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Stunning
Some people can't seem to tell gold from lead, and that this movie won 9 Academy Awards says as much about the trashing reveiw(er)s that "didn't get it."Question: must the characters/values portrayed in a good story only be personally agreeable? Perhaps observing (vs. condemning) offers insights otherwise unavailable.And if Seinfeld's Elaine Bennis would rather get fired than watch "The English Patient," she probably should be."The English Patient"('s) extraordinary confluence of elements: casting, directing, cinematography, music, etc., is a rare occurrence indeed - perhaps less than 1 percent of what gets produced these days. | 1positive
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Um... what did I just see?
I love The Who album "Tommy." The countless hours I've spent listening to it have been great. Then I rented the movie one night since I heard it was so good. I couldn't be any more wrong.Some performances were great, like Roger Daltry and Elton John, but others are just horrible. Like.... oh pretty much everyone else in this movie.Then, at the very end, I'm not quite sure what happened. I had to rewind it and watch it one more time to see if maybe it'd make more sense if I saw it a second time. But no.Too many new songs, all a little flat or melodramatic. And none have the same brilliance that the original songs have. Too much weird stuff. Too many bad performances. The movie's too long, too. It's all so much to take in that the greatness that is the album is completely lost. Waste of your time. | 0negative
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Worthless Western
The Claim purports to be an adaptation of Thomas Hardy's classic novel, The Mayor of Casterbridge transplanted to the Old West. The producers clearly wanted The Claim to be accepted as a literate Western and it is clear that the critics fell for it. However, as anyone who has read the original Hardy novel can tell you, the movie fails as a Hardy adaptation. Meanwhile, any fan of movie westerns can tell you that The Claim is a failure in that department as well.The Claim begins in 1869 where Daniel Dillon (Peter Mullan) lords supreme over his company town. His gold mining company is a topflight operation. Dillon is easily one of the most admired men in California, if not in the nation. However, Dillon is not a terribly happy man. Deep down, he broods over a dark secret that, if exposed, could lead to the destruction of his reputation.You see, the gold claim was originally made by another man, but Dillon sold his wife and daughter to the original claimant in exchange for the claim. The prospector thereupon took both wife and child to Boston and raised the family there. Meanwhile, Dillon ruthlessly exploited the gold claim to become one of the richest men in all of California. Needless to say, if it became public knowldege that Dillon's success was based on the sale of human beings, that would be nothing short of disastrous.Matters are brought to a head when his wife (Nastassja Kinski), daughter (Milla Jovovich) and his wife's subsequent daughter with the other man (Sarah Polley) show up in town and request that he take them in as his family. Just when you think that things are going to get interesting, the rug is pulled out from the audience's feet when it is revealed that Dillon conveniently never married after making his dirty deal. This enabled him to marry his ex-wife without never having to publically admit that they were previously married or what happened to that union. This effectively removed all dramatic tension and helped make The Claim a colossal bore. | 0negative
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Horrible!
Everything, I mean EVERYTHING about this movie is horrible! It isn't inspired in any way. No attempt at a plot or character development. The production design is utterly not good. The sets include a jungle, a space ship, a camp of apes that live in red tents and a crashed space ship. None of them are even slightly interesting. Just a terrible, terrible movie. | 0negative
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Contains all 3 Anne movies, 2 new documentaries and some extras
Anne of Green Gables The CollectionThis DVD collection consists of all three Anne movies - Anne of Green Gables, Anne of Green Gables -The Sequel and Anne of Green Gables -The Continuing Story. There are audio commentaries on each of the discs as well as additional bonus features such as additional footage, deleted scenes, the missing episode "Marilla Cuthbert's Death", and two new documentaries "L.M. Montgomery Island" and "Kevin Sullivan's Classic", as well as a featurette on WWI , a historical commentary by Kevin Sullivan. Here's a brief review of each of the Anne movies:Anne of Green GablesI loved reading the Anne of Green Gables stories when I was a teenager, and then I discovered the DVDs as an adult, and found that Anne's story will always be a treasured classic, one that I can watch over & over again. The story of the orphan Anne who is taken in by two siblings, Matthew & Marilla Cuthbert is so appealing for all the characters are people we can relate to & love. Anne is a fiery, wilful redhead, played excellently by Megan Fellows. She is ambitious, hot-tempered, and yet possesses a vulnerability that makes her so lovable. Richard Farnsworth is amazing as the soft-spoken Matthew Cuthbert who loves Anne unconditionally, and Colleen Dewhurst plays Marilla Cuthbert, an aging spinster, who seems like a curmudgeon, but is really a softie when it comes to Anne...the stories of Anne's adventures will make your heart sing, and yearn for more innocent times, when kids played with a carefree spirit, and no worries...when imagination was put to good use, and the great outdoors were a main source of entertainment.Anne of Green Gables - The SequelContrary to some reviews, I truly enjoyed this DVD. Megan Fellowes reprises her role as Anne Shirley, who embarks on an adventure when she takes up a teaching position at Kingsport Ladies College, finding challenges & romance along the way...but as always, Anne finds her way back to Avonlea. I won't give too much away here, but suffice to say that this DVD is worth watching[ despite being very loosely adapted from the books] if only because all the characters are played so well by the actors/actresses. Megan Fellowes performance is truly a joy to watch, she is an amazing actress with a great range of emotions, and the story flows smoothly, with humor, heartache, and romance. What more could one ask for?Anne of Green Gables - The Continuing StoryThis was the worst in the Anne series and is only worth watching for Megan Fellowes' performance. As always, she does an amazing job as Anne, and in fact I could never imagine any other actress doing justice to Anne's character! Back to the DVD, I felt that the writers did a poor job of continuing Anne & Gilbert's story...they got them married off in a jiffy [when so many fans were eagerly anticipating a nice, long-drawn fairytale wedding], and then after a brief stint in NY, Gilbert enlists in WW I! So, Anne of course has to go find him when he is reported missing, and the adventures she encounters along the way make up the rest of the story. This sequel is definitely the weakest in the DVD trilogy, but nevertheless a worthwhile watch, if only to see Anne again, and if you yearn for the Anne of before...then I suggest watching the earlier two DVDs which are far superior in production and acting to this one.CONCLUSION - I'd only recommend purchasing this DVD set if you don't already own the individual DVDs and are keen to view the new documentaries. Actually, it might help to shop around as I've seen this DVD set retailing at much less at other places. Also, there's a new Kevin Sullivan production of Anne titled "Anne of Green Gables - a New Beginning, which purports to trace Anne's life before she came to live with the Cuthberts, but which apparently is not based on the LM Montgomery books. I'm not sure as to when this DVD is being released, but some fans might want to wait till all four Anne movies are released in one complete set. | 1positive
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Nice but...
This BD was nice. Except, when it came to the scene where everyone was speaking alien/egyptian - there were no subtitles on the screen. And since I am not as fluent as Daniel, that entire scene was lost... I think maybe those titles were in the off-wide-screen section of the frame - boo. | 1positive
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Disappointed!
The only good thing about this movie was Meryl Streep (who deserves 5 stars). I was looking forward watching this movie (when I got it) but I was very disappointed! | 0negative
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As Expected, it Sucks!
