the entire culture of anesthetized office-drones we've cultivated. Mike Judge takes aim and blasts away at all the idiotic things that make corporate America such a dull, hideously generic nightmare. Please, watch this movie immediately! It may give you hope. It will definitely make you laugh! Imagine waking up on Monday morning, turning off the alarm, rolling over, and going back to sleep! Imagine ignoring your boss' monotone drivel! Imagine showing up for work late -DAYS late- wearing comfortable clothes, not caring one bit whether you get fired or promoted! OFFICE SPACE shows how truly unnatural and inhuman our workday has become. A modern classic! ...

Midnight Cowboy (1969) Review

2005-12-26T09:39:00.000-08:00

One of Jon Voight's first films, this was the one that kicked off his film career. This would be the film that also exploited Dustin Hoffman's true acting talent. This would also be the first X-rated film ever to win an Oscar for Best Picture (although by today's standards, it would barely even be rated-R). This would also be one of the first great films that kicked off one of the best decades of American film, the 1970s.

I'd been dying to see this film for some time. It was a landmark film in so many ways and it was great in so many ways. It's a story about a very positive, though very naive boy from Texas named Joe Buck (Jon Voight) whose past haunts him and wants to escape his hometown Texas life (and his past) for a life of sex and gigolo-ism in New York City. He finds that the New York life isn't all it's made out to be and he struggles, all the while getting hustled himself and having to subject himself to the pains and horrors of a small-town kid trying to make it in the big city. He befriends one of the guys who hustles him (Dustin Hoffman) and you see their friendship grow throughout the film as they struggle to survive together.

I thought the film was incredibly well done. It was real ahead of it's time for 1969, complete with flashbacks, flashing images, personal horror, violent emotion. The direction was phenomenal and the acting was some of the best these actors have done in their careers. The mise-en-scene portrays a very dark NYC complete with homelessness, violence, anger, etc. The kind of NYC you feel in many films of the 70s - Rosemary's Baby, Saturday Night Fever, any Woody Allen film etc.

I really felt every shift in emotion that I don't get from very many films nowadays. The flashes going through the mind aren't just of his past but of his present and of both simultaneously. His inner conflict is further complicated by his sense of southern positive yet naive attitude toward life that makes the viewer feel a huge sense of sympathy towards him. His ability to forgive those who've hustled him and to befriend complete strangers pains the viewer because you almost want him to walk away. To go back home. But as we learn later in the film, even his resilience is challenged.

His sympathy towards other human beings is what seems to keep him going. His desire to make it big is only paralleled with his desire to have a companion in life. He finds it in Enrico Rizzo (Hoffman) and you see a true friendship take form.

The film was overall pretty depressing but just a great feat of filmmaking that I would suggest to anyone who wants a great film to watch.

Fist of Legend (1997) Review

2005-12-24T22:00:00.000-08:00

Personally i dont like Bruce Lee, i think he sucks, all he does is scream like somebody kicked him in the balls and then throws some lame kick, i am a better fighter then him, dont believe me come over and well play. This movie was made in 1993, but looks like its from 1950. The quality sucks terribly and is unbearible, the sound is hiddious, and the way the people talk is laughable, they open their mouths once and an entire sentence is heard and 2 sentences pop up on screen in the subtitles, the only bearable thing about the movie is the fights, of which are many but short, but good none the less. But even the fights have flaws, lots of people say there is no wire fu, not that im against it, but theres tons of it in this one, everytime somebody gets hit they go flyin, and the fights are almost cartoonish, definetly not Yuen's best, they look more fake then anything ive seen and have ridiculous camera angles and some of the moves are just plain funny, but theyre slighty average and watchable for fans of Bruce Lee's gay movies (i mean really why does he fight some 8 foot tall black guy with an afro who moves slower then MOlases and have a hard time in one of his movies thats funnier then anycomedy ive seen). When there isnt fighting there is some poor attempt at a story, but its just a plain bad excuse for a movie, i say its a better comedy because its so much like a bruce lee "film" its almost impossible not to laugh. I would suggest CTHD, the matrix trilogy, or Kill Bill if your lookin for good Yuen Wo Ping fights, and they are also much better overall films then this. The guy from Napoleon Dynamite could beat up Bruce Lee, o yeah Comedies suck, but this has got to be one of the best, ive never laughed so much in my life, sorry Yuen im a big fan but maybe this movie was destined to suck, it is a remake of a Bruce movie afterall. 1 out of a 10 for the fights, but they could have been better.

Anne of Green Gables (1986) Review

2005-12-23T22:00:00.000-08:00

This is a wonderful movie! It makes me wish that I could have lived back in that time and on that wonderful Island.

Bullet in the Head (1990) Review

2005-12-23T10:52:00.000-08:00

To say "Bullet In The Head" is just another one of Woo's gun-slinging, bullet-dodging feel-good action movies would be to discredit the director's much more ambitious undertaking on this project. No doubt "Bullet" delivers the usual action thrill ride to satisfy the average fan of this genre, but a closer look will tell you that Woo is also attempting a serious discourse here on the socio-political upheavals in 1960's Asia, and more importantly, an examination of human nature in relation to war and violence.

The story takes place in Hong Kong in the 1960's. Three young men (played by Tony Leung Chiu Wai, Jacky Cheung, and Waise Lee) with distinct personalities, but all from the same poor working class neighborhood, decide to embark on a Chinese mafia-sponsored smuggling scheme to Vietnam. They arrive at their destination, only to find that the chaos and violence on the streets of Saigon isn't much different from that of the world that they had known back in Hong Kong. Soon they are making enemies with the mafia, and are hunted by the South Vietnamese military. Ultimately, their friendship is called into question as they consume themselves in a deadly melee bound by survival, greed and vengeance.

All of Woo's classic themes are on display in this movie --- namely the themes of fraternity, vengeance, and the tragic hero. However, the portrait of Asia in the 1960's as a historical backdrop to the story proves to be more than incidental. The period was an era of great social and political turmoil in Asia, as it was in most of the other parts of the world. Hong Kong was deeply divided between the royalists and the anti-imperialist student movement spurted by the new communist regime in Mainland China (Woo himself has actually said that he had taken inspiration from the political unrest from the 1989 Tiananmen Square student protests in China in making this movie), whereas Vietnam saw itself torn apart by a bloody civil war that knew no bounds to its horrific toll on its own people. Woo, although probably bogged with the usual problems that plagues Hong Kong cinema, namely a low budget and production values, manages to capture the chaos and distress of his generation --- there are plenty of realistic scenes of student protesters clashing with the police on the streets of Hong Kong, and guerilla warfare in the muddy jungles of Vietnam. Woo first exposes the corruptive South Vietnamese regime, and the ruthlessness that it employs in treating the revolutionaries, however, the audience soon sees the communist rebels in the mountains, whose bloodthirsty and sadistic ways mirror the very regime that they are trying to overthrow. Caught in the crossfire are the lives of innocent civilians, who become sacrifices to a war where there's really no rights and wrongs, and where human beings are merely pawns in the quest for power and fortunes. One actually begins to wonder whether or not the director is asserting an anti-war message in this movie.

