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A chaotic mess...
...and much more Oliver Stone's vision of what the Doors' music and Jim's life was, truth be damned. Supposedly, Stone was inspired by the book No One Here Gets Out Alive (written by Jerry Hopkins in 1973-74, but not published until 1980 when Danny Sugerman, Jim's one-time teenage factotum, did some judicious rewriting), but very little of the book, even, is present in this film. I had to see it three times just to believe what I was seeing--in short, an absolute hatchet job on Jim Morrison, and nothing like the real Jim at all.I honestly have no idea where the scene with Jim locking Pam in a burning closet came from; nowhere in the Doors' history does this incident appear. Jim did not meet Patricia Kennealy in 1967 (Kennealy herself has verified this in her book, Strange Days: My Life With and Without Jim Morrison) at a press conference; their first meeting was a private interview in New York City in January 1969. And she was not the girl who was with him backstage in New Haven when he was famously maced by a cop, then told that story onstage and was promptly arrested for doing so. Jim was not the sadistic, unfeeling creature portrayed in the film--you honestly don't feel sorry for him when he dies at the end--and even the infamous "Miami Incident" is misportrayed. He did not offer to show off his penis to the audience, and although he did attempt to do so, he was forcibly restrained from it by one of the band's roadies. And Pam was not with him during the trial, which stretched out over many months between 1969 and 1970; Jim never said of his handfasting to Kennealy that "I was stoned, it seemed like a fun thing to do at the time." He was very serious about his vows to her (and no, she is not paying me to say any of this. I've read her book and I've read some of the other books, and I think I'm able to judge what's truth and what's clearly fabrication).Also, we'd do well to remember that Stone was off in Vietnam while much of this was going on--his own idea, and given a fictitious-yet-autobiographical treatment in Platoon--and just apart from that, he tends toward sweeping overstatement. This film is just a mess; don't waste your time or money. | 0negative
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Not for repeated viewing
A love story of a different - and rather disturbing - kind. Tormented alcoholic Ben (Nicholas Cage) leaves his home and family to drink himself to death in Las Vegas. Soon after arriving he meets up with a battered prostitute (Elizabeth Shue) and quickly strikes up a friendship with her. The movie chronicles their relationship to the tragic end you know is coming, yet it never feels predictable. Yes, it's a depressing film, but you get caught up in the extremely compelling downward spiral, and the acting is top notch. Certainly not family entertainment. I wouldn't let any kid under 20 watch it, especially the uncut version, which I happened on for the first time on the IFC channel the other day. Powerful stuff though. | 1positive
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Too derivative of Risky Business, but still fun and entertaining
Immediately below this review is one by some fool named grinningstupidlyalltheway that should be ignored. There are few things in life more annoying than a person whose IQ falls squarely within the average range, who brazenly and laboriously pretends to be an intellectual but is just an intellectual poser. E.g., grinningstupidlyalltheway.The following paragraph is pure spoiler, so skip it if you haven't seen the movie and have an interest in seeing a slightly weaker version of Tom Cruise's Joel Goodsen character having adventures with a slightly cuter and hotter version of Rebecca de Mornay's Lana character.In a nutshell, Matt Kidman is your all-American nerdy but not outright geeky teenager, who falls hard for his next-door neighbor's hot, slightly older niece, who is housesitting for a fortnight. They have some wacky adventures that she instigates, he discovers some confidence and courage along the way and they start falling for each other. However, he learns that Danielle is really a porn star, he listens to his porn-loving king of the A/V club nerds friend Eli and in the process of awkwardly trying to "score" alienates her and Danielle sadly changes her mind about quitting pornography. Her slimy producer/ex-boyfriend Kelly convinces her to go to a porn industry convention in Vegas to push her films and she leaves Matt and suburbia to return to the hard and unpleasant adult life. Matt follows her to Vegas to try to convince her otherwise, telling her "I know who you really are and you are better than this" and the following morning, she surprises him by showing up at his house, convinced he is right and abandoning her unclean past. However, Kelly the sociopathic pimp-producer becomes furious that Matt has stolen his hottest commodity, tracks Matt down, beats him up, gets him to rob the house of Kelly's far more successful rival, abandons Matt after calling the police to report the burglary and then steals the $25,000 that Matt raised to pay for a Cambodian teenage genius to come study at Matt's school in California. The gang has some hijinks that involve Danielle getting several of her fellow porn star friends to be prom dates for Matt's friends Eli and Klitz, Eli directs a sexy sex education video at the prom with said porn stars-with-hearts-of-gold and good triumphs over evil and love prevails.Ok, let's talk about the actors. There are a fair number of derivative looking actors and characters here, but luckily, I happen to like them all. First, Emile Hirsh (Matt) looks an awfully lot like one or several other actors whose name escapes me (maybe a young Andrew McCarthy crossed with Leonardo DiCaprio?), but he does a really good job of being initially self-conscious but sweet and subsequently a confident guy who develops into an all-around admirable character. Elisha Cuthbert is one of the most charismatic actresses of the past decade, having a rare mix of cute innocence, playful deviousness and raw sensuality. Her character is required to play a provocative prankster, a sweet and lovely girl, a distraught woman who fatalistically succumbs to sinful pressures, a caring supportive girlfriend and the sort of stunning babe every guy (teenage or not) wants fawning over him in front of his best friends and worst enemies. These variations on her roles are not the sort of character acting that will create the next Meryl Streep, but Cuthbert does a very solid job and the previous reviewer's criticisms should be viewed as what they are - blithering nonsense. Hirsh and Cuthbert play their roles well, have great chemistry and really make the movie worth watching. Other actors could be the siblings or children of more famous actors. Chris Marquette, playing Matt's friend Eli, is a spitting image of a teenage John Cusack, sans freckles. Tim Olyphant, playing Kelly the pimp-producer, could fool nearly anyone into thinking he is Jack Nicholson's son/clone.Ok, this is not a perfect movie and there definitely are some flaws here. First, Eli doesn't quite have the charisma to be the lord of his A/V club "minions." Second, Matt's attendance at Georgetown is a) too tenuous too late in his final semester of high school, for financial reasons; and b) in any event, his parents live in too nice of a house for him to be quite so desperately dependent on a scholarship to pay for his college. Third, how does Kelly get his badass 60's Camaro convertible out to suburban California, drive off with Danielle in her car to Vegas, yet then suddenly have the Camaro the next day? Fourth, how does Matt avoid all negative consequences of showing up to the scholarship speech competition very obviously wired on the Ecstasy that Kelly tricked him into taking? Fifth, how does Kelly manage to steal the Adult Education master tape they filmed prom night? How does he learn of it in the first place, how does he know Eli has it, how does he know where Eli lives and where Eli might have put the tape? How exactly does Kelly know who Matt's principal is, why would he invite the principal to come to Matt's house and how does he convince Matt's parents they should all have a meeting together? And, this is all at the crack of dawn on either the Saturday or Sunday morning following prom night. Wouldn't Matt's home town be the last place on earth Kelly would be found given that it is where he defrauded the Cambodian scholar fund of $25,000 and he has no reason to think that Matt didn't go to the police? Finally, in the end Matt is far too forgiving, if not generous (Matt sends him a box of cigars), to Kelly considering that Kelly a) beat him up; b) drugged him with Ecstasy; c) got him to commit burglary, called the cops on him and abandoned him; d) stole the $25,000 fund for Sam Yung; and e) stole the Adult Education tape.In summary, notwithstanding the too-numerous plot flaws, this was a fun, entertaining and enjoyable romantic teen comedy featuring very charismatic actors and an all-American feel-good ending. | 1positive
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get the David Niven movie instead!
An astoundingly stupid movie, only vaguely based on the Jules Verne novel. Loud and expensive, full of unfunny jokes, dull, loud action sequences, and poor acting. Spend your money on the splendid David Niven version from 1956. | 0negative
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How bad can a movie get???
I got so terribly bored with this one. This was a double bill along with "Creepozoids", and like it was just given a quick theatrical release. This movie looked so badly done, it looked like a direct-to-video release. I nearly fell asleep to it! Trying to make it a spoof on sci-fi B-movie films, this one can easily be poked fun at and this film goes nowhere! Three actresses dressed in barbarian bikini's is the film's giveaway. | 0negative
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Pierce Brosnan: Perhaps the best Bond, in the worst movies
I rarely walk out of a theatre thinking, "I just wasted two hours of my life and $7.75 and I want it back". But this movie was abjectly horrible. Think about the old James Bond movies. They actually had plot... stuff happened. Half of this movie seems to be spent in the ice palace and around the ice palace, with total implausibilities and stupid plot elements. My overall summary of this movie: It has little of the originality and cleverness of the older James Bond films. It's all action, action, action: and that's not what it's about... or not what it should be about. | 0negative
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Should have fed Hannibal to the pigs..."Ah, Clarice-YAAAA!"
Aaron: What a waste of talent....and time. Ridley Scott hasn't ever wasted my time on watching his flicks, which are always awesome, until this one.I wish Hannibal were dead-he deserves it. (my brother) Michael......your say?Michael: This film could have been way more thought out, and planned. Silence of the Lambs makes this movie look like an opera nightmare. More talent in the next one please. | 0negative
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I like this season the best.
