An Irish Vampire In Hollywood

inside its strange world
Amazing, spell-binding. Mysterious. Like The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari, this film brings you inside its strange world of reality and doesn't let you go. It's campy. Original and perfect. Millicent Borges Accardi

White Hot Magic
Philomene Long is absolutely mesmerizing. The film smolders with irresistable pathos and sensual tension. This is a unigue offering beyond genre. Excellent film making. Destined to become a classic.

A magical film
The best movie since the Lumairre brothers! They saw the magic that can be done with film and so does Pegarty Long. Her film is magical! This is a film with magic and vampires. A must see film.
Benjamin.

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Laverne & Shirley: The Sixth Season

Were off to Hollywood!
This is season 6 and this is when they all go to California. I am suprised that they are releasing this season-I thought they would stop at Season 5(their best season in my opinion). With that being said I am very glad they are releasing this and hopefully the last 2 seasons too(the last season was only Laverne-the worst season but would still buy to complete my collection).

This season did have its moments like the motel trial, the earthquake and the best is their break-in at Bartwells(I think that is whhere they worked).

I loved this silly show when it was on the air. Thanks for releasing-already preordered!

From Milwaukee to Hollywood--They're Gonna Do It
I honestly thought after Season 5 of "Laverne and Shirley" was released--the last season to be set in Milwaukee--we'd seen the last of this show on DVD. But lo and behold, CBS has seen fit to bless us with the 6th season which chronicles the girls' Lucy Show-esque move to the West Coast affording plenty of opportunity for star-gazing and crazy schemes to break into show biz.

All twenty-two episodes that aired on ABC during the 1980-81 season are here, which introduce two new characters that come with the girls' new digs. Hunky apartment manager/stuntman Sonny (Ed Marinaro) proves to be competition for Carmine as the two often try to out-macho one another; and self-centred, buxom blonde neighbour Rhonda (Leslie Easterbrook) wraps drooling Lenny and Squiggy around her little finger as easily as she irritates Laverne and Shirley. Frank and Edna come along for the ride and open a new cowboy-themed restaurant.

Although the physical comedy bits aren't as memorable as...

ATTENTION! ATTENTION! MISSING FOOTAGE!
Everyone please tune in to disc 2, the Malibu Mansion episode!! The entire middle of the episode has been cut out of the DVD release! Get on the phone Paramount or CBS DVD right away so we can fix this issue!

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200 Cigarettes

Rated on the fun factor, but not a GREAT film
I had to give this one 4 stars just because it is so fun. It is deeply flawed at points and as deep as a puddle, yet it is funny and still has some moving moments. The nostalgia factor works as well if you were out and about at the time. Affleck comes across a big dope, but that's okay (cuz I think he is). Ricci is great - why is she so underutilized? That girl has a power in her. Rudd is the sweet sort of everyman good guy and it suits him well. Love is, well, actually ... good here. I liked her and I felt for her character. Hudson is very, very funny, particularly in her scenes with Jay Mohr - they have great chemistry. Garoffalo is the best in a tart-tounged smaller part. Definitely worth a spin for an easy-on-the-eyes comedy.

Best line, Garoffalo in a moving cab trying to light a cigarette: These matches are disappointing me!

HAPPY NEW YEARZ!
A little slow getting started, but hey, I loved this movie! Hearing Christina Ricci's accent at the begginning of the film threw me off a bit. But all the characters in 200 cigarrettes transformed into highly adorable, funky, quirky, 80's type personalities, (pause!), cool people on a mission to party like it's 1999. There! I said it! I especially liked Martha Plimpton's character. I was feeling so worried when no one was showing up for her party.

This film is an engaging look at one night in NYC, (actually filmed in "real time" I'm assuming). It carries you along on this seemingly ill-fated New Years Eve, where everyone has got love on the brain. Primary mission: find someone special to share New Years Eve with. Who can't relate to that?! With the Millineum coming up close, this is a perfect movie to get into the spirit of things. And if you don't have that someone special in your arms that night, watch this movie. It makes perfect company.

An enjoyable dissection of one night in 1980's SoHo
A very funny and insightful examination of young adults all looking for love, happiness and meaning. The film takes place on new year's eve, 1981, and follows many different young people who somehow all eventually end up at the same party (which the hostess later wakes up to find she slept through.) Elvis Costello makes a cameo and provides a running joke in the last third. The soundtrack is great--all late 70's early 80's pop and new wave. And the one who steals the show is Dave Chappelle as the cab driver who manages to give a ride to practically every character at some point, dispensing equally silly and profound wisdom along the way, on everything from friendship and destiny to life before an afro and how to "get booty." (smiling at a girl is very important, as is avoiding talking about death--"Everyone knows they're gonna die someday, they just don't want to hear it from you.") Ben Affleck is very amusing as a clueless suitor. Oh, and Courtney Love was actually bearable. All in...

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Bassmasters: The Complete 2012 DVD Collection

FANTASTIC
Have to say smooth transaction. This is everything I expected. Fantastic coverage and husband loves it.....Nice product. Great pricing for the whole set....

Yeah baby..
I preordered this dvd as we don't get to see the Bassmasters here in Australia so it great to be able to buy the 2012 series on dvd & finally watch it after a few years of ESPN dropping it off cable in Oz.



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Neighboring Sounds

Brazilian Drama that deals with class, crime and insecurity.
This is the debut feature length film from Brazilian film maker Kleber Mendon

Devil

The Devil gets his due
People trapped in an elevator...with Satan! Does it get anymore freaky than that? M. Night Shyamalan conjoured up a suspenseful premise and let Director John Dowdle (Quarantine, Poughkeepsie Tapes) dance with the Devil. The result is a simple but effective thriller that is sure to horrify.

An unsettling suicide in the City of Brotherly Love seems to open the gates (or elevator shaft) for The Dark Lord to impose his will on a group of sinners. Police are baffled as they watch from the outside, trying to identify the culprit for these brutal crimes as they occur.

Is Hollywood finally discovering that less is indeed more? Don't be expecting lots of action here--it's a slow burner, taking place almost entirely in one confiscated setting. It's not especially gruesome either, but it's sure to butcher your brain trying to pinpoint the murderer. Many of the kills happen quickly when the lights conveniently flicker.

DEVIL is very well written and acted...

Floor Six: Fine Characters and Good Plots...going up!!
M. Night's Back in the game in his tale of evil whacking the passengers of Elevator Six of a Philadelphia high rise building.

Beginning with the mysterious suidicde from the 35th floor, Detective Bowden (Julie and Julia's Chris Messina) is dragooned to become a sinister force's latest audience as it picks off an ecclectic passengers of express elevator six and to defining the metaphysics of evil after his family's killing at the hands of a hit-and-run driver.

From the disorienting opening sequence to the final narration by Jacob Vargas' Ramirez, M. Night continues to bring his audience through the screen to his world with clarity and stregnth reminding us why we go to the movies. Devil's plot races forward like a controlled explosion, never boring the audience (which, when I saw it, was me.) And while the tale may seem tired, the presentation was not.

I enjoyed Mr. Messina and the Elevator Cast's performances. The terror for the passengers is felt...

Not Too Bad
So far, I've liked all of Night's movies so I went into this one expecting some of his trademarks. The plot twist at the end was the big Kahuna, and in this movie, it was there, but I'm sure there were plenty of people who had it all figured from the opening scene. I didn't because I don't try to look that far ahead. I'd rather have the story carry me there. In this case, I was at first surprised, but not shocked after I thought about it. I don't know if that's a bad thing, but it was nothing like the surprises of his earlier work. Maybe because there is expected to be a plot twist, no matter what he does, it is no longer a surprise.

The movie has a decent if unknown cast and takes place in Night's hometown of Philadelphia. I'm guessing the building used doesn't really exist, but either way, the structure looked good.

For anyone with a phobia about being trapped in an elevator, this takes things to the next level with the uninvited guest. During the whole movie,...