As is characteristic with most of Woo's early Hong Kong work, the brilliance of this movie lies not in the plot and its execution, which is at times loose and hasty, but in the way the actors shine through the sincere portrayals of their characters. Tony Leung ("In The Mood For Love") delivers a convincing performance as the conflicted leader of the pack, who faces many internal strives throughout the movie. Waise Lee ("A Better Tomorrow") paints a decent transformation of a man who turns into a monster consumed by greed. The award for most notable performance, however, must go to Jacky Cheung. Cheung ("As Tears Go By"), a Cantonese pop singer by trade in real life, plays a man who is pushed past the edges of his humanity by the insanity of war and sadistic violence, and who goes through the dramatic change from a working class street delinquent to a deranged, cold-blooded assassin who kills for money to fill his morphine addiction. Cheung succeeds in delivering a convincing performance with a sort of unreserved sincerity in his acting. That sincerity, although at times a bit overly earnest in this movie, is genuine throughout. One can not help but feel both pity and indignation for his character as he wrestles madly for the injection syringe, and stares blindly into the eyes of his long-lost friend, Leung, as the latter decides that he must kill his best friend in order to save him from further suffering.

In the end, Woo does not offer a moralistic judgment on his characters or the events surrounding them in this movie, as is true with a lot of his other work. What he is more interested in here is how a human being reacts, and is transformed by the situation that he's forced into. In this case it's three young and ambitious men who had set out to take over the world, but in confronting the realities of war and violence, find that it's the exact opposite that takes place. Also thematic of Woo's work is that the victory of the good in the face of evil is never obvious, even the line between good and evil itself is extremely elusive, and the heroes do not always live. What he seems to be implying here is that violence and virtues are often irrevocably linked, and the survival of the body is determined by the survival of the will.

24 - Season One (2002) Review

2005-12-22T00:13:00.000-08:00

I bought this DVD series hoping to encounter something as original as the X-files, or at least as suspenseful as Alias. However, what I received is a stripped down "drama" that is driven more by its own premise [24 hours IN REAL TIME!] than any sensible plot line.

After the first few episodes aroused my curiosity,I found the experience of watching subsequent episodes annoying. The business about who on the inside is "dirty" was played around and around from every angle. Then, implausible events are scripted so more instant drama can be injected. Like leaving the captureded "dirty" one unattended with a cell phone. What? And the inclusion of the seriously overwrought Palmer, Democratic presidential candidate, and his hyper-absorbtion in his son's possible wrongdoing -- takes up way, way too much of the story line. In fact, if you start stripping away the filler in this series, you end up with something that could be told in 2 hours as opposed to 24.

This is the rare series that was probably more palatable with commercial interruptions in between so you could have a respite from the unrelenting hype-fear-tension-OH NO WHAT'S NEXT rigid atmosphere of this very unoriginal story. Further there is not a hint of irony, self-reflection or humanity with respect to any of the characters in "active" mode other than the Sutherland character and possibly his daughter.

I finally had to stop watching it because I began to dread wasting 45 minutes per episode. I really didn't care what happened to any of the characters -- there is little or no character development here. On the other hand, there is some good acting. Kiefer Sutherland does a tremendous job within the narrow confines of his part.

How this managed to continue beyond the first season is a mystery to me.

2004 World Series - Boston Red Sox vs. St. Louis Cardinals Review

2005-12-21T11:13:00.000-08:00

I was very excited to get this DVD - especially after enjoying "similar" DVDs celebrating the Patriots SuperBowl victories - but I was very disappointed when I watched it. Compared to NFL films, this DVD is amateurish.

Why? First, production values are very poor. From the video, which is often looks like they used a VHS copy of the cable broadcast (the playoff games were broadcast in HDTV - so there is no excuse for this), to lame menus and even some major audio-synch problems (Bob Ryan's interview at the beginning looks like a badly dubbed foriegn film) this DVD looks literally slapped together.

The highlights are nothing you haven't seen a million times before (same broadcast camera angles, same broadcast audio) and there is nothing new revealed here. Plus, they left out some critical plays (how can you review Game 6 of the ALCS and not show A-Rod swiping the ball from Arroyo or the overturned Home-Run call??).

Basically - the recap stuff NESN can pull together in a day is worlds better than this and I hope their DVD does the Red Sox season justice. At least this thing costs under $20.

Xanadu (1980) Review

2005-12-19T22:00:00.000-08:00

Ok reading some of these reviews are making me sick! This movie is very well put together. It has its moments kof goof and not so good effects/acting/directing. It looks like that it was filmed in different sections, by different directors, porducers, and tecs. Then it was put together by one director that did not seem to get together and agree on the way the film was to flow. I liked reading the one review about the history of a muse. I was raised Christian so Greek Mith. Was not exposed to me. I found the dream sequence very interesting. It explained why ONJ and Kelly recited the first few lines of the poem. I never understood that until I read that review. I meet ONJ her in Dallas back in 1990. She was so pretty and very nice. She was opening up a store called Quala Blue, that later folded. I also purched a music video on VHS called OLIVIA in concert. Between songs she was talking to the audience. She was talking about a current movie that she made called Xanadu. The audience went wild. She seemd shocked and exclaimed "You mean you've seen it??" Then she started in on the Xanadu song. I was way to young when the movie came out, at the age of 8. The first time that I viewed it I was in awa not understanding it at all!! Then after seeing it over and over agin the movie grew on me, and now I love it!! I never listen to what the critics say about movies, I form my own opion. It is an interpretation of Greek mith. With a spin on {that time} today's style and entertainment. By that I mean, look at Godspell, Jesus Christ Superstar, and Joseph and the Amazing Tecnocolor Dream Coat. They are about, in some form or fasion, a religous story line, with contemporary interpretations for entertainment val

Female Masturbation : Every Woman's Orgasm is Unique. Review

2005-12-19T10:13:00.000-08:00

Watching this real woman in a state of bliss as she takes herself up and down the mountains and valleys of pleasure taught me so much about a woman's orgasm. I had no idea that such slow strokes and caresses, as she demonstrates, are so truly sensational and so entirely gratifying. After viewing this DVD, I felt confident I could learn and use the masturbation techniques demonstrated on my wife. I did, to her great delight, giving her her best orgasm ever! Thank you for such a splendid educational DVD!

