Thursday, October 17, 2013

The Rime of the Ancient Mariner - Samuel Taylor Coleridge



Good, could be better, needs a "hook"
I listened to this through Amazon Prime. It's a good reading with a good Narrator for Audio-book format. The on Screen images are "weak," generally speaking and it kind of lacks a "Hook" to get your attention. This is probably best (most appropriate) for Literature, Humanities, and English Classes in grades 5 through Freshman College if it's on the reading list for your particular schook district or Professor.





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The Beach Boys: Live In Concert



Worth watching.
I can't imagine what it's like to play the same songs over and over again for decades. To still be producing music, but to know that that music will likely never be as appreciated as the stuff you wrote decades ago. But you get a sense of it watching this,

The Beach Boys are so practiced that everything is crisp and clean and technically amazing. But it's clear the joy is long gone.

Still, theres a section in the back half where they start burning through the classics, ripping out storied, legendary track after storied, legendary track, and you remember just how incredible, how layered and rich the Beach Boys music was.

While you can tell that they long ago lost the joy of playing through those same hits decade after decade, those hits have such staying power, and the performances are so crisp and clean, that even without the joy, it's still something to behold. Worth watching just for that sequence.

Blast from the past
They sound so close to what I remember as a teenager . The only differance now is I can play it as loud as I like without my father going down to the basement to pull the fuse to my outlet LOL .

Pretty Good After 50 years
Good to see them perform together with a great backing band and interesting choice of songs. Disappointed that they did not include the tribute songs ("God Only Knows" with Carl Wilson and "Forever" with Dennis Wilson).

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The Mayor



A documentary you will never forget!
I have been waiting a few years for this to come out on DVD, and it lived up to all my expectations! As a USC film school graduate, I am picky about what documentaries I like, and this one absolutely was one of the best I have ever seen. From the first couple minutes when the main character introduces himself and smiles (twice), I knew it was going to be a riot from beginning to end. But what's unique about this film is the fact that, amidst all the opportunities to laugh and have fun, there are also so many moments where you can't help but think about what it means to age. I have shared it with family, friends, and coworkers of all ages, and everyone agrees that it's a real gem in a world where entertainment is increasingly defined by cheap thrills and shallow storylines. A must-see!

Just what I was looking for
I've seen this movie twice. It makes me laugh, but more than that it is emotionally compelling. Life and death. I think it has a good mix of witty humor and life lessons. This film was revolutionary for me.

Provocative and Engaging
A very insightful documentary covering the many facets of aging. I laughed out loud several times and was equally touched and saddened at times. Very honest and unafraid, I highly recommend this documentary for the perspective it gives on life, regardless of your current age.

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Officer Down



Good,but could've been so much better
The basic premise of this story is a corrupt cop ,Stephen Dorff (Immortals, Blade)has a chance at redemption when he is shot after a pulling over a couple of suspicious looking gang bangers in a red mustang.A stranger steps in ,drives away the bangers and saves his life by calling an ambulance and then promptly disappears.This person's identity is never discovered even after David Callahan (Dorff) begs him to come forward as our alcoholic,cocaine addicted detective becomes quite the local hero.
It is now one year later and David has cleaned up his act when the stranger mysteriously appears with his dead daughter's diary.In it is information on how she payed for her tuition by stripping at a club which has more illegal goings on than you can imagine.This is where the story, really starts, as David reads the journal late at night,starts his own investigation on the side,and of course absolutely NOTHING is as it seems.
This film has a brilliant cast Stephen Lang (Avatar)as...

Convoluted
The overuse of flashbacks make this film hard to follow. I love good cop/bad cop stories but this one fell short.

from bad to worse
The movie had potential, but then became a sub par "b" flick that just got worse n worse. I've seen much better plots for Stephen D.

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Seven Psychopaths



Living and dying for the sake of Shih Tsu
Martin McDonagh, among the best known Irish directors previously won an Oscar for the short movie Six shooter A Collection of 2005 Academy Award Nominated Short Films although he is perhaps best known for the acclaimed In Brugesalso starring Colin Farrell, a dark comedy with tragic overtones about two hitmen on the run.

I first heard of this movie last year when I saw the movie The Guard directed by his brother Michael John. A trademark of the McDonaghs is dark humor mixed with some irony and perhaps even some philosophy together with some absurdity. As I loved The Guard so much and it has the biggest domestic box office of any Irish movie ever made, I looked forward to this latest movie with more than a little anticipation.

If you're like me and like American directors who also write such as Tarantino with Reservoir Dogs...

If you liked "In Bruges", you'll love this one
Some 3-4 years ago, director Martin McDonagh teamed up with Colin Farrell in an absurd but very funny crime comedy called "In Bruges". I loved that movie (and not just because it was filmed in the Belgian city of Bruges, where I spent my high school years). Now comes another crime comedy from the same team.

"Seven Psychopaths" (2012 release; 110 min.) brings the story of Marty (played by Farrell), a struggling writer who is working on a movie script called "Seven Psychopaths". His buddy Billy (played by Sam Rockwell) is volunteering to help in any way possible. At some point Billy steals a little dog, and only later do we learn that the dog's owner is Charlie (played by Woody Harrelson), a dangerous gangster who is out for revenge. Last, but certainly not least, there is Hans (played by Christopher Walken), a buddy of Billy's. There are a bunch of smaller characters in the movie. To be honest, I had a hard time keeping track of the multitude of characters, and the fact that...

Original, hilarious, and a must-see
Being a big fan of "In Bruges," getting excited for writer, director, and now producer Martin McDonagh's latest film "Seven Psychopaths" was like second nature. "In Bruges" is begging for a revisit, but it added a lot of humor to hitmen and crime situations that usually try to be gritty or as serious as humanly possible in films before it. "In Bruges" had this uniqueness to it and "Seven Psychopaths" is even more creative and hilarious in comparison.

A struggling screenwriter named Marty (Colin Farrell) has an idea for his next screenplay; a movie entitled "Seven Psychopaths." The problem is Marty is having difficulty coming up with the actual story or the psychopaths for that matter and his alcoholism often gets the better of him. His strange best friend Billy (Sam Rockwell), who kidnaps dogs with a religious man named Hans (Christopher Walken) and returns them to get the reward, has extreme interest in helping Marty write his story. What Marty doesn't count on is Billy...

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The Man with the Iron Fists (Unrated Extended Edition)



Fun, Tarantino-esque movie, but overextends itself
The Man With the Iron Fists is a movie that was 'presented' (not produced) by Quentin Tarantino and directed by RZA. It centers on the story of a black blacksmith in China, who is trying to leave his hostile home village that's entrenched in between good ol' clan wars.

If you are seeking to be entertained, look no further. RZA blends the 'hip-hop samurai' type of music and feel -- prevalent in a lot of anime in recent years -- with the Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon-floating-around-style of fighting to create a high-flying (no pun intended) and adventurous parody of the genres with a Spaguetti Western flare. Needless to say, visually this movie is great in many respects.

However, beyond that, the movie suffers from more than a few noticeable stumbling points. The first being dialogue. Not only is the writing over-simplified, but the fact that some of the Chinese characters have Oriental-English accents while others speak perfectly clear English is something that...

if you love 70's kung fu movies...
fantastic movie! i saw a lot of very unique and fun kung fu ideas that could only come from a true movie fan such as the rza! there is a brass statue of a man that is in many movies as a training dummy for qi (chi) blocking attacks. in this movie there is the statue and a man with skin that can become brass at will, it links up toward the end in such a cool way i was blown away. i imagine the rza back in the 70's thinking "what if someone had to fight the qi training statue? then they would be really f*&%ed!"

i could see where he deliberately paid homage to old kung fu films with some of the camera work, hair and acting styles, this kind of thing might look odd too someone who hasn't seen older kung fu movies as some of it seems corny or stilted (which is how those old movies are, something fans love!). but even so, they would get over it every time one of the AMAZING battles started.

at first the rap music came off as out of place. this is coming from a wu tang...

good kung-fu movie reminded me of the old ones
good movie for a martial arts film. would have like to seen more fighting styles and the other clans in this movie.

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The Man With The Iron Fists



Fun, Tarantino-esque movie, but overextends itself
The Man With the Iron Fists is a movie that was 'presented' (not produced) by Quentin Tarantino and directed by RZA. It centers on the story of a black blacksmith in China, who is trying to leave his hostile home village that's entrenched in between good ol' clan wars.