I like the idea of a retired FBI profiler coming out of retirment to finish the unfinished business he has. That means he's bored with the way he's living his life. He wants to get back into in, but finds out there is no I in team. | 1positive
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Not laptop compatible
Love this movie... Words can't describe it but my recently purchased DVD won't play on my new Gateway laptop. Something about some incompatible file???? This information should be made available to the buying public, by both distributor and the PC maker. Perhaps our technology isn't as great as some would have us think. | 0negative
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What's not to LOVE!!!!!!!!!
Fabulous, wonderful, beautiful, funny, touching movie. I am a huge Austen fan and Sense and Sensibility (along with Pride and Prejudice) is my all time favorite movie. Great cast - gorgeous scenery - wonderful love story (or should I say stories!!!) between the two sisters. Every time I watch it (which is ALOT!)- it always makes me cry! This is a must have movie on your shelf! Make sure your tissues are next to it! | 1positive
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The most annoying dialoge ever.
The characters didn't know when to SHUT UP, and would ramble and ramble on, trying to be "smart" or insightful. Throw in a silly aunt (duh), the sex-crazy sister, and gay friend and you have the total cliche movie, yay. They never explained why the main character was hopelessly trying to find a new boyfriend. Her family was mean to her as well, and meeting her father for a date, lame. Who was he trying to be, James Bond, with all the women? Ok, I'm rambling myself hahah....basically just a bland movie,,,,,,if you want to see the same movie, but better, rent Ten Attitudes, which chronicalizes a man's journey through ten dates, trying to find his special someone. ;)~ | 0negative
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Crude and Vulgar
Crude and vulgar is the best one can say about the first part of this movie. A young man telling small children about a wedding monster which will cut them open and eat their hearts is indicative of how out of touch Hollywood is with American values and why we have children who do cruel acts to others. | 0negative
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Interesting but not more
Some will say it's only a remake of DrJekyll and Mister Hyde. But there is a twist added to this classic. Mr Hyde is named Jack and his killings are attributed to Jack the Ripper, a completely different story. The beginning is also a second twist because it gives some traumatic experience Dr Jekyll, named Henry, had when he was a child and when he witnessed some sexual act he did not understand and was punished for it with a good spanking in a big volley of derisive laughter. Apart from that Mr Hyde is not in anyway distorted or looking like a monster. In fact it is Doctor Jekyll who uses a stick to walk because he limps. The best part of it is the very convincing acting of Anthony Perkins. One more exploration of insanity, here as the result of the past and the use of a drug.Dr Jacques COULARDEAU | 1positive
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Hypnotic in it's erotic/ lovely horrific nature
I've always loved David Lynch (ever since i first laid eyes on Twin Peaks). Kyle Maclachlan is a great on screen presence,and every character(in true Lynchian style) is superb. If you are one for strange and ground breaking, you will instanly fall into this with wide eyes and wide mouth. | 1positive
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Incredible, emotional, sad but uplifting, Ray Charles is a legend
I went into this movie with no expectation and very little knowledge of Ray Charles, other than knowing he was a great blind musician. Jamie Foxx's performance is stellar, sometimes an actor and opportunity just work out perfectly as in this one. Maybe because I am a mother to two young children, I was also struck by Sharon Warren's protrayl of Ray's mother. She had me crying more than once, and I hope to see more of this actress in the future.All of the performances in this movie are exceptional. I am sure in a different year it may have won best movie (Million Dollar Baby was great too).Do yourself a favor, watch this film with your honey and enjoy! | 1positive
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Top notch
this was a great film, and I really love Morgan Freeman. It was messed up though that he had to go to prison for something that wasnt his fault, but in the end it was good that he did, because he learned alot more, and made some good friends along the way. I highly recommend that you watch this. ITs very moving and impowering. | 1positive
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unwatchable
Your most boring neighbour's home video of his travels in Kenya would be an improvement on this. You do not see the country so much as a vacuous presenter who can only exclaim, lamely, "amazing!" or "fantasic", or, upon entering a cave "O! is this a cave?" She dresses up in tribal gear, or rides a camel in the deluded idea that she is more interesting than the country she is filming. She is either so lacking in curiosity or so self-concious in front of the camera, that she can not interview anyone, she just repeats what they said - totally unnecessary as they are usually as eloquent as she is inarticulate . The photographer, meanwhile, thinks the natural scenery is so uninteresting, that it has to be jazzed up with color filters and weird angle shots and strange film speeds. The only stab at erudition are brief voice-overs that sound as if they have been taken out of a guide book for the mentally challenged. Do not be turned off this beautiful country by this insultingly amateurish production. | 0negative
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Another distorted Hollywood Blockbuster.
I just recently saw this movie for the first time. When it first heard about it, I was somewhat sceptical about the movie, thinking that it would simply be another distorted Hollywoodization of an historical event or historical period. I subsequently read reviews that claimed that it was in fact a great movie, a cut above as it were, and that the movie was sensitive towards Japanese culture etc. In particular what I found most interesting was the claim that the movie was not the typical Western film where Western values are proven superior--that the reverse is in fact the case here. But still, I was sceptical, and did not concern myself with the movie until just a few days ago. All things considered, I think I was justified in my scepticism; while there were aspects that I found to be good and commendable (the majestic landscape, quite stunning combat sequences), for the most part I just did not find it to be a good film. It is essentially a Hollywoodization, regardless of the unique twist to the story. | 0negative
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no justice to shakespeare
this movie simply does no justice to shakespeare. for those who have spent time studing him they know that his words are ULTRA important. in this movie they yell constantly. never between the feuding families do they speak to one another without yelling. it is possible to act angry and not yell. this movie was a great dissapointment to me. they skipped over all the little witty lines that make the play wonderful and just took out the guns to shoot people. skip it. | 0negative
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SO SWEET
I HAVE LOVED THIS MOVIE SINCE IT CAME OUT .IT IS ONE OF MY FAVS. NOW MY GRAND CHILDREN WILL LOVE IT TOO!! | 1positive
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I guess I've got a soft spot.....
I'm sorry, I know this movie is campier than heck, and compared to modern American CGI the effects are horrible, but it really does the best with what it's got. This was the first Godzilla movie I ever saw and to be truthful it did scare me.The plot in this film is ridiculous and the acting is beyond bad, but with every Godzilla movie the monsters are what really matters. This one brings back three favorites: the hero, Godzilla; Anguirus, the steadfast sidekick; and the infamous bad guy of bad guys King Ghidorah. It also throws in a new monster to slap Godzilla and Tokyo around: Gigan. This monster is the saving aspect of the movie. In my mind Gigan is one of the best giant monster creations ever thought up. In design he a cross between a T'Rex, a robot and chicken (I know it sounds stupid, but it works) with gigantic can opener arms. I also like the overflowing personality given to Gigan, he's deadly but a bit of a coward. Since this film he;s only appeared once more in the Goszilla series (Godzilla vs Megalon). Hopefully we'll get to see him again. | 1positive
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Room 222 First Season(1969-1970)
Room 222(1969-1974) was a gem from TV's past created by James L. Brooks. The show is an homage to the Sidney Poitier film To Sir With Love(1967), but it has its own style. The late Lloyd Haynes played Mr. Dixon, a history teacher who tries to guide his students and teach them about tolerance. Haynes played an officer on a Star Trek episode. Denise Nicolas played Liz McIntyre, a school guidance counselor and Mr. Dixon's love interest. Michael Constantine played Seymour, the kind, but firm principal. Cute, sensual Karen Valentine played student/teacher Alice Johnson. Valentine played Gidget in Gidget Grows Up(1969). The first three or four episodes of Room 222 had a laugh track, but it was removed for good to focus on the drama, writing and acting. Room 222 was a product of its time. The show discussed topical themes of the time such as civil rights, feminism, the Vietman War, abortion, drug use, etc. The late, great Jerry Goldsmith composed the smooth, jazzy theme music for Room 222. Shout Factory looked for the best master tapes that they could for each episode. The audio/video quality is good in some episodes and not so good in others. The pilot episode has minor negative damage and lines running up the screen. Oh, well, beggars can't be chosers. I saw Gilligan's Island, Star Trek, Hazel, The Addams Family, Mission: Impossible, Gidget and The Monkees in syndication growing up. Too bad Room 222 was rarely ever shown in syndication. The show hasn't lost its sense of fun and entertainment value decades down the road. Heshimu, Judy Strangis, Cindy Williams, Teri Garr and many others played students on the show. Room 222 was "modern" when it was made in the early 1970's. There's girls with plaid dresses, mini skirts, go go boots and plastic barettes in their hair. There's boys with afros, sideburns and bell bottoms. The late Lloyd Haynes was superb as Mister Dixon. He's tough, kind, and empathic. He has a moral compass and intelligence. Karen Valentine is very good as Alice. She gives an earnest performance as a student/teacher. Karen Valentine is very good looking, too. She has a cute face and chocolate brown hair that spills over her shoulders. Valentine was a good Gidget in the average TV movie Gidget Grows Up(1969). I hope Shout Factory releases every season of Room 222 on DVD and Blu Ray. | 1positive
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One of the Greatest Movies of All Time!!
