Monday, September 30, 2013

Duel On The Mississippi



duel on the mississippi
Very good film i enjoyed it very much perfect colour and CHOICE COLLECTION are very good
delivery was on time very pleased with the dvd.





Click to Editorial Reviews

Mayo Chiki: Complete Collection



Harem anime meets gynophobia...and...butlers..
Unless you've been living under an rock in the anime world, you've seen probably about...1...2...likely a few hundred shows that have butlers or maids in some form or another. It is a very common theme and apparently Japan can't get enough of it. The shows tend to go in spurts when it comes to main characters being one or the other. More often you'll have shows with just a butler or maid as a secondary character. Mayo Chiki aired during one of these seasons where butlers and maids were taking more of a forefront.

Why am I mentioning all this? Because Mayo Chiki just happened to be one of the shows in that season that actually wasn't bad. It stood out enough to leave a nice enough memory. Other shows when I see maids or butlers tend to cause the usual sigh at their overuse of such generic characters. Yet for Chiki, I gave it a shot based on the synopsis back then.

Mayo Chiki stands out not because it is a harem with butlers and maids but because it is a harem with...

its a good laugh
For those of you who want a good laugh, this is an excellent source for that. You have a girl pretending to be a butler, a guy who discovers her secret, who also has a phobia of girls, and a whole group of girls consisting of; one that is haunted by spirits, one that has a glasses fetish and will do anything to see any type of BL and glasses, the sister of themain protagonist who loves to pick on her brother, and the popular rich girl who has a large sadistic side to her that loves to pick on the main character.

Just kind of stinks that this collection is only subbed.

Mayo Chiki
A very fun anime to watch. Definitely a harem but still keeps a good running story. It's about a girl who insists on being a butler for her mistress, only thing is she has to be a male to do so.. Therefore she does just that and along the way meets Jiro Kun or (Stupid Chicken)<--Show reference. Jiro has a condition that erupts when being touched by females due to being a wrestling dummy of her younger sister and mother. Konoe and her mistress attempt to cure him of his condition through teasing and different scenarios that keep you wanting more. It is a good 13 episode run for your money, give it a try.

Click to Editorial Reviews

General Education [Blu-ray]



Low budget comedy
The movie was okay and had some funny scenes, but at best, it was just okay. I should have waited until it came on public TV.

GENERAL EDUCATION Is Generally Awful
Hollywood likes to openly proclaim that it embraces American values, but, if GENERAL EDUCATION is any indication, I'm not entirely certain Tinseltown even recognizes what sentiments average Americans embrace any longer. Granted, children are always going to have some `secrets' they hold out on their parents, but why glamorize it? Also, parents are always going to want something better for their children, but do they seriously force them to pursue dreams that'll more likely drive their kids into bankruptcy instead of having a life of personal fulfillment? I could go on, but methinks I don't want to spoil too much of this political claptrap in the first paragraph!

(Note: the following review will contain minor spoilers necessary for the discussion of characters and plot. If you're the kind of reader who prefers a review spoiler-free, then skip down to the last two paragraphs for my final words. However, if you're entirely accepting of some hints at things to come, then...

"General Education" is a teen comedy/coming-of-age film that is neither good or bad...it's average...
Tom Morris has worked on quite a few films as a camera operator and has even written and directed several short films. But this time Morris joins writers Elliot Feld and Jaz Kalkat as co-writer and director of the coming-of-age comedy "General Education".

The film would star veterans Larry Miller ("Pretty Woman", "10 Things I Hate About You", "Kiss Kiss Bang Bang"), Janeane Garofalo ("24″, "Mystery Men", "Ratatouille") and feature Chris Sheffield ("Transformers: Dark Side of the Moon", "The Rookie"), Maiara Walsh ("Switched at Birth", "Cory in the House", "Desperate Housewives", "Mean Girls 2″), Skylan Brooks ("Seven Pounds", "Our Family Wedding") and Elaine Hendrix ("The Parent Trap", "90210″, "Superstar").

VIDEO:

"General Education" is presented in 1080p High Definition (2:34:1). Outdoor scenes are quite vibrant showcasing wonderful contrast while indoor scenes were good. For the most part, "General Education" does look very good...

Click to Editorial Reviews

Live and Let Die (50th Anniversary Repackage) [Blu-ray]



A mixed bag, but an entertaining one.
In 1973 Roger Moore made a smooth transition from his most famous role - that of Simon Templar - to yet another literary character who had been made famous by another actor. Whereas the Saint had been immortalized by George Sanders in a series of movies much earlier (allowing Moore to make it his own in the highly successful television series), the memory of Sean Connery as James Bond was much more recent in the publics mind so Moore had his work cut out for him.
It is hardly surprising then that "Live and Let Die" plays it relatively safe. Moore went on record as saying that he read one line detailing how Bond had to kill once, but didn't very much like it (from the novel "Goldfinger"), and took his portrayal from that. In fact in his first couple of movies Moore plays the character much closer to his television Simon Templar persona than later in the series (the producers subsequently felt it was too close to Connery's interpretation of the role). This is a sad development as...

Roger Moore Sheds His Halo To Star In "Live and Let Die"
"Live and Let Die", released in 1973, is the eighth entry in the James Bond series produced by Cubby Broccoli and Harry Saltzman. It is also the debut of Roger Moore as the British secret agent, a role he would play of total of seven times, more that any other actor.

Sean Connery was originally slated to reprise his starring role but no amount of money could tempt him to sign on. The producers turned to an actor they had originally wanted to play Bond back in 1962, Roger Moore. At that time, Moore had to turn down the role because he was committed to play Simon Templar in the successful television series "The Saint". But by time "Live and Let Die" was ready to go into production, Moore was available to take on the role. Guy Hamilton did return to direct his third Bond film and "Live and Let Die" does have a feel similar to "Diamonds are Forever". Bernard Lee and Lois Maxwell reprised their roles as "M" and Miss...

An action-packed, yet thought-provoking Bond flick
Roger Moore's debut as Bond, in terms of quality, is a so-so outing, as was expected. Moore brings about an aura distinct with that of Connery's. The Bond that Connery portrayed was more of the consummate professional type, serious, rather impatient, edgy, relying more on toughness and innate resourcefulness to see him through. On the other hand, Roger Moore concentrates on the finesse side of Bond. He is debonaire, more intuitive, more blueblooded in the sense he is articulated and sophisticated, and a definite poster child on what it is to be a British gentleman secret agent. Moore reflects the 70's, where poise and style rules and therefore more adequate than Connery to play Bond in this point of time. Live and Let Die lays the foundation of this revolutionized Bond attitude the next six films, with Moore at the helm.

Although Live and Let Die wasn't quite anything truly special in terms of overall story quality, besides Paul McCartney & the Wings' eerie, but memorable...

Click to Editorial Reviews

Cowgirls N’ Angels



Cheesy-Cute
If you're in the mood for something light and cheesy, then this might be for you. Ida is a 12 year old girl who uses the rodeo to look for the father she's never met. Along the way, she gets recruited by the Oklahoma Rodeo Sweethearts. There's some romance (Hello, Jackson Rathbone!) between one of the Sweethearts and a rodeo cowboy, there's some trick-horse riding, and there's even some country line dancing. This isn't a heavy-hitting Oscar winner, but it really is a sweet movie.

Cowgirls 'N Angels Blu-ray
I really enjoyed this movie. Angels are everywhere and ready to lend a helping hand if we just let them.

Sweet Movie
Good clean family film. Very inspiring message of hope and forgiveness. This little girl will steal your heart! I highly recommend it.

Click to Editorial Reviews

Cinderella Trilogy with Limited Edition Collectible Jewelry Box Packaging (Six-Disc Combo: Blu-ray/DVD + Digital Copy)



Not very impresive, but met expectations
This review is for the Trilogy packaging only- not a review of the movies themselves.

I'm a big Disney collectors, and typically pre-order every upcoming title. I was very excited to see the Cinderella Trilogy being release in a collectable box just as the Lion King was recently. For anyone who can remember, many years back Disney release Aladdin, Cinderella, and The Lion King (all linked below for reference) in collectable boxed platinum editions with a story book, lithographs, and nice keepsake package. I thought that these trilogies were going to be released again in a similar fashion, all the boxes would be similar, similar materials related to the films, etc. Instead, the Lion King set with a drum shaped box inner box which was essentially useless beyond a collectors point of view, but also included the 3D copy of the original feature, and lacked blu-ray copies of the sequels. For this Cinderella release, there is no 3D release, period, but the blu-ray copies of both...