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True Blood: The Complete Fifth Season (Blu-ray/DVD Combo + Digital Copy)

Season Five is Fantastic!
The Bon Temps gang returns for the fifth season of HBO's "True Blood". I am a colossal fan of the show, having seen every episode since the pilot. Like every show, "True Blood" has had a few ups and downs in terms of writing. Seasons one and two were the show at its best, in my opinion. Season three was a lot of fun, but suffered from cluttered storylines and tonal problems. But, season four -- although it still can't top season one or two -- was a solid return to form (and I can't understand the bashing it regularly receives on here from other fans).

So, how does season five compare? I found this year to be even better than the last; the most compelling reason for this is the fundamental shaking up of all things comfortable and familiar on the show. All of the close relationships have been compromised or changed or they've grown apart: Sookie/Bill/Eric, Sookie/Tara, Pam/Eric, Jason/Hoyt, Tara/Lafayette, etc. This was the year of the Break Up (friendships as well as...

Starting to Lose Interest
I've been a fan of True Blood since the beginning, but this past season has begun to test my loyalty. The seasonal villain is too far-fetched. I know the characters are vampires, but it would be nice to see even one of them maintain a successful relationship. If this keeps up, we're going to need a flow chart just to keep up with who is sleeping with whom and who is now a vampire and who is still human. I still have hopes for the new season, but I'm only cautiously optimistic.

Gotten Out of Hand
I've read the books, and this season is totally out of control. I still like the series though (go Eric!), but I think this season is totally antithetical to the books. On one hand, it's the unexpected that makes for great TV. On the other hand, I wonder if the show is lacking the author's original intent. Without giving too much away, I'm looking forward to season six, but I'm wondering if this season's finale dug the show into a hole that it just can't get out of. No one who's read the books can envision Bill as the bad guy.

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Petrified Forest [Blu-ray]

Top Of The World Warner Brothers
Who can argue that this isn't the greatest collection of classic gangster films ever made?

If you need more proof about how good these are, I have 3 sources that rated these films BEFORE they were released to DVD.

Leonard Maltin (represented by LM, his highest rating is 4 stars),Nick Martin & Marsha Porter (authers of DVD & Video guide - represented by DVDG), and All Movie Guide (Represented by AMG).

Let's go Chronologically:

Little Caesar: LM- 3 1/2; DVDG - 3; AMG - 5

The Public Enemy: LM - 3 1/2; DVDG - 4 1/2; AMG - 5

The Petrified Forest: LM 3 1/2; DVDG - 4 1/2; AMG - 4

Angels With Dirty Faces: LM - 3 1/2; DVDG - 4 1/2; AMG - 4 1/2

The Roaring Twenties: LM - 3; DVDG - 4 1/2; AMG - 4 1/2

White Heat: LM - 3 1/2; DVDG - 4 1/2; AMG - 5

If you really look at the ratings (and consider that Maltin uses a 4 star rating system (as opposed to a 5 star)),you will see that the...

The End of the Road
I've had the advantage of seeing The Petrified Forest as a movie and on stage. Taking into account the fact that the stage production I saw wasn't the greatest, I still think that the movie version captured the story better. The story is dated and clearly belongs in the time period it was made, but that works in the film. The performances also work. Leslie Howard, sort of a forgotten Thirties' star these days, manages to make some difficult dialogue play well. Humphrey Bogart, in an early role as the young gangster, makes his character an interesting and sympathetic figure, despite not having many moments to really develop the character with dialogue. Bette Davis brings a lot of conviction to her role as the young, full of ideas waitress that Howard falls in love with. The Petrified Forest is a hostage drama, but it's more than that. It looks at life, growth, love, and disillusionment. It presents a nice contrast of characters, since Howard and Bogart are both at...

Warner's top-tier gangster movie properties
It's interesting to compare the three stars of these movies - Edward G. Robinson, James Cagney, and Humphrey Bogart - and their styles in each of these movies. "Little Caesar" and "Public Enemy" were made when prohibition was still in effect and gangland crime was still a big problem. Thus Robinson and Cagney each play remorseless criminals with no redeeming values whatsoever. Robinson's Rico is less physical than Cagney's Tom Powers, though. You believe that either one of them would shoot you without a second thought. However, Cagney's Powers is scarier because the real fear is that he would beat you to a pulp for the fun of it and THEN shoot you.

"The Petrified Forest" is not your typical gangster film, with Leslie Howard's vagabond being the real star in what amounts to an improbable romance set against the backdrop of the desperation of the Great Depression which the desert setting seems to signify. This 1936 film has Bogart as Duke Mantee, a gangster on the run, in...

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Golden Child

Great Murphy flick
Murphy was so popular before this flick came out, somebody wrote at the time, that he could survive if it flopped. "Golden Child" was a commercial disappointment and it did hurt him. To this day, I don't know why.

Murphy is Chandler Jerroll - an LA-based PI with a flip attitude on anything. He's a hero of the city of angels, but he's no angel himself. In short, he is the "chosen one", the foretold hero destined to save the "golden child" from evil. While Jerroll searches LA for lost children, the enchanted golden child rises in spiritual purity in a snowy monastery in the Himalayas. The wicked forces of Sardo Numspar (Charles Dance) invade the monastery and, after overrunning the monks, spirit the boy away in a cage. The boy, it turns out, is one of a line of divine lamas upon whom the world rests, and whom evil must destroy. Dark Forces had already claimed other golden children. With the loss of the "bringer of justice", the death of another golden child will plunge the...

Comic Adventure
"The Golden Child" is an interesting, fun and action packed comic/adventure with a touch of horror where Jarrel (Eddie Murphy) stars as the Chosen One. In this role, he has the "onerous" responsibility of finding the "Golden Child". The Golden Child is a Buddhist child with supernatural powers who was kidnapped by some evil villains and sorcerers. I first saw this film in the late 1980s and I loved it. I still enjoy watching it to this day, particularly the sarcastic humour typical of Eddie Murphy.

Eddie Murphy plays the reluctant hero, having been thrust into an unnatural and supernatural world of sorcery and mysticism. The Golden child, who is one in a line of divine Lamas and upon his compassion and grace the fate of the world rests, is a delightful and charming kid. The lady who identifies Eddie Murphy as the Chosen One is cute. Charles Dance, who plays as the wicked "Sardun Numspa", performs his role with expertise.

In this film, Eddie Murphy looks more...

Eddie Murphy at his best and brightest. A True Classic
I am very happy to see my fellow Reveiwers totally disregarding everything that Leonard Maltin (and other nitwit critics who wouldn't know entertainment if it bit them on the ...) said and spoke the truth about this classic comedy. This is Eddies best film (followed closely by coming to America and Beverly hills cop) and I beleive it will stay in that position for many years to come.

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Evolution

Great Ride!
This is one of the few movies where the characters all endear themselves to the audience. There is a feel to the movie that makes you want to drive to Arizona and hang out with these guys. One of my favorite feel-good movies.

simply hilarious
The movie starts out with some cool aliens and outrageous silly action and evolving into funny movie the whole family can watch with only a few adult jokes.

Old Favorite
This was one of the movies that I LOVED while growing up. It would play on HBO, I think it was, nonstop, and I watched every showing. Sometimes when you love a movie as a child, seeing it as an adult turns out to be disappointing. This is still a really good movie. Great effects, actors, and script.

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Last Castle

Last Castle
My son wanted this movie and I wasn't going to watch it ,however he said "mom trust me you will like it." He was right...I thought it was fantastic and wondered why I never heard of it....It's a good film with a great cast....It will not disappoint folks who enjoy films in this category.

Last Castle
It was a great DVD to watch, it was over before I knew itg. Great drama, great acting, great story line and special effects was not cheesey



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Original Kings of Comedy

Sickeningly Hilarious!
This film captures stand-up performances from comedians Steve Harvey, D.L. Hughley, Cedric The Entertainer and Bernie Mac, and is a non-stop laugh-fest in the highest sense of the term. This review is not going to be a very long one - to be rather honest. The humor, of course, revolves around many taboo subjects like racial stereotypes, sex, religion and other things - if you are easily offended by any of these things, I suggest you avoid this film like the plague, because it is no holds barred! A few of the many hilarious scenes that I consider personal favorites from each comedian:

(1). Steve Harvey does a pretty good job of mocking the characters in the Titanic film who choose to keep playing their violins amidst a major catastrophe. He later goes into detail about why he prefers "old-school" music; particularly old-school R&B, over the hip-hop and rap trends that seem to be preferred by the modern generation. He does an effective job of lambasting rappers, and is absolutely...