How Stella Got Her Groove Back (1998) Review

2005-12-18T13:13:00.000-08:00

For those of you who believe in love no matter the age difference, How Stella Got Her Groove Back will keep you coming back...again and again! While I don't agree with every scenario and some of it is a bit hard to believe (but hey, can't a person dream?), I can undeniably relate to its contribution to society. It is well written, and Angela Bassett (Stella) and Taye Diggs (Winston) do a wonderful job making their characters believable. This movie makes you want to hop a flight to the Islands for a little fun and relaxation of your own! Complement your purchase of the movie with the novel; I hear it's even better!

Sabrina (1995) Review

2005-12-17T07:27:00.000-08:00

This film is definetly different from the original, but I think Julia Ormond did a grand job.
Not only is she lovely, but she can act well. One of the main differences is the servants(Thats minor), and the fact that she goes to Paris for photography, instead of cooking. Which is to bad because thats one of the things I enjoyed about the original.
Still I think Julia makes a good Sabrina.
And I happen to love the lady that plays the spanish maid! I thought she was funny.
Another actor was Harrison Ford. He was good as well.
David played by Greg Kinnear, was even sort of identical to the original David. I was impressed by his acting as well.
This has pretty much the same story line. The father is pretty much the same and I thought he was perfect for the part. This is still an enjoyable remake, though lacking some charm from the first.
Let's put it this way, it's modern!
Overall, I have seen it dozens of time and enjoy it. It was a good movie. I do not reccomend it as a remake, but as a comical enjoyable movie.

Signing Time: An American Sign Language (ASL) Video for Children Review

2005-12-16T13:52:00.000-08:00

I bought this for my 1yr old niece for her birthday and I am very impressed with it! We watched the video together, and she watched it the whole time and even did a few "baby signs" kind of like babble :) I know sign language myself and do some interpreting and I absolutely recommend this video. I have seen others that I thought were not so great...but this one is fantastic!

Highlander - Endgame (2000) Review

2005-12-14T22:00:00.000-08:00

better than Highlander3, way better. this one has Adrian Paul and Christopher Lambert, both McClouds, teaming up to stop the evil Brucy Payne(the preist Jacob) and it tells of great storys with nice action scenes including scenes with Donnie Yen(from Blade2 and Iron Monkey). theres like one scene with sex and thats with Adrian Paul and his wife. though I hated seeing Lambert's head get chopped off but hey, thats the way it is and the ending where Paul thinks his wife is dead but shes not and she appears is a great ending.

The Flintstones - The Complete First Season (1960) Review

2005-12-14T09:39:00.000-08:00

I was glad to see that the shows look great restored digitally, but the extras contain poor interviews and somewhat lousy early drawing animation on the series. Again, Warners DVD production is sub-par and this set might not be worth the price tag on it, only the shows are worth it.

Hell's Angels (1930) Review

2005-12-12T22:00:00.000-08:00

The famous film which was produced and directed by Howard Hughes and introduced a sensational new platinum blonde siren by the name of Jean Harlow. The simple plot has two brothers leave their studies at Oxford to join the British Royal Flying Corps at the outbreak of WWI. In its day, the film garned fantastic reviews for the aerial sequences which are first rate. The air shots were considered awesome, thrilling and immensely impressive to the audiences of 1930. The acting was merely sufficient; even in pantomime, it would be hard to accept Jean Harlow as an English girl or Lyon & Hall as Oxford students. It would take Harlow more acting experience in the movies before her comedic gifts would be realised and appreciated by the public and critics alike. Critics had field day exposing the inept "acting" of Harlow in her early pictures; however beginning with RED HEADED WOMAN (1932) the critics and public alike were beginning to sit up and stare with utter amazement and delight at her metamorphasis as an actress. In the priorly named picture, the titian haired (it was dyed for her role) Harlow knocked the critics socks off with her uninhibited playing and in her next picture she would be teamed with none other than Gable. RED DUST was a sensational blockbuster in 1932.

The Parent Trap (Vault Disney Collection) (1961) Review

2005-12-11T22:00:00.000-08:00

I'm not even a Disney fan but I love this movie. The script is intelligent and witty and the actors are all wonderful, including the supporting cast. I first watched this film as a child; I am now 40 and still haven't tired of the film. It doesn't feel dated at all.

Fushigi Yugi - The Mysterious Play - (Boxed Set 1, Suzaku) Review

2005-12-10T23:53:00.000-08:00

Fushigi Yugi is an awsome series. Even though im into mecha anime this series is still worth watching.

Fushigi Yugi in my opinion is a comedy. Even though it has drama, lots of mushy mushy love, and action it falls more into comedy. It falls into comedy because when stupid stuff happens the animation changes and the characters look funny (they look like little people with fat heads).

The only thing I dislike was when Yui, the preistest of seiyu, for about half the series is fighting Miaka, the preistest of Suzaku, because she felt that Miaka abandoned her for a boy Tomahome, who is part of the Suzaku Seven, who she liked also, but overall this anime is awsome and worth watching.

VeggieTales - The Ballad of Little Joe (2003) Review

2005-12-09T22:00:00.000-08:00

I have two daughters ages, 20 months and 3 1/2. They both loved this movie. My youngest refers to Larry as Joe due to this movie. The story is fun, fast paced, and entertaining to people of all ages. I find taking a Bible story and applying it to another age and time helps children be able to apply the scriptures to themselves and to their situations today. My oldest will talk about how bad things can happen and God still loves us after we watch this film. (My daughters like it so much that sometimes this seems like it is too oftern)

The Source (1999) Review

2005-12-09T02:39:00.000-08:00

Released in 1999 to coincide with the publication of "The Rolling Stone Book of the Beats", this Chuck Workman documentary is a kaleidoscope of film clips, photos and interviews with a particular focus on Allen Ginsberg, Jack Kerouac and William Burroughs. I looked forward to seeing this video in anticipation of learning something. After all, these writers influenced the era in which I was growing up and opened unique and dramatic new ways of viewing the world. Tracing the early beginnings in the 1940s and bringing the movement right up to the present, it showed the changes in these young men (and they were ALL men) through the years.