Dissappointed
Cinderella is a classic movie - I have yet to watch the other two, but Being Disney animation, Im sure they're great... I bought this set for the 3 movies - 3 Disney movies in DVD and Bluray for $65 is a pretty good price, but I got my hopes up with the rest of the set... I was expecting a small story book, not a DVD case with 6 pictures. And for the Jewelry box, I was expecting a cheaply made wood/fiber board box, what I got was a paperboard bow with drawers - defiantly not something I would give a kid to play with. Overall I got what I wanted, but was very disappointed with the extra stuff

What really upset me was that this set was released on the 5 October... I preordered it in May, but it took over a week to even ship and then 5 days shipping when I pay for Amazon Prime... in the end, this was the first Amazon order that I was really disappointed with

Rating for misleading advertisement not the movies themselves
I am very disappointed with the Amazon title for this purchase. It let me to believe that I was buying the bluray, DVD and Digital Copy for all 3 Cinderella movies. What you get is Cinderella 1 as digital, the rest are disk format. As a grandmother, I prefer the digital copy. We play the digital versions on our Apple TV, but more importantly, we use them in the car on our IPOD connected to the car DVD player. We can control the iPod up front and change out movies for our grandchildren without having to stop the car. I already owned Cinerella 2&3 on DVD, so this needlessly duplicated my inventory and the cardboard jewelry box was throwaway junk. Very disappointed in Amazon.

Click to Editorial Reviews

Moonraker (50th Anniversary Repackage) [Blu-ray]



MOONRAKER - UNDERRATED AND FINALLY IN WIDESCREEN
I first saw Moonraker when I was in Junior High on television. At the time, I knew almost next to nothing about James Bond. The only thing about James Bond I saw up to that time was a scene in Thunderball where Sean Connery was being stalked by the tenacious Luciana Paluzzi and her hoodlums.

I knew nothing about the history of Bond, and which film came first or second, or third.... I knew nothing about the golden girl in Goldfinger, nothing about the sexual names of Bond's various mates...I didn't even know about the term "Bond girl". I know nothing about the gadgets, or M, Q, or Moneypenny.

Moonraker, which everybody seems to trashed, turned me on to the world of James Bond. I became a fan, and went on to see every movie that came before it (For You Eyes Only just came out in the theaters at the time)whenever it came on television.

If Moonraker is so BAD....as all the naysayers claimed, I would have not been a fan...and would never surrender myself to the...

Not bad , but not outstanding.....
MOONRAKER is okay and has a couple of good moments.The locations are beautiful ;007 travels to California,Venice,Brazil and Outer Space!Unfortunatly,this eleventh entry in the Bond series remains underrated and was never taken to heart by most fans.A plot that was definetly inspired by Star Wars and actors who do not seem to take their roles seriously may have something to do with it. Dr Holly Goodhead(Lois Chiles) is pretty but never had a status as a memorable Bond girl. Hugo Drax(Michael Longsdale) is not a classic example of a head villain.However,Jaws(Richard Kiel) adds flavor to this movie.Despite mixed reviews, MOONRAKER was one of the most grossing James Bond films of all time.I enjoy this movie once in a while,and I find it superior to the two first Roger Moore films(LIVE AND LET DIE and THE MAN WITH THE GOLDEN GUN) but inferior to FOR YOUR EYES ONLY, THE SPY WHO LOVED ME,and A VIEW TO A KILL.The theme song by Shirley Bassey is not bad.Worth a look, but dont...

This movie must of been one of the best Bond flicks ever!
I have seen around 7-8 James Bond movies but none are as good as this one. I watched it on T.V. one night and when I ushually watch a movie and just drift off but not this one. It has a great plot on how criminal mastermind Hugo Drax hijacked a few space shuttles and prepares to make purification with extermination! It also includes the best of all henchmen and most popular one, Jaws, the 7 foot giant with steel teeth. This also includes great action scenes all around the world. Many people think it's the worst Bond movie, I don't. It's probaly the best. Rent it, you will like it.

Click to Editorial Reviews

The Clintons: An American Odyssey



THE CLINTON LEGACY FINALLY REVEALED!!
Despite the negative review on this DVD. I love it. Finally justice was done. On this documentary they emphasize on all his accomplishments. Something PBS failed to do in the deplorable 4 hour documentary CLINTON - IT ALL BEGAN WITH HOPE that had an over the top Republican touch.

The only negative thing about this DVD is that is a bit short. It should've been at least 2 hours, but finally justice was done and there a documentary of the only president that I've seen since my childhood to the 90s leave this country in great shape.

No matter what anyone may say or think about Clinton and the right wingers, he left this country in 240 billion dollars in surplus something that I dont know if we well see now in my lifetime again after Bush Jr took over and left us in shrapnel to say the least.

There are many Clinton speeches on here that I really appreciate as they are part of history and I was in my very early 20s when he was president.

I hope...

Clinton's speeches
No matter what your political leanings or feelings toward the Clintons are, they are a part of American history. So I was hoping this would be an unbiased educational look at their part in that history.
It begins with Clinton shaking hands with President Kennedy during his Boy's Nation visit to Washington in 1963. The narration describes "elements of scandal, but a remarkable journey".

What most of the film shows are portions of the presidential debates and many of Clinton's speeches. We listen to the don't ask, don't tell speech, Black Hawk down and his speech after the impeachment vote in congress and the speech dedicating Kennedy's presidential library.
What is skipped over almost completely is any action or lack thereof against terrorism and bin Laden . Bin Laden is brought up in the bombing of the Cole and the World Trade Center, but then it describes Clinton's speeches and meeting between Israel and Palestine as the answer to this terrorism. The...



Click to Editorial Reviews

Iron Sky [Blu-ray]



Accept it for what it is... and it excels at that!
Face it, this wasn't meant to be the next grade 'A' MEGABLOCKBUSTER. This is a lower budget, independently made 'B' movie.... but what a 'B' movie it is. All things considered, it has great spacial effects, decent actors, a good script.... One of my favorite 'B' Sci Fi films of all time!

B-movie fun, you'll enjoy every minute as long as you realize it's not trying to be Scorcese or Speilberg...
Very silly, a tad forced in places, and who gives a crap? Pure, B movie fun, as was intended. Amazing effects considering their $10 million budget. This movie was silly, had a message but delivered it with the subtlety of a giant rubber mallet. It was the funnest load of crap I've ever watched. Highly recommended.

(Note: this review was originally a reply to Hydra's review, but I decided to post it on its own.)

5 stars for originality and entertainment value
Many reviewers have referred to this movie as "camp" which I think belittles it unnecessarily. Rocky Horror Picture Show was camp. This is clever. Would I recommend it to absolutely everyone without reservation? No, it depends on your sense of humor. But these days when all Hollywood spews out are screenplays based on a novel, or a comic book, or a sequel or a reboot or a remake, I found this wonderfully refreshing. (When Fifty Shades of Gray comes out we can look forward to a movie that was based on an atrocious novel that was adapted from a fan fiction that was inspired by the equally atrocious Twilight novels...ugh.)

Keep in mind I only watched this to humor my husband, fully expecting to roll my eyes and scoff the entire time. Instead I found myself highly entertained for the full 90 minutes. Personally I enjoyed the special effects, realistic when appropriate and other times quite lyrical. And the direction overall generated lots of energy. I thought the...

Click to Editorial Reviews

Milk of Sorrow [Blu-ray]



A touch of magic realism
Writer/director Claudia Llosa loosely adapts the premise of old-time classics 'The Little Mermaid' and 'Faust' to contemporary Peru. Fausta, beautifully played by Magaly Solier, is a solitary, indigenous girl whose heart is gripped by fear. Her mother, who we see on her deathbed at the start of the film, was raped and scarred for life by The Shining Path (a radical Maoist organization that terrorized Peru during the 80s and early 90s). According to their native culture, her mother's horror was passed on to her through breastfeeding, a condition they call 'The Milk of Sorrow' (in Spanish, 'La Teta Asustada', which translates to 'The Frightened Tit'). Fausta is deeply suspicious of people around her, particularly men, and expresses her repressed emotions only through singing, as she performs her daily chores. Desperately in need for money to bury her dead mother, she begins to work as a housekeeper for Aida, a musician who is preparing for a concert and becomes interested in her songs...

Moving film out of Peru
I was browsing for a good movie to watch and fell by happenstance on this movie. I vaguely remembered it being nominated for a Best Foreign Movie Oscar last year, and that was enough for me to take a chance on this movie. Am I glad I did!

"The Milk of Sorrow" (95 min.; originally released in 2009) is a very moving film out of Peru in which we follow Pausta, a yung woman who is grieving the death of her mother and trying to figure out a way to get her mother out of Lima to her village so that she can be properly buried. Fausta is very suspicious of people around her, in particular men, for reaspns that become clear in the movie. In order to raise the necessary funds for the burial of her mother, Fausta takes a job as a housekeeper. Will Fausta find a way out and get her mom the burial she needs? Will she overcome her daily fears? You'll just have to see for yourself how it plays out.