If you are seeking to be entertained, look no further. RZA blends the 'hip-hop samurai' type of music and feel -- prevalent in a lot of anime in recent years -- with the Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon-floating-around-style of fighting to create a high-flying (no pun intended) and adventurous parody of the genres with a Spaguetti Western flare. Needless to say, visually this movie is great in many respects.

However, beyond that, the movie suffers from more than a few noticeable stumbling points. The first being dialogue. Not only is the writing over-simplified, but the fact that some of the Chinese characters have Oriental-English accents while others speak perfectly clear English is something that...

if you love 70's kung fu movies...
fantastic movie! i saw a lot of very unique and fun kung fu ideas that could only come from a true movie fan such as the rza! there is a brass statue of a man that is in many movies as a training dummy for qi (chi) blocking attacks. in this movie there is the statue and a man with skin that can become brass at will, it links up toward the end in such a cool way i was blown away. i imagine the rza back in the 70's thinking "what if someone had to fight the qi training statue? then they would be really f*&%ed!"

i could see where he deliberately paid homage to old kung fu films with some of the camera work, hair and acting styles, this kind of thing might look odd too someone who hasn't seen older kung fu movies as some of it seems corny or stilted (which is how those old movies are, something fans love!). but even so, they would get over it every time one of the AMAZING battles started.

at first the rap music came off as out of place. this is coming from a wu tang...

good kung-fu movie reminded me of the old ones
good movie for a martial arts film. would have like to seen more fighting styles and the other clans in this movie.

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Birders: The Central Park Effect



A birding experience
This video makes you feel like you are right out there in the park with these birders. It really represents the birding experience. Great views of many birds. I've watched this three times already.

Birders: The Central Park Effect
For birders (my parents) and non-birders (myself) this movie is fun, informative and just plain interesting. It gives a glimpse into a year in Central Park and all it's seasons. We loved it!

Must-see for birders; an eye-opener for anyone curious about the incredible world we live in
This documentary deserves 5 stars for its gorgeous video photography of the many resident and migratory birds one can really see in Central Park. I think many folks don't have any idea how many beautiful tropical migrants, especially the tiny, brilliantly colored wood warblers, pass through our region each spring (and fall, though in less brilliant coloration then). And this video goes beyond the beautiful images to tell an important, real story about the lives of those birds. It depicts a range of real birders in the park, gives a glimpse of what fuels their passion, and allows them to tell much of the story. It also explains very well why so many birds are concentrated in Central Park (and other small patches of forest that offer the trees and insects they must find) as they travel up the East Coast during migration, or settle to raise young in our area. Since we have developed most of the once vast eastern forest for human uses, flocks of migrants are funneled into relatively...

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Wednesday, October 16, 2013

Psycho Gothic Lolita



uh ok,,,,not much to this movie.
there isn't much to the movie. a girl's mother gets killed and she dresses in a Lolita style outfit and kills everyone involved in her mother's murder. naturally she does it with a parasol and some martial arts fighting skills but that's about it....until the final battle. just when i thought the movie couldn't get any less stupid the final battle occurs and all of a sudden...yep something supernatural occurs! the movie was just not cohesive. i know this type of movie doesn't have much of a plot but it could have been tied together a little better. needless to say the acting was cheesey and the plot unoriginal. the parasol could have been more interesting if they had varied the ways she used it.

I love this movie!!!
I love this movie. I love the sword action; I'm a big fan of gory samuri films. An I like Lolita's character; the whole goth look design with the tutu and umbrella. Her umbrella has a spike one minute and it's a gun like the Penguin's from Batman Returns the next. I love it, I love it, I love it!!!!!

Vengeful gothic lolita? I love it...
This is one of those movies that if you are going to watch it, you already know you're going to see something over the top. That's why I liked it.

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Monster High: Friday Night Frights [HD]



Another Monster High movie
I rented for a 10-year-old girl who is really into the Monster High dolls. Great short movie if you child is into Monster High.

Good for Kids! Not for streaming
Monster High Friday Night Frights was a decent film. I would say for children *especially girls* will enjoy the spunky characters and witty humor. Monster High shows a different take on some of the legendary monsters that all of us have learned about as children and portrays them in a friendly light.

This film I would say would be great for children to watch mostly because it shows that girls can do things boys can do (and visa versa). It was about (WITH OUT SPOILING THE MOVIE) competitive roller skating that was traditional throughout the Monster high schools. But when the boys team loses and they are incapable of playing the girls offer to help. Seeing that the sport was played mostly by teenage boys all of them laughed at our heroines. But The girls stood up against the boys and proved themselves through teamwork, training, and well...friendship (Cause its magic dag nab it!)They could overcome anything.

I was rather impressed with the message that this movie...

Monsterific
We love the monster high movies,games,puzzles,and whatever they have.
Just waiting for the new movie so we can enjoy it with my daughter .

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Citadel



An Atmospheric Irish Chiller That Creates A Creepy Mood And Has A Stellar Lead Performance
There are a lot of really great things going for the low-budget indie shocker "Citadel." This Irish film starts out strong, boasts a solid lead performance, and paints a harrowing portrait of urban decay. While the picture is very successful at creating a creepy vibe which it sustains throughout, I'm not sure that the mythology or storytelling is quite as strong as its atmosphere. In the end, I enjoyed much of the movie without really ever buying into its premise fully. And although the plot threads are deadly serious, I found some of the developments rather amusing as opposed to horrifying. In the end, I think "Citadel" is worth a look but I wanted its payoff and its explanations to be better realized. It's certainly not a bad movie, I just don't think it makes much sense in the grand scheme of things.

As I said, I really invested into the opening of the film. As a young couple is moving from a dilapidated building, a gang of street thugs happens upon the pregnant...

No logical explanation
I am assuming this movie is saturated with metaphors (or perhaps I am giving the writers to much credit), regardless, for the most part the nuances are so vague that I cannot come to any conclusion. The acting and cinematography was excellent. The scenery had such a deep feeling of misery, hopelessness and pain that I started to feel it myself. I got a sense of release for the father's agoraphobia in the end, but with no clear answers as to how the boy fit into it. It was such an abrupt ending that I felt cheated. I am seeing a trend with movies being overly subtle in their message for the sake of "artsiness", this is a disservice to most movie goers and in the end you end up with a piece that essentially means nothing to anyone but the creators themselves.

Inspired Main Performance Not Enough To Save This CITADEL
Another week, another horror release. Isn't that the way it seems these days? Why, every time you turn around, some production company is throwing good money into some low-budget, no-budget scare-fest, all to make a buck. I welcome the additions to my film library only so long as these pictures still come assembled with a coherent story, reasonably intelligent characters (a tough find in horror), and modest quality writing. No, horror movies don't have to be perfect. They simply need establish a premise and then deliver on any promises made along the way.

To that end, CITADEL settles comfortably into a middle-ground and goes nowhere fast. Yes, it's atmospheric. Sure, it's creepy. Okay, it looks so dystopian.

But is that all ya got?

(NOTE: the following review will contain minor spoilers necessary solely for the discussion of plot and characters. If you're the type of reader who prefers a review entirely spoiler-free, then I'd encourage you to...

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The Jungle Book - Digitally Remastered



Outstanding script and action
Wow, was this movie exciting! The famous story was well designed for screen and the action was riveting! The old special effects are great! Very exciting, and you feel like you are viewing a masterpiece like Gone With The Wind. Sounds of speaking are a bit fuzzy to understand, but it eventually flowed into my ears better. The animal training is amazing. I will enjoy viewing this over and over.

Movie Review
The DVD was in perfect condition and it was nice to finally find this movie. The only thing I didn't like was the DVD menu.

Little or no ressemblance to the Kipling story. Laughable production values
I got this movie for my 6 year old nephew who loved listening to an audiobook of Kipling's original. Earlier we had tried watching the Disney version which had a couple of catchy songs, terrible animation, a silly feel-good plot, and a cast of characters that must have been dreamed up by people unacqainted with Kipling's timeless masterpiece. Despite the best efforts of Sabu the Indian Boy, who starred in the much loved "Thief of Baghdad, this version was even worse than Disney's. Patched together with bits of grainy zoo footage, my nephew was simultaneously bored by the hokey puppy love and scared by the roaing tiger Shir Khan. Now I just hope he can return to the audiobook and forget about the movie versions.