Hollywood is incapable of making a good movie out of any book even if it's short. Since this book (which I rate as four stars) consists of over 1,000 pages, Hollywood was far out of its league. Not only did they do a miserable job of condensing the material, and not only was the acting terrible, they also managed to screw up the meaning of the whole thing. Do not touch this movie in any format under any circumstances. | 0negative
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This was an upset
The action was not at all belivable and the story was a re-hash of Cliffhanger. Howie Long's character had none. In all this video was no more entertaining than watching paint dry. | 0negative
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Star Wars meets Titanic
Pearl Harbor has been bombed again but this time not by the Japanese. This time the culprits were prefabricated Hollywood melodrama.This movie is an appalling bore. The main characters are wooden and uninteresting.The selling point of the movie is the high-tech special effects. Even this is unconvincing when aerial dogfights between the adversaries are much more akin to "Star Wars" than World War 2.This movie should be locked away forever. | 0negative
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The Big Mistake (Spoilers)
SPOILERS AHEAD ... One of the most important events in the movie doesn't reach it's full potential until the second most important scene . It's the wrong man that is brutally killed in the club . Everyone assumes that the man killed in the club is the rapist but it's not .It just goes to prove that with out knowing the facts "time destroys everything" .Even though the movie goes backward in time ,it really doesn't get any happier in tone. It actually gets more depressing knowing what the final outcome of each encounter will be .The final (opening) scene is open to various interpratations (sic) but still adds to the overall mood of the movie .I watched this on a friends recomendation and am glad that I did . Highly Recomended . | 1positive
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Great Movie, Bad release
One of my favorite movies Miyazaki and Studio Ghibli have made. but the release that Buena Vista made is terrible. The original intro and end credits songs are gone and replaced with songs that have no rhythm. Not to mention the bad job on the dubbing. If your a fan of Miyazaki and wanna see this movie, dont buy this version, just buy a bootleg somewhere. | 0negative
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An instructive introduction to China's "savior"
Just as Red China's history and culture remains a mystery to most in the West, so does Mao Tse-Tung stand as little more than a footnote to world history - a great big footnote, of course, but one little studied and even less understood than most by Westerners. Some may only know him as the grandfatherly fellow who met with President Nixon in 1972. Mao was and is one of the most significant leaders in modern world history, a monster and a genius who made China a world power while bringing about the deaths of more people (his own people) than Hitler and Stalin combined.Mao was born a peasant, and in many ways he ruled as a peasant; he was a man of "charming vulgarities" who almost single-handedly saved the Communist movement in China. As a youth, he was part of the first wave of Communists working to bring about revolution in a country overseen by corrupt and generally ineffectual leaders. As Chiang Kai-Shek sought to rid the country of this growing Communist menace in the early 1930s, Mao became an outlaw who led the remnants of the revolutionaries on "the long march" - which only 20,000 out of 100,000 survived; he then established a new base in the north and began mobilizing an army. Vastly outnumbered by Chiang Kai-Shek's superior forces, Mao was able to avoid total defeat thanks to the Japanese invasion of mainland China - Mao joined the fight against the foreign aggressor. The U.S. inadvertently helped arm the man who would, in 1949, claim control of the entire country and establish the People's Republic of China.This video draws a great contrast between Mao the revolutionary and Chairman Mao. His strengths did not lie in managing a country, as was soon made clear by his radical changes to Chinese society. Rebuffed by Stalin, Mao set about forging his own Communist reshaping of the country, asking more of his people than was possible. His massive farm collectivization efforts and zest for overnight industrialization quickly led to a horrendous famine; some 40 million Chinese died of hunger between 1959 and 1961. Mao did not see the reality of the disaster at first because people were afraid to tell him the truth. His invitation to the intellectuals to speak their mind in 1956 resulted in an "anti-rightist" purge that tore apart over one million families, leaving hundreds of thousands of people without a job and tens of thousands consigned to labor camps. The true state of affairs soon became apparent, however, and Mao was forced to the sidelines.After five years of careful planning and a calculated mobilization of China's young people, Mao reclaimed ultimate power and disposed of the moderates he viewed as having rolled back many of his reforms. This new Proletarian Cultural Revolution marked a return to Mao's paranoid dictatorship. The moderates and intellectuals had again been purged, and over one million Chinese had been killed or imprisoned. Mao did manage to do some good, despite himself, in his old age. The visit by President Nixon and the opening of Chinese-US dialogue after three decades of silence marked Mao's turn to diplomacy and his hope of gaining China an important seat on the world stage. He would die four years after Nixon's historic visit. The Chinese mourned the loss of their great savior, and Mao's influence has never abated in the country, even as the new generation of leaders seeks to come to terms with Mao's true legacy.I think this video does a good job of summarizing Mao's and China's history in the short time allotted. It also does a fine job revealing Mao the man to viewers. He was a great mobilizer of men who never lost his peasant ways. He was also a notorious womanizer. Was he, like Stalin, evil, though? This video would seem to indicate that he was not. He seemingly did try to do what he thought best for China; the problem was that he became, after 1958, a paranoid tyrant divorced from the reality of his land and his people. He certainly had little problem justifying the destruction of his enemies, but he did not bring misery to his people intentionally. Mao was a simple yet highly complex man, and this video makes for an instructive introduction to the subject at hand. | 1positive
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So many hate this film for the wrong reasons.
I attended this film with two of my best buddies, one of whom is a serious Schwarzenegger fan,so he stayed behind when the other and I walked out a little before the end. I'm an Arnold fan, as well, but this movie was horribly written and poorly acted, and perhaps worst of all, it was viciously blasphemous. I am not Catholic, but I am a Christian, and I took offense to much of this film. For my friends' sake, I endured it until the final scene, when a possessed Schwarzenegger looks up at a portrait of the agonal Christ on the cross, and says: "you died for nothing." I stood and walked out, along with a friend of mine. This final slap in the face was the culmination of a series of blasphemies that span the entire length of the film. The most disturbing fact, however, is that most of the moviegoing public has ceased to notice these things, or ceased to care. | 0negative
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Robert Duvall hits it on the head again
"Stalin" is absolutely the best film ever made about Josef Stalin, the man that largely simultaneously built and ruined Russia for decades to come. He was such a paradox and master of creating an image. He probably would have enjoyed the film himself.Duvall did a great job mastering the character, although his accent was a little weak. A great supporting cast delivered passionate line after line too. It is excellent! | 1positive
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Lenticular Rip off Do not get OUT FOXED
This is a disgrace Lenticular means a different box cover. This is the sprecial edition. The same this for all the 6-5-07 fox releases. The Dummies at fox did not even notice that on predator is DTS but the new fancy cover say D.D. | 0negative
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Stereotype gone haywire
The first few minutes were promising and then the stereotyping got to be very embarassing. "Look we greeks are funny and weird haha." Laughing at oneself can be a virtue but not if one is trying to make oneself look like a martian.Anyway, I couldn't get thru this thing. | 0negative
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Not worth it.
Like the fellow said in another review here, the DVD is very simplistic, showing you how to write in a word processor, how to edit addresses in a spreadsheet, and how to use the USPS program to send mailings out.This is all very rudimentary knowledge most folks already know about so I was very disappointed in this DVD.Plus the information is already obsolete because the USPS information you need to have your newsletters mailed out is no longer valid as shown on the DVD, so you're out of luck.You're better off buying a book on newsletters from a well respected professional who has been there, done that. Otherwise you're not going to learn anything from a 15-20 minute video made on a computer desktop that shows you stuff you already know.Ray | 0negative
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Nicely done
Good video and audio, takes a tourist's perspective. Would recommend as a preview if going for a visit. Gives overviews of the main tourist attractions. | 1positive
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wholesome true to life humor for the whole family
Our family laughed throughout this humorous dvd that presents the realities of family life, some of it hitting close to home making it even funnier. We recommend this for anyone who wants some light-hearted fun that the whole family can watch! | 1positive
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WTF??? -5 STARS!!!
This DVD lasted about 15 minutes in my player before I ejected it and found a more useful purpose for it...A COASTER for my beer! | 0negative
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The Moose Hole - 'Spider' Weaves a Web of Great Filmmaking
Look in the sky! It's a bird ... It's a plane ... Oops! Wrong comic book brand! Even without this comic catch phrase, one can easily say many things about the rising stock of Marvel in the movie industry. It is thanks to the successes of films like Blade and X-Men that finally pushed one of most highly anticipated comic-book adaptations over the top to completion. The movie version of the famous web-slinger has been in development for nearly ten years, mostly due to court battles as well as the lack of enthusiasm by the movie-going public for these types of films. But all the built up anticipation will find a rest as the famous comic-book superhero makes his way to big screen for the first time ever being played by a relatively unknown young actor. Will the fan base accept Columbia's film despite the lack of famous characters in front of and behind the camera? The only thing that can be said is that the ten years of built up hype and anticipation will finally come to end. Whether it will be a glorious success or a tremendous failure is not yet known accept to those that see the film and judge for themselves. Either way, it will be an exciting ride for all those involved.The story centers on the life of the young Peter Parker and the origin of the now famous comic-book superhero, Spider-Man. Peter Parker, a shy and geeky teenager, is raised by his Uncle Ben and Aunt May after the death of his parents when he was little boy. As far back as he can remember, he has been head over heels for Mary Jane Watson, the girl next door, but he has never gotten the courage to ask her out, let alone talk to her. On what seems to be a normal class field-trip, Peter is bitten by a genetically altered spider and his whole world is turned upside-down. He quickly notices that his body is changing but as time goes on, he begins to gain control over his new abilities and uses them to win a wrestling match. When he doesn't receive the money from the operator of the wrestling match, Peter ignores the burglar that robs the man at gun point. But when he discovers that the robber later killed his Uncle Ben, Peter devotes his new abilities to fighting crime. Now dubbed Spider-Man, the new superhero must master his abilities perfectly to take down the Green Goblin, who is actually his best friend's father who goes insane from an experiment gone wrong. The story for Spider-Man does a wonderful job of combining romance, action, comedy, and suspense all in beautifully well crafted script that remains consistent despite a couple integrating story lines.At the time of its release, the cast for Spider-Man was a relative bunch of unknowns but each member works well in their own way in this film outside of this handicap. It has to be said that there was quite a bit of hesitation on the part of Sony executives when Sam Raimi, the director, had chosen Tobey Maguire to take on the role of Spider-Man in this high budget feature film. This was quite reasonable considering Maguire had so little real acting experience outside of low budget films like Wonder Boys and Cider House Rules. But those fears can now be put to rest as the young actor proves that he can express vivid emotions even when his face is hidden behind a mask. Kirsten Dunst, who had gained some exposure in films like Jumanji and Bring It On, presents the perfect amount of "girl next door" charm that gives the story its real heart, which can only compliment her acting ability within the film. And William Dafoe, who takes on the duo role of Norman Osborn and the Green Goblin, shows true acting talent especially in the scene where Norman argues with his alter self in the mirror and in his mind.Overall, Spider-Man manages to spin a web that is able to capture many integral story elements in an amazingly beautiful pattern that doesn't out do itself. Though the film manages to pull off great things, there are a couple of things to pick at here and there. One of the most prominent examples has to be the musical score conducted by Danny Elfman, who also worked on the soundtrack for another superhero film, Batman. The score is quite unmemorable and doesn't have quite the kick one would expect from this high-profile a feature. Another problem is that some of the scenes with Spider-Man, in costume form, seem too fake compared to other computer effects but this is quite a small complaint in comparison to the rest of the film. The highly anticipated comic-book adaptation has already been declared the movie of the summer before it even has the chance to get out of the gate. Whether the general public makes this statement true or not, Spider-Man is a prestigious effort that gives huge compliments to the filmmakers and all other parties involved in finally bringing this comic-book fanboy vision to the big screen. | 1positive