This is a very good movie, and very moving as well. Magaly Solier, in the role of...

A Fear for Your Life!
Milk of Sorrow, through various reasons, received a good share of awards, including nomination for Oscar's Best Foreign language Film 2009. However, the Oscar went to The Secret in Their Eyes, from Argentina.

This isn't a film for every or anyone. It is slow paced, with an array of background weddings and celebrations that contrast to the dismal and psychological life of a young girl, who is making financial attempts to bury her mother. The film is with plenty of metaphor and symbolic meanings.

The opening scene sets the mood for the film, an old lady lay dying, and she sings the song that reveals her past. In the earlier days of Peru, with its hardened violence, women especially endured multiple rapings, as much as 30 in one night, that resulted in pregnancy. During the pregnancy, it was believed that the traumatic experience was passed on to the child through the breast milk... therefore titled, the Milk of Sorrow.

Faustina, a beautiful young...

Click to Editorial Reviews

Sunday, September 29, 2013

All About Colors



Great Baby DVD!
MonkiSee has become a big part of our lives! My baby loves the program, and is learning so much from it! The videos have great music, puppets and poetry. I love the use of language in the videos, my son is getting exposed to words that he might otherwise never hear in our house because of these videos! The DVDs are very entertaining, which is great since my baby normally won't sit for a long time to watch something! I feel like my baby is learning a lot from these DVDs, and it is better for him to watch something educational than other DVDs which will not each him anything!

Not worth the money
I looked at the "Your Baby Can Read" program and most people recommended the MonkiSee DVD's . They do not hold my two year old grandson's attention for five minutes.



Click to Editorial Reviews

Show Me Your Glory



great movie
This movie was great. The movie was made in my home town and former church I attended. Bishop White and his partners in faith are doing great things.

niecy
I bought this dvd because I enjoy spiritual messages and I was enticed by the title-Show Me Your Glory. This is the WORST spiritual movie that I have every seen!!! The acting was very, very, poor. GHETTO!!!! The friends and Ms. Lowry were loud and unbelievable. This movie was in dire need of editing. THE LORD blessed her financially after her struggles but I had to struggle through this HORRIBLE production to see it. I usually share my spiritual movies with others but I would be embarassed to share this with anyone and I will not watch it again.

God's Mercy
This story is a good depiction of God's Favor, Mercy, and Grace. It portrays how faith in the Almighty will result in deliverance and prosperity. I thoroughly enjoyed it! Thank you Amazon!

Click to Editorial Reviews

Teri Meri Kahaani (Bollywood DVD With English Subtitles)



I had to return the movie because it did not have English subtitles
I love the movie. You will have to have a Blu-ray or a DVD player that
has sub-title options. The movie still did not have the sub-titles.
I am keeping the movie because of the sub-title option on my Blu-Ray, because I require
the English sub-titles.
The marketing and package say English sub-titles, it is not on the DVD?

"I told you that's the Facebook guy."
3.5 out of 5 stars for TERI MERI KAHAANI.

Sometimes a movie just begs for the flowery stuff, and then when it's a Bollywood picture? Fuggetaboutit... TERI MERI KAHAANI - which, I think, means "Our Story" - posits that true love perseveres, that it is everlasting, or, at least, that it lasts three lifetimes. Shahid Kapoor and Priyanka Chopra strive to convince you of such. This film spans three eras, with each era featuring a pair of lovers as portrayed by Shahid and Priyanka. The story unfolds not in chronological order.

It opens in Bombay in 1960 as breezy but unemployed musician Govind (Shahid) bumps into famous Bollywood actress Ruksar (Priyanka) on a Poona-to-Bombay rail coach. Their flirtation persists all the way to the Bollywood studio, but then is derailed by an unexpected love triangle. As things look their bleakest, the camera cuts away...

...to present day, 2012, in Stratford-upon-Avon, England, as college students Radha Chopra (Priyanka)...

Waited So Long
I'd actually give this movie a wavering 4 1/2 to 5 stars. It was very good and I enjoyed it but I think I built it up a little too high in my mind while waiting for it so I'm not fully adjusted to what it is yet. I've only had time to watch it twice so far. My favorite of the love stories is that of Javed and Aradhana, which might be because I adore the song and dance number from Humse Pyaar Kar Le Tu. The other song and dance numbers are wonderful too but this one is the cream of the crop for me. La sigh! I would recommend it for light hearted fun and romance, with some interesting insights here and there.

Click to Editorial Reviews

Boys for Sale Vol. 1



What you see is not exactly what you get
To be as clear and frank as possible it must be said at the start that this collection is not something you will find sexually stimulating - it is not soft or hard porn, it is documentary. The cover image of a hairless, clean, fit and soft-porn styled male leaning against a wall is probably meant to attract the eye of the `gay market' and entice a sale - but it doesn't really illustrate what you will find inside the volume.

The pornesque titles of the three documentaries `Rent Boys', `All Boys' and `Men for sale' are somewhat tabloid when lined up next to each other and would easily be mistaken for a multitude of porn titles available in any `Love Art' shop; so my main concern is the misleading packaging as it is giving off a visual message that fits in quite well next to much of the material the content is ultimately criticising. This is deeply ironic on so many levels as it is not likely to stimulate the porn-buying customers in the way they are seeking to be...

Save Your Money!
On the whole this is a boring set of interviews with young males all of whom have problems. What could have been an interesting look at the lives of hustler is instead a cheaply produced set of uninteresting interviews.



Click to Editorial Reviews

All About Shapes



Love It!
This is a great DVD that taught my little girl all her shapes! She really enjoys her learning time, and loves the monkeys and songs. I love that it exposes her to a lot of poetry and music. I would definitly recommend this DVD to other parents!





Click to Editorial Reviews

Je'Caryous Johnson's Love Overboard



good good good!
watch this movie if you would like to hear someone else confirm how hard it is to be in a healthy relationship.

A Play
I didn't know it was a play and I could not watch but so much of it before I had to turn it off.

its very good, like the people in it
very good, very good ,love madea anything, would recomend, I buy all of her items, cant get enough madea plays or movie please make more cd/movies

Click to Editorial Reviews

Method: Dance Cardio Workout



3-month review
I wanted to write a review from someone that had been doing Tracy's workouts for more than just a couple of weeks, because I feel like that was clearly missing from the reviews I have read in the site so far, so here it goes...

I mostly recommend this workout for people that have had some dance background or enjoy dance type aerobics classes at the gym or have done other dance workout dvds. If that's the case this is for you! If you consider yourself clumsy and not a dancer then really, what are you thinking? Find something else. So for you dancers and dance inclined people out there here's the scoop...

You are going to have to resign to the fact that this is a choreography oriented workout. However, this is not darren's dance grooves and she's not going devote the entire time to counting out and teaching you the dance because I think her point is you learn it and then just pop the dvd in and get straight to it. She breaks it down for you and I recommend you...

No BS Review from a Non Dancer
Before I started doing the dance cardio, I had been warned by other reviewers that it wasn't for non-dancers and that the instruction was limited. But I was so interested to try something different, I didn't really care - so what if it's hard? What if I look stupid? I'll get used to it. I am an AWFUL dancer and am not graceful. I have rhythm but I am by no means a ballerina, and I get dizzy with spins. But I am a runner and I'm fit. If you're in terrible shape and have no ability to dance and are extremely overweight, then no, you shouldn't do this video. Isn't that obvious?

When I put the DVD in and started with the first dance, I knew right away that I would have to learn dance by dance and not try to learn them all within the first day. The key to this program is patience, which no one has. Once I learned the first dance, which did involve watching 50 times, I was stoked to have memorized it and be able to dance and actually get a work out without counting or...

not too impressed
OK.. well I was super hyped when I saw Gweneth Paltrow on Oprah and heard her talking about this workout. I have been a professional dancer for almost 30 years now so this seemed like it would be perfect for me... So I ordered both of the videos.. the Dance and the Matt workout. There is a lot of cool things about this video but more importantly, I think the Dance workout is dangerous. No wonder Gweneth threw her knee out.. although I'm not sure if it was from doing this workout but I think it would be very easy to get injured performing this class. It is a great challenge just to complete all of the dances in a row and follow Tracey but this kind of workout is better done in a class with a live instructor and mirrors where you can see all angles as well as a proper floating floor to help you withstand all the jumping and direction changes. Tracy's cueing is not great either and that can be very frustrating as well as her constant pouting into the camera.
I am such a big fan of...