A refreshingly light-hearted experience
I'm going to start the review off with the obvious: this is not a movie, but rather a documentary on the Kings Of Comedy Tour. In other words, a stand-up comedy film. You're probably reading this and wondering "why would anybody sell a collection of comedy skits as a full-length feature film?" See the movie and you'll understand. While no doubt suited for television viewing (partly because they're all on BET), the experience in the theatre gives an overall impression of being there, actually watching Steve Harvey, DL Hughley, Cedric the Entertainer and Bernie Mac toss their routines live. As for the performers themselves, some of them are downright hilarious - I particularly like Steve Harvey and, of course Bernie Mac - while DL Hughley is kinda so-so, spending most of the time talking about panties and dissing audience members. But even the weaker performances survive because the performers are energetic and bristling with enthusiasm. This ends up making the material...

Simply put: THE BEST
As you might have read from other reviews, this is not a movie rather than a stand up comedy film. I dare anyone to watch this and not find it funny. If you don't laugh, then you don't have a sense of humor at all. The show is about the concert tour of the same title that was the 2nd highest grossing tour of the year. Steve Harvey is the MC and provides his own touches of brillance throughout the show. His ability to relate to people on all walks of life is evident from the moment he takes the stage. He warms up the crowd for each comedian but the crowd doesn't need it, since you barely regain control from laughing so hard from the last joke you heard. D.L. Hughley is great in this, although I, personally, think that his set could have been alittle better. I had just seen his last comedy special before the movie, so I was alittle jaded. Next is Cedric the Entertainer. The man is awesome. The way the he accents his jokes with phyiscal style is brillant. To top off the show...

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Common Senses

solid Dogma pic
very solid dogma style picture, multiple directors give you separate takes on the real world as we see it at street level, definitely a solid watch for a film buff who enjoys life and European style cinema.

A Chicago improv film that delves into the art...
This is a Chicago independent at heart, containing five chapters of grit, loss and possible redemption. There is a mix of five directors, writers and cameramen all vying for a chance in having their individual improv skits meshing together into believable minimalism. Putting aside the bad sound, out of focus hand held cameras, and an unbelievable chain of events involving a missing child, there are some decent performances with a few harsh scenes.

The five chapters of the film all showcase different parts of the city during both day and night. Which makes this enjoyable for the fans in the Chicago art world, but outside of that the film presents nothing too attractive in being appealing to the outside world. The two lead characters are played by local actors, but their roles make for people you find hard to care about - including the guy who prostitutes himself out for pedophiles and paid self gratification. Our lead gal has internal conflicts about this missing child she...



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Beautiful Creatures [HD]

Glad I didn't read the books....because the movie is very good
Personally I can't stand the 1 star "I read the book first and the movie sucked" crowd. Get over it. Movies cannot flow like books and keep a audience's attention, and they certainly cannot do books justice in the time frame given. I guess if you read something and a movie comes out about it either get over the fact it will not do the book justice, or don't go see it. Either way spare us of your negative, biased, and unwarranted reviews.

The story is original, and it is not just another Twilight. I have a wife and daughter who love the Twilight thing and I was forced to watch every one of them against my will. I would take this story over those any day.

So for you who have not read the books.....watch the movie with an open mind and enjoy.

I'm glad i didn't read the book.
I'm a 31 year old avid reader. I loved Harry Potter, Twilight, Mortal Instruments, and Hunger Games all which became movies. Movies never live up to the novels, yet usually I still enjoy seeing how the books are adapted even if the acting is poor or some of my favorite parts have to be cut. Seeing the rating of this movie almost kept me from renting it, but then I read the reviews. Almost all of the bad reviews were people who were disappointed it didn't keep with the original story line. Well I never read the book, so I didn't know what I was missing. I was captivated beginning to end. Yes, I did notice a bad southern accent at the beginning, which I probably wouldn't have noticed if another review hadn't pointed that out. And yes there is a scene where she pours tea and obviously nothing comes out of the pot and the cup is empty. But I only noticed those things because I was looking for them based on other reviews. Within 10 minutes I had forgotten the reviews and didn't notice any...

Enjoyable
As soon as I saw the trailer I bought the book and I fell in love with it. Of course the movie was completely different from the book but the movie was still good. I loved it it was enjoyable and entertaining

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Struck By Lightning

Witty and Heartfelt
A coming-of-age movie for all ages, Struck by Lightning is filled with dry humor and a message for anyone who watches it. Carson Phillips makes for a dynamic, morally ambiguous main character whose story strikes as realistic, emotional, and ultimately uplifting for a boy caught in a small town with little hope of escape. The supporting characters are just as fascinating, from Rebel Wilson's portrayal of Malerie, the high school student who records everything on tape, to Allison Janney's heartbreaking rendition of a struggling single mother trying to cope with depression and anxiety while raising her son. Heartfelt and filled with intertwining storylines that combine to a greater picture that is far larger than the sum of its parts, Struck by Lightning is the perfect film for anyone who has ever felt a little ostracized, a little hopeless, a little too small for their dreams.

Amazing.
I've been waiting... I don't even know how long anymore to see this movie, and I'm so glad I finally have been able to see it. Chris Colfer did a flawless job, and I highly suggest you watch this movie. Right now. Click rent. You won't regret it, I promise.

Struck By Lightning (non-spoilery review)
This movie was written by and stars Chris Colfer, best known as Kurt from "Glee." It is an absorbing study of an overachiever and how - whether or not you want it to - the way we live our life, our choices, our decisions and our drive effect the others around us in both positive and negative ways. The acting in this movie is stellar, filled with both present and future stars (Rebel Wilson for one, filmed a year before she exploded) and the writing keeps you engaged from the first (literally shocking) first minutes until the end of the movie. I highly recommend this movie, for the smiles and for the moments that make you wince and for the way it makes you feel when it is over. Overachievers - they rock.

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It's Not Goodbye... [HD]

Interesting!
I have only watched one episode as of now but interesting and wanting to learn more. I am excited to hear about Chad's life.

Compassion
An excellent, timely and compassionate portrayal of 3 very different lives, all bound together by life's challenges. Andrew has done a public service, particularly for those who love someone with Autism. April is Autism Awareness Month-share it with someone on the spectrum.

Great show, worth your time
I love this show, its amazing and what Jenks does, and the people he follows, is amazing. Showing the life and struggles of these people is great to watch, everyone should watch this show!

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Parker

NOBODY LIKES CHAOS
Jason Statham plays Parker, a thief and sometimes killer with his own set of ethics. After he is double crossed and left for dead, he decides to go after the clowns that did him wrong. But ZOIKS! The really bad guys have major Chicago gangster connections. He is advised against the action by his silent partner Nick Nolte, whose daughter (Emma Booth) Jason has a relationship.

On the trail of the bad guys, Parker uses Leslie (Jennifer Lopez) a down on her luck, cut throat, high end real estate agent, who also likes to play amateur detective. Parker is resilient as bullets, knives, jumping out of a moving vehicle, and broken ribs only slows him down a step. Classic Statham "performance" for better or worse.

I don't need to mention the no surprise ending. It's a Statham film. The fun part is the tough guy getting us there.

Parental guide: occasional F-bomb. No sex or nudity. Jennifer Lopez bra/panties. Jason and Emma in shower together with discreet camera...

...just keeps on ticking...
Here we have a professional thief with a code of ethics, left for dead by his colleagues (minus his share of the take), and now he's MAD. (It's not the money, it's the principal!) This is a series of heists, each one planned to the nth degree and carried out with cold-blooded precision.

This R-rated thriller only pauses occasionally to introduce another character and maybe have a few laughs. We dash from a state fair (where our hero is a priest!), to Florida where he poses as a wealthy Ecuadorean-born Texan. You're gonna have to trust me on that! There are also some nice scenes with a farm couple and with a hospital patient.

We see:
* Jason Statham ("Safe") Guess who plays the title role? Yup. He is beaten, shot, stabbed, and choked, but this dependable old Timex just keeps on ticking...
* Jennifer Lopez ("The Back-up Plan") seems to be in this just to provide occasional squeals of fear, tears of frustration over her recent divorce and groans of...