After seeing this movie on the first day at the first showing in my town, I was then turned into a huge Spider-Man [fan]! The movie was excellent!! It was better than I thought it would be. The acting was great, especially Tobey Maguire and Willem Dafoe. They brought the roles to life with their great knowledge of the Spider-Man past. The special effects will keep you on the edge of your seat, and keep you waiting for the next installment. Which is set to hit theaters on May 7th, 2004. Until then True Believers! | 1positive
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Liberal Paranoia At Its Worst
Normally I love action movies but this movie was so insulting to my intelligence that I would have given it zero stars if possible. I never thought a non-stop action movie could be so utterly boring - and preachy. The technological falsities and absurdities are so glaringly huge and ludicrous that the makers of this movie were either clearly marketing to the easily impressionable, were just plain ignorant, or both.However, if you regularly hide under your bed thinking that black helicopters from the Federal government are coming to get you then this movie might be for you. If you think the Patriot Act means that the Federal government is monitoring your every phone call then this movie might be for you. If you think that military intelligence must be 100% error-free before engaging in any military operation and that US soldiers should read every enemy they're about to shoot their Miranda rights, then this movie might just be for you. If you call Islamo-fascist terrorists "freedom fighters" and consider the US bad, bad, bad then this movie might just be for you. | 0negative
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Happy momma
Very, very please with my purchase when I recived video it was as promised and for that I Will continue to order in the future. Thanks! | 1positive
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MOVIES I ENJOY
IVE ENJOYED MY PURCHASED OF TEN COMMANDS OVER AND OVER AGAINPACKAGING WAS GREAT PRODUCT WAS GREAT PRICE WAS GREATTHANK YOU AMAZON | 1positive
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great rental!
Great quality! Was easy to download and watch. I will absolutely rent from Amazon again! I just wish I could have had the movie for I've more day. | 1positive
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Why?
Why? Why? WHY? Why remake a classic horror film? That means remaking it with exactly the same screenshots, lines, right down to the same camara angles used in the original. The only difference is that this one's in color. So if they're basicly the same then this will be just as good, right? Wrong! I don't know exactly what it is, but the remake just doesn't have any of the style and flair of the first.I was bored while I watched this movie (because I watched it before the original.) The remake of Psycho actually made it into the top 100 celebrity opps! I dunno, I guess I'm not really one for remakes (but I do like the Fly (1986)) esp if it's a remake of a really good movie. Most remake are, because no one wants to remake a bad movie, even though bad movies are the ones they actually SHOULD be remaking.Don't buy this movie. Well, I don't know, if you love it then you can get it. But the 1960 version is way better. The acting was also better. Nothing beats Anthony Perkins as Norman Bates, or Janet Leigh (mother of Jamie Lee Curtis) as Marion Crane. Also I think the film just 'works' better in black and white.I'm giving the remake two stars because it's still a great story. But the question still remains-why? | 0negative
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It aspires to be pretentious,
as a friend of mine said. The storyline is simplistic, which would be no problem were the imagery not so overused and the dialogue not so terrible ("But maybe it's genius!"--perhaps the director's wistful thoughts on his own film?).Maybe this is why the movie is as bad as it is: it mixes the storyline of the quest to know the secrets of the universe with a bunch of paranoiac gibberish. It doesn't focus enough on the emotional and spiritual consequences of Max's quest to know the mind of God. We never get enough sense of Max Cohen as a character to empathize with him. Hence my feeling that the movie is juvenile, because it puts him through a lot without allowing us to feel with him. | 0negative
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Powerful nostalgia
Gundam animation series has been around for more than decades. I was a huge fan of it when I was growing up. Fortunately, I was able to hear about this newer series of Gundam recently and decided to try it. I loved it. It was very entertaining itself but also it brought all the nostalgia of my childhood. However, this series is for mature audiences since it containes a heaviely political and dramatic story line. It is quite hard to believe that these visually beautiful animation was actually produced about a decade ago. I believe this animation series containes the serious and original atmosphere of the Gundam series not like those new series such as gundam wings. Regardless of the fact that you know about Gundam or not, you will be highly entertained. | 1positive
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Should have been called, "Ha ha, we took your money!"
The Blair Witch Project is a film of sheer genius! Let me qualify that statement: Jim Jones was a genius; the Enron scam was genius; and many others.I was prompted to go see this film because of a very engaging and ingenious Sci Fi Channel program (which I later realized was a one hour commercial for the film). The one hour program was scary and interesting. The film was anything but.The Blair Witch Project tells the "true" story of a group of twenty somethings who go investigate the legend of the Blair Witch in some remote part of Massachussetts or Maryland. Using nothing but video cameras, the fimmakers intent was to give the film a raw and documentary feel to it and then go so far as to promote it as being a real film - the last film by this group of students - as they are supposedly killed by the Blair Witch.The video cameras used jump around so much that I became quite queasy watching the film. The scripted dialogue (yes, it was actually scripted) is cheap and amateur. The climax of the film is such a ridiculous thing that it is amazing that it did the business it did. And, boy, did it do business.I can remember leaving the theater and overhearing a girl, sobbing her eyes out, talking about how horrible it must have been for those people to die like that, and how someone should do something so that no one ever has to die like that again.I laughed my head off at that. And then I got angry. I got angry that anyone could be so monumentally stupid as to believe the ridiculous story that had just been portrayed on screen. But then I comforted myself that most people are that stupid and to this date there was no law against stupidity - even though there should be.Laughably bad and ridciulous! | 0negative
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Just what you would expect from Michael Moore
Michael Moore tells a good story, if you don't mind a liberal fairy tale. Anything Moore puts out needs to be taken with the understanding that he aims his stories for the uninformed masses. The thing that scares him the most is someone who thinks for themselves. | 0negative
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Great Farm Tractor Video
I got this DVD for my 2 year old grandson who is totally into tractors, backhoes, etc. This is his favorite. My daughter is now limiting how much he can watch it. At 2 he's already a semi expert on tractors, attachments and combines. My husband gets hooked into it also. Very good naration that kids like. For the money, you can't lose. I'd highly recommend it to any kids who like machinery. | 1positive
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Blu-ray Makes A Huge Mistake
The blu-ray version of "Superman: The Movie" leaves out one of the most important features of the DVD version: the original stereo sound mix. In order to make a 5.1 mix for the DVD release, the studio had to re-create the sound effects for the entire movie. Unfortunately, they did a terrible job. Everything sounds over done, like in the THX/The Audience Is Listening short. Imagine if they "re did" the sound effects for Star Wars? That would be stupid right? At least give us the option to have a stereo mix. | 0negative
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Heel Goed!
This was a very good movie that is a 'must see'. The film was absolutely brillantly done. The struggle between the father, mother and son are fascinating. If you start this movie, you will not move until the credits begin to roll! | 1positive
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A real disaster...