Click to Editorial Reviews

Drag Me to Hell [Blu-ray]



Sam Raimi's Return to Horror
He's back! No I'm not talking about Freddy, Jason, Chucky or Michael. I'm talking about Sam...as in Sam Raimi. It's been almost 17 years since Raimi has helmed a horror flick and he hasn't lost his touch. Drag Me to Hell feels like the ugly (real ugly), long lost sister of Evil Dead II. It blends jump-outta-your-seat scares with Three Stooges style slap stick. If that sounds like an odd combination then you've never watched a Raimi horror movie before...

Drag Me to Hell is a basic morality tale. The whole thing feels like a polished episode of Tales from the Crypt. The story follows Christine Brown (Alison Lohman), a young woman who is looking to move up the corporate ladder at the bank where she's employed. Her boss tells her that she must learn to make the hard decisions if she wants a promotion and the first time she attempts this she forecloses the house of a disgusting, old, gypsy woman (Lorna Raver). If classic horror has taught us anything it's that you don't EVER...

It'll swallow your soul!
Sam Raimi has been one of the top cult directors ever since he shocked the horror world with his impossibly low-budget debut The Evil Dead. He proved himself the absolute master of black absurdist comedy with the sequel Evil Dead 2: Dead by Dawn, and added polish and cheesy goody times to the adventure flick that closed the series, Army of Darkness. He has also become known for his comic book adaptations Darkman and the massively successful big-budget Spider-Man series, and has produced some outstanding cult fantasy television series such as Xena Warrior Princess,...

The Real Sam Raimi Finally Steps Forward
Los Angeles, The Present: Christine (Alison Lohman) is a timid small town girl trying to cut it as a banker in Big City and failing miserably. Eager to build a secure foundation for herself and her academic boyfriend, Clay (Justin Long), as well earn the respect of Clay's snobby parents, Alison eagerly pursues a promotion to assistant bank manager, a task which sees her locked in a passive aggressive struggle with weasily, conniving contemporary, Stu (Reggie Lee). During the course of a working day, Alison finds herself reluctantly forced to act as judge, jury and executioner on the estate of Sylvia Ganush (Lorna Raver), a sinister, elderly Gypsy woman who is defaulting on her mortgage. Keen to prove herself to her boss as the kind of capable employee who can make a hard judgment call, Alison goes against her better instincts and forecloses on Ganush's mortgage. But as anyone who has ever seen a horror movie knows, crossing an old Gypsy woman is never a good idea, and before long...

Click to Editorial Reviews

Saturday, September 28, 2013

Halloween Puppy, A



A Terrible Kiddy Halloween Movie!!!
Well, it's 2 months til Halloween and I started it off early with a crapfest called A Halloween Puppy. It was boring, slow, dull, and bland. It took 27 minutes for Eric Roberts to turn into a dog. The crew of this film filmed scenes at daylight and used them for nightime scenes and put a blue filter up, hoping kids wouldn't notice. This was obviously filmed in spring. There were barely any Halloween decorations. I would not recommend A HALLOWEEN PUPPY!!!

Great for kids
My daughter watched it five times in a week. She had a lot of fun and I recommend it for your kids.

Very cute
Not terribly sophisticated but very cute. Especially for kids. No bad language & no real violence. My husband & I chuckled throughout.

Click to Editorial Reviews

Dr. No (50th Anniversary Repackage) [Blu-ray]



The Bond That Started It All
A landmark film, "Dr. No" (1962) introduced Ian Fleming's 007 to cinema audiences. Despite the author's initial objections, Sean Connery defined the character of James Bond with his remarkably self-assured performance. Ursula Andress' iconic beauty and Joseph Wiseman's restrained villainy were equally memorable. Thanks to the contributions of director Terence Young, set designer Ken Adam, editor Peter Hunt and composer John Barry, the 007 style was immediately established in this Jamaican adventure. Producers Harry Saltzman and Albert R. Broccoli should be applauded for getting the most out of their limited budget. "Dr. No" succeeds as an unpretentious spy thriller - minus the gadgetry and gimmicks in later Bond outings. The film's impact on popular culture cannot be underestimated.

Bond on Blu.....at last!!!
My comments apply only to the newly released Blu Ray version.
I will not review the film it's self since everyone has no doubt seen it at least once.
I have waited 2 years for the Bond films to be released in a HD format, and the waite was worth it.
The picture quality of this old film is simply awesome. The color saturation, the "depth" and contrast are very film-like.
I felt like I was discovering the film for the very first time.
Watching it on my 60'' display, it looked like I was seeing a brand new, fresh from the lab, film print in my own living room.
And it gets better, I am told (but havent viewed my copy yet) that Thunderball looks even better.
If you are a Connery James Bond fan, and own Blu Ray, this is a no-brainer.
Highest possible recommendation, and Amazon has it for a good price.

Great first EON outing for legendary spy
Outside of Bond fandom very few people know that Sean Connery was actually the second actor to play the character of James Bond. In the 1950s there had been a television production based around Ian Fleming's first spy novel "Casino Royale" in which American actor Barry Nelson had played 007 as a US spy with Clarence Leiter as his British counterpart. Fast forward to the early 1960s and work is once again getting underway to bring the fictional spy to the screen. Cast in the lead role is what one UA executive referred to as a "lorry driver" and with a small budget (a measly $1 million) there seems to be little hope for the fledgling franchise. Yet when Doctor No (the final choice for the first of the series) hits screens it changes the film industry, sending reverberations the likes of which are still being felt today. Staying largely faithful to the Fleming book of the same name (something that was not to last) the rather modest movie set screens afire, helped enormously by the...

Click to Editorial Reviews

Unfaithfully Yours



The Green Eyed Monster Runs Amuck
Dudley Moore plays a famous conductor recently wed to a young and beautiful European actress played by Nastassja Kinski. It is a good relationship and the couple loves each other until a misunderstanding leads to suspicion on Moore's part. He comes to believe his beautiful child bride is playing around. Worse, he thinks she is playing around with his prot?g?, a notorious womanizer. Its untrue but coincidences mount up to reinforce the idea until he is blind with rage and plots both of their murders.

It sound very serious thus far but remember that the jealous husband is played by Dudley Moore. That means that this is a comedy as he puts his plot into action with Moore's typically inept style. Nothing goes as planned and each instance is usually good for a few laughs.

This film was NOT as funny as I remembered it being when I was a kid but I did laugh and I did enjoy it. Particularly effective is the use of classical music to set the mood throughout. Often, the...

Dudley Moore at his best
This is truly one of the greatest comedy (or even movie) of all time. Fans and musicians of classical music will especially like it. Yet, four stars only because they should put it on a DVD.

UPDATE 10 AUG 2005: FINALLY ON DVD!!!

Forget What The Professional Critics Say! This Movie Is Funny!
I have never seen the original old Unfaithfully Yours movie but I saw this remake on HBO and I thought it was very funny! Dudley Moore, Nastassia Kinski and the rest of the cast were great and I'm glad that this underrated movie is finally on DVD and I highly recommend it. Dudley Moore plays a composer married to a much younger woman played by Nastassia Kinski and he goes kind of mad with jealousy when he thinks she is having an affair and has bizarre fantasies of doing her in! But is she really having an affair or is he letting his imagination run away with him? Watch this hilariously funny underappreciated movie and find out!

Click to Editorial Reviews

The Lady



With Powerful And Dignified Performances, An Epic International Story Loses Some Insight Due To A Focus On Family
The story of Burma's Aung San Suu Kyi has surely got to be one of the most compelling, fascinating, and inspirational tales of fortitude and commitment in the arena of international politics. Winning the Nobel Peace Prize for her struggles to bring democracy to her war-torn land, Suu Kyi gave up everything (including family and freedom) for a cause and a country. It is an epic ongoing tale, one that would surely make an incredible film. Luc Besson, perhaps best known for his flair for stylistic action, takes on "The Lady" and it is a real change-of-pace from his usual fare. The wisest decision that Besson made was casting Michelle Yeoh in the leading role. She brings a tremendous dignity to the proceedings and her calm AND gravitas make her quite believable as Burma's national heroine. "The Lady" doesn't play as a straight-up biography, though. The focus of the film is Suu Kyi's family. I think this is an interesting idea to explore, but also one that I didn't think truly...

(3.5 STARS) Luc Besson's Bio-pic of Aung San Suu Kyi Looks More Like a Love Story
"The Lady," a biographical picture of Aung San Suu Kyi, is directed by Luc Besson, best known for his "La Femme Nikita," "Léon: The Professional" and "The Fifth Element." Michelle Yeoh plays the role of Aung San Suu Kyi, Burmese political and human rights activist. David Thewlis is her husband Dr. Michael Aris. (Thewlis also plays his twin brother Anthony.)