Great Action Drama
Love films with Jason Stratham,he does a great job in this film.The story of getting revenge of his former partners in crime who tried to kill him and getting the big score in a jewelry heist with the help of Jennifer Lopez who also does a great job in this film.It has been awhile since we seen Jennifer in a Action drama/Crime drama like her days in "Out of Sight" & "U Turn" that prove Jennifer is a great actor,it was refreshing to see her in this film and back to great acting.Although there is Action in film,there is also drama to help characters develope and you get to feel more of who the characters are,rather than Non Stop Action.Good film and fun to watch.

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Beyond Borders

Good Movie, Weak Focus
BEYOND BORDERS doesn't seem to know where it is going as a movie: an international love affair, a poster film for the courage of the human soul, a documentary, a promotional film for Angelina Jolie's laudable contributions to global charity, a study of the mismanagement of fundraising and fund disbursement for the victims of famine, starvation and war around the globe, etc etc. If you can get past the need to hone in on a single concept then there is plenty to like about this movie. For once Jolie is able to play a woman obsessed with aiding the unfortunate instead of towering above all others as a fictive comic book character. And there are truly fine performances by Clive Owen (wholly commited to his role as a physician for the masses), Linus Roache, Teri Polo, and Noah Emmerich and of course minor roles played with aplomb by actors from the various locales needing aid - Ethiopia, Cambodia, Chechnya etc. This film has the appearance of a Blockbuster in style and execution, but...

This movie explains why Angelina Jolie is a Great Humanitarian today.
I underestimated this movie when I first picked it up. The first 5 minutes blew me away. This is obviously the kind of movie that makes you realize how much you take for granted. I can grab my keys and bank card, drive 5 minutes to the store and buy food, drinks and snacks. When I think about hard it is for those people; dying all the time, weak, fragile, depressed, etc... it rips right into the soul

Let's face it - we go to the cinemas to forget our problems and not be reminded of them which is precisely the reason why movies like these don't make any money but others do. Most movies about injustice and persecution always have the good guys win in the end but this movie doesn't. In fact, we're introduced to the startling reality of the lives of volunteer workers and what they have to go through with all their good intentions in place. We are also introduced and/or reminded of the ugly side of humanity as to why certain countries will never be able to have peace because...

A very moving picture.
Before I say my praises, I will advise for anyone who enjoys not having their movie spoiled, not to read a review by BANANAGURL, who totally spoils it by giving away the ending!

Anyways, I found this to be more of a heart moving, touching movie, than a love story with a war/refugee backdrop. It made me realise and appreciate all that I have in my life. The warmth, safety, food and cleanliess, that 50 million people, such as those portrayed in the movie lack.

This wasnt a boring, draggin-on movie, but a moving drama, that really shows the raw and deep pain of human suffering that goes on, out of peoples minds and awarenss. Hunger and pain, spreads through those people like a great colossos of doom. Great perforamnce from Angelina, and Cliwe. I'm very glad I got a chance to experience this visually moving project.

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White Heat [Blu-ray]

James Cagney as a Disturbed Gangster & Noir Protagonist.
"White Heat" is unusual in that it is a genre film that is also widely considered to be film noir. It's immistakably a gangster film, yet it deviates from the conventions of that genre in that its main character, Cody Jarrett, is complex and introverted enough to be a noir protagonist. "White Heat" was masterfully directed by Raoul Walsh and features James Cagney in one of this most memorable gangster roles. Treasury Department investigator Philip Evans (John Archer) is hot on the trail of the notorious criminal Cody Jarrett (James Cagney) after the Jarrett gang has robbed a mail train, killing several people and making off with a substantial sum. In order to guarantee himself immunity from the multiple murder charge, Cody confesses to an out-of-state robbery that took place at the same time, for which he receives a couple of years in prison. But the Feds are wise to his scheme and place an undercover agent (Edmond O'Brien) in the cell with Cody, hoping to learn the identity of the...

the film that ended the 40's with a bang.
I have seen White Heat numerous times and it never flags or fails. It's the swan song of Warner Brothers gangster films and is one of the wildest rides you can imagine. It's a heist film, with a twist and it comes in the form of a gangster so bent, so over the top, that no one has come close to it.No one is stupid enough to try. James Cagney plays Cody Jarrett, a ruthless gangster,killer,strong arm robber and mama's boy. His work is so compelling, so overwhelming and vicious that it stunned viewers in 1949 and followed Cagney for the rest of his career. Cagney loathed the success of the role, fearing that it overshadowed all of his other screen performances, which it did, for its successful portrayal of a lunatic force of nature. Cagney was an actor who could and did anything. Gangsters, screwball comedies, dramas, musicals, westerns, war films, and Shakespeare. To be typed as an insane killer, who could shoot trapped henchmen in a car trunk while munching on a chicken...

A PENETRATING FLASH POINT OF DIABOLICAL EXCITEMENT!
The intense character study of criminal insanity in Raoul Walsh's "White Heat" (1949) is most likely the other great Cagney performance that has endured the test of time in Warner's gangster genre. Cagney plays the psychotic and sadistic Arthur 'Cody' Jarrett, a ruthless gang leader with a penchant for deriving pleasure from the affliction of pain. Plagued by torturous headaches and a mother fixation with Freud written all over it, Cody revels in murdering his wounded accomplice during a jail break. Cody's 'ma' (Margaret Whycherly) has allowed herself the luxury to forget that she's given birth to the criminal anti-Christ. Meanwhile, Cody's wife, Verna (Virginia Mayo) flaunts her sexuality to every man she meets while enduring the brutality and neglect of her unstable husband. This, of course, ends badly for all concerned. The plot thickens when a henchman plots an 'accident' for Cody, that is foiled when an undercover cop, Vic Pardo (Edmund O'Brien) inflitrates the gang. The finale...

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Come Undone

I have to do this ... (Major Spoiler Ahead)
It is never my style to defend a movie just because people disagree with me. Yet looking through all the comments that slam the movie for having no plot, and even those who like the movie are unable to provide any solid reasons other than the encrypted deeply moving or honest, I feel the need to give my two sense. So bear with me.

Let me first say that I don't think Presque Rien is the best gay movie ever made. Looking at the cover with two naked young guys, I expect it will offer little more than "tasteful" eye candy. But I came away feeling this is a lot better than I expect, and for the exact reason so many other complain about, the plot.

The story unfolds with Mathieu, after suffering from depression; revisit his family summerhouse to pull his life together. It is the same place where two summers ago he met his first boyfriend, someone he just broke up with. Upon arriving, Mathieu pick up a wild cat that's roaming on the street. In the flashback, when Mathieu arrives his...

OPEN YOUR MIND
I think some of the reviewers of this film were too busy waiting for nudity,sex scenes, and simple exposition. This is NOT the french version of "Beautiful Thing" or a soft core romance novel type movie. It is challenging only because it moves away from the "coming out" or "cute boy" genres of gay cinema.
All the characters are realized wonderfully with a minimum of dialogue. The use of silence is a tool that makes you focus your mind and ask questions of the movie. Nothing is pat.
This is a movie that treats it characters (and the audience) with a respect one rarely sees in gay themed movies (one need only compare this movie with simplistic dreck like "The Broken Hearts Club" to understand the difference between respecting your audience versus pandering to it).
This film makes you focus on a young man who is dealing not just with his nascent homosexuality but also serious family issues and a lack of direction in his own life. All these things add to a well-thought...

This is Real Life!
This movie left me bewildered and thrilled at the same time. I can't stop thinking about it ever since; about these two characters, and about this magical thing that happens to them at a key point of their emotional development. I felt much sorrow and I was very deeply moved by this movie; but then, isn't it what an outstanding movie is supposed to do to you - grab your feelings and make you think?
I really had no problem with the internal timing (3 different periods of the story that we keep jumping back and forth into) - to me, it appeared fluid and I always understood in which time-frame the story was and why we had jumped. This "broken chronology" did not confuse me, rather I found it added much in depth by showing a violent contrast in the main character : the innocent and playful adolescent vs the wounded young adult he'd become.
Because this is what I found powerful in this film : by depicting a young man and his coming-of-age (this really is a character...