...that's for sure. This movie makes Jan De Bont (Twister), Roland Emmerich (Independence Day, The Day After Tomorrow) and Paul W.Anderson (Alien vs Predator) look like the greatest and most inspiring moviemakers in the world today - now I'm being sarcastic of course, but it should indeed draw you the picture of how awful Deep Impact is!I mean; I expected patriotism to some level (as if US is the only part of the world worth saving, or in this case even give a "warning" - they didn't know where the metheor would strike did they?) , more effects than story, good acting because of the talented and legendary cast (though my expectations weren't high considering the usual outcome of scripts from similar movies about nature-catastrophes striking parts of the earth, and all the usual heroism and moral-speeches about sacrificing one life to save a million and all that), and at least parts of the story to be "believable". Not a chanse. One thing is that the effects are so not realistic, the movie clearly is a movie made only to make money. There's no joy, no thought, no inspiration behind Deep Impact.No excuse for Morgan Freeman to waste his talent on yet another "turkey", the same goes for Robert Duvall. Didn't they read the script before practising their lines? The president character surely ment to present the US in some idealistic way is just annoying, and do not get me wrong here - I would have nothing against a black president "over" there, in fact I'm looking forward to it! But why put so much moral and drama into such an "over the top"-movie. There's some of it in The Day After Tomorrow, but it's not nearly as embarrasing as it gets in Deep Impact!As mentioned; the story is totally unbelievable. It's like a child wrote the script. Or even better; some stupis father was inspired to make the movie after watching his child play with its' toys. For two years the metheor is raging through the universe, and no one knows about it exept for the president and his staff. Like they're the only nation in the world with equiptment (wrong spelled?). It's kept secret to spend money building some kind of a spaceship to land on the metheor, and then to place a bomb on it? Something like that, I nearly fell asleep.And when finally the metheor strikes the ocean somewhere near New York, the best part (haha), the entire nation being warned since long and there's been a countdown for the impact -well, only a few of the people has been evacuated, and when the wave flows in over the buildings people are walking around or driving in their cars like as if it was an ordinary day, and the disaster comes sudden!The worst movie ever? | 0negative
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House of 1000 Corpses
I had high hopes going into this movie- i thought rob would come out with somthing new and diffrent for the horror genre since his music and style are diffrent and unique. the menu of the dvd has captain spaulding the clown on it and its pretty funny, this was the first thing i saw so i thought this movie is either gona be really stupid and suck or be diffrent and funny horror. The menu was cool so i went on to watch movie , the opening of the film looks like a rob zombie video along with his music then leads to a clown named captain spaulding- once you see this guy and his friend you know the film is gona be really screwed up- so then it goes on to the haunted house part with the serial killers , which led me to beleive this was going to be a pretty cool horror movie, i was wrong , that was about the only good part of the film. The acting was bad, the characters unlikeable, not scary at all and for the most part unoriginal. Rob said this was a tribute to the horror movies that inspired him , well i hope it was because it stole alot from many well known good horror films. ( like tcm )- it could never measure up to tcm though of course. I like robs music and he had some good ideas for this film but the characters and acting just didnt cut it. For the most part this pretty much sucked. I cant believe tobe hooper liked this movie. Maybe i should give it another shot and watch it again , though i dont think it will probably be any better. My advice is to rent this do not buy, rent then decide. | 0negative
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The Truth is in the Poetry
"How yet this dark and lonely nightAbout us tempts and teases;How, too, this ever-waning lightSo thoroughly displeases..."So proclaims the Queen of Hearts in her final soliloquy to the doomed Knave of Hearts in J.T. Holden's masterful retelling of the Lewis Carroll classic, appropriately entitledAlice in Verse: The Lost Rhymes of Wonderland. These mournful words could just as easily be attributed to the bewildered moviegoer who has shelled out good money for Tim Burton's spectacle-without-substance sequel to that same Carroll classic. As the credits roll and the truth settles in, it is the advice of the wily Cheshire Cat in Holden's book that haunts with its greater truth:"If you really must go, then it's best you should knowThat to find you need only to seek--But in seeking and finding, you may need reminding,Once found, is what's sought worth a peek?" | 0negative
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Just the ticket if your tired of ESPN 99 Poker Tournaments
Simply, DodgeBall is a funny movie. Vince Vaughn as the low key encouraging gym owner is perfect. Ben Stiller repeats a perfomance here as pumped up, literally, bobo gym owner. Rip Torn as the crusty old Dodgeball veteran Patches O'Holihan is hilarious. This initial outing by Writer/Director Rawson Marshall Thurber is almost perfect. Proof once again that a good writing with truly funny lines will always win over an audience. My only negative is that Ben Stiller seems to play the same parts in most of his movies, it is funny, but one wonders for how long? This movie is the perfect tonic for most of the stupidity you see on cable TV, especially obscure sports on the overabundance of Cable Sports channels. This one is a definite buy. | 1positive
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MGM ARE YOU NUTS?
Why did MGM deliver this in a Non-Box format!!! The laser disc is in widescreen why not the DVD. IT was shot in a 2.35.1 ratio and seeing in in 1.33.1 really is a pitty. I bought the disc but as soon as it was placed in my machine I wish I never bought it. Should have bought the laser disc. I WILL NEVER BY MGM again as long as they continue this stupid practice.On the movie side I liked it very much Ronnie Yu is a great director who can mix action and beauty in the same frame | 0negative
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09/11/2001
Anyone whom lived on 09/11/2001 should own this product. We can not simply forget what the wonderful and courageous people on flight 93 did for all of us. It brings tears to my eyes. | 1positive
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Savagely Satirical, Savagely Prophetic
With the possible exception of Stanley Kubrick's 1964 masterpiece DOCTOR STRANGELOVE, there hasn't been as sardonic or prophetic a cinematic satire as the 1976 classic NETWORK. Thanks to the talents of screenwriter Paddy Chayefsky (MARTY) and director Sidney Lumet (12 ANGRY MEN), both of whom got their starts in the early days of television, NETWORK is a powerful indictment of television and its ability to make an audience believe anything it sees on that 21-inch screen.The film revolves around a fictional fourth-place TV network, UBS, and its news anchorman Howard Beale (Peter Finch) who has just been canned because his ratings have slipped badly. After announcing on the air that he is contemplating killing himself, however, the head honchos at UBS soon realize that they've got a potential ratings bonanza on their hands and exploit Finch's rantings and ravings for profit by making him "The Mad Prophet Of The Airwaves." Robert Duvall and Faye Dunaway are the two who mastermind this, and William Holden is Finch's best friend, who can't do anything but sit on the sidelines as he sees Finch falling apart.Eventually, however, Finch's rantings against corporate hypocrisy, including UBS being bought out by a Saudi Arabian-based conglomerate, attract the ire of the real head honcho (Ned Beatty), who steers Finch into telling the world that corporate control is a "good thing." The ratings fall right through the floor, and a disturbing decision is made by Duvall and Dunaway.NETWORK justifiably won Oscars for Chayefsky's original screenplay, and Dunaway's and Finch's performances (the latter posthumously). When it was released in late 1976, television network executives were openly dismissive of the film's savage attack on what Chayefsky perceived TV was becoming. It seemed like a paranoid fantasy then. It isn't now--not when we have nutjobs like Jerry Springer, Sean Hannity, and others turning television upside down with foolish stunts and political fascism masquerading as entertainment. Chayefsky definitely saw this coming even then. But in the guise of Howard Beale, he gave rise to a battle cry that has gone down in movie history: "I'M AS MAD AS HELL, AND I'M NOT GONNA TAKE THIS ANYMORE!"Besides Finch and Dunaway, the entire cast, including Holden in one of his greatest roles, and Duvall in one of his most steely performances ever, explodes with gusto, and Lumet's precise direction keeps things rolling along. It is Great American theatre, complete with extremely salty dialogue and concise points made about television's corrupting influence on people, and it definitely retains its considerable satirical and prophetic power today in the 21st century. | 1positive
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Not compatible in the US
I'm sure the story is great, but was not able to watch it. Tried several DVD players, none compatible with this DVD. | 0negative
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This movie was not very good
Like a previous review for Mystery Men said, "this is not a movie for film snobs." Anyone out there who has not grown up appreciating comic book heroes and such would definitely not enjoy this film. It's one of those movies that serves as mindless entertainment with no brilliant plot twists or mind-bending special effects. This movie does not stimulate the mind at all. If anything, it serves knock some points off your IQ. I definitely felt more stupid after watching this movie.To give you an example, I''ll note the movie "What Dreams May Come" starring Robin Williams. This movie was a veritable feast for the eyes: the cinematography was so breath-taking that if you looked at a scene too long you literally would forget to breathe. The scenery and cgi were absolutely beautiful. However, the story seriously lacked creativity, it was horribly depressing, and it just plain stunk. It was kind of like smelling a rose and getting stung by a bee. This is the pretty much the same impression Mystery Men left me with. Great sets and costumes, bad story.The only good parts of this movie consist of three things: the nice sets, the Sphinx's "formulaic" cliches, and Paul Reuben's depiction of the Spleen. He was pretty funny.If you like comic book heroes and pure action, you'll love this film. If you like movies which stimulate your mind and are brilliantly artistic and filled with break-through ideas, then you will think this movie stinks. | 0negative
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very good foreign film
This movie was very good. I loved the story. The acting was very good. After a few minutes I forgot about the subtitles. very enjoyable.... | 1positive
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Great item!
Works extremely well and have no issues with it. Great buy and will buy from the company again in the near future. Person I bought it for says she couldn't of asked for a better gift. | 1positive
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Surprisingly intriguing and very entertaining!
I really didn't want to see this movie at first but i was really surprised at its smart plot and shocking twists.Campbell Scott really is a great actor but i didn't realize until i saw his good performance.Steve Martin is good playing a non-comedic role.And it is a very unusual and original movie.And after seeing this i am very interested in seeing David Mamet's other work.I recommend this movie,to all! | 1positive
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not that great
tom hanks in with a typically dull and overrated performance and zemeckis showing off his post-back to the future boringness. very long and tiresome, but not without its moments. very sentimental and some decent special effects. a not so bad performance by gary sinise as well. not worth a watch unless you're really curious what the hype's all about. stick with roger rabbit, used cars, and bttf 1-3 | 0negative
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Too Much Already!