"The Lady" starts in 1947. General Aung San was assassinated when his daughter Aung San Suu Kyi was only two years old. About forty years later, Aung San Suu Kyi, now living in Oxford with her husband and two sons, receives a call from Burma. Her mother is ill and in hospital. Aung San Suu Kyi flies back to Burma, where, witnessing the student protests and the bloody suppression of it, she decides to stay and become a leader of the movement for democracy.

Yes, it's Luc Besson and his usual collaborators cinematographer Thierry Arbogast and composer Eric Serra. Unlike in most of his films (including his...

With Powerful And Dignified Performances, An Epic International Story Loses Some Insight Due To A Focus On Family
The story of Burma's Aung San Suu Kyi has surely got to be one of the most compelling, fascinating, and inspirational tales of fortitude and commitment in the arena of international politics. Winning the Nobel Peace Prize for her struggles to bring democracy to her war-torn land, Suu Kyi gave up everything (including family and freedom) for a cause and a country. It is an epic ongoing tale, one that would surely make an incredible film. Luc Besson, perhaps best known for his flair for stylistic action, takes on "The Lady" and it is a real change-of-pace from his usual fare. The wisest decision that Besson made was casting Michelle Yeoh in the leading role. She brings a tremendous dignity to the proceedings and her calm AND gravitas make her quite believable as Burma's national heroine. "The Lady" doesn't play as a straight-up biography, though. The focus of the film is Suu Kyi's family. I think this is an interesting idea to explore, but also one that I didn't think truly worked. By...

Click to Editorial Reviews

The World is Not Enough (50th Anniversary Repackage) [Blu-ray]



God Bless This Movie
"Goldeneye" was great. "Tomorrow Never Dies" was good. "The World Is Not Enough" was excellent. Pierce Brosnan, no matter what cranky critics say, is a fantastic Bond, who is sort of like a melting pot of the past actor's best attributes. Connery's vicious edge, Moore's amusing wit, and Dalton's brutality. Another thing that makes Brosnan a keeper is that, like Connery and Moore, he has fun with Bond. Dalton and Lazenby made the mistake of taking this as a serious acting job. It isn't. TWINE does have a great script which is understandable (I guess a lot of people who complained just weren't attentive, since very few modern movies require that.) Renard may have been a lame bad guy, but Carlisle did play him well and believably - isn't that all that counts? Denise Richards, however laughable she was as Christmas Jones, did well with her material. And, the way I look at it, she wasn't evne the main Bond woman this time around. Sophie Marceau is perhaps one of the sexiest Bond...

Thank God, it has a plot!
I think right now, the 007 dynasty is damned-if-they-do and damned-if-they-don't. It seems every time they try to do something a little bit edgy or different from the usual formula, they get castigated by millions of viewers crying, "This is not we expected!", while the more formulaic films get lambasted for containing "all the usual lame gadgets and contrived stunts". Personally, I love it when the creators try to depart from the norm, and TWINE is one of the best examples of this. To begin with, it actually has a plot! I agree, it's not the best plot I've ever seen, but in Bond films the plot does not have to be airtight, and at least there is more to this one than the stupid action-driven premise of TND. Brosnan is seriously trying to portray 007 as a real person, rather than the suave superhero parody that Moore was trying to be. Carlyle is great as the new millenium's Jaws, although he is seriously underused. The action is not non-stop, but...

Pierce Brosnan is definitly falling into the Bond Character
This is definitly the best of the new bond films. Pierce Brosnan is aproaching Connery like proportions with this film. If youre into bond films, heck, even if your'e not, this is a must see. Plus, the special features on the DVD are great.

Click to Editorial Reviews

The Hole [Blu-ray / DVD Combo]



Why no 3D?
First off I must say that I loved this movie. I am a big fan of Joe Dante's work and it was great seeing him back behind the camera where he belongs. This is a great film for the family who likes to watch scary movies together. All of the young actors did a great job in their roles. I was so happy to see Dick Miller's cameo. It's not a Joe Dante movie with out Mr. Miller! My only problem with this blu ray is that they have decided not to release it in it's original 3D version. I have the blu ray from England and I have to say that the 3D is really used well in this film. Joe Dante has a great eye for visuals and seeing it in 3D the way he intended makes them all the better. Still, even in 2D this is a great movie and I recommend picking it up. If you can get a hold of the 3D version and have the equipment to view it it's worth looking for.

Great film
This was a wonderful film. I first saw it on Netflix on New Year's Day. I liked it enough to get the Blu-ray of it. It's basically a teenager type movie. I was expecting the older boy to act more maturely in trying to get his girl, but he didn't seem to care. So that was unexpected. A good treatise on overcoming our fears, however. It is almost packaged as a horror flick, but SPOILER ALERT: when my wife saw the clown attacking the younger boy, instead of being frightened, as she usually is with horror, she burst out laughing and could not stop. The demise of the clown was especially funny. Anyway, a very good job to the actors and a very good film. Happy watching!

Competent, effective lite horror - definitely woth watching
I had little expectation for this movie but found excellent acting, appealing characters and tight directing.
Also, good sets and film quality shame some larger budget fare.
Real chemistry between the brothers and the girl next door and all three characters provide surprising dimension
in a 92 minute movie.

Click to Editorial Reviews

Bowie in Berlin



not new
This is same dvd released earlier as Under Review : The Berlin Trilogy. They trick us into buying these shows multiple times.

Later works by Bowie
This documentary covers the trilogy of records Bowie did with Eno in Berlin in the late 1970s. Not only does it discuss the tracks, but it does touch upon the works of Bowie previous to it and his state of mind prior to their creation. One of the highlights was an interview with German musician Michael Rother. While Bowie was a fan of Rother, their potential collaberation was sabatoged by Bowie's management.. Each Bowie and Rother were told separately that the other was unavailable. This Stopped what might have been a great collaberation between two incredible talents. I hope Bowie and Rother still work together in the future. RCA can not stop it this time.
Even though Rother was bypassed from these recordings, they still represent a unque set of musical pieces in the history of Bowie and pop music in general.The story of their creation deserves to be told. Recommended for fans of Bowie, Electronica, and rock historians.

Boring and with very little information
I've just finished watching this DVD and it has indeed been released under another title several years ago. The program is very dull, with little in the way of visuals. There are some clips from an old Bowie audio interview, from which some interesting comments were selected. I found the few minutes with Michael Rother from Neu! to be of interest. There's also a soft-spoken fellow who at least demonstrates some care and consideration in his commentary and observations. The other people here are "critics" and generally offer their opinions, which aren't worth much. Very little information is conveyed in the program, so I feel like I didn't learn too much about Bowie's work in this period, just a few things.

Some of the video consists of audio and video clips to other artists, including one of the Moody Blues (simply because they happened to use a Mellotron, which was something a bit like the Chamberlain that Bowie and Eno used to make synthetic samples... but really...

Click to Editorial Reviews

Shooting Fish



Great comedy!
This movie is a light-hearted comedy, so don't come into it expecting a master "oeuvre." Take it for what it is. That said, this is one of the best comedies of the past 10 years. The writing is extremely smart, and all three principal actors use their considerable talents to lend real depth to characters, which is quite unusual for comedies, especially American ones, which tend to stick to slapstick or cheap gags. Be aware that this is a Brit flick, so you Americans shouldn't be shocked by the accents, etc. (that does tend to unsettle a portion of American viewers). If you're a thinking person and need a solid belly laugh, you simply could not pick a better light-hearted comedy than Shooting Fish. Dan, Kate, and Stuart are a fantastic ensemble. Do NOT miss this comedy! This movie will most assuredly be appreciated more as time goes by.

"It's Self Self Self with some people!"
Like frothy, feathery British Comedies? Don't let this little-known gem pass you by. Dan Futterman and Stuart Townsend play Dylan and Jez respectively; two con men who rob from the rich to house the orphans (and they're the orphans). Kate Beckinsdale (not nearly as annoying as usual) plays a med-school student who is unwittingly sucked into their scheme (they need a typist for one of their more inventive cons) but who promptly begins nudging them toward the straight and narrow. Well, almost. As my Dad used to say "If it's for good cause, who cares if it's illegal!", and Dylan and Jez pretty much live by that thought. However, what goes around comes around, and all things catch up with you eventually....
With a smart and funny script, good acting (especially by Futterman) and just plain sweetness , this film charms and pleases for the length of it's hour and a half. Don't hesitate to buy a copy and save it for a rainy day, or when you're just feeling blue. It's sure to cheer you...