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Stripperland



I DIDN'T BRING ANY DOLLAR BILLS
This film is a spoof on "Zombieland." If you have never seen "Zombieland" the enjoyment value of this film will be greatly diminished. Like "Zombieland" this feature has our two heroes travel across the country and are eventually joined by two women. Their eventual goal is to go to Portland, Oregon (ground zero for strippers) and seek out Granmbo (Linnea Quigley). Benjamin Sheppard is our Jesse Eisenberg, Jamison Challeen is our Woody Harrelson.

In addition to spoofing "Zombieland," this film smartly satirizes the relationship between men and strippers and unreal expectations that mankind shares.

There is plenty of Troma style blood and guts. The extras show a bunch of women immensely enjoying making this film. This is a fun film to watch, especially right after "Zombieland."

Parental Guide: F-bomb, No sex. Some nudity, but not as much as one would expect from the title.

Perfection at its cheesiest
This movie is a must for any zombie fan. You need to watch it, live it and learn all the rules of stripperdome. This is a spoof of many different movies including Zombieland, Shaun of the Dead and many others. It is a B-/C+ movie in all its glory. If you can watch it without having to pay for it all the better, if you pay more then a buck, I am very sorry!

Terrible
it was god awful was bored after 5 mins but continued to wwatch and i wish i hadnt
that is how bad it was
this was the worst 90 minutes of my life

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Chicago



what more could you ask?
great music-singing,dancing,scores,all top drawer! six great stars & outstanding supportive cast. i would recommend this to all for a must see.





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Tuesday, October 15, 2013

Of Human Bondage - Digitally Remastered



Great movie, poor DVD transfer
Yes, this movie is "dated" in a stylistic sense, but so what. Davis and Howard are both so good it doesn't matter. And there is nothing dated about being hopelessly "in bondage" to something or someone - that realization is ultimately what makes the movie so depressing to watch. We can "identify" with Phillip's horrendous treatment at the hands of Mildred because he is obsessed beyond his ability to respond rationally.

The film's most famous line...."You cad!, you dirty swine! I never cared for you not once! I was always makin' a fool of ya! Ya bored me stiff, I hated ya! It made me SICK when I had to let ya kiss me. I only did it because ya begged me, ya hounded me and drove me crazy! And after ya kissed me, I always used to wipe my mouth! WIPE MY MOUTH!"..... is so emotionally charged and devastating one can not help but relate to it at a gut level. The viewer is completely drawn in to Phillip's psyche and his unbearable pain. Davis is...

The fascinating film that made Bette Davis a star
Of Human Bondage, based on the novel by Somerset Maugham, is a powerful but melancholy film that I find strangely mesmerizing. Leslie Howard stars as Philip Carey, an introverted, artistic man who comes to London to study medicine after abandoning his dreams of becoming an artist in Paris. Carey was born with a club foot, and we watch rather mortified as one of his instructors makes him show his foot to the class, revealing the embarrassment that he normally keeps contained on the outside. One day in a nearby café, Carey sees waitress Mildred Rogers (played fabulously by Bette Davis), a rather ill-natured, brazenly taciturn waitress. Her attitude is rather rude and certainly strange and cold, but Carey is immediately fascinated by her. After inexplicably falling in love with Mildred, he succeeds in winning a few dates with her, putting up with her mind games, deception, and seeming lack of humanity. She is frustratingly noncommittal in everything he asks her, replying "I...

Great movie, but loses a star or two due to the shabby DVD
If you take into account when this film was made and that the film medium was still developing its language, you'll likely enjoy "Of Human Bondage". It's well acted and- with its wide array of "let's see what we can do" directorial tricks and flourishes- entertainingly told.

Leslie Howard gives a low-key, effective performance, but it's Bette Davis who really shines. Ms. Davis realized correctly that it should be somewhat confusing to the other characters- and to us- why Leslie Howard's Philip character is so taken with her character, so she grounds her character with a kind of plainness and commonality. But she also realizes that there should be SOMETHING that we as viewers can touch on, so we can at least somewhat understand what is going on inside Philip. So Ms. Davis peppers the plainness of her character with occasional glints of edge, ice, passion, etc., things that a man would notice and be moved by, both in a positive and negative manner. These little glints of...

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WWE The Best Of Raw & SmackDown 2012 Volume 3



Love It
I was not disappointed in this purchase as I was with others I downloaded on the TV. This one didn't skip like the others and my grandson loves it.





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Jane Eyre - Digitally Remastered



Remastered my Aunt Fanny!!!!
This version of Jane Eyre is one of my favorites. I excitedly preordered this DVD a month ago when I found out about it. Unfortunately, I can only give this DVD two stars. That is one star better than the last "remastered" release that I reviewed...the extra star is due to the fact that THIS one is at least not missing an entire scene.

Far from being remastered as claimed this release is, if you can believe it, even worse than the other I reviewed. First, it is dark & muddy--I had to crank up the brightness on my TV up almost all the way in order to see any detail at all. Second, the picture is almost constantly filled with long scratches (sometimes right through the middle), both white & black "drop-outs," and a hair or fiber that appears at the top of the screen throughout the entire front credits. Third, the color fluctuates several times throughout the film. Fourth, in some scenes the sound is...

Great film - Bad DVD!
I was so excited to see that this wonderful made-for-tv movie had been released on DVD. What a horrible shock it was to see that the print the DVD was created from was in terrible condition. Whole scenes are missing. The dialog jumps around. The screen goes completely black in the middle of a scene for a good three seconds. There are scratch lines throughout the film.
The "original" film itself I give 5 stars (from memory). The DVD -- doesn't deserve a single star. Shame on the production company for not remastering this brilliant film.
If you love Jane Eyre, these performances in this are well worth watching, but find a different copy.

The love people have for each other
It's hard to imagine a better gothic romance than "Jane Eyre" -- gloomy vast houses, mysterious secrets, and a brooding haunted man with a dark past. And while there have been lots of movie and TV adaptations, one of the absolute best is the 1970 TV movie starring Susannah York and George C Scott. "Jane Eyre" spends too long on Jane's school days (and not quite enough on the Thornfield days), but the two lead actors are absolutely brilliant in their roles.

Jane Eyre was an orphan, abused and neglected at a boarding school run by a tyrannical, hypocritical minister. But Jane refuses to let anyone push her down -- and many years later, Jane moves on by applying to Thornfield Hall for a governess position. She soon becomes the teacher and friend to the sprightly French girl Adele. Then she encounters her employer, Mr. Rochester, a cynical, embittered man who spends little time at Thornfield.

They are slowly drawn together into a powerful love, despite their...

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Catch Me If You Can



Immensely Entertaining. Great Performances. -And True Too!
"Catch Me If You Can" is the story of real-life con artist Frank Abagnale, Jr. who, in the late 1960's and early 1970's, when he was between the ages of 16 and 21, wrote $2.5 million dollars in bad checks and became one of the most notorious con men in American history. The film follows Frank (Leonardo DiCaprio) from his early high school pranks to his check-printing operation and eventual capture in France five years later. FBI agent Carl Hanratty (Tom Hanks) doggedly pursues Frank as he successfully impersonates an air line pilot, a doctor, and a lawyer, living the life of a playboy and cashing ingeniously forged checks all along the way.

"Catch Me If You Can" was directed by Stephen Spielberg and, along with Minority Report, signifies a revival of Spielberg's directing talent after fifteen years of mediocre-at-best filmmaking. This film is fairly light fare, but it is immensely entertaining, funny, touching, and impeccably cast. Frank Abagnale, Jr. is a perfect fit for Leonardo...

Spielberg sends us a message....
and the message is, "Sometimes, I'm gonna do a film where I just try to entertain you". And entertain it did!

Reviewers of the movie are at odds, either giving it high praise, when they recognize that it is just there to entertain the filmgoer, or calling it dreadful, when they expect every Spielberg movie to be a momentous event of special effects and storytelling. "Catch Me If You Can" is based on the life of a con man, who pulled his crimes as a teenager, and then reformed for the rest of a long life. The story engrosses the watcher, and Spielberg gives the film a light touch, a terrific cast, and fits it all into the eerily real culture of the 60's everyday life with costumes (wardrobe is outstanding), period sets, and a general feeling of wonder (Remember "The Wonder Years"?) that was the true 60's feel, devoid of momentous political events and the inevitable strife caused by war.