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Black Beauty

Not the Black Beauty you know and love
There have been several versions of Black Beauty produced for the cinema and for television. One of the weakest versions is the 1971 British production, which focuses much more on its parade of human characters than it does the horse. In the book and several of the movie versions, we get to know Beauty. We feel what he feels, and we understand what he is thinking as he passes from owner to owner. Beauty goes from a loving, happy family and life on an English farm with a little boy (Mark Lester) who loves him, to the cruel hands of the local land baron (Patrick Mower). Then he's stolen by Gypsy stereotypes, shipped across the continent, sold to a circus, and gifted to a gentleman who in turn gives the horse to his daughter. The daughter presents Beauty to her lover, who's a soldier headed for India. When the young man is killed in battle, Beauty is shipped back to England, where he goes to work in a coal mine. Instead of the people in the story being the thread woven through the...

A beautiful piece of art, but does not engage today's kids
As a young girl, I was truly struck by this film; the music, the texture of the lighting, and the tall, dark, and handsome leading man leant it an uncannily romantic feel. However, when I tried shared the movie with the little girls I babysit for, the sophisticated narrative and general lack of explosions bored them to distraction. This particular telling of BLACK BEAUTY no longer serves its function as a children's story, but is nonetheless compelling for adults.

This version is not for young children!
After hearing so much about Black Beauty, and studying horses with my 5yr old we got this movie at the library. I was sad that I had not previewed it before letting her view it. I was surprised to see the fighting with the men stabbed in the chest. After talking with some friends I have found out there are other versions of Black Beauty that are wonderful and good for children to see.

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National Lampoon's Vacation: 30th Anniversary [Blu-ray]

30TH ANNIVERSARY EDITION BLU-RAY
I'm a big fan of this film NATIONAL LAMPOONS VACATION
i already own the 20th anniversary edition dvd that was released in 2003
which had a very small featurette about the making of the film and a commentary track
which i didn't think much of

and then Warner bros released the film on blu-ray about 2 years ago i think
absolute waste of time the blu-ray release is, cause it's exactly the same as the 20th anniversary dvd
the picture quality is pretty good better than the DVD but the extras/special features are the same
as the 20th anniversary dvd
so there's nothing new

so i definitely wasn't going to buy this blu-ray release and in the mean time
hopeing that Warner bros would give this film the special treatment it deserves
and Warner bros have finally did it this year 2013

i bought the 30th anniversary edition blu-ray this week
and it's the best version you'll ever get of NATIONAL LAMPOONS VACATION...

Great movie, ok blu ray picture
I love this movie,its a comedy classic,every scene is just hilarious, i love the ending, i'm glad they changed it because originally they weren't suppose to go into Wally World, Clark goes to Roy Wallys house and holds him hostage for closing the park and has him dance, John Candy was so perfect as the security guard, i love the part where hes talking real fast to Roy Wally and blabbering to him and he says QUIET!!! lmao, my issue isn't with this movie in no way at all, i love it, its with the blu ray picture, i have the 20th anniversary dvd from 2003 and to be honest the picture is way better on it than this, i can't believe i'm saying this but i've compared both pictures and the 20th anniversary has better color and sharper images, just my opinion, i know some people will disagree with me, but if you have the 20th anniversary dvd, hold on to it, this one is not worth getting, the only great thing about it is the 85 minute making of documentary with all the actors,other than that...

National Lampoon's Vacation
This is a very funny movie. The colors and clarity on this blu-ray are great. Chevy Chase is a master of comedy.

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Open Road

Slow and Light... but an Okay Family-Friendly Coming of Age Film
There are moments in life when we all feel the need to embark upon a quest. Sometimes we run from something, and sometimes we run toward the goal post. When that journey happens early, it can certainly provide the necessary backdrop for a coming-of-age tale.

Even with top actors like Andy Garcia, Juliette Lewis and Camilla Belle, I didn't expect much from the Open Road and its $3 Million budget. But I am a father, and as such, the plot of a daughter taking to the road to track down an estranged father that abandoned the family... well, it resonated with me. So, while I knew this was a "chick-flick," I welcomed the intensity break after having watched a spate of high-octane Sci-fi/Horror films.

Overall, while the pacing was a tad slow, the "Open Road" was a feel good, family-friendly ride. Angie (played by the attractive Camilla Belle) is trying to deal with the emotional hurt from her father leaving, and needs to reconcile these events before her life can return...

This was surprisingly good!
Hadn't heard anything about the movie, but really enjoyed it!
Excellent acting! Anything Colin Egglesfield and Andy Garcia appear in
is excellent.

family movie
It's a good movie about finding yourself and doing it on purpose, very predictable yet charming great cast and good chemistry.

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Little Caesar [Blu-ray]

"You want me, you're going to have to come and get me!"
A prefilm text scroll on :LITTLE CAESAR decries the sorts of criminals seen here and in THE PUBLIC ENEMY (1931), with Jimmy Cagney.

Although Eddie Robinson is great in it, I don't consider this early talkie to be better than the Cagney work. A main problem is co-stars Fairbank Jr. and Farrell. In comparison to Robbie, they come across as stiff amateurs. Really bad delivery of gosh awful dialogue makes one wish their characters were nonexistent. Yet, the picture's most powerful image relates to them.

Rico (Robinson) hears that trusted friend Joe (Fairbanks), who quit the gang to dance professionally, will rat on him to the police along with girlfriend Olga (Farrell). He confronts them with pistol drawn and Joe clings to Olga as he urges Rico to pull the trigger. A full screen close-up of Robinson's sweaty face reveals a tortured soul who can't bring himself to murder a pal. This act of loyalty...

Classic film gets pristine restoration
The film made E. G. Robinson a superstar. His depiction of Caesar's meteoric rise and fall set the standard for gangster films.



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100th

I don't watch a whole lot of TV
I absolutely love this show, I can even watch re-runs and still can not stop laughing and for me that is hard to come by, I just found out today that CBS canceled this show. Not only am I surprised I am also super upset they are all incredibly talented and funny actors and the writing is great too. What on earth were they thinking? And knowing my luck they will replace it with some crappy reality show that I won't give a care about anyway. Too bad I suppose I will have to wait to see what comes up next season though I will hope it comes back.

One of the best comedies ever
Yes. This is one of the best comedies ever! If you haven't watched it, watch it. If you watched it and weren't sure, watch it some more. Some of the funniest stuff ever!

HILARIOUS!
The funniest show on TV. Please, please, please renew for an 8th season. It is still incredibly funny and the writing is excellent!

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Time Machine

Fun but forgettable
"The Time Machine" is loosely based on H.G. Wells' sci-fi masterpiece, written in 1897. The book was also made into a movie forty years ago [available on DVD at Amazon.com]. Back then, the major studios had decided to cash in on the craze created by independent, low-budget sci-fi and horror films. MGM, for example, produced "The Time Machine" as well as "Forbidden Planet". These pictures - sleeker and glossier than anything the independents could make - used what were, at the time, state-of-the-art special effects. Today's version of the Wells classic utilizes the same tools. While the results are at times spectacular, it lacks a key ingredient - a dash of intelligence - that made the earlier version more memorable.

The time is the very end of the 19th Century. The place is New York. Alexander Hartegen [Guy Pearce] is a brilliant, absent-minded professor of science who is madly in love. When his fiancée dies tragically, he feels somehow responsible. Sequestering himself in...

Glitzier Does Not Mean Better
It may be unfair, but a remake of a hit movie must always be compared to the original. The 1960 original of THE TIME MACHINE was a deserved hit. The 2002 version may be a treat for the eyes, but unfortunately, not for the brain. Part of the problem is that Simon Wells, the great-grandson of H. G. Wells, directed the movie as if he were more entranced with dazzling special effects (and dazzling they are) than with bringing out a believable, fully fleshed series of characters. In 1960, director George Pal wisely kept the focus squarely on the hero's adventures and why he helped the human Eloi. In 2002, Simon Wells clearly loved the image of leaping, loping half-humans that he had seen in previous sci-fi movies. The supporting cast in the age of the time traveler (David Pearce) did not do very much to point out his character. His girlfiend Emma (Sienna Guillory) was in the film only to motivate him to build a time machine to alter the past to avoid her death. One would think that...