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Eye of the Needle Movie
The movie came on time, but it can only be viewed in England. I don't know why they would sell it to an American. When I wrote to them, they said, basically, "too bad. It was in the specs." However, they suggested that I try it on my computer. Well, it worked, but the movie paused in the middle and wouldn't go any further. I wrote to them and sent the movie back. I have yet to hear from them. Be careful when you buy a movie that it plays in the States. | 0negative
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Great entertainment with a touch of high school sociology
Watch this movie for fun. It's amazing that Fey can make a whole movie based on the personality of one sex and especially when everyone thinks that it's going to suck. Don't try to find a political message in watching this film though the separation of the social classes play a role in who survives. Just enjoy the amazing special effects and the very healthy Lindsay Lohan. You will feel a sense of loss if you remember throughout the movie that so many people experience these things on a day-to-day basis. | 1positive
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still like it
Watched SWAT years ago when it first came out - I was in college. The SWAT concept I suppose started in the '70s in Los Angeles. I think the show was poorly timed coming soon after the end of the Vietnam War and people were tired of violence. The show was cancelled after just two seasons. Anyway I enjoyed watching the show again. Odd that Steve Forrest, the oldest, outlived at least one of the other cast members. Those methods/tactics were quite new then. The hostage thing had just begun. Saw the "new" version in the early 2000's but it wasn't the same. | 1positive
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Twilight of the Gods
Like many, I thought that Robin Trower got back together with Jack Bruce in order to produce a cheap payday capitalizing on past glories. After all, even the song titles were rip-offs of old stuff, right?Well, I was wrong. Instead of a jaded, pale imitation of what used to be, like most rockers past their prime produce, this is actually a heartening reminder that talent and true greatness stand the test of time. I will readily agree that Trower and Bruce are not going to win any beauty contests these days; it's actually kind of heartbreaking to see how they've aged.But, DESPITE the ravages of time, Bruce can still produce jewels like "Just Another Day", which is just as good as anything on his masterwork, "Harmony Row". And Robin Trower plays ridiculously well for a sixty-four year old. He plays the Cream classic songs effortlessly, but he really shines on the new stuff like "Seven Moons", "So Far to Yesterday", and "The Last Door".In the final analysis, there aren't that many rock musicians that you can classify as "significantly creative artists". But these are two such musicians, from a generation that lifted rock music toward respectability.Look at the people Bruce has worked with: John McLaughlin, Tony Williams, Eric Clapton, Ginger Baker, Chris Spedding, Gary Moore, Carla Bley, Frank Zappa. Jack has the kind of musical intelligence that transcends genres. Trower has the flowing style of soloing that can remind you of a jazz saxophonist, and he is never anything less than tasteful.So my advice is to get past the wrinkles, and enjoy the music. Jazz player Roland Kirk kept playing after debilitating strokes. Johnny Cash still commanded respect when he was frail of health.Just be glad that these guys are still around, still creative, still sharing their gifts. What they're doing, in the face of a music industry that only loves pretty faces, is nothing short of HEROIC. | 1positive
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Fun, fun, fun!!
What a blast. A celebrity dog lost in oblivion saves the day. There are many laugh out loud moments and one particularly funny one involving a toupee for a dog make this a movie to be watched many times. Appropriate for the entire family. | 1positive
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Forrest Goofball
I don't want to slam this movie, but I just don't understand why so many people like goofy, cute stories like Forrest Gump. It was so far-fetched for me that I never watched it again. It was not quite as bad as The Terminal.Like the reviewer below me said, this movie beat out The Shawshank Redemption at the Oscars. Unbelievable. | 0negative
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ultimate movie to watch burnt
this movie is great to watch burnt, especially the scene when ethan throws that hubcap at one of the slaves and it looks so fake | 1positive
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Excellent Film!!
This is an excellent film about a boy and his relationship with his seal and trying to protect the seal from some greedy hunters.Set in beautiful Alaska!! | 1positive
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Best of Phil Hartman!!
Rest in peace Phil Hartman. I feel like this is the best of most sitcoms... Because they have a good cast... Phil Hartman.. is the best and He is funny in this, So is Stephen Root... There both funny in this show.. I would give this 100%... | 1positive
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Problems running other parts of DVD
The movie rocks! But my Laptop (Gateway 9100XL) could not view any part of the DVD other that the movie. Everything else was choppy. Please let me know if you had the same problem. | 1positive
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This is such a sweet treat.
I was totally caught up in the beauty and comedy of Mean Girls. The time flew by and the movie was ending before I was ready. While I love teen chick flick comedies, I was worried about the setting of the film. I needn't have worried, the cast was superb. | 1positive
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Confusing
Orlando Bloom plays a recently widowed blacksmith in France who is sought out by his father, Liam Neeson, a noble and a knight returning to the Crusades in Jerusalem. Orlando follows him, then inherits his estate after his untimely death. Suddenly, everyone is listening to this nobody from nowhere, and Orlando ends up heroically leading the army of Jerusalem. Huh?I guess movies like this about interesting historical periods are very hard to make. Look at Alexander and Troy. I thought I was conversant with the Crusades, having read a score of books about the period (specifically the fascinating Eleanor of Aquitaine), but found this murky movie impossible to follow.P.S. - Note to Ridley Scott: every cut does not spew blood like a geyser. | 0negative
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One of my favorite movies of all time!
This movie is the greatest when it comes to showcasing martial arts. Mark Dacascos may not be the greatest actor in the world, however he does understand the arts and does a fabulous job doing it. The plot is upbeat and has a wholesome story line and catchy dialogue that is sure to be repeated in the home. If you repect martial arts, this movie is for you. | 1positive
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Why put a movie on DVD?
There are a number of reasons for using the DVD format... They allow for all types of features to suit all types of viewers...One Feature that is a MUST for foreign language films is to have a language track for the intended audience... This DVD lacks that basic feature and made initial viewing less than enjoyable... I guess, once I learn French or am able to retain the written dialog for the entire movie, I will enjoy the movie upon further viewing...The makers of "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" Did their DVD the right way and I recommend that all makers follow that example... | 0negative
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It Will Touch Your Soul Forever
In my opinion one must ignore all controversial reviews and see it for yourself. It's been going on for centuries surrounding how Christ died and who killed him. This film does not reflect that at all and doesn't put any one group in jeopardy. It was our sins that nailed Jesus to the cross. His love kept him there. Remember when Jesus said he had the power to lay down his life and take it up again. This command came from His Father in Heaven. This is also written in the Scriptures of the four Gospels.<P>The film itself is beautifully portrayed and well-acted. The artistry is superb in authentic art and culture of biblical times. Jim Caveziel who plays the part of Jesus Christ so well that you think it's Jesus himself who took over the part. He looks like him and acts like him! His role is sincere and powerful. Maia Morgansten who plays his mother, Mary is beautiful in her role as she follows her son Jesus from the trial, scourging and the cross. The graphic violence maybe too intense for small children. So adults should review before letting young children view it. One may question why Gibson's film was so violent? He did a good job in sticking with the Scriptures according to the prophecy in Isaiah chapters 52 & 53. The crucifixion an ancient form of execution invented by the Romans was not a pleasant sight. According to history when crucifixion was in use unfortunate candidates were tortured or flogged before being hung and some didn't survive the horrible beatings.<P>The Passion is a film of painful beauty and sacrifical love of mankind. It is spoken in Aramaic (ancient Hebrew) and Latin with English subtitles. But one can understand the language by heart just by watching the suffering of Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. It's one of the best Christian film on the subject of how Christ really suffered and died for all of us. It has a nice end that doesn't leave the viewer thinking that Christ just died and shows He victoriously rose from the grave on the third day. It makes an excellent witnessing tool, plus a keeper in your film collection. I highly recommend! | 1positive
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Same Cover, Different Release Date and Company
I purchased this digitally remastered version of Penny Serenade. Although the picture quality of this one was very good(same cover, but mine states it was released by Platinum, 2003), the movie is most definitely cut. Penny Serenade on this DVD did not contain the portion where Cary Grant masterfully pleads to the judge to adopt the child, despite his lack of employment. Grant was nominated for an academy award for that particular performance, which was not included in this version. For that very important reason, I reject this one, good picture quality or not. | 0negative
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Lost in Space (DVD)
Arrived in good condition, in a timely manner. Was kind of dorky, very little in common with original TV show. | 0negative
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Mirrorball
After buying the Mirrorball CD and being totally impressed, and as Sarah has not done a concert tour of Australia, I was really looking forward to this DVD. Sadly I was bitterly dissapointed. The audio leaves a lot to be desired, and is obviously *not* the same live tracks as presented on the CD. The audio is noticeably out of sync to the video in every song, in fact some of the tracks don't even sound live, its like they took the studio CD sound and added it to the video.Dissapointed. | 0negative
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Sad, Surreal, Tedious. (And a Ridiculous, Stupid Final Scene)
If you sit through this strange film to the ending (you should be rewarded for stamina), you are treated to the stupidest camera work you could imagine. It is laughable. The last scene is the dramatic high point, but the director and cinematographer abolutely ruin a moment that could have been decent. If you've seen it, you may agree. It practically screams motion sickness. What a cheap trick.As for the film itself, it is bizarre. There are a handful of characters who are all in one way or another sad or pathetic or deranged. Marlon Brando gurgles and mumbles his way through the movie (where did he ever get that affectation, that strange manner of speaking? He was fine in "Streetcar"). Anyway, he plays a closeted military school instructor married to a silly, shrill, vapid broad played by Elizabeth Taylor. She gives me the impression of a washed up and [..] Scarlett O'Hara. We are not told how these two opposites ever got together. Maybe they lost a bet. She refers to him as Prissy, and he calls her a slattern. Both correct, I might add.Brando's character is silently obsessed with one of the young military men (who is stalking Brando's wife quietly); Taylor is involved secretly with their friend (Brian Keith), whose depressed wife (Julie Harris) is recovering from a miscarriage and a depression in which she mutilated herself.A highlight of the film is Julie Harris' Filipino houseboy Anacleto: softspoken, flamboyant, odd, and oh so dramatic. His scenes are fascinating and comical.The movie originally was filmed with some odd gold wash that permeates it, but this was removed when audiences didn't care for it. I've seen that version and the second (regular Technicolor); I prefer the latter. To paint everything in a light amber hue is tedious, no matter what John Huston was going for. The movie's surreal enough without the tint.When I think of the cast in this film, sadly, they are wasted. Even megastars can't save the heavy, boring material. Yes, Taylor and Brando are good (they are great actors, no doubt). But these characters aren't likeable people, any of them.Sadly, Reflections in a Golden Eye does not give us much to like. I'd skip it. You're not missing much of anything. | 0negative
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jaunty jalopies rock
this film is a classic. it's great in so many ways. it's a prime example of old school filmmaking. they literally don't make films like this anymore. a cast of classic comic actors, assembled for a romp onscreen. the situations are clean, anyone in the family can watch the film. terry-thomas is dynamite, playing his typical nasty english cad role. tony curtis is good, playing chester scofield as a wacky nutty type of american adventurer. the subplot of germany vs. u.k. is funny as are the italian racers who want the fame and fortune, but also the girls. and the girls! early feminists. a great film all around. a must buy! | 1positive
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Best Production I have seen yet!