DiCaprio is featured as an odd duck, an...

A Throwback to an Earlier Time
Steven Spielburg's second 2002 film is a dinosaur. It's an anachronism. It belongs to the time period in which it's set, a more innocent America where Charles Manson had not brought violence to the wealthy and Vietnam was still a winnable (and profitable) war. It's Catch Me If You Can, the story of con man Frank Abagnale, Jr., who may very well be the world's foremost expert on forgery and fraud. If that doesn't sound like a complimentary introduction, fear not; Catch Me a film's film and a throwback to the cinema of yore, when audio and video combined to make an experience rather than an assault on the senses.

Imagine a mixture of It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World and To Catch a Thief. Catch Me has the slow pacing and careful cinematography of Hitchcock at his finest, and Spielburg has forsaken his recent effects-laden shots for straightforward storytelling. Every individual shot is deliberately framed, with a care for detail not usually seen outside of a Lynch film. There are...

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Horrid Henry - The Movie



Ms. Battleax, Ms. Lovely, Ms. Oddbod, Moody Margaret...
My five year old son really likes it! My 12yr old watches it also, he laughs yet may not admit it. I enjoyed the humor, dancing, singing, vivid colors and characters despite the simple story.

Its Horridly Funny
My son isn't a big reader, but Horrid Henry is actually a book he picked up and read last year. Not only did he read it, he loved it. He was ecstatic when I told him they were making it into a movie. The story revolves around Henry, a little boy who has a tendancy to get into trouble. Set in England, Horrid Henry follows a crazy trouble making kid through all his rambunctious adventures. You'll meet his rather large family and watch him join forces with his nerdy neighbor Moody Margaret. The two become unlikely allies in a battle to win the talent show and help save their school.

This movie was so much fun to watch. It has a little of everything. Of course there is tons of slap stick humor, but it also teaches kids about the bonds of friendship and to never give up on their dreams. There's music, surprises, and a whole lot of laughs. On my end, I was excited to see Angelica Huston was a member of the cast. She was always been on of my favorite actresses. She plays...

Cute but predictable
I bought this for my grandson Henry and his siblings. They said it was just OK....they see everything that comes along.

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Night of the Living Dead - Digitally Remastered



BEWARE!! Stay away from the 30th Anniversary edition!
The five star rating I gave Night of the Living Dead is, of course, for the original, uncut, unadulterated edition. The original is, quite simply, the most terrifying movie I've ever seen, even when compared to horror classics like Diabolique (the original French version), Psycho, Rosemary's Baby, Halloween and The Shining. I saw NOTLD when I was 9 years old on Creature Features at midnight after a funeral. I had nightmares for the next two nights. The film still gives me the chills whenever I see it (usually at Halloween).

When the 30th Anniversary Edition came out, I bought it on VHS as I was curious to see what they termed as "new footage." What I got was a horrible mess that butchered the original film, removed the original music for a terrible synthesizer score and added pointless footage that makes the viewer want to grind his teeth down to the gums. One of the additions is a new character: a fire and brimstone preacher. While the acting in the original is amateurish,...

WARNING: This is NOT the movie you think it is!
When I first saw the packaging for this Special Edition of Night of the Living Dead it said there was 15 minutes of new footage and a new score. Well, GREAT I thought. 15 minutes of new footage that must've been cut out from the original release! New score, well, that could be a good thing too!

Until I opened the box to see the little booklet that revealed the ugly truth... There are new scenes alright. New scenes made by new people TWO YEARS AGO! The new scenes are badly acted, badly written, and badly edited. Scenes that subtract from the overall impact of the film and do nothing but taint a true horror classic. The new music is a cheesy synthesizer score that does nothing but irritate and distract throughout the film. (Cheesy synthesizer is good for other horror films, but it does NOT work well here.)

I originally bought this at a store, got it home and didn't even sit through the whole thing. I zipped through various chapters to see the HORRIBLE new...

The Millennium edition is really good.
This review pertains only to the Millennium Edition DVD of Night of the Living Dead.

Okay...as I'd feared, my negative review of the John Russo-massacred "30th Anniversary Edition" of Night of the Living Dead has been lumped unwittingly into this product's review, so I' m writing this one to clarify.

This DVD edition is the best edition I've seen of the film yet. Anchor Bay may have raised the ires of legions of Living Dead fans by releasing the sacrilegious 30th Anniversary Edition, but Elite Entertainment did right by this new edition.

George A. Romero's personal appreciation appears in the back of this DVD -- this immediately restores our faith. And the contents don't disappoint -- the picture and sound are good, and though this doesn't exactly contain the richest batch of bonus materials (sets like the excellent 3-disc edition of Dario Argento's Suspiria and the recent double-disc Re-Animator both feature loads of extras), it is a nice solid collection. You get a Duane Jones...

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Jamaica Inn - Alfred Hitchcock - Digitally Remastered



Very poor picture and sound
Warning!this is the laserlight version and is cheaply made with very poor sound and a very poor picture.It certainly is NOT "mastered from the best available sources".In fact this version is shorter than the other available one,suggesting that the print it was copied from must have been cut due to a degraded print.The "introductions" by Tony Curtis to the laserlight copies look as if they were all filmed in one morning.Get the other version.

Du Maurier.....Laughton.....O'Hara.....Hitch!
This review refers to the Laserlight(Special Edition)DVD of "Jamaica Inn"...

The talent combined in this 1939 film is immense. Based on a novel by Daphne Du Maurier,Alfred Hitchcock skillfully directs an extraordinary cast, all turning in strong performances, that bring the characters depth and the story to life.Marueen O'Hara is amazing in her first feature role, showing us way back then what made her the great star she has been all these years.It also stars other great British actors Lelsie Banks,Emlyn Williams and Robert Newton. But it is the legendary Charles Laughton who you can't take your eyes off of in this thriller. The depth with which he portrays his multi-faceted character is simple awesome.

The story is set off a rugged coastline.A group of dangerous cut-throats are misguiding innocent vessels, causing them to crash into the rocky terrain,so they can loot all the cargo.When young and beautiful Mary(O'Hara)is on to them, she risks life and limb to try and...

Sadly, the Kino edition has poor image quality as well
I rented the Kino version on the strength of a specific recommendation here, but it gave up watching after the first 15 minutes on account of the poor picture quality. It certainly does not look like a "35mm nitrate print" to these eyes--the visuals are muddy and the contrast is off, spoiling the visual detail. It could be from an old 16mm print, or else maybe a duplicated 35mm print, but it is certainly not a clear record of an original fine-grain release print, by any means. I will await a future restoration. For the present, Caveat emptor.

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Paranormal Activity 3



Some people's favorite and my least favorite of the franchise...but I say see it either way!
First off, I should say that I LOVED parts one and two. The first two relied more heavily on very slow-building tension. These predecessors basically "taught" viewers how to watch these movies in the first 20-30 minutes by offering numerous subtle, relatively unimportant objects moving as if a spectral breeze had shifted them. This way when such production devices became important, the viewer had a trained eye--not unlike what was done with White Noise. These movies convey a style that is very unusual. So it came as no surprise to me that there was little middle ground in people's opinions of them; they loved'em or hated'em. I love'em. Why? Because my senses are all on full power; I'm all in; I'm practically concentrating on the screen and listening to every creak trying to sleuth out the next clue that something fishy is going on in that house. Some people may call this "work". I call it cool. [But people chatting during the movie are a much greater distraction than normal...

Part 3
This is my favorite one. In my opinion it was the scariest one, but as you can tell from other reviews, not everyone felt that way. But this movie gave me chills and I jumped quite a few times, which you will do if you have the volume turned up. I'll probably end up having a nightmare or two tonight.

Just no waist you time!!
This is the worst of the series. Nothing really happen during the first 40 minutes. When finally action happen is so silly .... well I just fell a sleep...