Yes, I admit it! I was sucked in by the hype! I was excited by the concept! I went to see the movie! I came away thoroughly disappointed...If ever there was a case of 'over-egging the pudding' this is it. The concept of the titular character taking on three of Universal's classic monsters is great! So what do they do? Turn Dracula into a mad scientist, make the wolfman entirely CGI and don't even ask about Frankenstein's creature, his glowing cranium and melodic tenor voice. Throw in Mr Hyde (and Dr Jekyll) who aren't even Universal, Dracula's three Brides (who surprisingly are the best thing in the movie) and Dracula's 'children' (think flying Gremlins) and you begin to see that what we have here is enough plot (and I use the word loosely) to fill a trilogy. Steven Sommers seems to have got carried away with the success of The Mummy movies and lost the plot completely!The 'human' characters are bland and two dimensional with Jackman's Van Helsing briefly showing promise before being thrown into yet another battle against an evil animated character. That the final battle is between two (rather poorly rendered) CGI characters says it all.When the best you can say for a film is that the Production Design is good you know you're in trouble. The opening sequence is very promising as it harks back to the good old days. Even then the highlight of the film - a human character looks in a mirror to see her's is the only reflection out of a room full of people - was stolen whole-sale from Polanski's The Fearless Vampire Killers (AKA Dance of the Vampires).There seems to be a plot twist somewhere, involving Van Helsing and his past relationship with Dracula. When it comes it is so under-whelming as to be embarrassing. It was obviously put in for the (doubtful considering this one' box office performance) sequel. Even if there is a sequel, considering how many major monsters were used up on this one, who can Van Helsing fight against? The Creature from the Black Lagoon? The Invisible Man? King Kong? Who Knows? Who Cares? | 0negative
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Kind of Cheesy
I usually love Clint Eastwood movies and was looking forward to watching this one, which has such a stellar cast. But Absolute Power is not up to Eastwood's usual standards. The writing is kind of cheesy, the end is both predictable and absurd (which is not an easy feat) and all the fine actors in it can't save such bad material. | 0negative
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Great Dedication
I've always been a Michael Jackson fan but never realized what a great mind for rhythm and choreography he had. This video shows a many-faceted man who will be sorely missed... | 1positive
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This movie will change your life!
Unless you are either in a coma or are dead this movie will move you. It brought me to tears the first time I saw it. It shows you a side of civilization that is so beautiful and a side that is so rancid. This movie is a must see for people of all ages. | 1positive
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Awesome movie
I really liked this telling of the old story. Johny Depp was great as always and I don't remember when I saw him suck in any role. As long as you can forgive 21 Jump Street, gag. The Alice character is great and the women who played her was great. | 1positive
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Fay Wray Collection
I bought this because of the movie "The Most Dangerous Game". Of the several movies with this theme, all the reviews counted this as the best even though it was the first. After seeing "Hard Target", I looked in ernest and found this. Both movies are good and interesting for film buffs like myself. "The Vampire Bat" is a good movie, too; but TMDG stands out. Of note is the fact that it uses most of the cast and the same sets as the original "King Kong". Both films are well worth the viewing. | 1positive
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How Did I Miss This Movie!!!
Would you like to see African Americans portrayed in a positive light in a wonderful love story? Then this is the movie for you.I was in Washington, DC at Best Buy and I saw this movie for sale. I didn't buy and had forgotten about it until I was browsing in Blockbuster and then I saw it again. There was only one copy and I rented it. I took it home and viewed it 3 times in a row. I cried the first 2 times and nearly cried the during the third viewing. I thought the acting in the movie was fantastic and I wondered why this movie wasn't in theatres. It was great to see a love story that just happened to have and African American cast. The movie transcends race and anyone who loves a love story will want this movie for their collection.However, as an African American I admit I did find it more than refreshing to see us in a movie that didn't involve violence or drugs. Hollywood is ignoring the need for us to see ourselves in positive roles and when I ran across this one I was just too pleased to spend my [money] on it. Do yourself a favor and add this to your collection. I promise you won't be disappointed. | 1positive
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New but....whats new?
I did notice a clearer picture overall when comparing it to the first DVD release, since it does say high definition. As far as audio is concerned...havent ran it on a legitimate 5.1 or better system to compare the audios...email me if anyone knows if this new version is remastered, again?jorgejz@bellsouth.net | 1positive
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This DVD Rocks!!!
I just got this DVD, it is the coolest thing. I love the movie, and the extras are awesome. There are so many, I can't hardly watch them all. The menus are really cool as well... I have never scene DVD menus like this before. I definetly recommend this DVD for anyone who likes the X-Games or sports in general. These guys (and girls) are amazing atheletes!!! This DVD Rocks!!! | 1positive
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Defective DVD
The DVD of *Citizen Kane* was defective but it's OK. I got a refund. | 0negative
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Welcome to Dark Falls - USA
This has quickly become a family classic in our house,Particularly around Halloween. My 4 1/2, 8 1/2 and 10 years old girlslove this one!The story stems around a shady real estatesalesman... whom offers a can't refuse deal to a unsuspecting familyfrom 'out of town'. Unknown to the family, Dark Falls was the victimof some type of hazardous chemical spill a while back, causing theexisting residents to become 'living dead'. Unfortunately for these'living dead' corpses, they are dependent on 'the living' fornourishment.Thus, they use this one piece of real estate property -AKA Dead House - as 'bait' to unsuspecting family's in order tofeed. Without disclosing the whole storyline, I must say the thingwith the dog at the end adds a nice touch... | 1positive
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Excellent movie but Blu-Ray copy not impressively different from very good DVD copy
I like the movie very much. It is one of my favorite movies. However, I didn't see that much noticeable difference from the DVD version I have than with this Blu-Ray version. On repeated viewings I began to notice improvements in the picture quality and clarity in the Blu-Ray but still the DVD was very close to the Blu-Ray. Another person I know who is really into the technical aspects of Blu-Ray picture quality was not very impressed. When I first got the DVD though (before I got the Blu-Ray) I remarked 'This isn't Blu-Ray. It's a really great picture). Even though the quality to me is similar between the Blu-Ray and the DVD, I am still happy I got the Blu-Ray version though I could have done without the British Accent insert into the setup of the movie before you got to the movie menus. | 1positive
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Possibly the worst film of the 1980s
I believe the other reviewer here is in error as to what film this is, buthe's sure got the rating correct. I just watched this on an insomniacnight, 2:30 a.m. movie on a local station. It has nothing to do with outerspace.Regardless, it's abominably bad. There are about three recognizable faceshere, with character actors in starring roles, including Bo Hopkins as the(cliche) big city cop with a drinking problem who's surviving by working forthe sheriff's department after he shot a kid by mistake; Wings Hauser as the(cliche) big city kid who takes his brother on a camping trip to forget agirlfriend who just dumped him; and an actress whose face I know but whosename escapes me, as the (cliche) small town doc who's losing business to thenew med center in the big town up the road a ways.This flick is so predictable that you can already guess what happens whenHauser and his little brother (we know they're brothers because they keepsaying so, although there's no sense of familiarity or "inside jokes"between them) rile up the local redneck of a small town on their trip, andtheir car gets run off the road and they have to spend the night in a bigold house run by a middle-aged lady who's just not right. We know one ofthem will die, because see, we just saw a murder in this house and we knowshe's not quite right.In line with early-'80s chemical paranoia, it turns out some chemical fromthe local "No Trespassing" chemical plant is turning the townspeople intomaniacs. Beware, though; special effects budget appears to be approximatelywhat you spent on lunch.Further cliches: Hopkins puts up with the town redneck troublemaker andjust tells him to "go on home," there's one beautiful girl in town whonaturally falls in love with Hauser, he and his brother find a corpse whodisappears when they get Hopkins to "come see," the deputy sheriff chewingHopkins out for drinking on the job at the same time Hopkins has discoveredsuch a vanishing body himself, blah blah blah... | 0negative
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Humor, pathos and intellect all in one film!
I absolutely loved this film, although I realize it's not for everyone.Most of it consists of delicate little snippets of conversation with a group of recented deceased people. They relate stories of moments in their lives, with such beauty and poignancy and realism that one could imagine this a documentary. The "acting" (although it hardly seems to be acting at all!) is uniformly excellent.In tiny snatches, we come to know quite lot about them. Best of all, the movie makes you think about life -- have we lived the kind of life that creates a memory we'd want to spend eternity with?Kore-eda Hirokazu (the director) manages that rare combination of humor, pathos and intellect that makes this film a winner. | 1positive
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POWERFUL!!!!!!!
I went to see the Passion of the Christ (Twice Now) and all I can say is WOW, what a Powerful movie, I want to see it again and again. I can't wait for the DVD. I absolutely was entranced by this film. I heard and read the positive reviews and I heard and read all the negative reviews (before I went) and thought I was in for some kind of documentary on crucifixion, or a gory movie filled with violence. That is not what I got at all; instead the Passion of The Christ was a riveting entrancing story of love. I just want to thank Mel Gibson so much for making this movie, the passion of the Christ. I don't even have the words to express how I fell about the passion. This movie is what the doctor ordered for this time we are living in. In my opinion it is the best and most important movie ever made. Each person has the choice to accept or reject Jesus the Christ, The Word of God before the beginning (always) was the Word, and the Word (always) was (face to face) with God, and the Word (always) was God. He (always) was in the beginning with God; all things were made through him, and without him was not anything made that was made. In him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. This Word is GOD (the creator), and He came as a MAN and Died for our sins. There is nothing deeper in the universe. | 1positive
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Nothing that I expected
A friend and I got Darrin's in extreme anticipation.Not only is Darrin sexist (he believes that women are unable to do "normal" pushups) but everything about this video is unsatisfying.The warm up was counted too slowly and the begining of the video consisted of stars claiming "Darrin is the best", complete with his life history.You don't see the dancers feet, therefore you are left to guess what to do. He gives you the first move of a sequence, then goes through the sequence without breaking it up first. He doesnt even tell you how fast you will do it in the "real thing"Since Darrin is facing you, it is extremely confusing from your rights and your lefts.However, the moves are fun and simple, but it would help a lot if they were broken down first. | 0negative
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Awesome!