Charming romantic comedy...
i picked this movie up because when i glanced at the cover it had three actors i just adore....and when i watched it i was charmed by the characters...most especially Stuart Townsend's Jez...the developing attraction between Georgie (Kate Beckinsale) and Jez is adorable to watch...and the end, although a bit cheesey, is a feel good happy ending....there is enough wit and quiet humor in this movie to keep you watching...

Click to Editorial Reviews

Headshot



Buddhist Noir
Fon Tok Kuen Fah (Rain Falling Up the Sky)
Pen-Ek Ratanaruang

There are dark movies whose darkness is purposeful. Noir films that are moving more than mysterious. Sad endings that are good endings. Suffering that teaches rather then thrills. Humor that is wicked but inevitable. The dark that is beautiful, regardless it's depths of hopelessness. These are the kinds of films that Pen-Ek Ratanaruang specializes in.
Fon Tok Kuen Fah, which translates to Rain Falling Up the Sky, but is named sensationally Headshot for westerners, is the third film of his I have had the pleasure of viewing. It is an adaptation of the novel of the same name written by award winning author Win Lyovarin. Pen-Ek's two earlier works that I have viewed left lasting impressions on me. Ruang Talok 69, or 6ixtynin9 as released in the US, was a dark comedy on level with Pulp Fiction, but more believable. Last Life in the Universe became one of my all time favorite films, one that still haunts me...

Very nice artsy camera work -- story no so.
Very moody, very cool camera work, very moody sound, but the story is disjointed and becomes tedious. It's better than a 2 star but I sure can't give it a three. Good action, when there is any action.

Surprising
Stumbled upon this film and found it very entertaining. I recommend watching. While the plot was a bit predictable about half way through, that doesn't take away from the fact that it is a good movie.

Click to Editorial Reviews

Friday, September 27, 2013

The Road [Blu-ray]



Nightmarish
When you first strap in for "The Road," you're left with this sensation that everything is about to go wrong. In the meantime though, you get to soak in just how beautiful the Philippines really are. As the opening credits slowly roll on, there's is nothing but lush green scenery and the sound of wind chimes becoming louder and louder. It is literally the calm before the storm.

Luis (TJ Trinidad) is given a medal by the mayor for exceptional work on the police force despite his unorthodox ways. As his friends on the force discuss celebrating, Luis is distracted by a woman who desperately seeks closure on a twelve year old case that was never solved involving her two missing daughters. Elsewhere, Ella (Barbie Forteza) is dragged along with her cousin Janine (Lexi Fernandez) and her boyfriend Brian (Derick Monasterio) as they try to teach Janine how to drive. The abandoned road they practice on has its own horrendous past as it chooses to play mind games with the three teens...

Weird!
Three distinct but related stories are told in this unusual horror film. Three young people are lost on a deserted road. Two young women get assistance from a stranger when their car breaks down. A young boy is held captive by an abusive mother. The three parts of the film are all woven together to tell a story. This one can be pretty creepy and is not for everyone. This is another in a series of recent efforts of this genre that tell a scary story in a way that does not make it standard horror fare. If you appreciate a bizarre horror film with a unique way to tell a tale, you may like this one.

Great story and acting
This movie is classified as "HORROR" but it's not. This movie is a Drama Thriller movie. The movie goes a little bit slow but the the acting and the story will keep you watching.

Click to Editorial Reviews

Golden Christmas [Blu-ray]



Nice surprise and charming story.
Very charming story. I encourage everyone who likes christmas movies that are about reconnecting with family and friends to purchase this. This movie is written for adults and is not a young childrens story like the cover suggests though I highly recommend it for families. It is one of the most enduring christmas movies that I have seen in years and I will watch it all year long, not just at the holidays. The acting is good, the plot is entertaining and modern, and the movie is clean with no profanity or sexual content unsuitable for children/young adults.

The story centers around a widowed mother who returns to her hometown with her son to purchase her parents home to only find out it has been recently sold. In the process of trying to get it back she reconnects with her family and she rediscovers a long lost crush from her childhood with the help of a dog that suddenly appears in their life. Wonderful little gem that I will enjoy watching for years to come all...

Fun Movie
All in all this is a pretty sweet little movie. The actors are good, the story is kinda familiar but still oddly fun and the chemistry between the two leads is actually pretty good. Both play off of each other well and they're actually interesting characters who aren't instantly sappily in love like so many lame movies. Yes it's cheesy in places but it's still fun.

Also I want to acknowledge that there are a lot of comments from people annoyed that there's not as many dog scenes as the image cover suggests and to an extent they're right, but if they had actually read the story description then it would've been clear that this was a love story and not a dog story. It's kind of like seeing the DVD of Dollhouse and thinking it's about an actual kids toy dollhouse, sure the title suggests it but it helps a lot if you read the description before you buy the movie. You know how they say "Don't judge a book by it's cover"? Same applies to movies, read the plot description on the...

Not a children's movie
Not a children's movie at ALL (deceptive advertising, as mentioned frequently). Despite other reviewers saying there's nothing inappropriate in it for kids, I think the "humorous" lines "She slept with the director (to get the part)" (referring to the dog) and a reference to "making out", lots of psychobabble, and the mom acting completely unethically in order to disrupt the sale of her parent's home (not in a humorous/funny way, but in a creepy, sleazy way) etc., make this a contender for Hallmark/Lifetime movie of the minute and not at ALL recommended for the young children the packaging makes it look like it's intended for. Also, the plot line about the "puppy love" that the movie romanticizes and drives the adult characters is about two kids ages 9-10, shown holding hands, carving names on a tree, etc. Why are we interested in promoting the idea of 9-10 year old kids falling in love and acting like mini-adults? I kept wincing as my 7-year old daughter and I watched it, and finally...

Click to Editorial Reviews

Annie [Blu-ray]



Leapin' lizards!
Well, I think this is a really swell movie. Albert Finney and Carol Burnett crack me up, Aileen Quinn is exactly what Annie should be, and Sandy is perfect.

But WHY OH WHY is this not being offered in a widescreen format? I have yet to see all of "It's a Hard Knock Life" and I know those girls are knocking themselves out offscreen. I've seen this movie on three different media. All were pan and scan, and all three showed different parts of the picture! The worst was a VHS release. (...)

I don't know which is more frustrating about this anniversary dvd, the fact that it doesn't offer widescreen, or the fact that the dvd menu and the special features show the movie clips in widescreen, teasing me with those brief glimpses.

There is no reason that dvd manufacturers shouldn't at least OFFER a widescreen version. Let's get with the 21st century already!

Best version because of the great cast
You cannot beat the cast in this movie. It has some of the greats, like Carol Burnett, Bernadette Peters and Tim Curry. That is part of the reason why the Disney version could never compare to this one. Also, Aileen Quinn makes such a great Annie. She really looks spunky. She can look really sweet, but also tomboyish. She can look threatening, like all the times she raises her fists. The girl in the Disney "Annie" looks too sweet. She isn't as convincing when she tries to fight. If you want to watch Annie, this is the version to get.

Still No Widescreen!
I can't help but wonder if ALL the widescreen prints of this movie were destroyed in a warehouse fire. Why would you bother to master another "Special Anniversary Edition" with a new DTS soundtrack and not include a Wide screen version? Especially with more and more widescreen TVs on the market. It is going to look pretty silly in a few years showing this pan and scanned musical on your widescreen TV. While not my favorite movie musical, I would still buy it if they ever have the sense to release it in it's original format! Until then...forget it!

Click to Editorial Reviews

9/11 Explosive Evidence - Experts Speak Out



Definitely a "must see" and "must tell everyone about it."
I watched this documentary and it is very convincing. Years ago, after listening to others talk about what they saw on 9/11, I realized how really strange the mechanics of the destruction were. Then I began to suspect that something was very wrong with the official story. I have been following the unraveling of the official story for years and I am glad that this documentary has been released. I am gratified to see how complete it is with structural engineers, high-rise architects, fire protection engineers and others using their names and credentials to explain why the official story cannot be true. The case for criminal mischief has been made.

What I can't understand is why people don't see through this. The section in the documentary by psychologists and therapists talking about why it is such a hard story to hear and accept makes it more understandable.

This is definitely a "must see" and "must tell everyone about it!"

This DVD explains the Truth and Why is Truth Resisted
The official government story is so far fetched it is a wonder anyone believes it. Under no circumstances can a high rise building come down at free fall speed into its footprint without the use of explosives, yet the government and the media are powerful enough to convince the American masses that 19 Arabs who could barely pass flight school with box cutters brought down buildings one and two with no explanation of how building 7 came down in the official story. This DVD explains the emotional reasons for denial of facts and belief in authority that permeates and controls the American psyche. The view may be too much for the naive to handle, but well worth the time for those with the ability to rationally evaluate factual material.