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Monster High: Why Do Ghouls Fall in Love? [HD]



Kids enjoyed it thoroughly
All of my girls found this short movie interesting and cute. It is a fun movie for MH fans and fits in with the Valentine's day holiday. Even my oldest daughter, who's not a MH fan, thought the movie was good. Draculaura is being wooed by a suave handsome guy named Valentine and Claude, her regular boyfriend, is in over his head. The chance to see many new characters in action, C.A. Cupid, Spectra, Abby, and Torelei was good.

enjoy this immensely
I was worried when I first purchased this but for the price, I took the risk. Couldn't be happier. Clear picture, great soun and is great on the go with the tablet.

I'm a Mom and a Monster High Fan!
This whole series is great, and "Why Do Ghoul's Fall In Love?" lived up to my high expectations. It asks real questions about the difference between "romance" and a relationship, all the while being extremely fun. Nothing in here is truly inappropriate. Sit and co-watch, it will bring back memories.

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Supporting Characters



An Amusing, If Relatively Slight, New York Indie About Life, Love, And Making Movies
If you watch a lot of indie film, the template for Daniel Schechter's "Supporting Characters" should be instantly recognizable. This low budget endeavor about struggling filmmakers (in this case, editors) works with a easy charm through crisp dialogue and likable actors. It is one of those films where the characters sit around and hold discourse on a myriad of life's topics, most notably love and relationships. It's interesting to note, therefore, that the movie's most potent pairing is of the two editors themselves and not the love interests that surround them. "Supporting Characters" is at its strongest when leads Alex Karpovsky and Tarik Lowe square off in verbal banter. It might not be surprising that Lowe gets some of the cleverest dialogue, he shares a writing credit with Schechter on the film's screenplay. If you have it, use it! Lowe is both an appealing performer and an observant writer. If you enjoy engaging wordplay, this slight film has its share of pleasures. If,...

SUPPORTING CHARACTERS Needed More Support
One of the problems inherent in making movies specifically about the process of making a movie is that sometimes the characters and situations can be so nuanced with real-world mechanics elements lose effectiveness when viewed by someone who isn't or hasn't been a part of the movie industry. When it's handled right - when it's handled broadly enough - then the writer and the director and the actors can escape that misstep and, instead, have better luck at delivering something that'll be embraced by both insiders and outsiders as a legitimate story worth telling. When it isn't handled right, then filmmakers run the risk of limiting the size of their audience. And what if it's done half-way? Then you end up with a film like SUPPORTING CHARACTERS, a "nice" character comedy that probably won't have much re-watch value but is smart and pleasant enough for a single experience.

(NOTE: The following review will contain minor spoilers necessary solely for the discussion of plot...

Supporting Characters
Movie is great and I enjoyed the chemistry between the 2 main characters. it's definitely worth buying and watching with a group of friends.

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Monday, October 14, 2013

Manhattan Murder Mystery



Wonderful mix of Murder, Mistery and Comedy
Diane Keaton and Woody Allen make quick friends with an older couple. After the woman dies of a heart attack, Diane Keaton starts investigating on her own thinking that it was not a heart attack afterall. Woody on the other end does not believe in this murder idea and thinks his wife is getting too excited for no reason.

The movie mixes great suspense and comedy. The skepticism of woody allen and the wild (but maybe not so wild) imagination of diane keaton make for highly entertaining dialogues. The new york atmosphere of the movie is quite lovely too. The story moves fast and as Diane Keaton discovers more and more clues you find yourself seating on the edge of your seat wondering what next is going to happen.

This movie is wonderfull all the way to the end that parodies the ending of an old movie classic.

So long, Mia. Hello, Keaton.
After the abrasive brilliance of "Husbands and Wives", Woody wisely lightened up and reteamed with two of his old partners-in-crime, Diane Keaton and writing partner Marshall Brickman. What's amazing is that though the movie seems rather lightweight on the surface, it really juggles a lot of different ideas at once. It is a comedy crime caper, but it toys with the idea that Keaton is imagining the whole thing in an effort to spice up a humdrum marriage. Does Alan Alda's character find the possibility of a murder tantalizing, or does he simply see it as a great way to get closer to Keaton? Does Anjelica Huston's character find the possibility of a murder tantalizing, or does she simply see it as a great way to get closer to Woody? Or both? The only sure thing is Woody, who reminds us that, aside from everything else, he's an absolutely peerless comic actor. He goes from being skeptical and annoyed at Keaton's obsession, to gradually escalating levels of fear, fear of both the...

One of Allen's Best. A Perfect Little Film.
Woody Allen's love of New York City really shines through in this comic caper about a pair of aging but sophisticated Manhattanites who suspect their neighbor of murdering his wife. Actually, it is Keaton's character who suspects; Allen plays the doubting and timid husband who gets dragged into her amateur investigation, if only to save his marriage. Keaton is looking to add excitement to her life; Allen, as usual, is perfectly comfortable with how things are. Their interaction is very, very funny, as is the sweet performance by Alan Alda as a family friend and writer who dreams of opening a restaurant with Keaton (who he has always had a crush on. Can we blame him!), and Angelica Huston as a cool and sexually provocative writer whose book Allen is editing. By the end, all four have joined in a wacky plot to catch the killer. We also hear some great music and see a side of New York City as only Allen's eye for charm can capture it.

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Resolution [HD]



good story
If you are looking for special effects, pass this up.

"Resolution" had excellent acting, and refreshingly non-formulaic plot.

It is a wonderful, existential movie that also works well on the level of suspense and horror.
A quote from the movie that helps sum up the storyline:

"How does an isolated tribesman in Ecuador know the difference between an alien, an angel, and a ghost? He doesn't, but he tells a story to make sense of the infinite."

The film inspires a person to examine it in several different ways. It can be looked at as a mystery (you figure out what is filming them. Do you believe it all depends on perspective?

What gives life meaning? Are you really aware of how much you value it? How do we attempt to examine the unknown? Is there always a happy ending if you do the right thing?

The more engaged you are, the more you will get out of it.

moody and thought provoking
ending is abrupt but effective. good acting from all and great use of local sites and natural lighting. worth watching

Ultra slow burn creep fest
Resolution is an excellent, slow burn horror movie focusing on a pair of friends as one tries to kick a nasty drug habit. Staying at an abandoned house in the woods, the pair receive stories in various formats that all have violent endings. From there, the sense of dread builds and builds as the two friends grapple with the addiction that brought them to this point and with the growing horror that something is not right in the woods.

Resolution is well-made, low budget, and relies on the the building of tension instead of blood or more direct scares.What is there is effective, unnerving, and bizarre. The two leads are great together and really make the movie work, which is crucial since it is just the two of them on-screen for most of the movie.

The movie had some points I did not enjoy. The level of tension never went beyond creepy, the pacing was uneven for me, and I'm sorry, but I need some rules in my horror movies, I won't say anymore so as not to ruin the...

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Derrick J's Victimless Crime Spree



Worth The Wait!
I had originally seen the documentary on youtube and I knew once it was released on DVD I had to pick it up.

Strength.
An amazing little production, thourghly entertaining and unpredictable, active resistance to state power has been a prospect that I simply cannot do, barring some kind of overwhelming advantage. It is truly heartening to see people resist invalid and bankrupt authorities.

Non-Violent Mastery
I watched this video on the wimb via the webpage. It is by far one of
the best and empowering things I have seen. Derrick J is quite the
character and one of the most peaceful individuals I have ever seen.
For the most part, he doesn't do anything that any sane person would
consider illegal. The abuses of authority by individuals claiming to be
representatives of the government is sickening. If you think we live in
a free country, then you really should watch this. Government across
the nation is exerted its control over your lives, and I have so much
respect for the civil disobedience of Derrick J and the rest of the
guys(and girls) in Keene, New Hampshire. This has inspired me to start
non-violent civil disobedience here in my hometown. I encourage you to
check out the Free State Project as well that way you don't have to be
crazy like me and set up your own group. Again, great work and hope to
see more good stuff...

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Bigfoot's Wild Weekend



Horrble waste of time
Horrible horrible horrible.
Cheap, bad knock off soft core comedy porn that is not witty, cute, sexy or attractive. The girls are unattractive and vapid and the skills that went into making this garbage are Freshman at best

Bigfoot's Wild Weekend will ruin yours
You know how a movie can be so bad that it's good? This is not that. It felt like a feature-length YouTube video produced by a bunch of horny teenagers.