One of my fav movies of all time. Its wonderful on my new 3D tv. cant wait to watch it over and over | 1positive
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Great for kids and adults
This is a must-see movie. It's not your average kids' movie. It is just great all around. I have only been through a few of the extras but I have enjoyed them. | 1positive
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"When You Absolutely, Positively Got to..."
Perhaps I'm just being non-conformist, but I prefer "Jackie Brown" to "Pulp Fiction." Not that I didn't love "Pulp," and it was certainly the more groundbreaking of the two films, but there's something about the social milieu and style of "Jackie Brown" that makes me want to revisit it more often. Maybe it's the ensemble work of a great cast; maybe it's the leisurely pace; maybe it's the humor that simultaneously undercuts and sets up the moments of violence; maybe it's Pam Grier's winning performance as a flight attendant who outsmarts the good guys and the bad guys at the same time; maybe it's Robert Forster's comeback portrayal of a weathered bail bondsman; or maybe it's Tarantino's underlying commentary on the crime genre, which Hollywood so often populates with brilliant masterminds or bumbling goofballs, when in fact most criminals are much like these - average, drug-addled, and not the world's great thinkers. It certainly has something to do with Samuel L. Jackson's astonishingly assured turn as Ordell Robbie, an arms dealer who is twice as dangerous as he looks and half as smart as he thinks he is. Somehow it all works perfectly, and the extras on this DVD only add to the value. As Jackie would say, "Boo yah!" | 1positive
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Great movie which did'nt need a sequel
I still have the soundtrack to a movie I saw sixteen years ago. Tom Cruise plays the part of an ambitous but smart-alec pilot Pete 'Maverick' Mitchell, who goes to Top Gun, the naval training academy for America's best pilots. He falls on love with a civilian instructor played by Kelly Mcgillis. A tragic accident claims the life of Maverick's best friend 'Goose' played by Anthony Edwards. Maverick quits the school after the tragedy and after learning of the story behind the disappearance of his father during the Vietnam War. But a military emergency which requires the Top Gun pilot's involvement sees Maverick bring home the bacon in a dogbattle which involves rescuing Top Gun rival 'Iceman' played by Val Kilmer. The battle scenes and photography blend in well with the cental character: the making of Maverick as a more mature, sensible pilot. Meg Ryan, Tom Skerrit and Michael Ironside play sensible roles as supporting actors. A great film that needed no sequel. | 1positive
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I love Branaugh, but I give his Hamlet a 2; hear me out, OK?
I try to watch all Branaugh's films. In this one he created a surreal set with past, present, and future all mixed-up together. He brought so many different extras that it looked like a circus. I understand that this was supposed to heighten the sence of madness and chaos in Danish Kingdom, but he went too far... I mean, five hours of this circus, give me a break! He tried to pile too many ideas together and as a result the film turned out to be some sort of a thick, chewy stuff that never ends... I have seen three other Hamlets on screen and I am sorry to say this is not the best one. | 0negative
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not his
Lucas really needs to realize that the movies belong to the fans, and not to him. He may be the creator, but he owns them just as much as Da Vinci owns the Mona Lisa. What he is doing is akin to someone magic markering eyebrows onto ol' Mona.I for one will not be buying this, maybe renting if cheap.That being said, growing up I watched the originals at least once a month. Loved just sitting back and enjoying them, even RotJ. Watched them countless times and never got bored; enjoyed each viewing like it was the first. With that in mind, I have sat all the way through the Phantom Menace once, Attack twice, and Revenge once, and that is enough for me. In fact, since the prequels came out, I have only watched the originals a couple of times. Lucas has lost whatever magic he once had. It is time to let go of the reins and let someone else take over. (though he has said on numerous occasions, he will not). | 0negative
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Really Good movie, a new Mission Impossible?!
This was a really good movie in my opinion, i rented it. I thought that it was just a good movie until the ending really caught me and then i was like dang!! ya kno, it really makes you think. | 1positive
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Still enjoyable
I hadn't seen this movie since I was a kid so I wasn't sure if it would be too campy now. But I still enjoyed it today. It was good fun. | 1positive
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Another ten bucks I'll never see again
Can Keanu spell "typecast"? After those lousy Matrix sequels couldn't he have smelt the sulphur a mile away and dodged this sad excuse for a film?It's a tired formula - angels and demons are completely monstrous and amoral whereas us poor humans, the only creatures with any capacity for virtue, are stuck in the middle as their pawns. Not very original, not to mention cliche-ridden. Of course his friend (who is stereotypically geeky and likes to study arcane literature) had to die, just as he was trying to give Keanu some vital information! Of course there has to be a slow-motion scene where Keanu kills demon hybrids, a scene stolen straight from Blade. Of course he has to wear a long black coat.And suicides automatically go to hell?! Oh please. Time for filmmakers to stop adopting the dogma of a particular chuch and be more original. And what's with that horrendous depiction of the Angel Gabriel, androgynous, snooty and all but screaming fashion victim! | 0negative
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Far From Ultimate and Even Inconsiderate To Our Beloved Donna Douglas
I LOVE The Beverly Hillbillies, it's probably my favorite sitcom of all time, but this set, authorized by creator Paul Hennings' estate and his daughter Linda Kaye Henning, would be a total disappointment if not for the great bonus features. As most fans know, the first season episodes of BH are public domain now and as a result you will find cheapie BH dvds at many dollar stores (and on Amazon and other websites) with a few episodes and usually quite bad prints. There definitely was a need for an official set but this one apparently just uses Paul Hennings' own aged personal prints of the show, not from master copies from studio vaults.The good news is, unlike the dollar store stuff, these episodes get to keep the famous and essential opening song written by Paul Henning (it's not on the cheapie discs because the song is still copyrighted), they also include the brief sponsor tag at the end of the opening credits which haven't been seen since the show first aired. The bad news is these are just film prints, probably 16mm, so the picture quality here is not much better than the dollar store stuff.The special features are great and keeps this set afloat; the super rare "end" commericals where the cast sings the praises of sponsors Winston cigarettes and Kelloggs' corn flakes (you'll note they don't have "young uns" Jethro and Elly May smoking though!) - there is no other place to see these and they are a treat. Even better is a delightful comedy musical number by Irene Ryan in Granny garb singing Peggy Lee's vampy "I'm A Woman" on a Roy Rogers special, somewhat less appealing is a dance number by Buddy Ebsen from another such show which reveals (as did the occasional BH episode) that Ebsen may have been a well-known tap dancer in his youth but these talents were underwhelming in his later years.There is also a long interview with Max Baer about the show and a documentary profile on creator Paul Henning hosted by his daughter Linda (voice of "Jethrine" and later star of PETTICOAT JUNCTION) who also introduces the DVD although one would think this honor should have gone to Baer and/or Donna Douglas. The informative Paul Henning biography features comments from Baer, Frank Cady and several of the Petticoat Junction girls but most shockingly completely snubs our darling Donna Douglas. No interview, nothing!!! "Elly May" was the most popular character on the show with the public in the 1960's, today she and Baer are the only two surviving major cast members. It's outrageous she was apparently not asked to participate on this DVD. Certainly she has done more than her share keeping the Hillbillies legend alive these forty years later and yet she gets snubbed on the DVD of the series?? Linda Kaye mentions her only in passing on the intro and then moves on to state she (Linda) was the inspiration for the character as if Donna's work was irrelevant! Donna is such a lovely, gentle lady and she did not deserve this DVD'a dismissal of her vastly important contribution to the show. She is widely recognized as one of the 1960's great "glamour girl" TV stars along with the likes of Barbara Eden, Elizabeth Montgomery, and Tina Louise. I honestly don't think the show would have quite have been as popular without Elly May.My local library has this DVD so I've never had a desire to buy it, particularly given the Douglas snub. Other Hillbillies fans may want to own it, perhaps I will too one day, but I still can't help but wish it had been nicer - both in print quality and to adorable Donna. | 0negative
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Evil has to be eternal and on the run