With the exception of Allen Ginsberg, they look like they all turned...out of touch with reality and locked into a way of thinking whose off-kilter attitude which was once hip, turned into an off-kilter attitude which never grew out of the fifties and seems "mental" today. Gregory Corso and Lawrence Ferlinghetti look like bad smelling derelicts. On a talk show in later years Kerouac, with slurred speech insists that the Vietnam war was a plot of the Vietnamese to get American jeeps and, in a later interview with William F. Buckley Jr., his eyes are red-rimmed and droopy and his words seem like babble as he is demolished by the precise cutting words of his host. The film moves fast and the clips come one after another. Often, the cast of characters are not identified and it was hard for me to follow just who was who. There's Ken Kesey. And Neal Cassady. And short film clips from 50s TV shows from Father Knows Best and Alfred Hitchcock poking fun at the Beatniks. It was hard to follow any individual story line and I found myself getting bored.

Several well known actors were hired to read some of the writing itself. Johnny Depp did a good job of reading Kerouac and Dennis Hopper read from Burroughs. John Turturro, was emotional in his reading of insberg's "Howl" but he never rose above the material. I wish this film was better. I would really like to know more about the beats. For years I've carried around the idea that some day I'd pick up acopy of "On the Road" or "Naked Lunch" in a secondhand book store and explore these writers for myself. But frankly, after hearing bits andpieces of them in this film, I've lost most of my interest. These ravings from angry young men intent on ripping preconceived culture apart certainly did influence our world. I say "hooray" for the effort. I'm personally glad that they opened the way to the future. But, after seeing this film, I'm not sure I want to enter their world through their words.

The Pillow Book (1997) Review

2005-12-07T22:00:00.000-08:00

The Pillow Book is easily one of the most beautiful, moving and thought-provoking films EVER made. I've watched it at least a dozen times - not for the male nudity as I'm a heterosexual male - but for Peter Greenaway's stunning vision of the human condition...in fact he paints a portrait of the likes of the Shanes of this world, the clueless people who wander through this world being duped by the guileless publishers of this world - it's no wonder the poor man who drinks from a colostomy bag (no wonder he obviously prefers today's Hollywood crap) doesn't know it.

The Ed Wood Box (Glen or Glenda / Jail Bait / Bride of the Monster / Plan 9 from Outer Space / Night of the Ghouls / The Haunted World of Ed Wood) Review

2005-12-07T02:52:00.000-08:00

to offer a better Ed Wood package at such an unbelievable price.
It includes all the key films, in not pristine but quite nice prints, and with a really decent selection of extras. Each disc comes in its own keep-case, and with appropraitely cheesy graphics. An absolute must! Kind of makes you wonder why other box sets are so much more expensive, doesn't it?

Pink Floyd - The Wall (1982) Review

2005-12-06T05:26:00.000-08:00

I feel like a total fool trying to write a review of "Pink Floyd: The Wall." There is almost no point in even attempting to summarize this extraordinarily symbolic and emotionally complex film into a few hundred words. It's like trying to fully explain why you love someone on one side of a postage stamp. But, I'm always eager to put pen to paper (or fingers to keyboard) in order to review nearly everything I see on DVD or read. Why should Pink Floyd's magnum opus be any different? Actually, this film meant more to me roughly fifteen years ago than it does now. Back then I was an impressionable lad with nothing more than a car and Pink Floyd's entire catalogue on CD to my name. More than any of Pink Floyd's other albums, "The Wall" is probably the one most suited to young people. Its themes of emotional and physical alienation, its strident antiestablishment views toward education, and its bleak condemnation of war resonate most with kids who think they can change the world. By the time you get a few years under your belt, by the time life wears you down a bit and makes you more accepting of the massive hypocrisy we all toil under, the album loses a bit of its luster. Don't get me wrong; "The Wall" is still one of the best rock operas ever created, and the movie is still worth watching.

The story, as though I even need to summarize it, concerns the tumultuous life of troubled rock star Pink (Bob Geldof). Here's a guy who has a whole host of ailments eating away at his soul. It would appear that being rich and famous, immensely talented, and the envy of millions everywhere isn't the type of life one would wish on their worst enemy. First of all, Pink's father perished in the ill-fated attempt to hold the Anzio beachhead in 1944, thus robbing our protagonist of a strong male influence during his childhood. With his father gone forever, Pink grew up under the stern gaze of his domineering mother, which shaped his outlook on future relationships with women. In fact, we see just how difficult it is for Pink to deal with females when he nearly murders a groupie during a rampage through a hotel room and in his growing distance from his pretty wife. Second, Pink didn't function well during his school days. His teachers at school mocked his penchant for writing song lyrics--from "Dark Side of the Moon," no less!--and spent all of their time trying to break down his individualism so they could turn him into a faceless drone. Life is apparently quite tough in merry old England.

Don't worry, there are many more dilemmas our hero must deal with before he can tear down wall he built to keep people out so he can reconnect with humanity. The third major problem Pink deals with is his drug addiction, which has spiraled out of control and threatens to claim his life. He's so bad off that he spends most of his off time nodding off in a hotel room watching old war films on television while a cigarette burns to an ash between his fingers. He almost passes over to the other side at one point, but his manager (played by Bob Hoskins) manages to revive him just in time for his next concert performance. Finally (or fourth, whichever you prefer), it seems living the life of a rock star is eerily similar to a career as a fascist dictator. You can march on stage clad entirely in black, wearing an armband with a pair of crossed hammers on it, and preach to the adoring masses. You can order underlings to physically remove riffraff from the room, and send them out into the streets to wreak havoc on the decadent society. Yep, living on stage sure has its problems. Oh, I almost forgot to mention that Pink also undergoes several horrific hallucinations. Good grief! It's amazing most (but not all) of the conclusion is as redemptive as it is.

It's impossible to argue that "Pink Floyd: The Wall" isn't an amazing film. The sights and sounds seen in this movie stay with you for years afterwards: the Gerald Scarfe animation sequences, Geldof's creepy ability to portray a man completely detached from reality, and of course the music. Ahhh, the music! Pink Floyd went back into the studio to rerecord most of the songs, and even added a few more intriguing bits to the mix. It is in this film where one finds what is perhaps the most depressing Floyd song ever, the dirge "When the Tigers Broke Free." It's a heartbreaking tune describing the death of Pink's father (also Roger Water's father) at Anzio, and Pink's discovery of a form letter from the King of England, "signed with his own rubber stamp," offering condolences to the family for the loss of his father. Soul shattering stuff even though the song probably would fit better on "The Final Cut," the album that followed "The Wall." I could go and on with the mind blowing stuff in the movie. You definitely wouldn't want to watch this bleak film if you're feeling blue.

The best thing about "The Wall" coming out on DVD are the extras. The commentary track alone, with Gerald Scarfe and Roger Waters, is worth the price of the disc. We finally get to hear exactly what these guys were trying to accomplish with the film. We also get to hear Waters's astonishing admission that his only regret about the movie is that it doesn't contain any humor. Humor? In "The Wall"? Imagine that! Fans of the greatest rock band in modern history must pick this one up posthaste. And if you haven't seen it, you don't know what you are missing.