The boobs couldn't even save this movie.

very funny movie
funny movie it be something you see on cinemaxs after dark but it was funny and i did enjoy the movie

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Aloha! Hawaii



Beautiful ambient video
If you've ever seen that show that used to come on in the mornings called Sunrise Earth, you can expect the same kind of thing here. This is very similar, but without the sunrises.

All of these Window Channel products seem to be much the same,so you could pick from basically any of them. Also, be aware that different videos will sometimes use the same footage, so if you are purchasing these, some of the content will be the same.
The video itself is very nice and calming. It is an ambient product, designed to be pretty and soothing without requiring your full attention. There is no music or narrating, and only the sound of birds or waves or whatever is around when the scene is being filmed. The scenery changes every few minutes to different natural landscapes throughout Hawaii. The only problem I found with this and other videos in the same series is that occasionally, they will switch from a very quiet scene to a beach scene with crashing waves that suddenly seem loud...

Good Scenes but no sound
I tried watching this but there was no sound so it wasn't very good. Tried other videos and there was sound but not on this one. What good is a relaxing video with no soothing sound?



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Osterman Weekend



Fine final thriller from Peckinpah 3 1/2 stars
Although it starts off a bit shakey, "The Osterman Weekend" regains its balance and becomes a suspenseful thriller worth watching. While it isn't Peckinpah's best film, it has many of the best qualities that made "The Wild Bunch", "Straw Dogs" and other thrillers interesting and an example of vital cinema.

Rutger Hauer plays John Tanner a TV reporter devoted to uncovering the truth about our government's covert operations, illegal dealings, etc. When a CIA operative Lawrence Fassett(John Hurt)comes to him with the story of a career there's a catch--it involves Tanner's friends. Fassett reveals that Tanner's three best friends Osterman (Craig T. Nelson), Tremayne (Dennis Hopper) and Cardone (Chris Sarandon)are all three Soviet spies. Fassett proposes that Tanner can break an incredible story if he'll cooperate in trying to turn one or all of the spies over a weekend at Tanner's house. Tension builds as the three spies suspect that Tanner knows that they're agents for the...

Swan song for Peckinpah
Although at times confusing (unless one is really looking hard), THE OSTERMAN WEEKEND is a pretty good final film for one of the cinema's most controversial directors, Sam Peckinpah. It is his statement on the Cold War, courtesy of Robert Ludlum's 1972 novel, and has many of those well-staged action sequences that make later imitators like Quentin Tarantino and John Woo look like rank amateurs.

Rutger Hauer stars as a controversial L.A. talk show host with a penchant for tearing down government officials for their hackneyed explanations of U.S. policy towards the Soviets. He is anticipating the arrival of three old college friends (Craig T. Nelson, Chris Sarandon, Dennis Hopper) and Sarandon's and Hopper's wives (Cassie Yates, Helen Shaver) for an annual get-together.

But then, a CIA operative (John Hurt) throws a monkey wrench into things when he presents evidence that seems to indicate that Hauer's friends are working for the heathen Soviets in an attempt to sabotage America's...

Patriot or Useful Idiot?
Sam Peckinpah ("The Getaway") delivers his usual blend of action and paranoia in this 1983 sleeper, which stars the underrated Rutger Hauer as a investigative TV reporter out of the Mike Wallace mold, and John Hurt as the CIA operative. Burt Lancaster as the national security chief reprises his role as an overzealous cold warrior type (like he played in "Seven Days in May"). The plot takes off when Lancaster, the frequent target of Hauer's hit pieces for his civil liberties violations, turns Hauer over to Hurt, who reveals that Hauer's business partners (Craig Nelson, cast against his "Coach" type as a ruthless businessman, and the ever-edgy Dennis Hopper) are traitorous subversives selling government secrets to the communists.

Soon the plot takes several twists and turns and everyone is mice trapped in a maze with the cat having just been dropped in. "The Osterman Weekend" starts off as a traditional espionage thriller as a red herring just to fool you, but becomes a paranoid...

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Miracle of Marcelino



A Beautiful Tale
Reviewed by: Cory Giacobbe

I have never forgotten this film.

Let me emphasize broadly how wonderful this story is, without revealing critical details, climax and ending.

I saw this as a little girl. My entire grammar school viewed it together in the auditorium, and its shocking poignancy remained memorable for decades. (I'll thank the availability of home videos, for allowing me to see this film again, now).

The catalyst for the intense drama that follows is this scene: One exasperated monk, trying to instill discipline in a beloved orphan boy, conjures up a rule. He exclaims, "You must NEVER climb this stairway!" to the attic.

The monk, Brother Francisco, is the dominant parent-figure, among the twelve Italian Franciscan monks, in an Hispanic land, who have adopted the youngster, Marcelino, at infancy.

Marcelino, being a child, curious, mischievous, climbs the stairs. In the attic, what he finds there, how he responds, ultimately forces the humble,...

A Miracle of Spanish Cinema
There are many foreign films that captivated or inspired me,such as Roberto Benigni's "Life is Beautiful" and Federico Fellini's "Nights of Cabiria". But I haven't seen a foreign film so beautiful or so spiritual than Lidislao Vajda's "Miracle of Marcelino" (Marcelino pan y vino).
The Miracle of Marcelino is like a religious fairy tale that sends a message about hope and love. The film begins as an allegory where a town Franciscan monk is sent to tell a story to a terminally ill little girl about a miracle that occured several years ago. The story is based on the narration from this faithful monk.
After the Spanish civil war, twelve monks constructed their new monastary. Once they finished and settled in their new home, they had an unexpected surprise. A baby boy was given to them to take care of, inspite of their heavy work load. This boy, Marcelino, grows up to be a mischievous, but good hearted little five year old boy.
Because...

Heart Squasher!
If you are one who is seldom moved by emotions, this one will really melt your heart. These kind of movies are never ever seen nowadays. A must see for all families who want to know a little more about Jesus.

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Windrider - Amazon.com Exclusive



Worth the watch
This story line has been done over and over, but anyone who loves the surf will appreciate this movie. I was very impressed with Nicole Kidman's acting. It's like she was born to be an actress. This movie is about a windsurfer who gets shaken up, and the people who love him get him back on track. Unlike other movies of this kind, where sometimes the main character wins the competition, or doesn't but is considered a hero anyway (like Karate Kid), there is no ending to this movie. It's like the director was told at the last minute that the movie time had to be shortened, so they just cut the end off - a real injustice to an otherwise fun movie.

Young Nicole Kidman exposed!!
Stuart Simpson - a talented surfer. With the help of his father, he is preparing for the championship. However, he falls in love - and sports, and friends, and the championship become secondary ...

Loved the story
Loved the movie, really moving story. Filmography really rocks. I recommend it for family and friend night or for weekends

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Beloved Rogue



Entertaining, bizarre swashbuckler
With the exception of two earlier films, Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde (1920) and The Sea Beast (1926), THE BELOVED ROGUE is more a personal statement by its star, John Barrymore, than any film he ever made. Designed as a romp through 15th century Paris (in a snowstorm, no less), ROGUE is both inventive and bizarre as Barrymore's Gothic tastes were given free rein by United Artists.
The actor specifically wanted to avoid the "Hollywood" type of situations where the hero rescues the heroine and both live happily ever after. Despite the film's inventiveness, the plot eventually works itself out along the more traditional lines that Barrymore wanted to avoid like the plague. It was said that he was unhappy with the finished product but many years after his death, when ROGUE was considered a lost film, a subsequent owner of Barrymore's house found a mint 35mm print of this film stored away in the basement. Perhaps that print is the one used for this dvd, courtesy of Mr. Barrymore himself...

Great Fun
Though swashbuckling is typically associated with the movies of the 30s and 40s, it was actually invented in the 10s and 20s and pioneered by the incomparable Douglas Fairbanks. By the time this movie was made, in 1926, swashbuckling was a giant moneymaker for the film industry. This time was the last hurrah for silent cinema, talkies would totally take over within a few years. Yet, in these last few years of the artform, some of the best examples of silent cinema were filmed.

John Barrymore plays Francois Villon, introduced as a poet, pickpocket and patriot. Though his works are widely read, writing does not pay the bills so Villon makes his living outside the law. On All Fools Day, he runs afoul of King Louis XI (Conrad Veidt) and is banished from Paris. The city is his life so to be forced to leave it is worse than death. Of course, you can't keep a hero as zany as Villon down and he ends up back in the city, falls for the pretty but bland Charlotte who is a huge fan of his...