Excellent Presentation
I respect the expert technical conclusions of these professionals. They bring many years of experience to the table, putting their reputations on the line to reveal the truth of 9/11.

I appreciate their contribution to help laypersons, like myself, understand the complex issues.

Thank you for your excellent presentation.

Click to Editorial Reviews

Ada



Ada
No "Lawrence of Arabia" but throughly enjoyable for those of us who enjoy 50's and 60's movies. Susan Hayward is great as always.

Another Susan Hayward great!
Susan Hayward was always one of my favorite actresses, although I believe she was not given the credit she deserved for her movies. ADA is an excellent example of her work.

Minor political drama lacks depth
Ms. Hayward, Mr. Martin and a fine supporting cast are engaged thanklessly in service of a limp and predictable script that possesses neither the emotional intensity nor the intellectual grit which make classics of the genre so memorable ('Advise and Consent,' 'A Face in the Crowd,' 'All the King's Men,' et al). 'Ada' (MGM, 1961), while perfectly passable as light political drama, shows all the signs of Hollywood-product fatigue indicative of the late-studio period as its characters and situations are glossed over (e.g., had I not read the jacket blurb I would've been hard-pressed even to guess that the story was supposed to take place during the Depression) in favor of broad plotting, rich sets and painterly cinematography. Director Daniel Mann ('Butterfield 8,' 'The Rose Tattoo') has delivered much better. The Warner Archive DVD-R offers an acceptably clean anamorphic-widescreen print with only a few artifacts evident, though a restoration might sharpen what an overly warm color...

Click to Editorial Reviews

Girl 6



A Serious Comedy From Spike Lee
1996: Spike Lee directed this movie believe it or not. He wrote the screenplay and performed in the role of the wise, comforting and dreamer neighboor in Lovely's apartment. Theresa Randle of the Bad Boys film, stars as Lovely, or the eponymous Girl 6. When I saw this film, I could not believe it was a Spike Lee film, but his presence in the movie and his signature urban themes are distinctly marked in this movie. The film deals with an aspiring actress who is coaxed into working as a phone sex operator. Despite the good money it pays, it becomes messy and dangerous for her after a client becomes insanely obscessed with her. Her relationship with her (boyfriend ? husband ?) is in jeopardy due to her choice of work. Although clearly this movie attempts to be serious, there are many comic features written into many of the scenes, particularily the sordid, bizarre and outrageous sexual fantasies of the clients. The phone sex scenes that play out between the operators and their clients...

This is in my top 10
One of my favourite films of all time. There's something about Spike Lee's *Girl 6* that's particularly stuck with me. In short, it's about a phone-sex agency and the people that work there. Theresa Randle plays Girl 6 brilliantly as a woman of great strength and tenderness. Like the film itself, very funny, yet painfully gritty. A surprisingly good performance from Naomi Campbell as Girl 75. An excellent cameo from Madonna playing the aging scarlet-woman with too much makeup spouting sexual profanitys - typecast or what! And the cherry-moon on the cake is the ace use of Prince music running through the film... *How Come U Don't Call Me Anymore* (which was a rare track back then), *HouseQuake*, *17 Days* and *Hot Thing* (which plays during Madge's monologue) being the musical highlights, for me. Oh, and Mr Lee himself is pretty good in it too... I really hope he gets around to releasing this on DVD... soon?!

My guilty pleasure
Most of the filmgoing people I know say that this is Spike Lee's worst movie...I guess that they never saw "She's Gotta Have It". I have to say that I loved this one, and in my opinion, it was better than that overrated "Do The Right Thing"! The cinematography was colorful and dynamic and Theresa Randle ( a very beautiful and talented actress who usually pick out horrible movies to be featured in)was remarkable! She had the the voice and the spunk to play this character to a "T"! Normally, I get tired of watching Spike Lee in his own movies..but he was perfect as the nerdy, scrubbish Jimmy! The phone sex conversations were hilarious! (I loved the part where the husband was telling his wife and a phone sex operator about his fantasy of having a menage' trois) There were also surprising cameos from great faces in showbusiness today! Check out Madonna as a strip club owner and Quentin Tarrantino as the demanding director! And to top it off, it...

Click to Editorial Reviews

The Poseidon Adventure [Blu-ray]



Seen the special edition DVD which gives this classic a fantastic upgrade
Timed to coincide with the big-screen remake "Poseidon," 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment are releasing 2-disc special editions of two classic star-studded disaster movies, including the 1972 original "The Poseidon Adventure" starring Gene Hackman, Ernest Borgnine, Shelley Winters and Roddy McDowell among a crew of 15 Academy Award winners. Produced by the legendary Irwin Allen (who made a career in the 1970s of turning out big-budget disaster movies) the movie, based on a novel of the same name by Paul Gallico, tells the story of the aging liner Poseidon, which is hit by a 90-foot tidal wave that knocks her over on her final voyage from New York to Greece.
Featuring impressive special effects for its time and excellent performances from its cast, the movie manages to rise above a trite script and corny dialogue as they travel through an upside-down world, into the bowels of the ship in the hope of rescue from above.
Perhaps the main attraction of this movie is the sets,...

Still holds up - DVD version a disaster
20th Century Fox missed the boat on this one. This movie holds up remarkably well considering most of the dialogue seems a bit dated now. Shelley Winters gives a good solid performance of the grandmother on the way to see her grandson in Israel. Hackman is a rebel priest, and Stella Stevens is the hooker made good by marrying cop Ernest Borgnine. Everyone is having a good time until disaster strikes. The special effects of the capsizing of the Poseidon were unsurpassed until Star Wars came along - and even then Lucas wasn't turning over a boat load of passengers. The grand piano crashing through mid air still gives me stomach pains. Yes, they don't compare to James Cameron's Titanic, but remember - they didn't have digital/computer technology back then. I still don't know how they did it. Which leads me to my next point.

The real disaster is the treatment Fox gave the DVD. I didn't wait all these years for DVD technology to hear Dolby mono. The movie was originally...

Poseidon Takes Me Way Back!
I first saw Poseidon Adventure on Christmas Eve 1972. I was nine and my brother was almost twelve. I vividly remember calling the theater and, because it was rated PG, asking the lady if my brother and I had to have an adult with us in order to see it! Well, needless to say, my 9-year-old eyes had never seen anything like it and to this day the movie has a certain hold on me. I bought the special edition dvd the day it came out. I watched it four times the first two days. Both commentaries are great but I think I like the commentary by Stella Stevens, Carol Lynley and Pamela Sue Martin a little better than the director's. It's fun to listen to the three ladies reminisce and laugh together. I have seen the new movie and I like it, probably because I like the premise of the story. It's just a very different take on the same premise. Poseidon Adventure will always be among my favorite movies.

Click to Editorial Reviews

Genesis 7 Episode 3: Unexpected Return



Excellent
Not the best acting, but great special effects. Informative as well as exciting story line. Filling space now so I can submit.





Click to Editorial Reviews

Storm Chasing The Year of the EF-5 an Epic Journey Through Tornado Alley



Pure Entertainment
I've seen countless storm chasing DVD's and have been a fan of nearly every storm chasing show on TV my entire life...none of them come close to anything produced by the TwisterChasers Chase team (I own all of their DVD's, they're that good) and this DVD might just be their best yet! Jeff Piotrowski is hands down the best chaser in the business, and his ability to be in the right place at the right time while capturing it all in dramatic fashion is unmatched, and what is awesome about this DVD is that most of these chases had multiple camera angles, you often get to see the same dramatic events from different angles, as Jeff provides one perspective and Kathryn provides an entirely different point of view. The editing and production of this video is flawless, not once did I not find myself 100% indulged on the DVD. The action is nonstop and the post storm interviews and narrating bring everything into perspective. Often storm chasing DVD's and shows are reserved for those with a...

Amazing close video of violent tornadoes!
I recently viewed Storm Chasing the Year of the EF-5 by experienced chasers, Jeff and Kathryn Piotrowski along with members of the TwisterChasers Chase Team. This DVD has some of the most awesome and wild violent tornado footage that I have seen. The DVD covers 12 different storm chase days in 2011, a year that will be remembered for an unusual number of extreme and deadly tornadoes. Each event is covered with multiple camera views, beautiful wide-angle and dangerous close-ups of these tornadoes. With some of the events, Mr. and Mrs. Piotrowski are a bit too close and this closeness produces absolutely insane video. This DVD is not for the faint of heart. The video shows not only the raw power of nature but also the beauty of these storms. This is the best footage of the actual EF-5 Joplin tornado as it tears through the city. Initially, the tornado is only a dark area and one could easily not realize that it is actually a tornado. Later, the tornado comes into full hellish view...