This DVD set is probably one of the best TV show on DVD production I have seen yet. I can't believe it did not sell well. I have been waiting for season 2 for almost 2 years. This is the kind of tribute great shows deserve. Therefore, I would be satisfied with less extras and foreign language options for season 2. | 1positive
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A chilling and disturbing midnight movie
[CAUTION: SCATTERED PLOT SPOILERS THROUGHOUT THIS ENTIRE ESSAY. YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED:) I first saw Stanley Kubrick's brilliant, but disturbing A CLOCKWORK ORANGE (1971) in late 1971 at the Hollywood Pacific Theater in downtown Hollywood. I was an optimistic college student about to turn 21. The movie overwhelmed and elated me. I thought it was the greatest movie I had ever seen. And the "X" rating gave it a forbidden fruit bonus that made several young women from my dorm asking me if I would take them to it because I was just a friend and they did not want to see it with their boyfriends. During 1972, CLOCKWORK was THE movie for adult moviegoers to see; it played at the Hollywood Pacific for months on end. I was literally seeing it every month and finding something new and fresh with each viewing. I was the same age as punk protagonist Alex (Malcolm McDowell in the performance he has never topped) and found something imaginative about the use of music constantly, the set design, the editing, and the circular and ironic film structure. It somehow did not bother me that I was watching hoodlums beating up and sometimes accidentally killing innocent people after drinking hallucinogenic milk; I just loved the interior of the Korova Milkbar and the writer and his wife being raped to "Singin' in the Rain". And with Gene Kelly's rendition of "Singin' in the Rain" over the colorful closing credits, I left the theater feeling elated after 137 minutes. And it wasn't just me. Reviews were mostly raves for Christmas Week 1971. The movie won Best Picture and Director of the Year awards from the New York Film Critics. And it got four Oscar nominations, including Picture and Director. One of my film professors at UCLA even offered extra credit to anyone who saw CLOCKWORK in Hollywood and turned in a halfway-intelligent review; I got an A.But we all grow up. The very same print of CLOCKWORK ORANGE-OK, a few frames of nudity were trimmed in two places to get a ludicrous "R" rating-that enthralled me as a college student of 21 now terrifies me as a middle-aged movie scholar of 54. The copy of the movie I own on VHS tape has only been played three times in the last decade, including once before writing this essay. The film's near future of 1986 is now the past. It is admittedly fun to see the kitchen with four colors of wallpaper, Mom with a purple wig and red raincoat, the glass tables with metal bases, and a record shop that still sells videocassettes and LP records. The high-speed sex scene with two girls and "The William Tell Overture" remains a delight for me.But Alex's crimes are horrendous to me now. I do not enjoy them, even with the creative use of music to distance us. When the State imprisons Alex and puts him through the Ludovico mind-altering technique in the movie's middle section, I now root for the State to win, not Alex. I have been a patient myself in my share of hospitals, including for two heart attacks. The doctors and nurses seem sympathetic. And the ironic twist finale troubles me now at age 54. It leaves me with a queasy feeling, not euphoric. Same piece of celluloid for 137 minutes, but three decades later in emotional growth. And then there is Malcolm McDowell doing two different short-lived, but welcome TV series with white hair and smiles to reassure us that he is not Alex anymore. It was only a role, albeit the role of his career.(CAUTION: NON-STOP PLOT SPOILERS! BEWARE!} For those who have never experienced CLOCKWORK ORANGE in a theater or on home video, let me brace you for what to expect. Ghostly music plays on the soundtrack as we track back from Alex and his two pals (droogs) drinking milk laced with hallucinogenic drugs in a milkbar with reclining white nude women sculptures as far as the eye can see; customers gets a refill by pressing a button below each sculpture's purple private parts. Then a gang rape follows the beating up of a tramp under a night bridge. A glass house where a writer and his wife live is then invaded by the three hoodlums. Alex kicks at the writer as he happily sings "Singin' in the Rain" and rapes the wife after knocking over bookshelves. Then the gang goes home. Alex lives in downtown slum apartments with obscene graffiti on broken elevators. Climbing the stairs he places a pet snake named Basil on his bed and plays Beethoven's Ninth Symphony, his favorite, happily on audiocassette. A visit from his probation officer in the morning is followed by a fight and accidental murder by Alex with a woman who has a lot of cats and a lot of hilariously obscene sculptures, such as a white penis and testicles; that is a murder weapon. But Alex is arrested outside the house, tricked by his two droogie friends. And we are now 45 minutes into a 137 minute movie that falls into three neat parts. I give out this much plot because of friends who have given up on the movie after 20 minutes of non-stop violence and sex scenes with pubic hair. Walk out on this movie before it ends, and you will miss the whole troubling and ironic point of it.(MORE DETAILED PLOT SPOILERS:) The second third of CLOCKWORK ORANGE mostly leaves behind sex and violence. Arrested for the accidental murder of the catwoman, Alex is now a prisoner of the State. Scenes throughout are hospital corridors and rooms with sympathetic staff for me. This is not a traditional prison at all. And Alex is very sympathetic as he reads the Bible (though he likes the sex and violence parts) and trying to be a model prisoner. After a couple of years, he volunteers as a guinea pig for something new the State has up its sleeve-the Lodovico Technique, brainwashing to abhor all sex and violence. We see a few of these sessions-Alex with his eyes propped open being forced to watch a brutal rape film (this got very slightly trimmed to get the "R" rating in America) and I think a scene from TRIUMPH OF THE WILL (1934). But an Alex supposedly all cured of sex and violence does not really succeed before an auditorium gathering. Will the program backfire?(STILL SOME MORE PLOT SPOILERS:) We are now about 90 minutes into the movie, with roughly 45 minutes left to go. This is where the movie gets mind-bogglingly and dazzlingly ironic. The program has rough side-effects for Alex, who becomes an abused victim by some of his former tormentors. Look what has happenedto Alex's two buddies and what they do to him. The writer shows up again in a stunningly ironic scene with an even more imaginative and ironic payoff, leading us to a controversial final fifteen minutes or so. I still think it is a happy ending, maybe because it has five minutes of closing credits with colored card name backgrounds and Gene Kelly doing "Singin' in the Rain"on the soundtrack,Two things are for sure: The fearless Malcolm McDowell should have won the Oscar he was not even nominated for, and CLOCKWORK ORANGE is a masterpiece of audacious and endlessly creative filmmaking by one of our greatest filmmakers. This is Stanley Kubrick's greatest film for me in terms of writing and pure filmmaking and provocative ideas, even as it still terrifies me. I try to watch it on VHS tape in a darkened night bedroom to evoke the grand single-screen Hollywood Pacific Theater in 1972 when I was only 21, but it is hard. We are all older now-and hopefully wiser. If you think you are up to it, CLOCKWORK ORANGE is a staggering and overwhelming video rental evening-and sells on DVD for only $14.95.[...] | 1positive
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Couldn't get past the personalities
I can't put my finger on it, but I found Kosminsky and Hurt so annoyingly bland and mellow that I couldn't finish the DVD. I think if you combined them, you might come up with one real personality. | 0negative
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Jim Carrey Finatic not likeing Jim Carrey
I love almost every Jim Carrey Movie out there. This and the sequal is the only exception. The ending killed the entire movie!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I get the idea but there is not a man alive that would be that dumb. It is a sin to watch this movie if you are male in my own opinion. | 0negative
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No Disney Magic Here
Perhaps the weakest animated Disney film in history with a storyline to match The Aristocats is sure to put you to sleep. Disney rips off from its earlier film, not just from a story point of view but the musical score is uplifted from previous Disney films. Altogether The Aristocats feels like microwaved Disney! | 0negative
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Still a Classic and a Devastating Picture.