Barrymore In His Prime.
Along with DR JEKYLL & MR HYDE, this 1926 action/adventure flick remains one of the best John Barrymore silent vehicles currently available to us. Here "The Great Profile" invades Douglas Fairbanks territory and more than holds his own. There is so much to like about this film that it's hard to know where to begin. Aside from Barrymore's charismatic performance there is the American debut of Conrad Veidt. Just observe his body posture as Louis XI and you'll see what silent screen acting is all about. Then there is the opportunity to see Mack Swain away from Chaplin and Sennett. The sets by William Cameron Menzies are staggering and the camera work by Joseph August is among the finest in silent film. It was all brought together by Alan Crosland who is best remembered for directing THE JAZZ SINGER although this picture was much more typical of his style.

The print utilized for this DVD is taken from the Killiam Collection and is the same as the one issued by Image...

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Dark Night of the Scarecrow



Doesn't Get Any Better Then This!
So who says you need a huge budget, a lot of computer generated special effects, and super big names to make an excellent horror film?

I saw this originally back when it first aired on TV and have never forgotten it. The screenplay is superb; I believe even Stephen King could not have done any better. One is kept wondering throughout the film if a vengeful human--District Attorney, Bubba's mother, the little girl--might be exacting the justice that was denied in the courtroom. The ending shot is almost poetic in both its simplicity and what it confides to us. The director halts the film at that touching, if horrific moment, while the little girl's voice continues speaking to the Scarecrow as the credits roll. It doesn't get any better then this.

I have always found scarecrows to be unsettling at the least and a frightening parody of man at best. Curiously, its origins actually stem back into ancient pagan religions. Scarecrows actually do not scare crows,...

The BEST Made-For-TV Horror Movie!
I can't believe this gem of horror is finally being released on DVD. I'm glad VCI Entertainment stepped up to the plate on this one, just like they did when they released Gargoyles, which is another made-for-tv classic. Dark Night of the Scarecrow has everything going for it and then some. It's got actors who know how to act, spooky atmosphere, decent script, great kill scenes, and of course, a healthy dose of the supernatural.

I must've been around ten or eleven when I first watched this movie with my mom. We both loved it, especially Charles Durning's role as the town's mail carrier. The expressions on that guy's face are incredible. His performance alone really draws a person in. And Jocelyn Brando's performance as the mother is also amazing.

I hope that VCI does a great job on the transfer. I hope it's progressively scanned with a high bitrate without any noise reduction filters or edge enhancements. Also, I'd love to see blacks as deep as possible and colors...

Dark Night of the Scarecrow
Excellent movie that keeps you on the edge of your seat. I first saw it in 1981 and I still find it one of the best horror movies I've ever seen. The fact that you don't have to endure the usual bloody mess makes it easy to watch time and time again.

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Sunday, October 13, 2013

Girl On A Motorcycle



A Beautiful European "Easy Rider"
Imagine Diana Rigg joining "Easy Rider's" Dennis Hopper and Peter Fonda for a ride across France and Germany and you will have a pretty good idea what "Girl on a Motorcycle" looks like. Made one year before "Easy Rider"; this is an amazing 1960's road movie that includes hip camera angles, groovy music, a leather suit and a Harley Super Glide.

While low-budget, it is not a thrown together "B" Movie but a thoughtful existential trip inside the mind of a flawed character who happens to be a sexy woman. On close examination, what appears to be yet another fruitless examination of the mysteries of female discontent is really a more expansive study of the human condition. Rebecca, the main character, illustrates life as a process of choosing between comfortable security and the need for freedom and excitement; a daily struggle with guilt and its consequent self-destructiveness, and the seductive lure of risk. Motivations familiar to almost all serious motorcycle riders...

The World's Greatest Psychedelic Driver's Ed Film
Rather than suffer her 19th Nervous Breakdown disgruntled housewife Marianne Faithfull (pre-Tom Waits soundalike period) hits the European road gleefully bouncing her robust Brit bottom on her motorbike soon to be coupled with intense Eurohunk Alain Delon.
Our leather-clad goddess wistfully reflects and reminisces about her last year on earth with eye-zapping psychedelic effects. This film would actually play very well in a double-feature with the similarly wild film "Performance".
Note to Marianne: while grinding down the Autobahn on a motorbike at 95 miles an hour it's okay to flap your thighs and bounce your butt but by all means KEEP YOUR EYES OPEN!

She's Just Magical and Sparkling in this Role
Marianne Faithfull is a stunner in her role as discontented young newlywed.

The scenery is gorgeous and her beauty fits right along with it, as she rides from Switzerland to Germany, to see her lover played by Alain Delon, who gave her the bike as a "wedding gift".

He plays a manipulative, ungrateful, unappreciative professor interested in her "free love".

The hallucinatory scenes can be a bit bothersome, but on the whole there is meaning to this film and also the chance to see beautiful Ms Faithfull

fresh, young,so alive and so gorgeously sexy.

See it !

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Noobz



Hilarious
As someone who doesn't play that many video games, I still found everything very funny. There are plenty of inside video game jokes I was able to pick up on, but not too many where I was lost.

Funny as hell, Glad I bought it!
I've seen a ton of negative reviews about this movie, but honestly I thought it was amazing! Really really funny.

Best video game movie ever!
The title says it all. It's kind of a Kevin Smith(which I love)-esque type flick about gamers. The cast is awesome and the movie is ridiculous( in a good way). I had been anticipating it's release since I read about it last year. So glad I bought it. I'm not yanking your d**ks right now(you"ll understand after you watch it)!

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Milarepa



Excellent beyond measure
Let me start with what others have said with regards to the film's one drawback... it is part one of two. As enthralling and far better than expected as this film is, it disappointingly terminates midway through the story. The end of this movie is a logical breaking point, however, a breaking point all the same, leaving you wanting more.

That said, there is no reason to give this DVD anything less than 5 stars, because it could not be better than it is. Interestingly, most of the cast and crew are from a Buddhist monastery. You would never know until you read the credits at the end because there is nothing provincial or pedestrian about it. The acting, dialogue, special effects... everything for that matter, comes across as a very professional production.

There is considerable Buddhist "morality" conveyed as well, which is perfectly handled by the monks who made this film, but not in a heavy-handed way. In fact, one would need a Buddhist background to recognize...

Fascinating story of intrigue, betrayal, and revenge begins the life of famous Tibetan saint Milarepa
Filmed in the Spiti Valley on the Indian-Tibetan border, this award winning film tells the story of the first half of Milarepa's life (1052-1135), whose path to enlightenment began with revenge. A second movie is planned to complete the story.

When his well-to-do merchant father died, Milarepa's uncle and aunt took all the family's wealth, suddenly thrusting Milarepa and his mother into poverty. His mother plots revenge by sending Milarepa away to study sorcery. Milarepa comes back to the village and causes a violent lightning storm to kill many people.

When the villagers chase him, Milarepa causes large rocks to fall from a ridge blocking their way. As he escapes Milarepa meets an old monk, and learns of Buddha's teachings. Milarepa returns to his sorcery teacher, who advises him to study with Marpa. The film ends with Milarepa seeking Marpa.

The landscape is stark and beautiful. The special effects are quite well done - I especially liked the scene...

part 2?
great film. however, where is the part 2 of this movie? i thought it was released 2009 but still nothing!

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This Is My Life



Seeing Spots
You know when you are real little and your parent't want to shove a vegitable in your mouth, and you instantly reject it? Even if it makes it into your mouth you spit it out? Then after a time and you grow a little, vegitables aren't the big nasty monster's that your dad used to shove in your face? Well, that's the best way to describe this film from my point of view. I flipped through the channel's, stopped on the opening titles and kept on flipping. A second passed and I decided to flip back and give it a chance. What a rewarding decision that was. Julie Kavner won a place in my imagination with her portrayal of a nurse in Awakening's, my favorite film. She also does the voice of Marge Simpson. You get to see a performance that comes from the simpson side of her talent's as she plays a comedian and mother of two girls: Samantha Mathis, and Gabby Hoffman.(Both of these girls have since grown into blossoming careers) What I most enjoyed was the sincerity, and honesty as the girls deal...