The Flight of the Phoenix (1965) Review

2005-12-04T22:00:00.000-08:00

I remember seeing this movie on late-night TV as a kid, and was happy to discover it had at last been re-issued on DVD and VHS. It's an exciting and unusual survival story set in the 1950s about a group of men whose unscheduled airplane goes down in the desert. At the urging of one of their members, they take on an impossible task: they must build a new plane from the pieces of the old one before they run out of water.

The drama of the situation is what propels the movie forwards, and this has stood the test of time very well. The style of movie-making, however, seems a bit old-fashioned: the characters are stereotyped (the German is the bad guy, the Irishman is cantankerous, the Brit is stoic and arrogant, etc). The actors breath some real life into the parts despite this; Jimmy Stewart in particular is outstanding.

The soundtrack is overbearing, and the whole thing plays out slowly. It's probably 50 minutes into the movie before they decide to build a new plane, and the plane doesn't take off until 2 hours and 20 minutes into the film. If you were raised on newer films you will wish they sliced half an hour out of it.

But I didn't mind it at all: it's a classic story, a unique and gripping film. Also, if you are looking for an inspiring story appropriate for the whole family, it's a great choice It's a little too spooky for the very young, but no real swearing, nothing too adult, and only one bit of (off-screen) violence. The message of the power of human resolve and ingenuity is great for all ages.

Dances with Wolves (Full Screen Theatrical Edition) (1990) Review

2005-12-04T04:52:00.000-08:00

Whether Kevin Costner likes it or not, his career will be inexorably tied to this masterpiece of cinematography. Written as a novel basically just for this film's screenplay by Michael Blake, this is a journey for all ages to see. There are attempts to validate the accuracy of the history or intention of this movie. I believe it would be missing the point. There are no villains or heroes (though Dunbar may be tried to be portrayed in such a light), just a view of how people of a different ethos try to survive amongst each other where suspicions and distrust run high.
As an actor, this is Kevin at his best. Though solid in 'Open Range', Dance With Wolves gave Costner more of a spectrum of emotion to handle. He dealt with many situations here with a believable sense of drama. I do have one tiny detail with his character. He speaks his narration like he is proof-reading his junior-high school essay. Very flat and monotone. But maybe it done that way to enhance the onscreen action. Who knows?
An intregal element to the movie was to cast exactly the right people to support the film. And no film in recent memory in my opinion handled that privilege better than here. Everyone from Kicking Bird, Stands With a Fist, Wind in His Hair right down to characters such as Smiles-A-Lot, Corporal Spivey and Black Shawl performed without flaw. The script enabled everyone to let their roles come alive.
The extended scenes not in the original release, while not essential, do heighten what Blake tried to get across in the story. More importantly, I did not feel the movie dragging with the additions. I like to think of it as more movie for the dollar.
The extras on the DVD are standard fare and do not penalize one's interest in the film's production. The people interviewed were frank and fun to listen to. So go ahead and pick up Dances With Wolves. It's a well-paced movie that lets a spare four hours go by regretlessly.

Rookie of the Year (1993) Review

2005-12-02T22:00:00.000-08:00

Rookie of the year is one of my favorite movies from when I was a kid. I don't know about the DVD, but the movie's great. A kid breaks his arm and then the tendons fuse together to give him a 100+ mph pitch that blows the socks off of the scouts for the Chicago Cubs. He gets a contract and plays for them, but will all his dreams come true, or come crashing down?! Mowahaha! Definately get this one and watch it with the kids!!

Winchester '73 (1950) Review

2005-12-02T06:39:00.000-08:00

This movie can do no wrong in my book.

Two greats, Anthony Mann and Jimmy Stewart, team up to deliver this two-fister about an obsessed man tracking a killer from his own past while his friend Millard Mitchell does his best to keep him from going over the edge. Shelly Winters does a nice turn as the poor gal. Stephen McNally is oily as the main bad guy, and Dan Duryea comes off like Johnny Udo (from the original Kiss Of Death) in chaps.

The story really heats up when Stewart wins a shooting contest in which Wyatt Earp officiates (watch for the postage stamp across the nickel - some heroic marskmanship here) and gets his prized Winchester rifle stolen for his trouble. The Winchester does a hot potato act between badmen and Indians (Rock Hudson shows up as a war chief, in a scene where Tony Curtis dons the blue wool as a cavalry buck), and finally winds up in a climactic, hair raising shootout in a jumble of rocks above the desert. You can FEEL the bullets whizzing by.

Especially love the scene where Lin encounters Waco Johnnie Dean (read: Johnny Udo)in a bar and displays a decided lack of patience for the young bad man's showboating... There aren't many places to find good old Jimmy Stewart coming off harder (but do try `Flight Of The Phoenix'...wow!).

PS - This DVD is a good buy - the print they used tends to be a little less than pristine here and there, but it has got a commentary track with Jimmy Stewart on it! How did they do this? It seems Jimmy might have been watching the Laserdisc. His anecdotes about the old studio system and incites into acting are great. Especially like the stories about his hat (used in various westerns for twenty years) and horse, Pie (same as above).

"Huh...this laser thing is very interesting..." Jimmy Stewart.

Great suprise. Great DVD.

Donnie Darko (2001) Review

2005-12-01T05:13:00.000-08:00

It actually is pretty hard to classify this movie as one thing or another... i suppose drama/sci-fi would probably be the best classification. Don't be fooled by the movie cover, it's actually a lot better than you'd be led to believe... and I don't consider it to be a horror movie by any means, so disregard the little catch-phrase.

Just to answer many of those who do honestly believe that this movie "sux" or whatever, I can't tell you that you're opinion's invalid... but personally I really love this movie, and in my books its up there with the likes of fight club. One of the defining attributes that makes this, what i consider to be, a "good" movie, is that the viewer isn't force-fed a cut-and-dry series of events. There is some ambiguity in what goes on in the movie, and that is what I believe drives it in a direction that entices thought and discussion. The non-sense about how this movie is anti-christian or whatever else is purely based upon that individual's interpretation that Frank was actually a divine messenger or likeness of, but that is by no means the only reasonable possibility. In any case, the story deals too much with the theme of fate and chance to really be seen as a slug at christianity. It does however do a good job at poking fun at the 80s and some school-experience jokes... i.e. "if there is any vice-presidential candidate worthy of my vote, it has to be Dan Quayle", and the love/fear exercise.