Finally the new generation of Batman films has arrived and he is on the run. The film is long and there are many moments when no action happens, when the hero or the people are there to reflect upon events, to go down deep into themselves, to show us their feelings, their fears, their hopes. The film becomes a lot more psychological, mental even. It is talking of people, real people and how they react and live in a tense situation. The best moment of the film is when the people themselves have to decide who is going to die, them on one side or the others on the other side. They can do it on both sides and neither sides do it. They vote overwhelmingly for killing the others and yet they don't carry out their decision. Democracy is the worst imaginable regime because a majority is always found for the least ethical decisions that more or less demagogically please the masses, caress them in the right direction. And yet it remains the best because in these worst situations imaginable the people kind of react against the horror and the terror and do not follow the majority rule or reveal another layer of majority rule deeper and finer, well hidden but always ready to come out. The film shows how what is at stake is not what the masses are going to do in a crisis situation. It is what are the few individuals who have power and the means to use that power going to do, or rather become? And there the answer is super-negative. Individuals are always corrupted by the forces behind the terror that swoops down onto the masses. That's politics and that's well seen. And yet that's false when the film pretends these few corruptible people can be stopped. At least not the way the film says. They are never corrupted alone and they move into that corrupted state along with quite many people, armed forces, security forces and even more. The film is deeply reflecting on recent events but the diagnosis is wrong and the solution is wrong too. It will not be enough to get rid of the corrupted individual. It will not even be enough to get rid of him and the inner circle of his legion. You will have to explain why at a certain moment that man captured a vast majority of the people in elections or just public opinion. And you'll have to provide a way to reverse that fact and to prevent it from happening again. And then you will find you cannot prevent that because such massive support to evil when it is draped in a long shining armor of good is long lasting, very long lasting. The next solution is to turn that corrupted person into a dead hero. But then you have to turn your best friend into the fiend the masses require. Think of president Saakashvili in Georgia. He took the decision to send troops into Ossetia. That was a bad decision showing how he had been corrupted by his re-election and the anti-Russian feelings of some. You can even say he had been influenced if not directly manipulated by the Russians, or even by the West which more or less promised support, even military, another manipulation of course. His mind got corrupted and he provoked the big northern neighbor and he got what he deserved: his two military bases destroyed, the main airport destroyed, the main harbor destroyed, the basic infrastructures disrupted, the pipelines stopped. A military, economic, social and political catastrophe. Then what? Oust him and turn him into a hero? Follow the call of the hard liners among the people and start a guerrilla warfare adventure, provided the Russians decided to stay in Georgia? Send Bush to burry him deep and under a thick layer of concrete? Punish the Russians with isolation, as if they gave a damn about it because we, in the West, need their natural gas and their oil, not the reverse. This film is thus discussing this fundamental issue of what do we do with corrupted leaders who have commanded at some time in their careers vast support from the masses? The solution proposed is unrealistic. But the film is superb, especially because the Joker is really vicious and dangerous, really blood curdling and sickening, whereas with Jack Nicholson he was a funny clown. This time he is not a clown at all. And that is true: terrorism, even criminal terrorism and not political terrorism, is not funny, is not a game, is not a show. And it has means to get under the skin of most people. And then there is no solution, except an innocent fiend who will be on the run forever, like Ben Laden? We can wonder if our enemies, fiends are not such illusive evil beings who are not that evil but are necessary for the real evil ones to be kept in place. And are there even really alive, are they really real?Dr Jacques COULARDEAU, University Paris Dauphine, University Paris 1 Pantheon Sorbonne & University Versailles Saint Quentin en Yvelines | 1positive
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Surprisingly (and Spectacularly) Good Stuff Here.
As a 30-something child at heart, I stil like my animated shows. Shows like Star Wars: Clone Wars, The Batman, Justice League, Fantastic Four, Wolverine, and so forth. So I'm always looking out for new shows that may grab my attention. Of course, I will always give a comic superhero show a chance. Well, back when this first season aired, it was exclusively on the CW channels here in America. Well, none of those come in in HD on our satellite system, so I was stuck with SD picture in 4:3. To be honest the show didn't look good. For the low-res pic on an HD set and the fact that it was clearly rendered in 16:9 and all I was getting was a cropped 4:3 pic. So anyway, I did DVR the episodes, but never really watched them. I think I watched the Lizard episode, "Natural Selection", I think it was. Well, I really couldn't get into the animation style and being SD didn't help matters.So here we are just over a year after the first season finished airing and the Complete Season 1 set comes out. I had pre-ordered it in the hopes of being pleasantly surprised. Well, my hopes were realized and after watching it over the last few days, I have come to the conclusion that this show is REALLY well done. Yes, the animation (or shall I say the character models) take some time getting used to, but once you do you kind of feel like they actually fit well with the surroundings.The voice acting is great. Got some top-notch voice-over talent there, from Clancy Brown and Lacy Chabert to Keith David. That's one thing that has really helped post-1990 animated shows have staying power, if you will.But I htink the most important part of all that makes this series different and unique is that the producers plan out each season as just one long continuous story. Each episode pretty much starts off with where the previous one let off. Which is nice, because it pretty much eliminates the proverbial "reset button" phenomemon that a lot of shows have. I also like how they allude to the creation of super villains in previous episodes before they actually occur. For example, with Dr. Curt Connors eventually becoming The Lizard by Ep. 2 and then Flint Marko being just a petty theif before he becomes Sandman in several episodes later, and of course how Eddie Brock eventally becomes Venom by the season finale while the seeds of his fate are laid in several prior episodes.Of course, all that is due to the pre-planning of the entire season. In the specal feature on Disc 2, you see how the writers laid out the season with a bunch of color-coded post-it notes, and how they'd move plot points around as to which episode to put them in and when. Very clever on the part of the writers. So then what you get is a very concise story line that carries on through 13 episodes, with very few, if any, plot-holes.Another thing I liked about this series is the violence level. For those who've seen The Batman series, and perhaps even the 2003 TMNT sereies, the violence level is right at that PG-13 level I'd say. Of course it's just cartoons, but still, I don't recall any of those old classic superhero shows ever coming this close to knock-out, drag-down fights and whatnot.As far as any flaws go, I'd say the only thing is...maybe, the chronology of some of the villian and character revealings when compared to the classic comics. Oh, and that's another thing. All of this stories are basically straight out of the old original comics. But like I've said, the writers introduced a few characters before their time, only because of the time constraints with a 13-episode season.Well, anyway, if you're in any way a Spidey fan and wonder whether or not this new incarnation of the classic figure is worthy of your time, I would have to say, definately yes. Just hold your ears while the opening credit theme song plays as that's really the only corny part of this series, if you ask me. | 1positive
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Simple is better
It seems everyone reviewing Iron Eagle has seen and loves it. What I know is, it reminds me of simpler times. Cliched? Probably. I remember watching this with my sister as a kid. I love the whole thing and hopefully is as available in the future as it is now. The comparisons to Top Gun are unavoidable, like comparing the Stones to the Beatles. But, as it is with music comparisons, you can't look at Iron Eagle as a Top Gun rip off, it is in my opinion more entertaining and way better in it's own right. The final raid scene is complimemted by the awesome track by Dio "Hide in the Rainbow", when Doug rescues his dad at the end of a fire engulfed runway you just jump up and cheer. What a great moment! Im sure there are technical short comings as far as communications go but so what?Do you like a good old fashioned calvery rescue? When 4 planes lead by MAJOR "Dwight Smiley" show up to fend off the bad guys...well all I can say is grab your apple pie, and classic Coke and enjoy being an american. | 1positive
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Excellent DVD
Heroes is probably the best TV series on DVD that I have seen! It was hard to stop watching it, even though I was trying to make it last. I bought it for my girlfriend and had never seen it on TV. I decided to watch it with her and was totally blown away. I plan on re-watching it soon. The characters are well developed, and it brings a realistic viewpoint to the subject of super powered people. Definitely not the same old cliche material here. Can't wait for the second season! | 1positive
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Should've came out 7 years ago...
Three discs and only three hours of special features... TWO OF THE DISCS ARE THE MOVIES WITH ABOUT 10 MINUTES OF EXTRA FEATURES! So basically you're buying a 2-disc DVD spread out on 3-discs, hell, there are so little special features (HALF OF THE "THREE HOURS" ARE DELETED SCENES) this could be on one disc of the film wasn't so long. Titanic is a good movie, although cheesy at times I don't wonder why it grossed $1.8 billion, but the special features on here just aren't worth it. This DVD should've came out 7 years ago as a 2-disc edition and this year should've came with a 4-disc edition with hours upon hours of special features.What special features do we have here? About 6 hours of deleted scens that were deleted for a reason (I especially hate the first one where Cal says Picasso won't amount to anything; haha, get it? Picasso won't amount to anything but now he's perhaps the most famous artist right up there with DaVinci? Haha!). The alternate ending is painful, but that's merely a drop in the bucket compared to My Heart Will Go On music video. The only special feature really worth it is that Fox Marketing video, all the other "special features" are about 2 minutes, especially when they could be 20 minutes and very interesting. The "Titanic Ship Tour" for example is amazing but could have been better. The special features just aren't worth it unless you love deleted scenes. At least when Peter Jackson made the film spread out on 2 discs, HE PUT 2 EXTRA DISCS FOR SPECIAL FEATURES! And his movie (Return of the King) wasn't half as big as Titanic! What a waste.Good movie, gets 4/5 but the special features are useless. Not only that but while the first DVD had the movie on ONE disc this one has it on TWO discs - which could have held way more features! | 0negative
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What was that?!?!?