Mother daughter must see!
This movie is a real down to earth, sweet and troubled look at REAL life.
I was looking for it on DVD to watch on Mother's day! But, sady it doesn't
exist. A loving film of a single mom's love for her two girls, her support
group of friends as in "it takes a village", the tenacity of children who are raised
with love not matter how crazy it looks on the outside. Love is the answer and
this film has a permenant place in my heart. I can't wait to share it with
my 9 year old... when I can find it...The Twelve Gifts of Birth - MUSIC

Lovely movie......sad that it doesn't have spanish subtitles !!!!!!!!!!!
this is a beautiful movie that have been waiting for 22 years to be released in dvd. Major disappointment that in doesn't have spanish subtitltles. My mother loves Carly Simon even though she doesn't fully understand the beautiful lyrics of her songs. But when my niece sang to her the theme of this movie when she was 5years old; she's. been hoping and asking me to get this movie. Finally I did......and still she cnnot enjoy it fully.....

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Police Patrol



Dumb movie
This is one of the most ridiculously stupid movies I have ever seen. Unfortunately, my 3 year old son absolutely loves it, and so I am forced to watch it on a very regular basis.

Really, this thing is the price of a studio movie??
Cute concept, but completely cheesy and not in a good way. Ridiculously overpriced, I can buy my kid a Disney movie for the same amount (or less) and have less annoying characters and better dialogue. The characters are whiny, and my kid was bored.

Exciting Boy Entertainment!
This movie is fun and action packed for about the 5 yr old set. Nice message about how to get along. It's got a good message

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The Cold Light Of Day



Not As Bad As These Reviewers Tell You ...!
OK, having seen this movie I know first hand that this movie is not as bad as it is made out to be by ALL the reviewers here on Amazon. I won't go over the plot and the actors, as they have been dug deeply into in the previous reviews. Instead, I shall tell you it like it truly is.

The movie, 'Cold Light Of Day' is a good, decent action movie. You get pulled in and it never lets you go. Why? Well, you just don't know who to trust and what is around any given corner. Sure Henry C. is made out to be a "super spy" instead of the stockbroker he seemingly is, but that's OK, as it truly doesn't deter you from watching the movie. My guess is this movie was made a couple of years ago before his upcoming blockbuster 'Superman - Man Of Steel' comes to our screens. Sometimes these kind of direct-to-DVD movies sit on shelves for ages until one of the leads becomes famous. (Take, for instance, 'Cabin In The Woods' with Chris Hemsworth, filmed in 2009 and released this year due to...

(2.5 STARS) "Frantic in Madrid": OK Thriller from the Director of "JCVD"
Henry Cavill (Theseus of Tarsem Singh-directed epic "Immortals") plays a young American businessman Will, who has just arrived in Spain to meet his family. While out on a yacht with his father Martin (Bruce Willis), mother Laurie (Caroline Goodall), young brother Josh (Rafi Gavron) and Josh's fiancée Dara (Emma Hamilton), Will makes a mistake and one of them gets injured. To buy a medicine, Will goes on shore alone, but when Will comes back, he finds everyone on the boat has disappeared.

"The Cold Light of Day" starts promisingly, and then it slowly loses momentum through a whole heap of cliché. Without revealing too much about the story, the US-Spanish thriller is about an American on foreign soil, who gets involved in a web of intrigue.

The film's basic idea (a bit sounds like "Frantic") is not bad. The problem is its poor execution. In short, the film has no style. Characters, storytelling, acting and action set-pieces - everything in the film is...

Wonderful!
I saw this movie at the theater and was waiting on it to come out on DVD. Love the action and actors.

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Batman Returns



The Dark Knight Returns
Batman Returns is very much a Tim Burton film. It is a stranger and darker film than Batman, netherless it is a striking film on several levels.

Michael Keaton returns as the stoic and haunted Dark Knight. Danny DeVito is Oswald Cobblepot aka The Penguin. In the comic book he's a short rotund man who has an affinity for birds and umbrellas. The character is reinvented here. Born grotesquely disfigured, as an infant, he's cast into the river where he's brought up in a criminal circus gang that lives underground in an abandoned Zoo. Michelle Pfeffer is Selina Kyle aka Catwoman, a beautiful yet mousy secretary who's been pushed too far (of a window) and is out for some serious payback.

These three disturbed characters make this Batman film more adult oriented than the first one. DeVito's Penguin is a tragic figure but is very evil and is looking to strike back at Gotham City any way he can. The grotesque make-up is impressive and DeVito delivers a powerful performance...

A dark and totally wicked classic.
The Dark Knight Bruce Wayne/Batman makes a roaring return in the second outing in the legendary Batman trilogy in a darker & much colder undertone with the mysterious hero now up against two menacing villains. One is a corrupt company CEO named Max Schrek (Christopher Walken) and the other is a deformed murderer named Oswald Cobblepot aka Penguin. A third rival character in this movie is difficult to categorize as a villain or a hero. That is the twisted seductive Catwoman (Michelle Pfeiffer). Although I don't categorize her as a dangerous murderess, it's very difficult to really say if she's truly a villainess but it's easy to say that she isn't exactly the light at the end of the tunnel in terms of heroism but on the other hand, she's an extremely complex character whose eccentric personality renders one unable to help but really pay a lot of attention to her.

The movie begins in the cold snowy & remote stretches of a haunted mansion somewhere I'm guessing in upper New York state...

Stands the test of time
I recently acquired Batman Returns on Blu-Ray, having not seen the film in a very long time, but always remembering that I liked it better than the original Batman (1989). The first thing that stands out about this movie is how visually stunning it is, and this is all done, for the most part, with sets, miniatures, costumes, and lighting, without relying on the crutch of CGI. Regarding costumes, Keaton's Batman, in particular, looks much sleeker and elegant in this one, compared to the original, and Michele Pfeiffer's Catwoman absolutely lights up the screen in skin-tight shiny black. Of course, Danny Devito's Penguin is made up to be absolutely repulsive and pitiful, but it is, in my opinion, an effective portrayal of Penguin as a horrible little monster. Bo Welch's production design and the cinematography is very sleek and sharp looking, and, although still dark in its hue, the picture is much more crystalline and less murky than the original. In 1080p Hi-Def, Batman Returns...

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1998 NCAA(r) Division I Men's Wrestling Championship



no sound
there was no sound on the dvd i liked the wrestling action but no sound i kinda want a refund





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Local Boys



What DVD does best
"Local Boys" is a perfect example of what DVD does best: providing a showcase for a minor-league delight that had no chance at a big-screen release but deserves more than to be dumped on cable TV for just a few lucky insomniacs to catch on the late show. In short, it is a small gem of a film with a fine cast and promising director that tells a familiar, though moving and involving story. It also showcases a pair of promising young actors who appear on the brink of stardom and gives a couple of solid pros (and former "Chicago Hope" costars) a chance to stretch their acting chops and exhibit their own undeniable chemistry. And it may be the first surfing movie I have ever seen that actually deals with the teen surfing crowd in a realistic and non-exploitative manner by making its kids more than just brain-dead stoners obsessed with riding waves that would kill the world's best surfers.

Eric Christian Olsen and Jeremy Sumpter star as Randy and Skeet, brothers...

local boys
from start to finish this movie was excellent. Jeremy Sumpter was best actor thru the entire movie, all others had a good supporting role and the story line was great thru-out the movie. Very good surfing movie. Mark Harmon was a great dad in the end of the movie. A very good ending. Great family move to watch over and over. Make you dream of your child hood dreams. this movie is totaly awesome, A MUST SEE!!!!!

Not a masterpiece, but enjoyed it anyway
The story is predictable, the writing sophomoric. Yet I still managed to enjoy it, and I appreciated the performances given by Mark Harmon and especially Jeremy Sumpter as "Skeet". Jeremy is an amazing young actor (check him out in "Frailty" if you haven't already) who brings a natural charm to his character -- he never seems forced or phony. Might even bring a tear to your eye in a couple scenes <sniff>. ;) Mark Harmon is quite the pro at this kind of thing and a pleasure to watch. Same for most of the rest of the cast. As I said, this is not a masterpiece, but it's an OK little surf-oriented movie with nice cinematography and music, and a decent enough story to hold my interest.

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