Viewed: 11/03, 6/07, 6/12Rate: 106/07: The Terminator is so good that it is an absolutely devastating picture. This is the film that made Arnold Schwarzenegger famous. So famous that if the film wasn't made, he wouldn't be the governor of California today. The bodybuilding work in the former days has served Arnold extremely well because he was born to be ready to play the Terminator. His Terminator is a magnificent villain. So unstoppable that it is impossible to conceive something so awesome as itself. There are many great scenes in The Terminator, and even the ones when the Terminator goes in a slow-motion in a menacing but mission-driven look before he unleashes firepower on those poor hapless victims. The Terminator is lightly, perhaps some medium, a horror picture but heavily of a science-fiction kind. The truth of the birth of the role for Arnold is when he was arranged to meet the director James Cameron in some restaurant, Arnold wanted to audition for the role of Kyle Reese. But James Cameron looked at him and said, "My God! You're the Terminator!" Arnold replied, "No, no, no...I want to play Kyle." At that, Cameron goes, "Absolutely not! You are the it. A machine!" Of course, I am paraphrasing, but you get the idea of the magnitude. One actor did not earn enough credit for his work, and that is Michael Biehn. He totally set the tone of the picture by heightening the realism along with the stark tone in how he described the Terminator and the future. He really created The Terminator the film by his attitude, and Arnold Schwarzenegger did the rest of the work. His performance as the Terminator is 100% pure Oscar work. The reason for this is his ability to create this robotic feel, movement, and action. Combining all of that with his brawn, who can replace Arnold Schwarzenegger as the Terminator? Meanwhile, we can thank Stan Winston and his staff for their excellent special effects work. Yes, The Terminator is one of the greatest and most influential films ever made. Before The Terminator, there was nothing like it. A haunting, devastating, and thrilling picture.6/12: This is the film that made Arnold Schwarzenegger a household name, and he will continue to be one forever. The Terminator is a devastating picture because how do you really stop a Terminator that is made of all metal? I thought the last thirty minutes was a bit ridiculous and illogical. I've been thinking that a machine should do everything as perfectly yet it couldn't correctly aim for Sarah and Reese amid the chase? That's impossible. Also, it's just may as well be so that all of the three end up in a factory that happens to be unlocked for them, and it seems perfectly capable of dealing with the Terminator. Reese summed up the film succinctly well and what it means to face the Terminator, "Listen, and understand. That Terminator is out there. It can't be bargained with. It can't be reasoned with. It doesn't feel pity, or remorse, or fear. And it absolutely will not stop, ever, until you are dead." All in all, despite the logic flaws, The Terminator is filled with classic scenes and will always be regarded as a masterpiece. | 1positive
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Boring
This should have been an interesting story. She's a fascinating character and the movie gave me just enough information to form that opinion, but the entire plot was shallow and lacking. | 0negative
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Only an IDIOT would by this on BLUE-Ray
This was one STUPID movie, I have a 19.99(21.66 with tax)BlockBuster membership with Unlimited DVD's with 5 in-store exchanges. I have only been watching Blue-Ray movies (to get my money's worth)so far. Cloverfield was a waste of my families viewing time - we could not believe the stupid creature and the endings (there were 3 of them).I now plan on reading all the the Amazon Blue-Ray reviews, BEFORE I rent any more movies.As soon as BlockBuster deposits $30 in my paypal account(that was there promo for signing up), I plan on canceling.I give Cloverfield 0 stars ( I wonder if this movie really made by superman's (chris Reeves) son (Matt Reeve)?Update as of Today October 14, 2009 - Blockbuster has not put that $30 in my paypal account - so what I did (in August) was request 3(three) of the very best Bluerays, and I did not look back(no intention of returning them). There is a rumor going around that BlockBuster Video they may be going bankrupt soon anyway. | 0negative
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Learning As It Should Be!
If you are looking for a FUN way to reinforce letters and their sounds to your preschooler this is the DVD to buy! Leap and his friends make this process fun as learning should be for this age group. Before long you will find yourself singing the "Every letter makes a sound" chorus much to the delight of your preschooler. I highly reccomend this dvd for those children that might need a gentle nudge in letter recognition as well. | 1positive
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dances with wolves
This is one of my favorite movies of all times...it is right up there with Gone With the Wind. | 1positive
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Slightly sick but an amazing film
I first came across this film by watching a video called 'Alpha Male movie scenes', which included the first scene in the film (where Roger Dodger is dominating a discussion about 'male utility').Although this film isn't just about an Alpha male (in a similar way toTaxi Drivernot just being about psychopaths), it is a dominant thread, and Roger Dodger is a fantastic lead in the mold of James Bond orBrett Butler.The one warning attached to this is that, although the film does have some ideas of how to pick up women, it is far more a social commentary on the narcissistic personality that Roger represents. It's kind of like a modern-dayAlfie, but with scenes where Roger takes his virgin cousin to a brothel, amongst other dark scenes.Still, so long as you can stomach such scenes and see past such faults, you will find a first class charactor film that explores dark themes with artistic finesse.Last thing to mention is the extras. Occasionally DVD's offer budding film-makers a full tool-kit of how to make a film. The extras on here are one of those treasure-troves and illustrate that the director wasn't just going for offence-for-offence's-sake, but was after something artistic.So, if you like films with dark themes and want to see an under-rated lead performance, then see this film. You also may be pleasantly surprised by the support role played by Jesse Eisenberg, who went on to play the lead inThe Social Network.And if you like dark but arty films, do tryIrreversible(a film about a rape filmed in reverse - likeMementowas). Also do try a DVD of George Carlin's later works (e.g.Complaints & Grievances) as few have equalled his ability to be clever with dark humour. | 1positive
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It's a wonderful Life
I watched this when i was a kid and has always been a favorite movie on Christmas days... I ordered it on amazon to let my 7 and 8 year old girls watch this .... I was kinda disappointed their attention span was not so great but i will continue to play this every christmas until they fully understand this movie. I have always loved this movie when i watched it as a kid. This movie is one of those i always associate with christmas. I do have other movies i like to watch during christmas but this one hits a real good spot in me. I hope next year when my kids turn 8 and 9 they will finally have the attention span to watch this... if not oh well there will always be next christmas.... hohoho merry christmas and years to come | 1positive
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Rubbish!
All the attractive forces from these "illuminated" ones and yet all I felt is extreme repulsion of tripe and hot air. Sure there're microscopic grains of truth any halfwit could dose out: you've got to want it; think as who you want to be; want that million? get your behind off the couch and do something about it. Right, the real secret? write some books or make a film but make sure to leave plenty of ambiguity, sprinkle some cliché here and there, recruit some success-story-for-hires to lend it credence and respectability, wrap the whole thing in a shroud of mystery and promise of imminent revelation, and voila! call yourself a philosopher, a spiritual crusader, an entrepreneur and watch the dough rolls in. I'm surprised Deepak Chopra wasn't invited but maybe he was - I just didn't watch it that closely. Boys are we ever "at a spiritual crossroad", ever so close to the Ultimate Secret, the Ultimate Answer (42 by the way). | 0negative
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An excruciatingly bad movie
I almost felt pain at watching this. I had heard stories but nothing prepares you for the horror of how bad this movie actually is. John Travolta, Forrest Whittaker, Barry Pepper...all good to very good actors, in a stinkbomb of a movie. At least "Plan 9 From Outer Space" was so bad it was funny... | 0negative
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thumbs down.
i have to admit, when i saw the this movie the first time i was stunned by the great visual effects and the amazing martial arts. watching the movie a second time however, i realized how annoyingly pathetic the dialouge and plot is. it seems as if the writer just wrote a story to justify the special effects, not as if the visuals support the plot. there are huge gaps that are left unexplained and are just justified because "this is the science-fiction and who knows what might be possible in the future". and by the way, reeves is a terrible actor and it is very tiring to listen two his dull voice and ridiculous lines for 2 straight hours. this movie is terrible. | 0negative
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A Dated American in Paris
No doubt An American in Paris was a sensation in 1951 when it won the Academy Award for best picture but these days it seems dated. Gene Kelly is fantastic and does amazing dancing but he carries the film. Without Gene Kelly there is no American in Paris. The problems are these: the story is about Boy meets Girl, Girl runs away from Boy, Boy stalks Girl, Girl gives in and goes out with Boy even though she is engaged to another "Boy." The music is by Gershwin, one of the great musicians of the 20th Century, so there's no fault there except that arguably his greatest songs like The Man I Love and Someone To Watch Over Me, do not appear anywhere in the film and other classics like Nice Work If You Can Get It are given a cursory airing. So an opportunity to showcase Gershwin at his best was lost.On the positive side An American in Paris has great production numbers, including a concert pianist dream sequence and a ballet that sums up the story of the film. The sets are great and it looks like everyone had fun making the film.At the end of the day An American in Paris is a good film musical, better than many but not up there with the very best. | 1positive
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contrived, puerile, and nauseating, a cinematic fraud
"You're good, Will! You're really good!" If you want Robin Williams wheezing this mantra in your face-- if you think that's all it'll take to give you the girl, a car, and a road out west, this is your film! This film has been used in courses on the Holocaust to show how propaganda works: by inducing a state of conformity in the target audience. I don't think I've ever seen a more dishonest film, or an uglier one.Of course people who judge films by the effect they have on their moods will disagree. They don't see the similarity between this effect and say, the effect of...heroin. If they should happen upon actual art-- which is supposed to help human beings understand the world and how to live in it-- these people would of course reject it as "weird."This is industrial propaganda masquerading as "honesty." Pure evil.Having said that, in the years since this film was released, Matt Damon has come a long way towards becoming a real artist. Perhaps this horror was a compromise he made to the gods of commerce (it is said the once great screenwriter William Goldman-- now a hack-- actually contributed a great deal to this script). | 0negative
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Shane
Good Old Fashioned Western.Well written and acted.Only drawback it doesn't come in "Widescreen" | 1positive
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How do I loathe thee? Let me count the ways.......