This had to be one of the worst movies I have ever seen. What ever happend to this being "The scariest movie of the summer"? All I have to say is that I was utterly disappointed, thank God that I rented it first. | 0negative
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Another fine mess by Madacy
Typical Madacy mish-mash, made up of old documentaries thrown together to make a multi-DVD set, complete with a colorful, attrative box to appeal to the average consumer who wouldn't know otherwise. If you occassionally like watching old documentaries/propaganda films, fine....but the outside of the contents (the box) need to state honestly what's inside, and not hype it up to appear like it's a big-budget production (like a History Channel or National Geographic product - now THOSE are worth buying). Madacy has a problem with that, because they know most people won't buy it....or at least pay the asking price. This stuff needs to be on the bargain rack ($10 max). | 0negative
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Good movie......BUT.....
Yeah, it was an entertaining movie. But I just want to say that Rene Russo is a withering old broad, and seeing her wrinkled body half-naked was QUITE the turn-off. AND I hope she reads this! | 1positive
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A Wonderful, WONDERFUL Film!
I went to the theater to see THE FELLOWSHIP OF THE RING about a month after its release, not really expecting much. I didn't really think that it was possible to create a live-action version of THE LORD OF THE RINGS and not have it ruin the book entirely. Well, when the lights came up at the end of the movie, I knew that it was possible. I went to see it once more afterwards and then bought the first edition DVD when it was released. The special features weren't that great and I thought that it might have been a little better. But when the Extended Edition DVD was released, I couldn't wait to see it. I got it as a Christmas present and immediately watched it. It was great! There's about 45 minutes added to the already 3 hour long film. Almost every scene is extended and there are some completely new scenes! If I hadn't gone to the theater to see this film, I wouldn't even be able to tell where the extended moments begin or end. I listened to all of the commentaries and found that the Cast was the most enjoyable one. My second favorite was the commentary with Peter Jackson, Phillipa Boyens, and Fran Walsh. All commentaries tell a lot about the movie. It'll take you months just to watch all of the special features loaded onto this 4-disc set. There's documentaries, interactive maps, photo galleries, storyboards, pre-viz, and much, MUCH more! If you love this film, The Lord of the Rings, or are just looking for a GREAT movie to sit back, relax, and enjoy, buy this Extended DVD! If I could choose from more than just five stars, I would! | 1positive
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ANY AGE MAN
Also it has adult stuff in it but it should be recommended for kids since that guy said that kids could watch WE WERE SOLDIERS | 1positive
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Pelican Brief
I can't really review this item because the disc was blank when I received it. | 0negative
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dazzling musical
It's a very amusing movie, with lovely costumes and sets. Julie Andrews as "countrygirl" in the big city! Fantastic to see. | 1positive
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Apalling. There is no "0" Star option, SPOILERS WITHIN
This film is vile. It features misogynist portrayals of women that are disturbing to say the least. It features a graphic rape scene that served to be the most uncomfortable thirty seconds of a film class ever.Women here are either 1: Doormats: Sandy taking back Geoffery after he has an affair with a married woman. She forgives him because she loves him. Blah.2. Masochist Nymphomaniacs who ask to be hurt, seduce young men and allow themselves to be treated as objects.In a time and place where there is an ever increasing amount of violence towards women, this film is a disgrace.Films like this give surrealism a bad name. Its not surreal, its perverted. If you want surreal, see a real film like Un Chien Andalou, not this very bad movie.Yes, its bad. On top of being incredibly offensive on multiple levels, it is littered with plot holes. Once the film reaches a certain point, the plot becomes so convoluted that its absurd and many things are never explained. | 0negative
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Good Start.... Good Finish.... What Happened To The Middle??
I'll tell ya I love horror movies and I try to find something good out all of them. Graveyard Shift, however, is a poor excuse of what a horror film is to me but I've seen worse.The good points of the film are few and far between. The setting of a basement in an old textile mill is great and the time of night is perfect. It seems like it is going to be a scary movie, but instead of taking advantage of these good points, it fizzles out and dies. A bunch of guys trying to exterminate rats from a basement??? If these rats were to do something instead of just sit there the film would've been much better. The acting is horrid, the plot is weak and there is not enough action until the very end, and even that is marred as the filming is so dark that it's hard to see exactley what's going on. The rat/bat creature at the end is pretty cool but you only get to see it once.Graveyard Shift could've been much better than it was. I think it just needed a little more direction, much better acting and some more action in the middle. You can check out Graveyard Shift and see what you think. It's not a complete waste of time but it's no masterpiece either. | 0negative
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Masterpiece.
Magic is exactly what this movie wants you to believe in. I have been watching this movie since I was a kid, and was rather surprised that not very many people had heard of this film (Bring it back to the theatre), but I love sharing it with anyone who's willing to watch it. I really believe that this movies costumes, music and effects we ahead of it's time. Everything runs so smoothly, and you can't help but want to look at everything in slow motion just so you can really grasp Mr. Scott's use of balance of good vs. evil. Tim Curry as the Devil is breathtaking and chilling, right down to the hooves. Although Cruise isn't at his best, everyone else makes up for it, especially Gump! If you want a good flick to watch that everyone will enjoy, you can't go wrong with this one. I'm also glad to know that there are others out there who are aware of this wonderful film! | 1positive
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I hate narrating! The narrator's voice sounded so annoying!
If I new it was going to be subtitles and narrating I would have avoided it all together. First 20 minutes and I just couldn't watch anymore. The scenes were kind of dull. I do not like foreign films and this one didn't change my opinion. I go to a movie to relax and enjoy and let it do all the work to entertain me. I don't want to have to squint and concentrate and rush reading so I can understand the storyline. It just gave me a headache and I was instantly turned off. If I want to read I will get a book. On top of everything else the narrator's voice(male - creepy old man) sounded so dam annoying. I thought this was going to be a charming feel good movie with a sweet girl and nice accents in some nostalgic little quaint village and interesting people who got a second chance at happiness. Who knows, maybe when I get patience or desparate I'll give this movie a 2nd chance. | 0negative
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Santa Fe Trail
Santa Fe Trail.... I was really looking forward to receiving this DVD as I am an ErrolFlynn fan!!! Unfortunately, I had to return this item as it was of very poor quality.Did not live up to Amazon quality. Had I known it was not a remastered copy, I wouldnever have purchased it. | 0negative
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You must buy this
One of the best/worst movies I have ever seen. This film made weep with laughter, left me speechless at the plot turns and disgusted that people are starving all over the world and yet Macdowell picked up a cheque for this performance. I had to get the DVD to show friends. They wouldn't believe me when I told them about it. Never again will they doubt my word! | 1positive
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VERY FUNNY
This is a very funny movie. Maybe not for everyone, but this is my second copy...I wore the VCR tape out! | 1positive
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Crosby and Sinatra hit it off!!
This film is packed with comedy and great music. The story line is so funny and the actors portray their characters perfectly. Crosby plays a divorced man who lives next door to his ex-wife who is soon to be married and who he is still very much in love with. But with some help from a reported who is covering the wedding, played by Sinatra, the story takes a twist.This movie is a lot of fun!! | 1positive
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Better Than Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone
I saw the first Harry Potter and absolutely love it. I also read the books. The Chamber of Secret was very good and better than the first one. Dobby was great. He looked very real. It did not look like it was computer generated. The special effect in the movie has certain improve from the first movie. I love the scene when Ron got the "Howler" letter from his mom. It was very funny. The movie was kept very close to the book this time.I definiately recommmend this DVD. If you are a Harry Potter fan, you got to get the DVD and watch it again. If you are not, you should go watch. It is indeed a great film for all ages. | 1positive
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Reba Season One
Reba is funny and full of energy in this sitcom. It is wonderful to see her in anouther field of entertainment!!! Some one comented the other day that her music is about real life, and her sitcom in the same way brings to life real issue's. | 1positive
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Bizarre & Dark meets "Moral of the Day"
This movie demonstrates why one ought to be happy with who they are. It's quite "dark" and can be frightening for younger viewers. I love the soundtrack and the movie's unique style. Can't wait for "Corpse Bride" to come out! | 1positive
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How about ZERO stars for a ZERO of a movie?
This "movie" was SO BAD, I just knew it had to get better. I waited through the segments for a glimmer of something funny, entertaining or even interisting...NOTHING! I hoped there was some punchline at the end or something to make these stories come together...NOTHING! Please, if you're reading this, DO NOT WASTE YOUR TIME! I want the time of my life wasted on this back. I think I should sue! | 0negative
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why Donnie Darko is the best movie you've ever seen.
Ok look. Im gonna cut straight to the chase ok, Im not gonna go into all of this crap on why it is or isnt good because of 1 boched second of the film ok. Look! Donnie Darko is a great movie and deserves a ton of credit. Richard Kelly is 26 and this is his first film. it's also the first film iv'e seen that accually made me think when it was over. All of the depth he put into this masterpiece took so much time and effort it's mind boggling. Im not gonna say, "Hey it's his first movie, go see it to cut him some slack." Im saying go see it because it will blow your mind. | 1positive
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A top-class film which is a joy for anyone to watch
This is one of the best films of the century. The storyline is excellent, and so is the acting. You cannot possibly fault it any way. I`ve seen this film about three times, and each time is as good as the first. A classic 5-star in many peoples` minds. | 1positive
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