Beautiful but empty
Once again, Hollywood underestimates the intelligence of its audience by torturing a socially-conscious novel into an over-hyped, under-cooked, popcorn movie. Do the guys at Dreamworks seriously believe we are so unintelligent that we cannot cope with a decent adaptation? Would we all run screaming from the cinema, demanding our money back because there weren't enough romantic scenes, chase sequences, plot holes, or cortex-splintering special effects? Or maybe their reasoning is more sinister: perhaps a dystopian fantasy about an effete leisure class living off the misery of a race of underlings is simply too close to the actual relationship between Hollywood executives and the audience. But hey, it wasn't all bad, I guess. The time machine itself was beautiful, and the initial trip to 2030 was superbly done. The music wasn't bad, either. And Guy Pearce did a fine job, given what he had to work with. I just wish Hollywood would leave sci-fi novels alone - or have the guts to do them...

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Evil Bong-o-rama Box Set

very good
Just bought the box set with all three in it very cool set for the true collector nice cove art

Evil bong
Arrived on time with no issues. Ordered for a friend who loves it. He said he has watched it several times already.

okay
this is the first time i have ever seen any movie quite like this one. they must have been on more than weed

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Harlots of the Caribbean

Silly but Entertaining Soft Porn
Harlots is a typical entry in the Bikini series of soft-core adult flicks; you might have seen it already as Bikini Pirates. (Tricky how they retitle things to get you to buy them twice.) There's no graphic sex here, i.e., no genital close-ups, although it's probably not a film you want to watch with your kid or parents. Plenty of simulated (or maybe not) action, both m/f and f/f, with a little bit of goofy bondage and S&M thrown in for laughs.

The cast includes most Bikini regulars, including Nicole Sheridan and Evan Stone, both playing their typical campy roles: Sheridan is especially cute as the girlfriend of a scuba diver who discovers a lady pirate's journal while diving on a wreck; Stone is the ghostly boyfriend/sidekick of said lady pirate. Both of them return from the watery other side to reclaim the journal, which includes a map leading to treasure they buried two or three hundred years ago. Lunacy and sex ensues.

If you're into hard-core, pass this one...

Good blue movie, but without blue
Actors of the pirates (blue) movie, good but this is a soft version. Storybook and compteranimation,- but don't expect too much

movie
The movie's great came in just in time no scratches of any kind nothing more or less.

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Kid Thing

Good atmospheric piece
Don't expect anything and you will enjoy this movie. Sydney is a great actor! I was disappointed by the ending, but that's me...I'm sentimental.





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Subspecies III: Bloodlust [Blu-ray]

Blood-lusting after the girls
Vampires who look like Radu generally aren't very interested in romance, because... well, how many Lestat/Edward fangirls are interested in a guy with a rubber mask face?

But the third Subspecies movie tries pretty hard to whip up a tragic love story subplot for the heretofore-uninterested-in-romance Radu. "Bloodlust" does suffer from a rather slow middle section, where nobody seems to be doing much except hanging around spinning their wheels, but it does try to flesh out the characters of Michelle and Radu.

Immediately after the end of the last movie, "Mummy" (Pamela Gordon) proves that Michelle (Denise Duff) CAN be useful. Specifically, her blood can resurrect Radu (Anders Hove), bringing him back to life for the second time. Immediately the trio magically flees back to Radu's castle in Transylvania, where Michelle promises to be loyal to Radu if he teaches her the ways of the vampire.

Meanwhile, Becky (Melanie Shatner) freaks out upon discovering...

raduxmichelle a tragic love story part 3
again the 3rd movie in the subspecies series is by far the best ive seen, radu now has been revived by mummy using michelle's blood and michelle's sister becky along with the police and two embassy guys to find and take her back to the states. but radu now finally having michelle to himself transports them back to the castle where radu will teach michelle to master her powers, michelle now is slowly losing her humanity to her vampire side must be tough to survive, by her master and tormentor radu, becky and company will do anything to save michelle from the undead life that she has now! radu's obsession for michelle is really played out love has taken over his heart for michelle and his is doing eveything in order to keep her with him forever, even having a very tragic/romanic scene on the battlements of the castle. will becky and company finally get michelle out of the castle? can michelle learn to survive with her life? will radu finally get the love and affection he craves for...

Blood-lusting after the girls
Vampires who look like Radu generally aren't very interested in romance, because... well, how many Lestat/Edward fangirls are interested in a guy with a rubber mask face?

But the third Subspecies movie tries pretty hard to whip up a tragic love story subplot for the heretofore-uninterested-in-romance Radu. "Bloodlust" does suffer from a rather slow middle section, where nobody seems to be doing much except hanging around spinning their wheels, but it does try to flesh out the characters of Michelle and Radu.

Immediately after the end of the last movie, "Mummy" (Pamela Gordon) proves that Michelle (Denise Duff) CAN be useful. Specifically, her blood can resurrect Radu (Anders Hove), bringing him back to life for the second time. Immediately the trio magically flees back to Radu's castle in Transylvania, where Michelle promises to be loyal to Radu if he teaches her the ways of the vampire.

Meanwhile, Becky (Melanie Shatner) freaks out upon discovering...

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Spooky Town

A Haunted House Idea with Mixed Reviews
Spooky Town, aka Phantom Town, released 1999, is a sort of carnival, cartoonish, thrill ride for kids with lots of bark but no real bite.

A group of siblings search for their missing parents in a western themed, ghost town stuck out in the dark, isolated desert. Enter zombie-like townsfolk, plenty of shocking, creepy music and shadowy situations. It's a Halloween funhouse run amok.

Although low budget, they do a pretty good job with the sets, sound effects, shakey camera and stressful encounters to keep kids on edge or entertained for 90 minutes. I think way too stressful for little ones even though they never show blood- just green goo and everything comes across like a cartoon strip. Definitely campy and cheesy and best for pre-adolescents and above, no language, nudity, or sex, it might make a good Halloween night or slumber party flick.

No extras or scene selection on our copy.





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Assassin

Good movie, but no subtitles
The movie was good even though I don't speak the language they're speaking (I'm assuming it's Korean). Like any action movie, you don't need to understand it to understand the basic premise, though subtitles would have been nice.

Huh??
It appears it may be a good movie, however I wouldn't know because there are no subtitles, THAT SUCKS !!

AMAZON FAIL
Unwatchable.

If you don't speak an Asian language then don't attempt to watch this film (if I knew which one I'd tell you.).

Amazon needs to 1) inform customers of the film's spoken language and 2) offer English subtitles to its English-speaking customers (as any theater in the U.S. would).

So far watching foreign films on Amazon is a hit and miss affair. First one had subtitles this one doesn't. My rating of this movie is directed purely at the Amazon experience.

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Penny Pinchers

genre less
Really good story...not an epic, not a a full on cryfest drama, not a girly romance. It seems more like a story that could happen to anyone. The leads are a seemingly unsentimental girl w/ a hard goal and a harmless screw up boy who needs to learn responsibility. But as the story unfolds (& it does this slowly I must warn) you come to see their annoying traits as quirky ones formed by their histories. The ending is not perfectly realistic, but very satisfying. If you are fan of Korean work, you will figure it all out early on, but even then, it is heartwarming. MDH sat thru this one w/ me & enjoyed it too, though it took him a while to warm up to the male protagonist. Will share this one w/ my friends who can make the time to watch it unfold.





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H.P. Lovecraft's Cool Air

Not bad, worth a look
Cool Air is one of those Lovecraft stories that dosen't get many reviews, but has been made now twice as a small time film. This one has been changed to fit a modern story and changes some of the characters around, but it has been done in a way of adding to the story, rather than the usual BS shoves down our throats. There is narration which is a staple of Lovecraft stories, it is a droning, monotone voice but that also fits well. I gave it 3 stars and say it is worth a look for a few dollars.