Lynch, Sting, giants worms, a prologue spoken in a Russian/Latin combination......where do I begin? Incomprehensible, dull, pointless, mind-numbing, banal, utterly contemptable.....in other words, the sort of film that is impossible to enjoy if one is sane, rational, and intellectually sound. You stand warned: viewings may cause extreme drowsiness and suicidal contemplations. | 0negative
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MOSTLY A BORING MARTIAL ARTS MOVIE
THIS FORGETTABLE MARTIAL ARTS FLICK IS ABOUT A HIGHLY ANTICIPATED MATCH AT THE MADISON SQUARE GARDEN THAT'S SUPOPOSED TO DECIDE WHO'LL BE THE SUCCESSOR OF BRUCE LEE. ALL THE FIGHTS ARE CRAP AND THE ACTING IS MOSTLY HORRBLE. AND THERE'S ALMOST NO PLOT AT ALL TO THIS MOVIE. THE ONLY THING THAT SAVES THIS TIME WASTER FROM A ONE STAR RATING IS THE FACT THAT IT HAVES A VERY INTERESTING SEGMENT THAT EXPLAINS BRUCE LEE'S LIFE AND FEATURES FOOTAGE OF BRUCE LEE. OTHER THAN THAT, DON'T BUY THIS MOVIE. | 0negative
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UNLOVELY
This movie was a piece of sappy garbage. The nauteously overdone CGI heaven sequences bring the movie to a halt every time we are there. Jackson destroyed the few characters (and actors performances for that matter) who had potential to be interesting: Susan Sarandon, Mark Wahlberg, Rachel Weiz. The movie is a cut and paste job of the book that tries to do too much with too many characters. Jackson switches point of view just enough to never allow us to connect to anyone in the film.Peter, please go back to action movies. It is the only place where this much CGI can makeup for bad storytelling. | 0negative
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MAAAAAAD FUNNY!!!!
This is one of the funniest movies I have ever seen! If you like sick, twisted, demented, and perverted humor...then this is for you! By far the most hilarious non-actor movie ever made. Like the muppet show on crack.By far the best character is Bletch, who owns the Feebles variety show.He is such a backstabbing low-life that you have to love him. Defineatly a MUST SEE for B-movie fans!!! | 1positive
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I liked it
The Machines are drilling their way to Zion, last bastion of the human race, and the humans are preparing their final defense. Not everyone accepts Morpheus' (Lawrence Fishburne) belief that Neo (Keanu Reeves) is the key to their salvation, so the crew of the Nebuchanezzar (spelling?) are on their own (in the beginning, anyway) as they reinsert themselves into the Matrix in search of Neo's final destiny.Pay no attention to the nay-sayers. This film is lots of fun. I enjoyed the pseudo-philosophical speechifying on the nature of reality between spectacular CGI-loaded [scenes]. The Wachowski brothers have taken a lot of trouble to flesh out the world of the Matrix and polish it with a veneer of intellectual significance. You can think about it exactly as much as you want to; I'm sure the Wachowskis had something coherent in mind when they were writing all those speeches, and repeated viewing may bring clarity. Or you can just sit back and enjoy the ground-breaking special effects sequences with the sound turned way up./ | 1positive
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Excellent!
The movie arrived safe and sound! My Son loves to watch it all the time! Great quality, no scratches. I'd order from this seller again. | 1positive
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An unwatchable zombie movie
This movie is absent any production values, is missing good lighting, and the acting is very poor at best. I don't care how low budget a movie is, if the viewers can't SEE it then how can they like it. It looks like it was shot on someone's home video. There is no spit and polish to give the impression that any effort was made on this film. If the filmmakers do not make any effort to churn out a watchable movie, then I'm not going to go through the effort of recommending it. | 0negative
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Still Good but...
it doesn't live up to the stunts that were performed in 1&2. Yet all that battle came to a satisfying end in an unlikely manner which made the movie..."still good" | 1positive
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Ain't No Love In The Heart of the City.
Set in post-breakup No Man's Land , where everything and nothing proceeds in a half-awake haze, Movie No. 4 by the unstoppably cool Wong Kar Wai ,traps the kinetic bustle of its polyglot milieu ( i.e. Hong Kong, premillenial and agit ) on-cam , making this engaging diptych about two bachelor cops on the tailend of a jilt (Takeshi Kaneshiro and Tony Leung) and their elusive and spanking-new objects of affection (Brigitte Lin and Faye Wong), the most hyperactive movie about stasis. Part Godard, part guerilla , Wong Kar Wai is an iconoclast infatuated with the pursuit of happiness in a crumbling lifescape and "Chungking" is his most spellbindingly romantic. Despite its kinetic bustle, its traffic-blur action and its throbbing pop mantras , all HK movie standbys, "Chungking" has ,at its core, an intimate calm and wistful melancholy closer to Jim Jarmusch ("Stranger Than Paradise") than Ringo Lam. Champion date movie of any year, "Chungking Express" is a shout of psychedelic neon with the hush of a sweet nothing. | 1positive
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The worst major film of all time?
"The Avengers" may be the most dreadful film ever released by a major studio. A laughable plotline, an infantile screenpaly, an embarrassing script...this movie has it all. If you did not see it in the theaters, by all means rent it (DON'T buy it, for heaven's sake). Everyone who enjoys movies needs to see this incredible barker. It makes the second half of "Barton Fink" seem like best picture material. | 0negative
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Ho hum
My 3 year old granddaughter likes this one, but I try to coax her toward something else when she comes to my house. We have a lot of better movies. | 0negative
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A sorry excuse for an American
I'm absolutely disgusted by this man and after watching this DVD I must say that he is absolutely obnoxious. He complains about everything while bolstering his wallet and waistline with the money he is making from creating this trash. Save your money buy something good. | 0negative
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undoubtedly Speilberg's worst movie
usually i enjoy Speilberg movies, some of them are among my favourite movies but AI will never be one of them. Occassionaly a movie comes along that is just so awful from start to finish (in this case especially finish) that it almost defies being reviewed. there are few or no redeeming features of this movie, of course the effects are excellent, of course the performances are good, of course the pace is digitally perfect but the film has no soul, ultimately its at lifeless as the characters it reflects on. therein lies the critical flaw of the film, it is itself totally artificial and dead. whilst on a purely intellectual level that is intriguing its not enough to sustain a feature length movie. what would have made a unique and probably award-winning short movie fails to succeed as a feature. finally it leaves one feeling sad that so much talent and effort were wasted on one bad idea. | 0negative
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Bad Taste, Bad Movie
A better title for this one might be "What in the World is Nicole Kidman Doing Here?" The film begins - in extremely poor taste - using actual news footage (or a very real duplication) of the 2003 Columbia space shuttle tragedy. Incredibly, the footage is used in a fictional context, like showing scenes from 9/11 in a James Bond film. Such was the intellectual maturity of the makers of this film, which belongs (if it belongs anywhere) in a late-night trash marathon on the Sci-Fi channel. This is a paint-by-numbers geek show, with all the standard gross-outs, implausible scenes, bad dialogue and horror movie rip-offs. Even the most ardent Fangoria nerd would be hard-pressed to find anything new here.Two stars for Ms. Kidman's earnest performance. The rest is rubbish. | 0negative
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muddled and dark.........