I gave this four stars because although it is very good, i think it could've been better... i have yet to see the director's cut and perhaps i would view that as a 5/5. This movie is very well done, with well-composed music and an enjoyable story.

Anyone who wants to get a "preview" into what this movie is somewhat like or who has seen it and wants to know a bit more, check out donniedarko.com

Van Helsing (Widescreen Edition) (2004) Review

2005-11-30T03:26:00.000-08:00

Here's a film that's 99% special effects... there must have been plenty of money for this... yet the flying babies are not scary. Creepy, maybe, but not scary. The acting, the dialogue, the story, totally missing romance -- it's all just lousy.

La Dolce Vita (2-Disc Collector's Edition) (1961) Review

2005-11-29T10:26:00.000-08:00

Anyone who is comparing La Dolce Vita to 8 1/2 and saying it's better or on the same level should have their head examined.

And no as J. A. Stankunas "jonukwho" put it this DVD isn't even close to the quality of the Criterion 8 1/2 DVD.

People do yourself a favour and stop reading these amateur reviews, if you're not familiar with the film don't buy, rent first and judge for yourselves.

The New York City Ballet Workout (2000) Review

2005-11-28T11:13:00.000-08:00

This is an excellent video that verbally and visually explains very simply the movements of these ballet related exercises. The exercises are extremely beneficial as this is a combined series that works the entire body. Peter Martins does such a good job of commentating. As a retired ballet dancer, this video has helped me keep in shape as I am no longer able to complete a usual ballet program.

Hav Plenty (1998) Review

2005-11-27T13:26:00.000-08:00

You know I just happened to watch this movie again the other day. It really is pretty cool. The way the movie parallels a supposed weekend in the life of the main character is a fun and witty look into the trivia and not so trivia issues that "Black upwardly mobile" families deal with.

Check it out. Really fun to watch on a lazy Sunday afternoon!

VeggieTales - The Ballad of Little Joe (2003) Review

2005-11-26T06:00:00.000-08:00

This is a cute video. Taking the Biblical story of Jonah to a western type theme was a good idea, and creative. Little things like that are the details that draw in the adults to watching these videos -- even if you already know the Biblical story of Joseph. There is curiosity about how it will be presented in this format.

The silly song has to be one of their best. I wish I could remember exactly how the song goes, but one of the gourds confesses his secret about himself that worries him. He actually has no belly button! How could this be? He goes to the doctor to see what can be done about this situation. The doctor, played by the worm in the Jonah video, comes in and tells him that it is quite normal for gourds not to have belly buttons. If he would like, he can get a prosthetic belly button, which would be covered "by your shirt but not your HMO."

The boundless creativity Big Idea Productions puts into these videos never ceases to amaze me. I'm looking forward to more in the future. I suspect that I'll want to see subsequent VeggieTales videos as long as they come out, whether I have children of viewing age any longer or not.

Obviously, in case you couldn't tell, I highly recommend this video. It is great, wholesome, family entertainment.

Pootie Tang (2001) Review

2005-11-25T11:39:00.000-08:00

I'm a hardcore critic, particularly when it comes to the dozens of all-black movies, year after year, perpetuating horrible stereo-types. Your first clues that Pootie Tang is different are Chris Rock & Wanda Sykes. Within the first minutes, this movie had me crying & holding my middle, I laughed so hard. I laughed this hard right up to moment it ended. Next day I invited four friends over to watch, same reactions. I laughed harder than before! Some reviews dubbed it "stupid". That's a moronic over-simplification. It's actually a very intellegent spoof on ridiculous subjects. The comedy is brilliant! And, not ONE curse word uttered in this entire film. (Sah-Dah-Tay!!)

Rodgers & Hammerstein's Cinderella (1957 Television Production) (1957) Review

2005-11-24T12:52:00.000-08:00

This is the definitive version of Roger and Hammerstein's "Cinderella"! Originally conceived as a vehicle for Julie Andrews while she was making "My Fair Lady" a hit on Broadway, she is "practically perfect in every way" in the title role. This original screenplay is also superior to the chopped up version created in the 60's with Leslie Ann Warren. There are great scenes with the Prince's parents, and there is a good feeling of family love that is conveyed. The ending is also more touching and satisfying, since it is more generous to Cinderella's step family, and conveys a moral of understanding and forgiveness demonstrated by the kind hearted Cinderella. Finally, it is a true treat to see and hear Julie Andrews sing and act the title role. I highly recommend this DVD to any lover of the American theater and/or Julie Andrews.

Aerosmith - You Gotta Move (Amaray Case) (2004) Review

2005-11-22T22:00:00.000-08:00

Aerosmith waited to put this dvd out until the "honkin on bobo" cd. I want to explain as a life long aerosmith fan why i think there was so much chit chat in between songs. They wanted to explain the PROCESS of making honkin on bobo, they wanted to give their fans who they are devoted to dearly a inside look on their "back to their roots" project. Alot of people in these reviews especially one by somebody named christopher claims that no girl u nder 25 knows all the lyrics to aerosmith songs and hes wrong because Im 24 and i know every lyric to every aerosmith song. If you want to know why aerosmith has came through everything from publisized drug abuse, some managers that were just trying to back stab them and use them, 2 of its original band members leaving the band, and then returning in the 80s, and the ability to get clean and rebuild their outstanding carrer then you need to see this dvd. The dedication that These guys not only have to their fans but each other is something that is never seen in bands. The reason why aerosmith has stood the test of time and will continue to rock and roll for years is because along with being band mates, these guys are brothers by choice. Any TRUE aerosmith fan knows what im talking about and LOVE THIS LONG OVERDUE DVD.

Paula Abdul - Cardio Dance (1998) Review

2005-11-22T06:00:00.000-08:00

If you^re already a pretty good dancer, you can definitely improve your dance moves with this video/dvd. I for one am glad Paula doesnt annoy anyone with her 1 2 3 counting all through the program like some other reviewers were expecting. I only wish the dance routine was longer because it really is fun to dance along with lil Paula (and not to mention her FINE dancers). When im clubbing I cant help but fall into a slick Paula-Move every once in a while....but very subtly....My energy level is at an all time high on the dance floor. Paula! Whens your next workout tape coming out???? Louie C

Scarlet Diva (2000) Review

2005-11-20T22:00:00.000-08:00

This DVD would have benefitted by English subtitles in th US version

Gunga Din (1939) Review

2005-11-20T00:52:00.000-08:00

Possibly the best pure action film ever made and certainly the inspiration for many that have followed. Inspired by, rather than based on, a poem by Rudyard Kipling (who briefly appears as a character in the uncut version of the film in the guise of a journalist traveling with the British army) this tale of adventure, comedy, and action in 19th-century India under the British Raj has it all. Superb b&w cinematography (nominated for an Academy Award in Hollywood's greatest year). Perfect casting, with Cary "Archie" Grant as the cockney Sgt. Cutter, Victor McLaghlen as gruff Master Sgt. MacChesney, Douglas Fairbanks, Jr. as the dashing Sgt. Ballantine, Sam Jaffee (in full body makeup) as the humble water carrier Gunga Din, and the scene-stealing Eduardo Cianelli as a ferociously intelligent villain who is far more frightening than any '30's movie monster.