Not just chasers.....LIFE SAVERS, LIFE CHANGERS! Exceptional footage!
This DVD was the scariest, yet most moving, one I've ever seen. I felt I was in the vehicle right there in the middle of it. The lives that were saved by Jeff's warning to sound that siren again no doubt saved so many lives that day. Then, seeing how Kathryn and Jeff flew out of their vehicle to aid the victims, and then later interviewing some of them, giving them a voice, made this a must-have in anyone's video collection. It's that special and rare, and so are these caring storm chasers! I can't wait to get the whole collection, and future ones!

Click to Editorial Reviews

The Princess Bride (25th Anniversary Edition) [Blu-ray]



Wonderful film - what's in the Blu-Ray only edition?
This is a terrific movie that has so many different editions of the DVD and now Blu-Ray discs that it gets very confusing as to what is in each version.

A search of the internet shows several reviews that describe the differences between the DVD versions. Basically the "Dread Pirate Roberts" edition and the "20th Anniversery" edition have different special features not in the other edition.

As of this writing, there are three versions of the Blu-ray - the Blu-ray only edition, and the Blu-ray + DVD edition in either a Blu-Ray or the old style DVD case.

What makes it confusing is that Amazon and other sellers of this Blu-Ray only edition list this movie as a 1.33:1 aspect ratio, implying that it might be a different movie cut, while the other two Blu-ray editions are listed as 1.85:1 aspect ratio. No doubt this, together with the fact that the Blu-Ray + DVD edition has almost the same price, has hampered sales of this Blu-Ray only edition...

What's the Difference in all these Editions?
Here's what is new on the 20th Edition DVD:

- "The Princess Bride: The Untold Tales"
- "The Art of Fencing" Featurette
- "Fairy Tales and Folklore" Featurette
- "True Love and High Adventure: The Official The Princess Bride DVD Game

The Dread Pirate Roberts/Buttercup Editions include all of the Special Edition features plus:

French (Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround) Audio Track

"Dread Pirate Roberts: Greatest Legend of the Seven Seas" mockumentary

"Love is Like a Storybook Story" featurette

"Miraculous Make-up" featurette

Quotable "Battle of Wits" trivia game

Collective booklet: "Fezzik's Guide to Florin"

I prefer the Dread Pirate Robert's/Buttercup Edition, but there are three reasons why you might want to buy the new 20th edition:

1. You don't already own the movie (shame on you).
2. You collect all things Princess Bride.
3. The DVD cover art is fantastic!

I do not think it means what you think it means
I remember when I first saw this movie, around age 13, I had no idea who the Man in Black was through the entirety of the first act. Sure, it's apparent now, given the benefit of hindsight, but because of the actor's anonymity at the time I never made the obvious connection. On top of that, most of the rest of the cast was unknown to me as well (except for the one non-actor, Monsieur Roussimoff, a.k.a. Andre the Giant). The sweeping anonymity of the company allowed the film to do two things: first, the audience isn't distracted by the presence of the Big Star; and second, unknown actors allow for no preconceived notions of their characters. Which in turn allows the filmmakers to subvert character types, and insert some true surprises into the story.

Which, to make a long point even longer, is the whole ethos of the film

William Goldman's book "The Princess Bride", on which this film is based, intended to tell only the 'good parts' version of the story of Westley and Buttercup...

Click to Editorial Reviews

Thursday, September 26, 2013

Robert Mitchum Film Collection



The Titles
These are the 10 films - listed, but qualities of dvds is not yet known: River Of No Return / The Night Of The Hunter / Heaven Knows, Mr. Allison / The Enemy Below / Thunder Road / The Hunters / The Longest Day / Man In The Middle / What A Way To Go / The Way West.

0 stars for the packaging - this set needs to be recalled at the earliest
you've got to be kidding me, Fox and MGM. ten discs snugly tucked into cardboard sleeves with each pull of the disc from its slot resulting in scuffing that just can't be helped. Every disc - yes, every disc in the packaging I received had semi-concentric scuff patterns on the playing side of the disc that makes it seem like these discs have been thru a billion Blockbuster rentals. to add insult to injury, 'The Hunters' is a two sides play disc (1 FS and 1 WS) so, both sides are scuffed terribly because of virtually no protection to the disc. Shame on you, Fox and MGM for dropping the ball on QC...in this era of mass manufacturing, this packaging is an insult to media. Please do not buy this on any count. Even if the discs are brand new, it takes just 3 or 4 pulling the disc and putting back into its slot, to render it chockful of scuffs and minor scratches.

Great Mitchum Collection
This is a great Mitchum collection of some of his best with Fox and MGM. As noted in past Fox box-sets there design is not the best and sometimes the packaging gets torn and the disks may or will have scratches, but I have bought seven of their collection and I have not problem with them. This collection has two sleeves with six films on Vol 1 and four on Vol 2. Volume 1 has films from the 50s and Volume 2 has films from 60s.

The details of the films included as in aspect ratio, runtime, color/b&w, etc. are as followed.

Volume 1
"River of No Return" (1954/color/Widescreen/91mins)
-Mitchum, Marilyn Monroe, Rory Calhoun, Tommy Rettig, Douglas Spencer; Directed by Otto Preminger
"The Night of the Hunter" (1955/b&w/Widescreen/93mins)
-Mitchum, Shelley Winters, Lillian Gish, James Gleason, Peter Graves, Don Beddoe; Directed by Charles Laughton
"Heaven Knows Mr. Allison" (1957/color/Widescreen/106mins)
-Mitchum, Deborah Kerr; Directed by...

Click to Editorial Reviews

A Conversation with Andrea Gardner



A Conversation With Andrea Gardner
I saw the DVD of this and it is GREAT. I tried to see the rental version today and Amazon is only giving the seminar half of the DVD in the rental. The interview (which is the best part) is not on the rental. AMAZON NEEDS TO FIX THIS AND GET THE INTERVIEW ONLINE. THE DVD IS STILL 5 STARS. LOVE THE INTERVIEW BUT CAN ONLY WATCH IT AT MY SISTER'S HOUSE. AMAZON GET YOUR STUFF TOGETHER!!

ORIGINAL REVIEW....
I had seen the video on YouTube and was very moved by it. A very powerful message. This video allowed me to know the lady who did that video. The title is very good. It is like you are sitting with her in your living room listening to a conversation about her life, the video and her book.
I still love this work but the interview should be on ALL versions being sold to people.

Poor quality
Camera microphone must have been in back...very hard to hear the speaker. Although Ms Gardner seems genuine, this video contains little substance except for her life story which could have been presented in 10 minutes. Was not worth the money or time. But, according to the subtitle, I should change my words: is it possible she said beautiful things but I couldn't hear them?



Click to Editorial Reviews

House of Sin



A Sexual Exploitation Picture That Lacks A True Titillation Factor
When I came across the tiny and very underground zombie epic "The Defiled," it made me curious about the rogue and gutsy agency responsible for the film. So, I also checked out Chemical Burn's "Cam Girl"--a micro-budgeted thriller filmed entirely in a small apartment with one actress. Both of these films represent well what can be accomplished in movie making completely outside the conventional film scene. These guys are rebels! Utilizing some of the homemade principles that helped to create "Cam Girl," the same team upped the stakes for the larger and more complex "House of Sin." But, in the land of excess, bigger does not always translate into better. With more actors, more plotting, and more moving parts--the film suffers with it oddball pairing of sexploitation, mysticism, and psychology. Too staid and humorless to provide real ooh la la, "House of Sex" attempts to be an arty exploration of human sexuality and the results are painfully awkward.

The eerie house...

What's Your Sin?
This movie reminded me of an erotic and less gory version of Hostile. Remember that movie where the wealthy could act out any fantasy they had? Those fantasies seemed to revolve around torture and murder, while in House of Sin sex is on the menu--and there's a huge variety! Why do I love Philip Gardiner films? He's living a dream, that's why. He has the ambition to follow what intrigues him and makes films from them. It's also interesting to see him "grow" over the years. His films get better, tighter, and more intriguing. I'm always wondering what he'll come up with next. House of Sin didn't disappoint me. There's enough eroticism without downright porn. It's eerie and weird, without making your stomach churn (which I felt while watching Hostile!) What would you do if you entered a house like this? What fantasies do you keep locked up? Or would it shock and disgust you to enter this home?

Shane
This movie isn't for everybody--that being said, I loved it. It's a good story and a very interesting thought--a place where people can be as bad as they wanna be. I'm sure everyone's wished for that at one point or another.

Click to Editorial Reviews