When I saw the previews recently of The Chronicles of Riddick,I thought it might be interesting to see Pitch Black. Wrong.From the first part of it, it looked cheap. That was my firstclue and from there it goes downhill. I frankly think Dieselwas much better in Fast and Furious than he was in this.But I must say that he alone was the incentive to last as longas I did. As far as the monsters, that go bump in the night,anybody who compares them to those in Alien must be blind anddeaf......I found them interesting but definitely not scary, or maybe you needed to be there to see them in person? They reminded me in a way of the raptors from Jarassic Park particularly when they are congregating on the launch pad at the end of the film.Total waste of time.Perhaps 'Chronicles' will be different?It definitely looks a bit more polished. | 0negative
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GREATEST WAR FILM EVER MADE
In 1970, two films juxtaposed each other. "Patton" was an unlikely winner of eight Oscars. The pacifist Scott for all practical purposes took his Buck Turgidson character and refined him into the real-life Patton. In interviews, Scott said he found his research of Patton revealed an unbalanced man, but on screen Scott nailed him as the vainglorious, brilliant, driven warmonger he was. Steiger was offered the role first but turned it down because it glorified war. Vietnam was absolutely at its apex. It was very surprising that Hollywood would make such a film at that time. But director Frankin Schaffner had served under Patton, and after making "The Planet of the Apes" had the clout to call his shots. The film did not get America behind the war, but it did cause Nixon to start bombing Cambodia because the Patton story convinced him to get tough. The screenwriter, oddly enough, was Francis Ford Coppola, who may have done himself a turn. Coppola was no war lover, and wrote "Patton" as a man obsessed with war ("God help me, I love it so"), deluded by visions of Napoleonic grandeur mixed with Episcopalian Christianity and karmic reincarnation. The intent may have been to show a psychotic military man, to de-mask his heroism, and this may have been what prompted Scott to play it. From page to screen there are virtually no changes, but if Coppola was trying to put down the military by showing Patton's human warts, the result was a brilliant work that now is one of, if not the most, conservative pictures ever made. Watching "Patton" stirs wonderful pride in two countries (Great Britain is prominent in the film) that were tough enough to stand up to the Nazis when the rest of the world cowered in victimhood. Karl Malden's Omar Bradley is Patton's perfect foil, as is the Bernard Law Montgomery character. The film saved Coppola, who was about to be fired as "The Godfather" director. When he won the Oscar for "Patton", it gave him too much clout to get the axe.(...) | 1positive
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Ehh
Not the best movie. I am a movie fanatic and this played no high role in the cinema recommendations. Thanks. | 0negative
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Unbelievable!!
I just got this in the mail today & immediately popped it in when I got home from work. I am utterly speechless. The quality is absolutely breathtaking the absolute best I've ever seen from a Chaplin restoration. I hope to god they will release all of the feature films (& maybe shorts?) on blu ray! The picture is so vivid it's as if I'm in the room with the cast. Please purchase this & please release more!! | 1positive
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Awsome movie
i love vin diesel and i would die for him if i was older but i'm only 14 years old i would love to see him if i could afford to fly over to california and see him just for one time i would like to spend one whole day with him. | 1positive
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A monumental folly
The film can only be described as a mess. If ever the term "style over content" applies, it is to The Fifth Element.The acting is atrocious throughout. Milla Jovovich walks about in a daze (and the conceit of Luc Besson casting his girlfriend as "the perfect being" is obvious). Another reviewer stated that "Gary Oldman...as usual, is magnificent". The only suprise about Oldman (who spits out a succession of terrible clichéd lines) in this film is that someone manages to be camper than him. Namely, Chris Tucker. Screaming like a girl once is, perhaps, amusing. Doing it for 2 hours really starts to GRATE. Ian Holm looks embarressed by the whole thing, while Tricky proves why he didn't get any more acting gigs after this.Art directed to within an inch of it's life, this film is only for those who have a interest in unfeasiable fashion styles and/or idiotic sub-comic book childish idiocy. | 0negative
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some of these are good . . . but not this one
If You Want Dracula on DVD Get the 1999 DVD because this is defective The Spanish Version would'nt Play and House of Dracula Skips get the 1999 DVD how ever Some of the Collections are good i'd Get The Frankenstein and Wolfman Colection and mummy collection I Have not Seen The Invisible Man or Creature Collections | 0negative
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babysitter beware.
"The House of the Devil" is one of the better horror movies I've seen in quite sometime. It was nice to see a horror film that showed a attention to detail and a eye for suspenseful cinematography, and of course, one that was really creepy. "The House of the Devil" is a tale of a desperate Co-ed named Sam, who is strapped for cash. She replies to a "Babysitting" gig to make a quick $100 but there is something strange and desperate about the man offering her the job. After some deliberation her and her friend drive out to the back woods house where she meets with the man and his wife, an odd couple dressed in all black. Soon, the husband confesses that this isn't a babysitting gig, he wants her to stay in the house and respond in case his "bedridden mother upstairs" has any problems. Sam is ready to forget the whole thing but he offers her a whopping $400 for four hours of work. Something any cash strapped co-ed would have trouble refusing. Sam agrees to the terms but as the night progresses she will soon be fighting for her life. I can understand how some will find "House of the Devil" a tad slow and boring but as a fan of suspense rather than gore I found the movie to be an excellent exercise in building tension and the production of a beautifully shot horror movie. The simple shots of the house in the dark surround by the sinister and ominous woodlands was enough to send a chill down my spine. It reminded me a little of "Susperia" which automatically won its favor with me. Aside from the technical aspects, everyone contributed solid performances. Jocelin Donahue is perfect as the polite but naive Sam and Tom Noonan plays the creepy "tall man dressed in black holding a cane satanist" to a T. "House of the Devil" is a solid horror flick with flashes of brilliance and a refreshing alternative to all the carbon copy slasher flicks that come out every year. Most importantly I think it functions as a great cautionary tale to all the aspiring babysitters out there. If they seem like satanists then they probably are. | 1positive
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why is this not for sale in US
I would like to buy this DVD.Why is this only for sale in the UK? | 1positive
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A rare gem of a film!
I had the wonderful opportunity to visit Kabul on business in 1976, before the Russians, before the Taliban. It was a bustling, vibrant city -- teeming with energy and friendly people, crowded market stalls, and delicious food! After reading Mr. Hosseini's books, "Kite Runner" and "A Thousand Splendid Suns", and being greatly moved by both, I wondered if either would ever be filmed. This adaptation isn't perfect -- it would need to be much longer to deeply explore all the nuances , but it captures the feel of a country, a people, and lives torn apart by tragedy and the possibility of redemption. The subtitles probably are difficult for some -- I speak the language so they didn't bother me all that much, but if it were dubbed into English it would lose something. I'm glad this film was made. Enjoy it as a small window into a proud culture that has endured a terrible crushing blow and still manages to persevere. | 1positive
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John Wayne
I have always liked john wayne. It's about a family and there likes and dislikes. I would tell anyone to see it | 1positive
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Wonderful for hearing people, crappy for others....
I lived during this time, and I well remember the excitement of watching the space program at that time. Alas, I can't get that excitement back from watching this otherwise excellent series. Why? Because I'm deaf, and because HBO, even though it spent oodles of money on producing this series, continued its long-time habit of ignoring deaf audiences and didn't spend the extra pittance to provide closed captions on these videos. About 3 million Americans are getting shut out of Hank's loving tribute to Project Apollo because of this short-sighted attitude on HBO's part. If you care about those things, please write to HBO and express your indignation, and maybe, just maybe, HBO will see fit to close-caption this great series on its next reissue, opening it up to a greater audience. | 0negative
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Not scary...Funny?
Why did i laugh so much?, when im watching a so called horror film i dont want to laugh, i want to be shocked. Comedy and horror dont mix, because i cant be scared if something is making me laugh. The violence isnt anything special, and mostly is just a poor atempt to make it shocking but it doesnt work, especialy when they are sitting around on the roof playing a game to see if some guy can shoot the zombie that looks like a celebrity, yeah thats scary, theyre havin too much fun to try and pull off a scary situation, it seemed like fun to me. They also never explain why everybody turned into a zombie, at least not in a way that makes sense. Its also incredibly predictable and you know everything before it happens, its so obvious. It made me laugh, not necesarily a bad thing but when im watching a "scary" movie i dont want humor, the performances werent anything above soap opera level, the story isnt exactly somethin you could make a good movie with in the first place, so i guess you shouldnt expect anything from this because you will be disapointed, i guess my hopes were to high for movie with zombies that didnt suck, every movie ive seen with zombies does (28 days later, resedent evil 1, house of the dead i cant believe they ruined that game, it was great, the movie was ridiculous, the list goes on...) and this is no exception. 1 out of a 10 for making me laugh, think of it as a comedy and you might not be so disapointed. | 0negative
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Boring, long, nice scenery, decent acting...