The setting, outside the small town of Lone Pine, in California's eastern Sierras, beautifully mirrors that of northwestern India. Filmed in 100 degree heat, the picture's sets and backgrounds have a look of sere authenticity rarely achieved by location filming in the '30's. The superb score borders on the operatic, with leitmotifs for characters as well as scenes.

I vividly remember thinking as a child, when I first saw a grainy print on our b&w tv, that this was the first time I had seen a non-white person in a film who was obviously smarter than the Caucasian heroes. Yes, Cianelli's guru is a fanatic at the head of a cult of ritual murderers, but his discourse on what makes a good officer ("Great generals, gentlemen, are not made of jeweled swords and mustache wax. They are made of what is here [touches hand to head] and here [touches hand to heart]!") has stayed with me ever since. Not to mention, before throwing himself into the cobra pit so that his soldiers will move against the British, that "India is my country, and I can die for my country as well as you for yours".

Of course, there is also his rousing speech in the temple to his devotees to "Kill for the love of Kali, kill as you yourselves would be killed, kill for the love of killing...kill, kill, kill!" that carries rather chilling relevance to all too many fanatical groups today (though not worshippers of poor slandered Kali, whose temple in Kolkata I have visited). And it's the bravery of a mistreated Hindu, Gunga Din, who saves the day, and British behinds.

This is a film that functions on many levels and inspired far more than the forgettable remake (SOLDIERS THREE). Its lack of availability on DVD in a fully restored version, together with the accompanying George Stevens, Jr. documentary footage on its making (including color film shot on the location), makes it the number one omission in the current DVD catalog.

Classical Pilates Technique: The Complete Magic Circle Mat Series (Basic; Intermediate; Advanced) & Reformer Mat Workout (Super Advanced) (2003) Review

2005-11-19T05:00:00.000-08:00

Since I'm a Pilates fan, I have purchased many DVDs to practice the method. There are a few other videos that show magic circle, but they're way NOT like this DVD.

Classical Pilates shows good fundamentals of using the magic circle, and then they demonstrate a solid beginning workout. After that, they take you into a realm where only the most highly trained classical instructors can demonstrate effectively: a beautiful intermediate level and an advanced level that is superbly executed. As if all of these workouts were not enough, there is something called the Reformer Mat workout. I had never heard of this before. If you go on vacation and don't have your Reformer with you, you can practice all the Reformer exercises on the Mat! This workout is a sight to behold. The woman who performs this workout is so beautiful, strong, and pleasant in her demeanor, that she makes Pilates look like a sheer joy to do!

I have been telling all my friends and family about this DVD because it adds new interesting dimensions to regular Pilates mat exercises. If you get this DVD, you will want to tell your friends!

One last thing: the man that narrates the workouts coaches you with this really cool accent. I don't know where he is from, but his words and voice make me understand the Pilates exercises in ways I never dreamed of before. His voice lulls me into deeper wisdom about the Pilates method every time I listen to the DVD.

Father Goose (1964) Review

2005-11-18T01:13:00.000-08:00

This is Cary Grant at his best, he is about the most virsital
actor in his time. and when he did Father Goose he realy did it
good. The show is fun. humorous, and has a great story line.
I put this movie in with my all time favorites. and a must to see. get the popcorn ready and get the kids set down and enjoy the show. My kids loved it as a family tridition, they watched it many times. I promise you will enjoy it too.

The 4400 - The Complete First Season (2004) Review

2005-11-17T13:39:00.000-08:00

I caught this mini-series on USA during a marathon leading up to the season finale. It was fantastic to be able to watch the series from start to finish all in one sitting (although six hours of TV watching on one Sunday definitely qualifies me as a couch potato -- at least that day!)

I fell in love with this series and can't wait to buy or rent it to watch it again! The USA message boards on this show were going like crazy after the season finale. It was originally only supposed to be a miniseries, but it got such a huge response from the public that they are producing a second season -- which I can't wait for. I hear it's supposed to air in March 2005 (?).

I highly recommend The 4400 first season to anyone who enjoyed X-Files or Taken. They're not all exactly in the same vein, but enjoyable on the same level nonetheless, particularly if you enjoy sci-fi/aliens/UFOs genre-type stuff.

I highly recommend this series.

Charlton Heston Presents the Bible: Jesus of Nazareth (1997) Review

2005-11-16T13:26:00.000-08:00

Charlton Heston is to be commended for his fabulous job in "Jesus of Nazareth". He brings the story of Jesus' life on earth to life as he shows us the places where Jesus lived and taught, while interweaving the appropriate Biblical narratives. Charlton Heston's dramatic readings give this DVD a truly emotional impact. A+++

Sweet Sweetback's Baadasssss Song (1971) Review

2005-11-14T22:00:00.000-08:00

The most important thing to understand about this film is that if you're getting it just because you expect to live up the expectations of its genre... you better not... in fact, that was the debate over Sweetback for years : what was it ? the world's first blaxsploitation film or the world's first black social empowerment movie, a black porno flick or deep social satire ??? B-move trash or a brilliantly inspired art movie... - - The truth is, the strength and weakness of SWEETBACK is that its really all of this, but if you're expecting it to meet the mold of any one of these genre's you'll be disappointed... and that's part of the fun of the film... getting past the shock to see the message, and the message to dig the shock... and just riding along with Sweetback (EWF's soundtrack definitely makes that part easy !) With its gritty, funky tale and soundtrack, ample booty, controversial story no doubt that there's something in it to both appease and offend just about anyone that watches it... so the best thing to do is put it like this : SWEETBACK is a genre all of its own... just sit and watch it in suspended judgement and disbelief... watch it, again and again and again... Depending upon who you are you'll either find it tasty and addictive... or... well, revolting and disgusting... whatever... the fact is when you watch it there's one thing you won't come away seeing, "Man this film reminds me of a film I've seen 100 times before..." Nope... no one really did it before Peebles, and no one (despite all the films it inspired) did it after and that's why you should see it... but again... don't expect Shaft, Rudy Ray Moore or Superfly... that's not what the film is about... and whatever you do DO NOT WATCH IF EASILY OFFENDED... Now, on with the *****ing contest ! ! !