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Adventures of Bailey: A Night in Cowtown

The Third Bailey Adventure Is A Comic Caper Of Mistaken Identity Mixed With Young Love
Everyone's favorite pooch Bailey is back and looking for love in all the wrong places. The Adventures of Bailey began in 2010's "The Lost Puppy," continued in 2012's "A Christmas Hero," and now changes locales for 2013's "A Night in Cowtown." Despite the positive messages inherent in the Bailey films, I have not always been their biggest fan. "A Christmas Hero," in particular, suffered from a real lack of pacing. Due to their inexpensive budget, "Bailey" is one of those film series that employ the talking animal format without any special effects. The camera just closes in on the dog's face as some actor (using a funny voice) narrates the line. I think that's a perfectly viable option, under the circumstances, but it can make the movies feel very stagnant. The images don't really bring the action to the screen. This is particularly noticeable when large sections of the movies focus solely on the animal interactions. For my taste, "A Night in Cowtown" is a marked improvement from "A...

Wonderful Family Entertainment!
What a wonderful family movie to watch especially if you are a dog lover! Would also make a nice birthday gift for a child!

Wonderful Family Movie
I loved the animals in this movie. They were all so well trained. So nice to have a family movie that all can watch and enjoy, need more of these......Would recommend this movie!

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Charlie Casanova

Brilliant acting by Emmett Scanlan
Disturbing, yet thought-provoking film. Scanlan plays the sociopathic main character brilliantly. The film definitely made me think of American Psycho, A Clockwork Orange ... that genre of dark, gritty, quirky, disturbing story line.





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Fat Man & Little Boy

Mostly Fiction
Yes, there was a Manhattan Project and people named Groves, Oppenheimer and Szilard and yes Leo Szilard did like to spend as much time in the bath tub as possible (thinking) but other than that, this film was largely fictional. I was bothered by the historical inaccuracies including: 1. Groves met Szilard at the University of Chicago along with the rest of the scientists that worked there, not in a bathroom in Szilards hotel with Szilard in a tub and Groves on a toilet. 2. The Manhattan Project was much bigger than Los Alamos and Groves dealt with two other major groups that are mostly not even depicted. 3. Groves and Oppenheimer had a very different and more cooperative relationship than is depicted in the movie. 4. Groves was not subject to temper tantrums like Newman's depiction. He was actually very quiet, but extremely sarcastic, socially awkward, pear shaped and somewhat arrogant. He was also smart as a tack, having attended both MIT and West Point, where he was fourth...

Very Disappointing
As much as I admire Paul Newman, this film is so terribly flawed that even his presence can't salvage it. The Manhattan Project is such a critical juncture in recent history that I think it's very important that the story be told realistically. This film is 90% Hollywood formula and 10% history. Only in the broadest brushstrokes does this movie give the viewer any kind of concept of that monumental undertaking. Do yourself a BIG favor; watch the far superior (and very accurate) "Day One" instead. In all respects, it is a much better account and much more interesting film. The main characters are presented as scientists, engineers, and military officers, not goofballs and nutty professors, as they are in "Fat Man and Little Boy."

Fat Man and Little Boy
Overall, I found this to be a fairly good movie, but I just can't stand it when fictitious characters (ie, Michael Merriman (played by John Cusack)) are worked into a plot--usually in an effort to create a love-interest aspect--in order to make the movie more palatible to a general audience. Sorry, but this is a fascinating story in its own right and shouldn't be marred in this way. Fortunately, the complexities of the issues surrounding the creation on The Bomb are addressed, but I think the treatment what the motivations for the individual scientists were left much to be desired.

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Lords of Discipline

Superb military school drama.
This one is an old favorite of mine, which I pre-ordered on DVD the instant I learned it was available. I have an old VHS recording of the film, which I have viewed many times. I have also read the book many times, and I consider it to be Conroy's best work.

This is the story of four young men at Carolina Military Institute, a fictional military academy located in South Carolina, which is of course a pseudonym for The Citadel, which is a fine military academy that really does exist. The film is set in the 1960s. The first black cadet (first year cadets are called "knobs" at the Institute) has just arrived. A secret society within the Institute, known as "The Ten" has pledged that no black will ever graduate from the Institute, regardless of ability.

David Keith turns in his customary excellent performance as the black cadet's designated mentor. The plot moves at a fast pace, but nevertheless does not feel rushed. Purists have criticized the fact that the...

The Lords of Discipline
This is a great film that deals with a traditional "Southern Racial Discrimination" at a military academy, it's a movie that should have been fully restored on DVD and released long time ago. So why now at Viacom/Paramount Picture it's been listed for a 2010 DVD release beats my imagination.

Can any one tell the studio that we need it on DVD right now in 2005 and not by 2010.

Saw the movie, THEN read the book
I saw the movie before I read the book. This is a typical adaptation of a long novel. Yes, the novel was better, but the novel was DIFFERENT! A similar situation occurs with The Caine Mutiny as well as The Godfather. Written stories allow you to explore aspects of character and situation that just can't be effectively portrayed in film. In film, you can't have the character's thoughts effectively presented. The film concentrated on the relationship between Will and Pearce, while the book actually had two plots-Will and Pearce and Will and Annie Kate. Instead of comparing book and film, treat each as seperate entities and enjoy them independently. In this case, the movie was enjoyable.

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Balanchine Essays: Arabesque

invaluable insights
not to be missed. Master teachers suki schorer and merrill ashley share many nuggets of wisdom re the balanchine approach to classical technique.

it's just wonderful, if you enjoy dance
there are 3 generations of dancers in this -- the woman in blue to the right in the photo who is the authority in terms of the movement and detail of placement that is remarkable, then merrill ashley a former principal (or perhaps still a principal when this was made) who demonstrates, but also herself critiques the younger dancers who are while proficient, are young and require almost constant correction, and to see them weather through that and achieve the exact placement is just magnificent. the arabesque in its various forms is broken down and demonstrated, and corrected, and it is really awesome to observe. a real treasure.



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Midnight [HD]

Yep, it IS Creepy but It IS Great Storytelling UPDATED
Well after actually watching the first 3 episodes I can safely say that this is a truly creepy show :) The story seems good, the actors are almost perfect for their parts and Norman is slowly becoming the guy we all know and love (creepy!).

I think this show is going to make it if the writers don't get cold feet and start making it politically correct and less violent since this is about a person who will become a murdering psycho (ignoring the fact it is set in the present day rather than in the past) so we EXPECT him to do evil things sooner or later and his Mom's level of affection is plain uncomfortable (I did not want to overuse the word creepy again but she makes my skin crawl a bit)

This is MUCh more than a story about Norman getting older and stabbing a girl in the shower, this is a whole new series based on the premise of the motion picture but since it is set in the present day obviously it is not the same story exactly :) This is good...

Intense
Bates motel is promising I like it, it has a lot of suspense, I am already hook to it. The show focuses on the relationship between Norman Bates and his living mother, Norma. Norman is played by Freddie Highmore who starred in the 2005 movie "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory," and Norma is played by Vera Farmiga,'Bates Motel,examines Norman Bates' upbringing and the events that will ultimately mold him into a cross-dressing murderer with dual personalities."

Bates Motel Season 1 -- Thank goodness there will be a Season 2 !
I was born after Alfred Hitchcock's "Psycho" hit the theaters, so I missed all the hype and promotional gimmicks, such as "No one will be admitted to the theater after the film has begun" and "Don't give away the ending" and the dramatic and traumatic trailers. When I saw the film for the first time, I had no idea that Janet Leigh was a huge star and how it was a Hollywood no-no to kill off the major star during the first reel. However, I did know the big revelation at the end before I saw the picture.

Still, the movie was spell-binding. The photography, the movement of the camera, the lighting, and especially the use of shadows gave the film a very creepy atmosphere of inescapable isolation. Combining that with subtle sound effects and a hair-raising score, the film became the perfect setting in which to tell a bone-chilling story using interesting characters. All that was needed was a great script and great actors to play the characters.

Based on the novel...

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Mugshots: Andrea Yates

Nothing new here
Synopsis of the crime and subsequent sentencing. Pity and anger are roommates in the emotions one feels while viewing. Sadness and sorrow follow.