Its suprising that this movie is from 1962. It feels like a movie made in the 40's or 50's. It has that overblown theatrical feel. Kind of like Wizard of Oz. There are some redeeming qualities of this film. The filming and camera angles are excellent. Some of the acting is good, but not great. Its almost like a Monty Python movie except it isn't funny and it's too "old-style". Other than that, Lawrence of Arabia would have made a great parody Monty Python movie if they would have went for that. They should have because there is no historical accuracy, no middle eastern actors, nothing real whatsoever. But thats would people liked back then, fake b.s.This movie is similar to the movie "Giant". Its way too long and it has good actors but the performances are weak. "Giant" was absolutely horrible though, and this movie is not horrible, just boring, dumb, thoughtless, it also reminds me of Hogan's Heroes, where all the army people talk like they got a gerbal in their throat, or maybe in their pants I don't know. There is one scene where a British officer touches Peter O'Tooles nipple and starts fondling his breast. Peter O'toole hits the officer and then gets whipped while the perverted officer watches and starts coughing, is that like a hernia test innuendo or something? Whats up with the coughing?There is another scene where Peter O'Toole gets shot with a gun and the gunshot has enough force to knock him off the top of a train car, but then gets up with only a little bloodspot on his shoulder. Is this "Night of the Zombies", or is this supposed to be somewhat historical? They can't make their minds up whether this movie was supposed to be a big joke, or whether they wanted to go somewhere with this. Regardless, there is some beautiful scenery of a bunch of white american actors trying to look Arabic riding camels through the desert. They either talk British or American of course. This would have made a great black comedy if they would have had to eat Peter O'Toole at the end because they got hungry. Oh well, waste 4 hours and watch this junk. | 0negative
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I, Cliche
When you want to see what's wrong with the vast number of big budget action movies, you needn't go much further than I, Robot. Based extremely loosely on the book of short stories by Isaac Asimov, this film is a crude assembly of action-movie cliches that somehow make an entire film.In a near-future Chicago, robots are commonplace and something of a servant class, bound by the Three Laws of Robotics, which prohibits harm of humans and compels obedience. When a robot apparently commits murder, the cop who investigates the crime finds something much more threatening afoot than a single homicide.Executed well, this could have been a decent movie, but no one involved seems that interested in any real level of originality. The writing is loaded with cliches, most prominently with Will Smith's cop character, a sullen but wise-cracking detective who has a deep dislike for robots. You've seen the same character in a dozen other movies, as well as the wise-and-feisty grandmother, the hard-nosed police captain, the sinisterly pragmatic CEO and the idealistic-and-nave scientist. The action sequences are also often comically stale, with slow-mo, Matrix-like effects that more intrusive than effective.Unfortunately, the movie does have some good stuff; I say "unfortunately" because if it was completely bad, it would be more likely that this sort of movie would be rejected by audiences and we'd stop seeing these relatively tedious flicks. But the special effects with the robots are often interesting and the story does become a bit more watchable in the last act. So, although this movie is unoriginal and generally lacking, it has just enough good stuff to merit two stars. | 0negative
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Sets the Standard for Sci-Fi , Horror, and Action Movies
When ALIENS was released in 1986 the studio made James Cameron cut over 17 minutes of film because they felt it was too long. Still the released film was over two hours, but audiences didn't seem to mind. The film was branded an instant classic, setting a new standard for sci-fi, horror and action movies... all at the same time. It even earned Sigourney Weaver (returning to her role as Lt. Ellen Ripley) a well-deserved Best Actress Oscar nomination. ALIENS proved that a sequel can live up to, if not surpass the vision of the original. It has been imitated dozens of times, but is has never been topped.Ripley awakens 57 years after A L I EN, only to find out that no one believes her story about a monster that gestates inside of humans, killing it's host (rather violently) at it's birth, grows very fast, has acid for blood and is pretty much an "unkillable" killing machine. So they fire her and threaten to sue her for destroying the Nostromo (the company's ship in part 1). She's forced to live in a run down apartment building and gets a job working on the cargo docks because no one else will hire her...However, the company did send out some colonists to check out her story. The colonists are unaware that for the past 20 years they've been sharing the same planet with Ripley's monsters.That's the setup before all hell literally breaks loose.James Cameron masterfully choreographs a decent into the bowels of a planet taken over by a demon monster and her brood (and there are many of them in this one). This DVD edition includes the 17 minutes of cut footage, which adds tremendously to the narrative, filling in some rather irritating gaps that were left in the theatrical version. Ripley is given a past, making her relationship with the little girl Newt more understandable. You actually see how the aliens took over the colony on LV-426. So when the marines arrive at the colony, you FEEL the loss. The movie is an emotional roller coaster ride and at the same time, a well-crafted nightmare. The final 45 minutes alone will have anyone literally sitting on the edge of their seats. Followed in 1992 by a somewhat mellower sequel, ALIEN 3. | 1positive
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This is a Blu-ray????
This movie has very, very poor quality picture, i have seen VHS tapes with better picture than his "Blu-ray".We Turned it off early, it was boring and was not enjoyable to watch at all. I normally enjoy funny movies very much but this movie left me bored. It seemed like this movie was made for people in another country, the humor was dry and a touch odd. | 0negative
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Warning: You Are about to Read a Comment not a Review
I just heard about an exhibition called, "24 hour Psycho" where the Hitchcock film is shown at such a slow rate that it runs for 24 hours. But what is at work in Psycho beyond murder and cross-dressing that makes such a concept possible?Surely there is the technical brilliance that makes the film so watchable but more than that "Psycho" captures the moment we lost our innocence as citizens and were re-born as consumers. Its an old and sad story now but there is both recognition of and longing for our simpler selves in the story of roadside madness playing out in that neglected motel bypassed by an unnamed California freeway.The rap on Hitchcock has always been that he is a crowd pleaser, incapable of offending his audience. And in "Psycho" Norman Bate is caught and incarcerated so once again Hitchcock gives us a "happy" ending. But along the way he made us, his audience, root for the murderer. The pivotal sequence is when Norman runs back to the motel and sees what "Mother" has done to Marion. Norman does more than clean up the murder scene and dispose of the body. He provides the audience, just shocked and saddened by the death of the leading lady, an opportunity to shift allegiances to him the good son who knows how to mop a bathroom floor. The fact that we are led to believe he has done this before is no deterrent to our desire root for Norman. So by the time Norman stands at the edge of the swamp watching the car sink into seeming oblivion, we share his anxiety when the car stops sinking and his intense relief when its starts sinking again.In that sequence Hitchcock takes us from being innocent bystanders to accomplices to a shocking murder. It is the same dynamic at work in advertising and exploited by mass media. We are lulled into accepting Norman as a good boy because we see him clean up the bathroom. Had we glimpsed his face while stabbing Marion Crane in the shower that wouldn't have happened. If the makers of SUVs showed us the emissions from the exhaust pipe in the ad where SUVs climb mountain peaks, these vehicles might not be so popular. The movies, as Hitchcock knew all too well, depend upon the willingness of the audience to suspend its disbelief. But the audience will only do that when its given something worth the price. And it is in that basic exchange when we shed our role as citizen for that of consumer. Hitchcock showed his audience watching Psycho just how much of its soul it was willing to sacrifice in order to have a good time. And more than four decades later, we are still partying. | 1positive
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Journey Home Along The Rabbit-Proof Fence
Phillip Noyce's Rabbit-Proof Fence is an example of movie making for others to follow. For those interested in making a movie based on true expierences and hsitorical events, then watch this piece of work that is artistically compelling and both emotionally draining and uplifting.To often, movies based on true events take too many liberities with a astory that both history and the essence of the events are missed and often, what develops is an artistic vision that bares little resemblance to the "real thing." (Think of The Untouchables or Nixon) This cheats the viewers who wish to connect with people of the past. Noyce avoids all this by hiring actors like Kenneth Branaugh who turn in a perfect performance and childern to act who are not professionally trained, but come from the backgroud of the people he wishes to portray.The story is about Molly Craig, a 14 year "half-caste" who is taken from her mother to be inculcated into the "white system" of Austriala's government. She is abducted with her sister and cousain. The cousian, Gracie, ends up being recaptured by the police, but Molly and her sister triumphantly return home.This movie is so well done, that knowing the plot before hand does not discourage the viewer. At times, one is emtionaly drained and at the end, we are both happy and sad. The film score by Peter Gabriel's score is outstanding. A beautiful viewing expiernce. | 1positive
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Fun Movie
Love the plot, characters and the graphics. Jerry Seinfeld is funny and all the supporting bees are fun characters to get to know too. Worth watching! | 1positive
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Beware: this movie will make you want to watch more crappy movies.
If you enjoy b movies and monsters that look like poop, this one's for you. It has a solid cast, and a comedic subtlety that you just don't find in other movies. The monster is one of the slowest moving monsters in cinema history, but everyone insists that it's going to kill all of mankind. There are many scenes that will leave you with a smile and a deep appreciation for the effort it took to create this piece of crap. The xylophone scene is classic! If you're looking for gore look elsewhere, but if you like cheesy 80's monster movies, you won't be disappointed. If you mix a case of beer, a few friends, and Hard Rock Zombies, you have the recipe for one mighty glorious evening. 4.5 stars | 1positive
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The Music Man
Robert Preston is the best Professor Hill. This is definitely a classic keeper you want in your collection | 1positive
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Wizard of Oz
Just as good as if it were still on a Beta Tape. | 1positive
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Terrible Video Quality
Story:If you haven't seen the film, it's pretty great overall. Certain aspects like the smoking inside the restaurant cause it to feel dated for me, but overall it's funny and Ryan Reynolds is great.Video Quality:The problem with the blu-ray is that it is among the worst quality blu-ray transfers I have ever seen. I only watch new films on blu-ray at 720p, and even at that resolution a high quality blu-ray looks stunningly different than a standard dvd.The video quality for this blu-ray is awful, instead of the picture being crisply detailed, it's like there's a filter that muddies and softens everything, literally. I would rather watch the DVD transfer than this blu-ray, and this is certainly not worth the additional money over the DVD. If you have any doubt, rent the blu-ray first, and then make your decision. Not a good transfer at all. | 0negative
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Spiritual...
These movies are awesome. Great teachings in them. It was a great deal too for the 3 in 1 case. Watch these over and over again. | 1positive
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gross
I've warned my family and friends about this one. It is very gross. Fortunately, I was warned in time before ever seeing 2 girls 1 cup, which as I understand it is similar to this. I'll let you connect the dots. | 0negative
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