Shaolin and Wu Tang (1981) Review

2005-11-13T22:00:00.000-08:00

A MUST HAVE FOR A KUNGFU MOVIE COLLECTION. I ONLY WISH I HAD BOUGHT IT ON DVD. IF YOU ARE THINKING OF BUYING AND HAVENT SAW IT YET, DONT WORRY YOU WILL LOVE THIS ONE!!!!

The Speeches Collection, Vol. 1 Review

2005-11-13T11:26:00.000-08:00

Given that these collections have to be pretty short -- typically 70 minutes -- this one has an amazing range of good material in it. Nearly every major speech of the 1960 campaign and of the presidency is here, althought most have to be represented by brief clips (but the clips are well-chosen). The editing of "Ich bin ein berliner", of the Texas "we will go to the moon" speech, and of the "New Frontier" (1960 convention acceptance speech) in particular, is shrewd and gives you a really good feel for what JFK was good at as a speaker -- probably the last of two great masters (the other was Martin Luther King) of the transitional style (the one we associate with FDR, Robert Taft, Adlai Stevenson, or Douglas MacArthur) in American public address.

Two unfortunate omissions are the American University "peace" address, and the complete omission of material from the Senate. There is occasional overlaying with "nostalgia" footage but it's mercifully brief and seldom obscures the speeches themselves. Clips of the speeches addressing the federalizing of the Alabama Guard in the U of A integration struggle, and of the announcement of the blockade during the Cuban missile crisis, are excellent but it's unfortunate that they are not longer. But these are quibbles.

Some truly great stuff here; a very good cut of the Inaugural (with most of the famous quotes given their proper contexts); nicely chosen clips of the Kennedy-Truman "open convention" squabble; a couple of extemporaneous excoriations of Nixon; the address to Protestant ministers on the subject of Kennedy's religion. Definitely one for your collection if you are interested in public speaking, or if you teach speech or history.

Cleopatra Jones (1973) Review

2005-11-11T22:13:00.000-08:00

just like i enjoy Pam Grier's action films i feel the same way about Tamara Dobson in this film.it has action and a feel good quality about it.non-stop.and just like Pam she ain't bad on a Brother's EYEs either.

Infernal Affairs (Wu jian dao) Review

2005-11-11T09:00:00.000-08:00

Infernal Affairs is one of the best non-arthouse-ish (in which category I will include the most excellent Wong Kar Wai, Hou Hsiao-Hsien, et al) chinese movies I've seen in recent years, and is remarkably clearheaded and economical on both Hollywood and Hong Kong scales (especially compared to some of the other Andrew Lau movies I've seen, which themselves are relatively clearheaded on the hong kong scale). Lau also works as a cinematographer (both in movies he directs and in others' films) which is very obvious in all of his movies, this one being no exception, but where others are rather well stylized but under/over plotted (The Duel, maybe), Infernal Affairs finds a much needed balance between plot, style, and efficiency.

PLOT SUMMARY
Something of a mid-key thriller bordering on character-study-done-from-a-distance, the story is told with hardly any extraneous characters or scenes. Its two main characters (moles, respectively, in the HK police and triad) lives' are followed as they and their respective false and true leaders near detection of one-another, but not just the interactions with the traid, police, and their members. Other elements of their lives like chance meetings, love interests, routines are also depicted, which will please those who insist on examining every aspect of a film in order to feel justified in enjoying it, as it works fairly well as a play on the whole "good/evil" thing, the exploration of the ambiguities between the two, while remaining within clear outlines of both good and evil.

But the qualities that make this film enjoyable are not really in any ideas that may be found in abstractions and underlying structures (especially since these sorts of fairly simply-structured stories are a "been-there-done-that" for most moviegoers in terms of analysis). What makes this film enjoyable are the performances and presentation... watching the characters interact, near and play off one-another and the others in their worlds, which is testament to the acting (props especially to Andy Lau and Tony Leung) as well as the Andrew Lau's willingness to forgo the temptation to just throw in as many stereotypical crowd-pleasing elements as he could.

PS - Other Andrew Lau directed films I would recommend include Young and Dangerous 6 (Born to be King), which is nearly as good as Infernal Affairs, and Storm Riders (maybe also The Duel) which is entertainingly convoluted and confusing, has some cool fighting and sfx, and beats the pants off of lots of the recent Hollywood comic-based movies (as opposed to asian Manga based movies, which tend to rawk maybe more than they don't).

The Man with Two Brains (1983) Review

2005-11-10T02:26:00.000-08:00

"Into the mud, scum queen!"

I hadn't seen this film for about ten years, and yet that line had stuck with me forever. This movie has SO many memorable moments, many of them gloriously ridiculous, many sublimely subtle. Martin, in his early films such as THE JERK, was all over the map, mining for humor. Low humor, physical humor, verbal humor, satire, it didn't matter as long as it might be funny.

This is a low budget movie with some delightfully twisted moments. Martin plays famed brained surgeon, Dr. Huffarahrr (or something like that) who marries one of his patients, the beautiful (but evil) Kathleen Turner, hot off her great role in BODY HEAT. The movie's plot is hardly important though...it mostly revolves around brain surgery jokes and humor at Martin's expense because he is so desparate for intimate relations with his wife, who is mostly hoping he'll die so she can take his money. When Martin falls in love with a disembodied brain (don't ask), things just get weirder. (The brain is voiced by Sissy Spacek, by the way.)

That summary probably doesn't make much sense, but the main thing to remember is that the movie is funny. It feels a bit like a TV movie in its production quality, and it's opening credit style and background music firmly date this movie to the early '80s. And there's a HUGE Merv Griffin joke, so you'd better know who Merv Griffin is. Much of the joke is "low" humor, but it's so well done, so over-the-top, that you can't help but smile.

Man With Two Brains is hardly a work of genius. It isn't as solid as ALL OF ME or PLANES, TRAINS AND AUTOMOBILES, which are slicker films with true hearts...but it is good, dirty fun for 90 minutes. Martin is very funny and we are reminded of his early "glory days" as the nation's hottest comic. Kathleen Turner is a hoot, and it's fun to remember what a bombshell femme fatale she was. The usually reserved and impeccable David Warner (Titanic, Time After Time) gets to get a little unhinged here, and that's fun too. There's a guaranteed laugh about every 60 seconds, so that's a lot of laughs. The movie is VERY inexpensive now, so I heartily recommend taking a look.

Word of warning...the DVD has NO extras. Just the movie. Also, it is "R" rated, and deservedly so...there are some funny but dirty bits here.