Andrea Yates guilty or insane?
This was an interesting movie. It shows you that Andrea had psychosis probably due to post partem depression. It also mentions that she might have had it with her first born and combined with a religious sect where God is to be feared, this led all the more to her psychosis. It leaves you thinking about the need to give mental illness more attention in the healthcare system. Not all people would like this documentary but if you interested in how the mind works and how it can cause such horrendous acts like Andrea did with drowning her five kids in order to be saved and go to heaven, you would this fascinating.

box of chocolates...
Mugshots conveys different aspects of the given situation. The individual and surrounding impressions of law enforcement, family and friends as part of the event are presented during the show in a clear concise manner.
In coming full circle about the show itself...they clarify through comprehensive information that appearances are deceiving even with something as 'benign as a box of chocolates ," as a metaphor for the human condition and all its darkness.

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Mugshots: John F. Kennedy - Did Oswald Act Alone?

An age old story
Fantastic footage and questions raised by this particular project. Enjoyed it thoroughly. The Mugshot series is fantastic. I try to watch an installment every night before sleep. Check it out. The Dahmer installment is a particularly good one as well.

Interesting
I've never believed that Oswald acted alone, nor that all of the shots came from the rear. Watching the Zapruder film, in my opinion, dispels all of those notions. This adds some new information to that narrative.

Interesting information
Original footage from the actual events adds to the information that is presented. Many people may not be aware of this footage.

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Alien Encounters Of The 4th Kind

Stand out info
Get ready for some serious ufo/alien action - this dvd has three separate parts each dealing with a different case and/or phenomenon.I've got a huge collection of ufo vids and this stands out for sure.

k7
A great bargain, you get a lot for just one purchase here. And each program is chock full of UFO information, is interesting, and full of new ideas & facts. I don't regret this one bit.

shane
My favorite part of this dvd was the section on Travis Walton. Having said that, I enjoyed the whole thing. I'm into ufos; have been for a while now. I learned a number of things from this dvd so mission accomplished.

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Arrested Development: Seasons 1-3

One Of The Funniest TV Comedies (Complete)
ARRESTED DEVELOPMENT's rocky history is well known. Loved by critics and its fans, it fought to find an audience, and its final season was a short affair. However, the ride from the shows premier (included uncensored and expanded along with the aired version) to its conclusion (and, YES, it has a conclusion) is hilarious and worth many returns. There are so many jokes and resonating gags that multiple viewings are REQUIRED, but your first visit to the world of the spoiled Bluth family will be a reward for unfamiliar viewers.

Here are three seasons of laughs. The series begins with the arrest of the Bluth patriarch and continues as the clan's only responsible member, Michael (portrayed by Jason Bateman), tries to keep the family's business afloat while his mother, siblings, and other family members selfishly grab for every freebie and dollar. His mother, Lucille, is a cold, controlling alcoholic whose loyalty to her family keeps her one step from pure villainy. His...

Best TV show ever
I'm not usually one for superlatives or hyperbole, but this truly is the best TV show I know of. It's clever, it's hilarious, it's self-referential, it's perfectly written and flawlessly acted, it dragged me along from episode to episode like some kind of addict. And when it was over -- I mean, really really over -- I felt a bittersweet mixture of the loss of future possible episodes and a total satisfaction in having been well and thoroughly entertained.

As for the DVD set, in my mind, the only reason to own a TV series on DVD is if I feel I'll watch the shows again and again. And with these, there is no question in my mind. There's more to them than you can usually get in one viewing, and they just get better each time. The only concern for me is whether I should buy an extra set in case my primary set gets damaged. It's THAT good.

"I laughed myself to death", an understatement
FOX really hit a wall by cancelling one of TV's most promising shows. It's always depressing watching a good thing go up in flames and well, viewers can thank Rupert Murdoch and his excellent team at FOX for this. Then again, if they brought back the horrendously repetitive Family Guy, it shouldn't be a problem bringing back something of this caliber, which by the way is absolute excellence.

What else is there to say?

With some of the best writing in television since the early days of Seinfeld, Mitchell Hurwitz is an absolute genius making Arrested Development one of the best shows to hit television airwaves. Narrator Ron Howard fittingly tells the story of each episode with humor and a colliding sense of foreshadowing that has expectations running high for hilarious disasters to ensue.

Jason Bateman plays Michael Bluth, a family man and widower of his late wife, who comes into the business after his father, George Sr.(Jeffrey Tambor) is incarcerated...

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Five Card Stud

Entertaining Mystery Western.
This is a fine mystery thiller under the guise of a western.
The movie opens with a card game and one player accused of cheating,this player is hanged. Soon members of the card game
begin to die one by one. Card player Dean Martin attempts to
find out who the killer is before he ends up dead. While there
are a few suspects, most viewers will soon figure out who the
killer is. Why is not revealed till the end. Still this is a
movie that works, this is due to the entertaining cast. Dean

Martin retains his easy going style, while Robert Mitchum brings
a performance that is edgy and not as straight forward as he
appears. Roddy McDowall delivers an entertaining performance
as the spoiled rich kid at odds with Dean Martin. Yapphet Kotto
gives a strong performance as the bartender who helps Dean work
out the mystery. I have seen this movie a few times and enjoy
it due to the cast, as well as to the scenery. Attention to detail is...

A mystery western
A poker game ends in a hanging when one of the players is accused of cheating. Shortly thereafter, the players are murdered one by one. A western with a novel mystery angle, "Five Card Stud" is certainly no classic, but it is an easygoing, thoroughly enjoyable oater with Dean Martin and Robert Mitchum well-matched as adversaries. It is Roddy McDowell, however, who steals the show as the bad seed brother of Katherine Justice.

Five Card Dud
The idea of teaming Robert Mitchum with Dean Martin certainly had potential, but no one bothered to provide a worthwhile vehicle. "Five Card Stud" (1968) is a ludicrous Western "whodunit" directed by the usually reliable Henry Hathaway. Nothing works here - even Dino's title song falls flat. It's hard to believe Mitchum turned down "The Wild Bunch" in favor of this turkey.

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Glenn Beck Presents: For The Record, Episode Two

Outstanding and Emotional
Once again Glenn and crew deliver an outstanding piece of journalism! This one was a tough one to watch. Both informative and heart-breaking. It amazes me how naive most Americans have become. We have let the Left vs Right game get in the way of our national security and one day it's going to catch up with us. The Muslim Brotherhood is evil to the core yet we can't say that out loud because it is not "politically correct". In this episode they play Muslim Brotherhood leaders IN THEIR OWN WORDS talking about the destruction of America and Israel, yet we continue to kow tow to these folks. Why? The second half is on the sex trade here in America. Something you almost never hear about from our so-called Main Steam Media. Perhaps one day more Americans will wake up to the evil that is happening right under our noses? Overall this is $14 very well spent. Outstanding journalism and brilliantly produced documentary!

Need more like this!
Once again the truth is here, check it out and also subscribe to the Blaze TV or at least listen to the radio show with Glenn Beck.

For The Record, You need to see both Episodes!
These two videos are for people who can really handle the truth about "Big Brother".
This is the real thing. The book 1984, has become a reality and Big Brother is on steroids.
I'm glad I bought both Episodes, #1 and # 2.

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Mugshots: Pablo Escobar - Hunting the Druglord

Everyone knows the man and knows all about it all the topics have already been covered but it's still good to go over again
Considering that this guy started off by stealing tombstones and cars it's amazing how far he went. But that's the one thing about the dope game that makes it so enticing even the stone cold dog with the IQ of a box of rocks can become King for the day but in the end we all know where this game ends up and that's in the penitentiary or the morgue or the witness protection program or in any other unhappy endings Johnny says give Pablo a second look because they're just in much on TV anyway

good but dated
The "Killing Pablo" docu on the history channel is better but this one covers the same story from a different angle.

Everything you might have wanted to know but did not know to ask about.
An interesting profile on one of the biggest drug lords of Colombia. Chilling in its examples of savage control and spellbinding in its story of complete disregard for and nose-thumbing at any form of authority other than his own. It is the story of a man who tried to overthrow his government, killed supreme court justices because he wanted to destroy evidence which would have gotten him extradited to the USA, ran for public office, built hospitals, schools, etc. He was feared, reviled, loved and in the end he was killed in a shoot-out with the police and the army of his country. He was worshiped by the poor and one wonders what this person could have achieved had he decided to put his talents to use in a constructive manner rather than as a manufacturer of death and disability.

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